Review- Yugapurusham

Producer- A.V.Anoop (Medimix)
Director- R.Sukumaran
Cast-Thalaivasal Vijay,
Music– Mohan Sithara
Lyrics– Kaithapram
Story, Screenplay, dialogues- R.Sukumaran

Review by : Unni / www.Kerala9.com

‘Yugapurashan’ may elicit criticism from erudite critics and maybe historians and experts, but thinking on realistic terms, R.Sukumaran has done a good work recreating the life and times of Sree Narayana Guru, one of he great social reformers of Kerala who has left his mark upon history in a great way. ‘Yugapurushan’ deserves appreciation because this is perhaps the best way that such a biopic can be attempted, given the existing conditions in Malayalam Cinema.
’Yugapurushan’ is not just a peep into the life and times of Sree Narayarana Guru (played by Thalaivasal Vijay), it also brings live before us the social realities of an era, with focus on many of the great men who lived in that era, came in touch with the guru and even changed the course of history. Among the array of great men who feature in the film are Mahatma Gandhi, Kumaran Asan, Ayyankali, Sahodaran Ayyappan, K.C.Kuttan, Rabindranath Tagore etc. The film also blends history, fiction and myth in a well balanced manner.
’Yugapurushan’ deals with something that has relevance at all times. The film speaks of the many caste-based and religion-based issues and presents on celluloid an era from the history of Kerala, with references to the history of the country at large. The message of love, brotherhood, compassion etc is conveyed, with the life of the guru as the central character.
An appreciable venture indeed, coming at a time when most filmmakers are tending to make routine, commercial stuff with nothing much to speak about on the content side. ‘Yugapurshan’ gains importance in this respect and also because of the relevance of all that’s discussed in the movie, at a time when caste-related issues and sectarian thoughts still reign upon our thoughts and actions and social life to an extent.
There are minuses to speak of.  There is a bit of lag at places, a couple of characters, especially K.C.Kuttan (played by Mammootty) seem reluctant to grow old with the passage of time, there are bits and pieces of dramatics; but still, overall, ‘Yugapurushan’ is a real appreciable venture, something that’s to be seen and promoted. Of course, there may be people who say that R.Sukumaran could have done away with some of the sequences featuring some of the popular stars- especially Kalabhavan Mani, Salim Kumar and Jagathy Sreekumar. There may be opinions coming up against the director giving much prominence to Mammootty. I won’t disagree wholly, but at the same time would like to point out that the presence of Mammootty and to some extent the other popular faces does prove instrumental in getting people to come to the theatres, and hence this is but pardonable in today’s state of affairs.
Performances
The film undoubtedly belongs to Thalaivasal Vijay, who has delivered a real controlled performance as the guru. All the other actors have done justice to their roles. Anyway, it’s the casting that deserves special mention, since the makers had taken the pain to find artists who bear resemblance to the historical personalities that feature in the film; the most remarkable among them being Kumaranasan.
Technical aspects
Ramachandra Babu, ace cinematographer has done a great job with ‘Yugapurushan’. The editing, by P.Sai Suresh and the art-direction, by K.Krishnankutty, deserve special mention.
Music
The music is in tune with the mood of the film. The songs, based on lyrics by Kaithapram and also on poems by Kumaranasan, are all good.
Script
R.Sukumaran has done a good work of the script, especially when we consider the fact that he had taken up doing a real arduous task. He has done good research work and had tried his best to put in elements that would appeal to average filmgoers too.

Direction

R.Sukumaran, the maker of films like ‘Padamudra’ and ‘Rajashilpi’, has done a very good work of the direction part with ‘Yugapurushan’. He is in control of things. Of course there could be opinions that he could have done better, but anyway, there is no denying the fact that the work that he has done is worth appreciation.
Overall verdict– Appreciable effort; good performance; must watch.
Rating: 4/5