What Is the Story About?
Sunny (Biju Menon), Annie (Manju Warrier) and Jerry (Anu Mohan) are siblings living separately. On the occasion of their deceased mother’s birthday, they visit the paternal home.
Unfortunately, Sunny, Annie and Jerry have personal grudges and issues against each other. Their quarrel spoils the mood of the reunion and they decide to leave. How the last wish makes them stay for a week? What happens during the week and how it transforms them is the movie’s main story.
Performances?
Biju Menon, Manju Warrier and Anu Mohan play the main leads as siblings. They drive the narrative with their love-hate relationship.
The good thing here is each actor has been neatly cast for their part. It becomes easy to then carry and convey the emotions. Biju Menon as Sunny is terrific in an understated and intense way. We see a weary, disappointed soul in him. The frustration and angst during the later part of the movie come naturally to him.
Manju Warrier as the urban working woman is fine. She carries the role with grace and intensity, but at the same time, allows the lighter moments to shine with her unique touch.
Anu Mohan is the third cog in the wheel. He is brooding, a little sulky holding off the anger internally. Anu Mohan does a good job, but a more a bit more charisma to the part would have elevated the part among the gang.
Analysis
Madhu Warrior makes his directorial debut with Lalitham Sundaram. It is a simple family drama involving siblings conflict.
The movie opens on a very ordinary and predictable note establishing the various characters and their worlds. It takes time but is also necessary to have that relatable factor eventually. The problem here is the sheer predictability and a little too goody-goody acting.
The story kicks off much later when we finally hear the last recording of the mother to their kids. It is overdone towards the end but serves the purpose to give an emotional anchor to the proceedings.
What follows next is a coming of age drama that meets a bucket list plot. So, the family has to go through a few tasks in the one week they have. In between, they have personal conflicts to overcome.
The director keeps the proceedings lightweight and hits the dramatic chords intermittently. As all the actors have good skills, it becomes easy to push the emotional buttons.
The interval sequence is a fine example of the actors at work. The intensity leads to a gripping quality. It is what holds our attention.
The second half maintains the tempo of fun and emotions in equals measures. The reliability with characters and their backstories makes the proceedings breezy. The songs do act like speed breakers, but having a couple of them seem necessary to provide a breather. The actual songs themselves should have been better as they couldn’t be avoided.
The tempo is neatly built towards the climax and its explosive. The emotions flow neatly. The only issue here is the predictable underlying theme. We have seen it all before.
Overall, Lalitham Sundaram is a breezy family drama that hits the right emotions. It is all due to the terrific ensemble cast. It’s as predictable as it comes, but a feel-good factor is maintained throughout. If that’s enough, give it a try.
Other Artists?
Saiju Kurup plays a vital role as the husband of Annie. His characterisation is simple but very appealing. The way he bonds through different people without being intrusive is good. The actor does well and helps immensely in aiding the feel-good nature of the story.
The few supporting actors we see as the master, father, maid and others are well cast and do their jobs adequately.
Music and Other Departments?
Bijibal provides the music to the movie. The songs are alright, but they add to the length. The background score gives a TV serial vibe to the narrative. P Sukumar and Gautham Sankar handle cinematography. It is decent, but considering the backdrop, it could have been better. The editing is smooth. Lijo Paul sacrifices pace for emotions. The writing is fair throughout.
Highlights?
Casting
Emotional Moments
Second Half
Drawbacks?
Routine Story
Beginning
Some Fun Parts
Some Overly Melodramatic Bits
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, For The Most Part
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But With Reservations
Lalitham Sundaram Movie Review by Binged Bureau