Producer– Saleem P T
Director– Babu Janardhanan
Cast– Kunchacko Boban, Suraaj Venjaramoodu, Jyothi Krishna, Anumol etc.
Music– Afzal Yousuf
Cinematography: Sinu Sidharth
Editing by: Sobhin K. Soman
Studio :Green Advertising
Written by: Babu Janardhanan
Writer-director Babu Janardhanan had spoken to me a few months back, over phone, on the theme of ‘God for Sale’. He had commented that the history of fake swamis and Godmen show that they all have pathetic pasts and psychiatric issues and the film would explore this theme…
Well, to be honest, if Babu Janardhanan hadn’t given me this kind of an introduction, I’d have been confused on what he was trying to say through ‘God for Sale’. Not that it’s an utter waste of a movie; it’s well made. But on the script side he should have worked it out in a better manner. I bet the viewer would end up all confused as it fails to convey the message with clarity.
Swami Poornananda (Kunchacko Boban) is arrested on charges of murder; he had taken the life of a young girl and has no qualms about terming it as ‘sacrifice’. As the trial starts and Poornananda is subjected to the lie-detector test, we are taken on a journey into his past. The past is presented from the perspective of Poornananda as well as from the perspective of his elder brother Bhaskaran (Suraaj Venjaramoodu), a poor, lame guy.
Poornananda is actually Prasannan Nair, who’s born into a poor family in a village in Southern Kerala. The film traces his story, right from his birth to his becoming a swami. We see Prasannan Nair first as an ordinary village guy who works at construction sites and is a Hindu activist. Later he turns a communist, then goes on to follow a priest and propagates Christianity. His behaviour at all stages is self-vindicating and he just goes on using people for his gains. The story thus moves towards its climax, when we come across a very changed Prasannan…
Well, I would say the story is presented quite convincingly; the changes that happen in Prasannan’s life are narrated in the best of manners. But something that lacks as regards the script takes away from the impact that the film should have made in our minds. We see the film and walk out of the theatres mumbling, “Hmm… good film!”. But a few minutes later we realize that the film, with such a dynamic theme and such a talented writer-director at the helm, doesn’t make us stop and think. Yes, ‘God for Sale’ doesn’t stir our thoughts, it doesn’t excite our minds in any way…
So, in short, though ‘God for Sale’ may get a not-so-bad run at the box office, it ends up being ineffectual…
Performance
Kunchacko Boban has handled his role very well. Suraaj too is good. Both the lead ladies have done justice to their respective roles. The others are so so…
Technical aspects
Nothing much to say about the technical aspects; it’s all just about OK.
Music
Background score suits the mood and tempo, the songs won’t stay in your minds for long…
Script
This is not what was expected from a talented writer like Babu Janardhanan. He could certainly have done the script better. As of now, the script plays foil and the film ends up making not much of an impact on our minds…
Direction
On the direction side, Babu Janardhanan is OK, but maybe he could have done it better. The film, despite the good theme and convincing narration, fails to work out…
Verdict– Good subject, fairly good narrative, but fails to make impact…
Rating: 2.5/5