Sreehalli

Story: The movie is about a group of friends who grew up in a village, a silly prank that changes the equations and the eventual effects.

Review: The legendary Sreehalli of Thenmavin Kombathu had given enough moments of gut-busting comedy to M-Town’s film buffs. Just as many films of the day that find it easier to borrow the much-loved settings or lines from the past rather than ideate on their own, and come across as hollow efforts, Sreehalli easily falls flat. The story tries to incorporate a lot of elements into its narration, such as the purity of a placid village, the encroachment of technology upon our lives, an ailment that the new age lot should take note of, and more, but does not pack it all together in a tasteful manner.

A group of boys, one of them visually challenged, grows up having a gala time in their native village. Even when they become adults, they remain the same – naughty and jobless, and a nuisance for their neighbours! When one of the guys tries to play with the feelings of another, involving a woman, the group faces an unforeseen disaster, and their relationship takes a hit.

If Malayali film buffs count the number of times they have sat through stories on 'pristine villages and their perfect characters,’ they will sure need more fingers than on their hands and toes. The theme still delights us when intermeshed with a good story but often, it also comes across as a lazy backdrop for stories that can offer nothing substantial, and Sreehalli easily belongs to the latter category. It is expected to thrive on ‘all things village’ and regale the audience but simply doesn’t have enough substance for the same. The proceedings just come across as plain uninteresting. The movie has its share of seen-a-100-times characters and some over-the-top moments. The songs by Rajesh Babu and Shinjith are good, but their visuals are marred by bad acting. Also, the duration could have been shorter by a few minutes.

Sreehalli can be a visual treat if all that you care about is taking a leisurely walk through the village, without bothering about the boring story that unfolds around you. Or else, it isn’t worth a weekend visit.