Vyasanasametham Bandhumithradhikal Movie Review: A middling mourning comedy that amuses in parts

New Indian Express

13-06-2025

There is no dearth of characters or parallel subplots. There is a neighbour who refuses to allow cremation near their boundary, a local politician trying to hijack the rituals for vote-bank optics, clueless funeral attendees mistaking Shakthi for a migrant worker, and relatives more interested in gossip and booze than mourning. The tone remains light, with plenty of Trivandrum slang peppered throughout the conversations. Some gags, like the loud band troupe next door practising Tamil kuthu songs during the wake, creating amusing tonal dissonance, work well. But despite its comic potential, the film never quite finds its rhythm. The many threads do not always come together meaningfully, and what starts as an engaging satire slowly turns into a patchy collection of events. By the time the film tries to inject emotion and give Anjali and Murali their big moment of empowerment, it feels like a completely different film. The tonal shift is clunky, and the payoff underwhelming.
The acting is competent to a considerable extent. Azees Nedumangad is solid as Murali, especially towards the end. Anaswara Rajan plays Anjali adequately, though her performance feels indistinguishable from her past roles. Mallika Sukumaran is spot-on in her short but memorable turn. Joemon Jyothir shines as the comic punching bag, and Noby Marcose is consistently reliable as the underappreciated voice of reason. Viji Thampi and Neeraja Rajendran, as Akhil's absurdly superstitious and stubborn parents, offer some genuinely funny moments. Baiju Santhosh's role as Venu is theatrical but flat, a sketch too one-note to feel menacing or meaningful. Siju Sunny, sadly, feels tiringly repetitive.
With a runtime of just under two hours, Vyasanasametham Bandhumithradhikal is not a slog. It has the structure of a passable time-pass comedy and occasionally lands the laughs it aims for. But what it sorely lacks is the sharpness of Malayalam satires that have previously dabbled with chaos and comedy of errors. There is nothing particularly new in its observations or execution. Watch it if you are after an undemanding watch with occasional laughs, and not much more.