Banner: Sri Chakra Films
Cast: Jayaram, Vimala Raman, Sai Kumar, Nandhinee, Harisree Ashokan, Madhupal, Hari, Babu Swamy, Vijayaraghavan, Kalaranjini, Veena, Baby Nayanthara, Baby Riya
Direction: Vinu
Music: Ilayaraja
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Sooriyan could have been an important films in Malayalam history, for as per records its lead star, Jayaram. V M Vinu is the director of the film.
The film offers nothing new in terms of story, presentation or in acting departments. With loosely written dialogues and screenplay by debutantes Suresh Menon- Sathish K Sivan, the film cannot be necessarily attached to a genre as family, action or thriller, or else is a mosaic of every known genre.
The story is all about a classical singer, who becomes a politician’s henchman to save his family from debt. And all else you can very well outline. And so in the first half, Soorya Narayanan (Jayaram) is a father fearing family man, a classical singer who finds it hard to bear the trails of living and in the later, in the flashback he is a goonda who can take even a ten men at a time, chopping their legs and shooting them mercilessly. The greatest drawback is that this transition is not as easy and believable as it sounds. The director tries his hand at various combinations at a time for the comeback pad of the star and ends up with a mish-mash.
The film opens with Soorya Narayanan performing for the alumni, in the college he studied. There he is asked to perform to newer tunes than classical music, and he has no time adjust to the demands of the younger students and starts singing a rhythmic song in the backdrops of classical and western instruments. Then we are shown his peaceful family and about a chance that is coming for Soorya to share the stage with the maestro Yesudas.
On a way to the hospital to diagnose the ailment of his brother’s daughter, he accidentally sees paralyzed Kattuparamban (Vijayaraghavan) taken in a wheel chair in a pathetic condition. Soorya tries to hide himself from the gang and we are given a hint that the singer may have had a violent past.
And then into the flashback, we see that this is a typical story of a family where the patriarch Hari Narayanan, (played by Saikumar) a well-known musician who devoted his entire life to Carnatic music, don’t believes in making money by selling his talent.
By the time his son is capable of giving concerts by him, the father becomes bed-ridden in a hospital. The ailing maestro’s son, Soorya is now surrounded by money lenders whom he has to pay back as his father is neck deep in debt. This becomes a turning point in Soorya’s career, who now decides to extricate the family from the clutches of the money lenders and for that he finds a job in a bank. And in the following sequences he find his old friend, who is now an ex minister, who helps him financially to come out of debts. Soorya now becomes his henchman, looking after his business and activities. Naturally his foes turn out to become Soorya’s enemies………
The film which moves in a snailish pace threads at least four different stories together to get into bigger mess.
Harisree Asokan, with his clean-shaven look mimics Dileep’s Chandupottu act, and elicits little laughter. Vimala Raman as Maya a radio jockey has an eye candy role that she does well. Suresh Krishna, Vijayaraghavan, Vijayakumar, Baburaj, Kalarenjini and Nandhini are also seen in their usual act.
V M Vinu, the director has not been able to bring out anything inspiring from any of his actors, and less can be
talked about how he manages to bring out an incoherent film together.
Ilayaraja with the songs and backgrounds even don’t impresses. The pick among his mediocre songs of the film is manasse rendered brilliantly by Yesudas. The technical side also doesn’t bring up surprises, with editor P C Mohanan doing nothing to increase the pace of the proceedings
In short, far from a comeback or launch pad, this is just a big disappointment.