If you thought Nazriya Nazim and Basil Joseph were gearing up for a sweet rom-com, you’ve been bamboozled! This Sookshmadarshini review reveals why the film delivers something far better—and how it flips all your expectations.
Let’s Breakdown the Sookshmadarshini Plot first
Here’s a warning though there are major spoilers coming! But the movie is brilliant, go watch it without spoilers, you will appreciate the twists and turns.
Sookshmadarshini manages to deliver a plot that is so fresh, and so mindblowing that it will make you question how smart you are. I swear, if you actually figure out stuff before the actual reveal, you should think about turning into a detective of some kind yourself.
So, the plot focuses on the rivalry between Priya (Nazriya Nazim) and Manuel (Basil Joseph). Nazriya, a housewife is busy in her life which includes job hunting, a family of husband and daughter, and a WhatsApp group of society’s women. This was the first of its kind role for Nazriya, who gave a very spy-like vibe in the disguise of a housewife. (Plot Twist: the spy herself didn’t know she was a spy).
Manuel’s arrival as a next-door neighbor disrupts Priya’s seemingly ordinary life in unexpected ways.
Here’s the best part, Manuel’s entry into the movie forces you to start questioning his character from the beginning. Foul language alert, The dips**t was hitting a kitten with a stone! Like Priya’s husband Antony (Deepak), I was gullible enough to expect Basil Joseph’s Manuel was a nice guy. On the contrary, he was nothing closer to what he was in titles like Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, Falimy, Palthu Janwar, etc.
Basil’s Manuel is darker, twisted, and has a much deeper personality packed with Murder, Manipulation, and Mysteries.
So, here’s the first piece of my Sookshmadarshini movie review!
For deeper unraveling, the Sookshmadarshini plot does the job of keeping you guessing quite well. At first, I thought I knew what was happening. Until the second half, I was almost sure of my theory. But as soon as the actual twist unfolds, my expressions go from overly confident plot predictor to *WT**? (in a good way).
*Major Spoiler Alert*
I can’t praise enough the legend that Athul Ramachandran and Libin T.B. co-wrote together for this female-led thriller. For much of its runtime, the film leads you down deceptive paths, keeping you guessing until the very end.
The plot is about how Ammachi keeps going missing because of her Alzheimer’s. But it covered something more sinister underneath- the honor killing. I won’t tell more than that, that’s the whole experience of the movie.
Priya’s intuitions and concerns for Ammachi led to an investigation that uncovered everything eventually. As the investigation progresses, it doesn’t only impact Priya’s personal life, but also her career hunt.
Standing between convincing her husband to trust her intuitions or keeping it up alone, she does nothing less than a typical spy. Whether it’s jumping walls or collecting samples for the lab, she does it all.
The investigation unfolds masterfully, requiring just the right amount of patience, but the climax makes it all worthwhile. Seriously, by the end, Priya’s strong female character was deserving of standing ovations.
Sookshmadarshini’s Team Sets a Standard
Nazriya and Basil are examples of how perfect a cast can be. The supporting cast includes talented names like Akhila Bhargavan as Sulu, Deepak Parambol as Antony, Pooja Mohanraj as Asma, Sidharth Bharathan as Dr. John, Merin Philip as Stephy, Joy Manohari as Gracy Ammachi.
Everyone was perfect for the roles they played.
But apart from Nazriya and Basil’s characters, Sidharth as Dr. John was such a well-put cast. Dr. John’s character behaves like an expert psychologist with his fancy English, abroad experience, and doctor terms- but his inner demon keeps popping out. Sidharth manages to deliver this aspect of Dr. John’s character very perfectly.
Moving on, Sookshmadarshini’s director, MC Jithin has worked on Nonsense as a writer before. For his first big project as a director, he surpassed plenty of established directors by delivering a benchmark of a spy movie in the Indian cinema.
After all the praises Sookshmadarshini reviews are getting from the audience for Director MC Jithin’s vision, the movie definitely deserves a place in his Hall of Fame.
For technicalities, the direction is almost flawless, you will find plenty of critics’ reviews agreeing with it. He ensured the movie was well-edited, and each frame delivered, visually, and storywise. Christo Xavier’s contribution as the Music maestro for the movie also enhances everything about the movie.
The editing is seamless, ensuring every twist lands perfectly, while Christo Xavier’s haunting score amplifies the tension, particularly in the film’s gripping climax.
To Conclude My Sookshmadarshini Review, It’s A Perfect Malayalam Spy Thriller!
Well, that’s all I had to share for my Sookshmadarshini Review. If I was convincing enough to lead you to tune into Hotstar and watch this gem, don’t forget to subscribe to CineCinnati for more Malayalam movie reviews. I keep reviewing movies very frequently and can save you from disasters that will ruin your date nights with the latest reviews, and news straight to your email inbox.
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