Oozham movie review: Predictable theme, swift execution

Cast: Prithviraj, Neeraj Madhav, Divya Pillai,  Jayaprakash, Pasupathy

Director: Jeethu Joseph

A plot that has been seen  many a time — a happy family that is annihilated by the villain who leaves just the son to take revenge. Oozham starring Prithviraj in the lead and directed by Jeethu Joseph follows this simple straightforward formula. Unlike his earlier offering Drishyam, Jeethu does not keep the viewers in any suspense about the plot. The antagonists are revealed early on in the film but what makes Oozham engaging is not the ‘who’ and ‘why’ but ‘how’ aspect. For all those complaining about the disappearance of parents and sibling characters from the big screen, Jeethu focuses on family through this drama sans any cuss words or double entrendes.

The director has tried a non-linear approach that has Prithviraj enacting Soorya — a controlled explosion expert working in USA. He has a close-knit family consisting of a health Inspector father played well by Balachandra Menon, mother Sita, adopted brother Neeraj Madhav and younger sister enacted by Rasna Pavithran. Into this heavenly Garden of Eden enters the serpent in the form of a ruthless business magnate played to brilliance by Jayaprakash. Soorya has the misfortune of seeing his entire family getting wiped out in front of his eyes, while on a Skype call with his sister  and he comes back to avenge his family. How he goes about seeking revenge forms the rest of the plot. He is joined in his mission by Neeraj Madhav and Divya Pillai who too have faced losses. In the background, the film tackles the malpractices and unethical business deals in the high stakes medical industry.  

Jeethu has introduced some characters who blend into the role with perfection like debutant Tony Luke who is  faultless in the role of a spoilt Casanova. Anson Paul plays the young businessman like it was tailormade for him. Divya Pillai has done a decent job of playing Prithviraj’s friend. Special mention should be made of debutant Rasna Pavithran who shines in the role of Prithviraj’s younger sister. Kollywood actors Jayaprakash and Pasupathy have also done their parts well. Neeraj Madhav who has almost a full-length role proves once again that he can partner ably with any actor and create a good chemistry.

The film though is not free from flaws — something you would not expect from a veteran like Jeethu. The action and blast sequences are amaeuterish and the dubbing does not always sync with the lip movements. There is even a scene where a character who is supposedly dead flutters his eyelashes in a close- up. The camera work by Shamdat is praiseworthy. Oozham is definitely a film that stands out for its swift execution.