‘Ashakal Aayiram’ movie review: Jayaram in form in this breezy feel-good drama that falters in the end

Over-reliance on references from past hits often signals a lack of creativity. But inside Ashakal AayiramThey seem to be references, loving acts that fly thick and fast, all aimed at evoking Jayaram’s glory days in the 1990s. Until the filmmakers start using him to the fullest, especially towards the climax, it’s possible to swim in the warm nostalgia of the bygone years of a star whose films with limited ambitions had a minimum guaranteed fee in the past.

Inside Ashakal AayiramIn the film directed by G. Prajith, Jayaram and his son Kalidas Jayaram once again portray their real-life relationship on the big screen. Ajeesh Hariharan (Kalidas), who is deeply immersed in the world of internet reels, aspires to become an actor, while his father Hariharan (Jayaram), a medical representative, wishes his son to start thinking realistically and get a regular job. Caught in the middle of this father-son conflict and conflict of ideas about the right way of life, mother Asha (Asha Sharath) struggles in her own way to keep the family’s finances afloat.

Written by Aravind Rajendran and Jude Anthany Joseph (who is also the creative director of the film), Ashakal Aayiram has the structure of a typical family drama of the 90s, although its outward appearances resemble a contemporary film. Ajeesh’s antics in finding his dream role and his father’s unintentional foray into cinema become fodder for comedy, with Jayaram’s self-deprecating sense of humor (especially the reference to his much-maligned character in the film). Hi Kashmir) becomes a pretty breezy watch in the first half.

This is a character written with the intention of leveraging Jayaram’s strengths as an actor with relatable humor and emotions. He has been seen in memorable roles mostly in Tamil films lately, but it has been a long time since he made his mark in Malayalam. Here the actor is completely in his element, aware that although the overarching theme is his love of cinema, in the end this is a film made to celebrate him.

But the person who almost walked out of the film was Sharaf U Dheen, who plays Sumith Raghavan, a power-drunk star and a product of nepotism in the industry. Although the character is written without much shade, Sharaf’s performance gives him much more depth. However, in the second half, the script overwhelms the actor by spoiling not only the character but the entire film with over-the-top lines about nepotism and contrived plot.

The predictability of the narrative, which is ignored due to the highly entertaining journey of the first half, becomes evident as the film progresses. The conflict points produced do not help the film much either. The overly dramatic sequence at the climax drags the film down even further. At this point, a misplaced reference from the classic ‘Veendum Chila Veettaryangal’ appears rather jarringly, reminding us that such shortcuts can only carry a film so far. An original and organic script is always a better bet.