Sathyam Paranja Viswasikkuvo: A well-made, engaging family drama-cum-thriller

Biju Menon’s new film ‘Sathyam Paranja Viswasikkuvo’, directed by G Prajith has hit screens today. It is scripted by Sajeev Pazhoor, the National award winner who penned the widely acclaimed ‘Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum’ (TD).

The protagonist Sunil (Biju Menon) is a daily labourer in the construction field who has a small family comprising of his wife and daughter. He married Geetha (Samvritha Sunil), who is from a well-to-do family against the will of her folks. Sunil’s carefree attitude coupled with the average Malayali’s drinking problem means that they lead a typical lower middle-class life with debts to be cleared. At a crucial juncture, Sunil and his friends at work come across something extraordinary, which they see as a jackpot that can change their lives for the better. Whether they manage to see through it forms the rest of the plot.

Unlike Sajeev’s previous script ‘TD’, which was an exceptionally well written film, ‘Sathyam Paranja Viswasikkuvo’ doesn’t try to achieve much. The major events that occur in the film is straight out of today’s society. The horse-trading that is rampant in Indian politics these days is seen in this film as well but in an overall perspective it doesn’t have much of an importance. That parallel track involving the local politics could’ve been better. However, the same cannot be said about the family drama part and the compelling portions that arise after the major conflict, as it is skillfully written and keeps us engaged throughout.

Director Prajith has opted for a realistic treatment with just the necessary commercial elements like some well-placed situational humour and a couple of songs, that thankfully doesn’t act as an hindrance. The makers have done a good job in making sure that there’s hardly any uninteresting moment in the film. The rural locality in which the plot is set adds authenticity to the proceedings.

On the performance side, Biju Menon, like always, has played his part efficiently. His character doesn’t go through a big arc as such, so it’s a cake walk for an actor of his caliber. Samvritha Sunil, who is making a comeback after a long gap, is a case of perfect casting. The dynamics between the two as the middle-class couple has worked out extremely well. Samvritha has quite a few emotional scenes in the film and she has given a finely measured subtle performance.

Among the supporting cast, Alencier Ley, Sudhi Koppa, Sruthy Jayan, Srinkanth Murali, Vijay Kumar, Dinesh Prabhakar, Bhagath Manuel, Vettukili Prakash and Johny Antony have performed their roles well. Both the songs by Shaan Rahman and Viswajith, and the score by Bijibal synced well with the film.

In a nutshell, Sathyam Paranja Viswasikkuvo is a simple film that comfortably achieves what it intended to – engage and entertain the audience.