Sibi Malayil is a master of sentiments. He can play on human emotions and wrench out an earthy and endearing tale from them. We have seen that in numerous films of his.
But to play and paint with tender sentiments the canvas has to be steady and big. The backdrop has to be firm. In other words, the storyline has to be strong and sensitive.
And Jalolsavan, his latest offering starring Kunchacko Boban and Navy Nair in the lead, precisely falters on this count. The story that Sibi Malayil has chosen to weave a plot around is as old as the times. It is tepid and the film never rises from the morass of mediocrity. In some sense, watching Jalolsavams is like watching the paint on a wall dry ---- laborious and without any pretension of art or skill. The film begins predictably, moves predictably and ends predictably.
Perhaps, the master director is losing his touch. Or perhaps he is not in sync with reality. The film, set in the backdrop of watery Kuttanad, takes off from the annula boat race there. Alakkad (Nedumudi Venu) regularly loses in the boat race, and his life-long dream is to emerge successful in the race.
His son Chandran (Kunchakko Boban) is a cable operator who falls in love with Geeta (Navya) an industrious girl in the village. Being an orphan, she is looked after by Pappi Amma (Sukumari) whose wastrel of a son is Ponnappan (Jagathy). The latter tries to get Geeta married to a Dubai returned Jose (Riaz Khan).
As if this is not predictable, Chandrans father pledges all his properties for the final race but loses. He dies downcast and his debts and duties fall on the innocent Chandran. Now, he has to ensure that his fathers name is not besmirched even while seeing that Geetha does not end up marrying the villainous Jose.
It is almost like having an onion near your eyes ----the tears doesnt stop. The comic interludes also fall flat as they also look cliched and the songs also come across as bargain basement stuff.
On the flip side, the picturisation is okay as the camera feast on the lush Kuutanad. On the acting front, Kunchacko Boban is persevering. But since his role is limited and constricted, he cannot save the film.
Navya Nair is chirpy, but she is also hamstrung by poor script and holes-ridden story. Nedumudi Venu is dignified. Jalolsavam is diluted and watery.
