Utharam

Utharam (The Answer) is a brilliantly made film. If you're in with a limited budget, and want to pull-off a classic with that, this one is a textbook for you. Realistic conversations, subtle acting, and elegant exchanges makes the film a worthwhile watch.

Plot synopsis:

A seemingly very normal day has Mathew Joseph (Sukumaran) devastated as he learns about the mysterious death of his wife, Seleena, a renowned poet. His best friend, investigative journalist P.B. Nair aka Balu (Mammooty) is equally haunted when he learns that it was a suicide. Unable to find any reasonable motive, Mathew asks Balu to probe the death of Selena from every angle. A disturbed, yet intrigued Balu sets out to uncover her enigmatic past, in hope of finding the answer (Utharam) of what lead to her suicide.

Utharam is a 1989 crime thriller film directed by Pavithran and scripted by MT Vasudevan Nair and starring Mammootty, Sukumaran, Suparna, Parvathi and Sukumari. Journalist Balachandran (Mammootty)'s friend and mentor Mathew Joseph (Sukumaran)'s wife and poet Selena (Suparna)'s suicide suspect is being investigated. On his journey to find Balu's investigation / answer, he meets Shyamala Menon (Parvathi), Selena's childhood friend and teacher. Continuing the investigation from the information received from Shyamala, Balu arrives at that shocking answer. This film is one of the rare films that makes the audience want to watch it in one sitting.

While certain aspects of the film might feel dated, Utharam - scripted by M.T Vasudevan Nair and directed by Pavithran, is a solid mystery drama that still sends shivers down my spine, especially with its climax twist. Stellar performances from the likes of Mammootty, Sukumaran, Sankaradi, and Parvathy are certainly amongst the film's positives.

Based on the short story No Motive by Daphne du Maurier, the film will be remembered for how well M.T Vasudevan Nair tweaks it almost flawlessly for Malayali audiences. It's an elaborately structured screenplay with every character having a significant role to play in unraveling layers of the dead woman's past. The background score by Johnson adds to the film's overall intrigue. The supposed "answer" (as the title suggests) leaves room for a few minor fallacies, but it's a well-grounded film overall.

Utharam Has to be one of the best in its genre. Sadly it s not talked about much. If you really want to watch a good investigation/mystery cinema in malayalam,this has to be It. Worth The Watch.

The movie will disturb you after you watch. Perfect screen play. Scenes are realistic especially in the beginning of the movie. The genre is investigative but runs on different track with respect to the contemporary Malayalam cinema of that time.

Sukumaran is just fantastic to watch and so real. Same with Sankarady. The movie begins with Suprana's death and subsequent scenes in which different characters remembers what all things happened around the same time when they heard the gun shot. The scenes of Sankaradi are very well taken.

The casting is unconventional and justified. One may surprise Suparna and Sukumaran as husband and wife but it is very well justified.

The movie depends mainly on the screenplay and the casting.