Swarnam, directed by Venugopan, is a movie worth watching with a few heartfelt moments and a tremendously talented cast. First of all, it has a fascinating story of a few lives distressed by the brutality of greed and materialism.
The story begins with the people in a small village near the banks of Shiruvani River. The villagers blindly believe in a legend that a golden treasure lies buried somewhere deep in the river (Chavumkayam). Many men have ventured in search of the gold, but none has returned. Divakaran (Kalabhavan Mani), a harsh, greedy and selfish man with an eye for little else than money, is one of those aspirants.
In the pursuit of affluence and wealth, he despises his wife Radha (Praveena) and her orphaned niece (Baby Nayanthara), a faithful devotee of Lord Ayyappa. Divakaran's money mania leads him to a path of self-deceit and self-betrayal; finally, he finds himself trapped at a point of no return which creates the climax.
The script by S. Suresh Babu is so correct that the film does not deviate even slightly from the plot. He has skillfully demonstrated the black elements of hatred, spite and lust in the movie. However, for a few moments, the movie slips in the climax for a theatrical ending that goes totally overboard. Fortunately, everything turns out well again.
Coming after his crass roles in action flicks, Kalabhavan Mani almost literally strikes gold with Swarnam. As a cruel man with no ethics or morals, Mani just frightens us with his spectacular performance. He is simultaneously hero and villain.
Swarnam is a comeback film for Praveena, who plays Radha, wife of Mani, six years after their blockbuster Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum. We can see her awesome talent here, truly worthy of accolades. Sheela, Murali, Jagathy Sreekumar, Harishree Ashokan and K.P.A.C. Lalitha have performed well as usual in their roles.
Vipin Mohan behind the camera and Saloo George in cinematography have done a good job in making the movie technically well. There is some computer graphics included into the narrative. There is plenty of external footage of the Sabarimala included, which devotees will enjoy.
Vayalar Sarathchandra Varma's lyrics for the songs, for which Mohan Sithara sets music, are suitable to create the right mood for the movie. Swarnam is a movie worth watching, with fine craft and control.
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