Venalmaram Malayalam Movie
'Venalmaram' (earlier titled 'Omkaram') is at best patchy. Parts of it are passably good, but parts are also downright bad. The film is a rehash of stuff you have seen again and again, and there's little point wasting your time over it.
A deaf and dumb boy, who is left all alone in the world, is brought up by a lottery ticket seller named Shankarankutty. The kind-hearted man names him Vinayakan. Shankarankutty's niece Ammu, who stays with him, calls him Vinayan. From his childhood Vinayan clashes with Vaasavan, who teases and follows Ammu.
Years pass and they all grow up. Vinayan works as an assistant in a tea shop run by Shankarankutty's friend. Ammu and Vinayan love each other. Vaasavan becomes a hoodlum. He is constantly lusting after Ammu. It is into this picture that Muthulakshmi enters. She takes Vaasavan under her wings in order to avenge the murder of her husband. Once her mission is accomplished, she gives herself up to the lecherous Vaasavan. She intends to marry Vaasavan, who though not averse to using her, is still lusting after Ammu. What happens from then forms the rest of the plot.
Talking about the performance of various members of the cast, you'd wish the pivotal characters never grew up. The child artist who does the role of the child Vinayan is much better than Bala, who does the grown up version. Lakshana is OK as Ammu. Sona plays the role of Muthulakshmi with the voluptuousness of a vamp. Minus that she is simply insufferable as an actress. Mala Aravindan as Shankarankutty is his usual self, while debutante Sarvajith as Vaasavan fits into his role.
Anoop Chandran just repeats himself as Vaasavan's aide, while Indrans as Muthulakshmi's servant does what he is typically wont to do. Cochin Haneefa as a police inspector has practically nothing to do. Suraaj Venjaramoodu and Kottayam Nazeer have been roped in for the sake of comic relief, but they fail to deliver.
There is little to be said about technical aspects. Music and songs by debutant Ram Surendar are good, but not outstanding. To sum up, there's little that 'Venalmaram' offers in terms of cinematic quality or entertainment value.
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