‘Ashakal Aayiram’ movie review: Jayaram in form in this breezy feel-good drama that falters in the end

An over-reliance on references from past hits often signals a dearth in creativity. But in Ashakal Aayiram, the references that fly thick and fast, all of it aimed at evoking the heydays of Jayaram in the 1990s, appear to be acts of fondness. Until the makers start overusing it to the hilt, especially towards the climax, one gets to swim along in the warm nostalgia of the yesteryears of a star whose films of limited ambitions also used to be minimum guarantee fare in the past.

In Ashakal Aayiram, directed by G Prajith, Jayaram and his son, Kalidas Jayaram, yet again get to play their real-life relationship on screen. Ajeesh Hariharan (Kalidas), neck-deep in the world of Internet reels, aspires to be an actor, while his father Hariharan (Jayaram), a medical representative, wishes that his son start thinking realistically and take up a regular job. Caught amid this father-son tussle and clash of ideas on the right way to live is Asha (Asha Sharath), the mother, who struggles in her own way to keep the family’s finances afloat.

Written by Aravind Rajendran and Jude Anthany Joseph (also the creative director of the film), Ashakal Aayiram has the structure of a typical family drama of the 90s, although it has the external appearance of a contemporary film. Ajeesh’s antics to land a dream role and his father’s inadvertent brush with cinema are all fodder for comedy, with some self-deprecating humour from Jayaram (especially the reference to his much-lampooned character in Salaam Kashmir) making it quite a breezy watch in the initial half.

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It is a character written with the intent to exploit Jayaram’s strengths as an actor, with relatable humour and emotions. Of late, he has mostly appeared in memorable cameos in Tamil films, but it has been a long time since he made a mark in Malayalam. Here, the actor is fully in his element, apparently aware that, in the end, this is a movie meant to celebrate him, although love for cinema is the overarching theme.

But the one who almost walked away with the movie was Sharaf U Dheen, who plays Sumith Raghavan, a power-drunk star and a product of nepotism in the industry. Although the character is written with few shades, Sharaf’s performance lends it much more depth. However, in the latter half, the screenplay overpowers the actor, with over-the-top lines on nepotism and contrived plot turns spoiling not just the character, but the entire movie.

Predictability of the narrative, which one ignores owing to the rather fun ride in the initial half, becomes evident as the film progresses. The manufactured conflict points also do not help the movie much. The over-dramatic sequence in the climax takes the movie down even further. At this point, a misplaced reference from the classic Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal lands rather jarringly, reminding us that such shortcuts can carry a movie only so far. An original and organic screenplay is any day a better bet.

Ashakal Aayiram is currently running in cinemas