Movie : Njanum Ente Familyum
Director : K K Rajeev
Music : M G Sreekumar
Cast : Jayaram, Mamta Mohandas, Maithily, Manoj K Jayan
K K Rajeev, who is known for some fine serials that he has churned out for the various TV channels, makes his debut on big screen with Njanum Ente Familyum. Scripted by Cherian Kalpakavady, this film unfurls in a highly old fashioned way and it requires real patience to sit through this predictable and inane drama.
Dr.Dinanathan (Jayaram), one of the finest cardio thoracic surgeons around, is happily married to Dr. Priya (Mamta Mohandas). The doctor once attends a heart patient at the recommendation of his friend Dr. Moorthy (Jagathy Sreekumar) and to his horror he learns that the patient John Pailykkunnel (Manoj K Jayan) is in fact the husband of his ex-flame, Sophiya (Maithily).
Now consider this. The Hindi movie ‘Dil Ek Mandir’, directed by C V Sridhar and released way back in 1963, with Rajendra Kumar, Meena Kumari and Raaj Kumar in the lead had a similar theme. In the film, Meenakumari’s husband, played by Raaj Kumar, falls ill and has to be operated by Rajendra Kumar.
The problem here is that Meenakumari and Rajendrakumar were in love earlier and if Raaj Kumar dies after the operation, a foul play could be suspected. The film was made in Malayalam as Hridayam Oru Kshethram (1976) starring Madhu, Sri Vidya and Raghavan.
The situation is almost the same here. Worse still, the scenarist and director now start copying situations from several other films and end up making an insipid mess. Of course, as it is always seen in Malayalam films, when a man and a woman enter into an illicit affair, only the woman end up at the receiving end! Here too the story is proceeding exactly on those lines. If this is not hypocrisy, then what is?
But then, this story is so mundane that the only issue that comes to our mind as we cringe watching this drama is a rather simple one: when is this one going to end? Vaidy S Pillai’s visuals and M G Sreekumar’s music are fine.
Jayaram sleepwalks through the role and there is nothing much in the film that could pose a challenge for the actor. Mamta Mohandas has nothing much to do but Mythili and Manoj K Jayan hams it up mostly.
With no surprises in store, Njanum Ente Familyum meanders along on highly predictable lines. It is surprising that the makers had no qualms in presenting a usual story, in a highly boring way. Why waste time on this one?