Shambu Malayalam Movie
What would you expect from a film set against the backdrop of a college campus and having a mix of politics, family sentiments, romance et al, and with Thalasthanam Vijayakumar in the lead? If your expectations are realistic, you are not going to be disappointed with Shambhu. Though the film directed by K.B. Madhu may not be as good as the director's debut venture Chithrashalabham (a re-make of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's memorable Anand) or even as good as Deepasthambham Mahascharyam or Vinayapoorvam Vidyadharan (both of which were watchable films), Shambhu is definitely better than his last film Deepangal Sakshi.
Shambhu tells the story of a young college-going guy, who is the son of Shankari Mahadevan, a teacher-cum-activist. The film begins from where Meera, a young television journalist, goes seeking Shambhu and his friends, who are in jail for having burnt to death 14 people who were traveling in a bus. Meera is in fact shooting a series on campus politics and related issues. She interviews Shambhu's friends, who admit having committed the crime. Shambhu meanwhile, is in a mentally distraught state and goes violent during the interview. But we come to understand that there are some clever machinations behind all these.
Meera goes further and tries to delve into Shambhu's past. This is what forms the rest of the plot. Parallel to this we have the instance of an ex-minister and MLA Adisheshan standing trial for a scam and some political scheming going on. We also come face to face with a young politician with a very positive image, Parthasarathy, who also was a student of Shankari Mahadevan. All these things get blended with one another as the plot develops.
Vijayakumar is not bad as Shambhu. In fact he has done a good job, though he is an actor with lots of limitations. Sindoori, who makes her debut in Malayalam as Anjana, a student who starts loving Shambhu and stands by him at all times, is just OK. Karthika as Meera is good. Babu Antony does a different role as Adisheshan and does perfect justice to the character. Riyaz Khan as Parthasarathy and Geetha as Shankari Mahadevan are a perfect choice. Santhosh Pali is a terrible waste, donning the role of Balamurali, a police officer.
Technical aspects are in tune with the subject and the tempo of the film. Of the songs, "Bomma Bomma…" and 'Ponambiliye Kando…" would appeal to fans of Jassie Gift, who has rendered both the songs in his characteristic style. "Sandhye, ennodinnum maunamo…" is soulful indeed. To sum up, Shambhu has nothing spectacular to offer, though it may be a good way to pass time.
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