Aneesh Anwar's 'Kumbasaaram' talks of a confession, of a man who has run into a dead end, after desperately having sought to find a way out of a quagmire that life had landed himself in. The onslaught of an ailment as cancer and the financial ramifications that it has on a middle class family are narrated in this thriller film that has laden itself with truckloads of sentiments.Alby (Jayasurya) has had a happy life till now, despite the storm that had gathered around for a while following an inter caste marriage with Meera (Honey Rose). The couple has a son Jerry (Akash) and Meera is pregnant again when misfortune strikes in the form of a malady. Jerry becomes severely ill and his doctor insists on carrying out a highly pricey surgery at the earliest if he is to return back to life. It's a very routine story that 'Kumbasaaram' tells, and there is little in that we are likely to be astonished about. There are very few smiles around, as the tremendously disheartening tale of a man who is trying every trick in the trade to get his life back on track unveils before us. But it isn't this darkness that pervades the film that proves to be its undoing. 'Kumbasaaram' is extremely slow paced, and while it remains that the unhurried progression of the narrative does not impede the overall effectiveness of some films, it does not seem to be the case here. The lethargic tempo does have its take on 'Kumbasaaram' and the major events in the film, which are few, are placed by and large at a tremendous distance from one another, leaving in its wake a lot of emptiness and awkward silences. It should be stated that some of the loopholes that appear in the thriller thread are glaring, to say the least. A man who assigns a task to Alby to murder a person, leaves a request in writing, and that too promptly signed. Even more irrational is the murder scene itself in this age of CCTV cameras, and the only rationale that could be attributes to Alby's highly unreasonable act is that his intelligence has gone for a pounding, with all the stress that the man has been going through. Then there is the much anticipated twist that arrives towards the end of the film, that takes its fair share of time to explain things. It does appear unforeseen perhaps, but with the flashback going on forever its impact goes for a toss. A couple of scenes do impress, like the one where Ayesha (Priyanka) visits Jerry at the hospital and lets Alby know of her willingness to bear the expenses of the surgery. Equally inspiring is the very last scene of the film, when the confessions is long over and time has moved on. Jayasurya is terrific in 'Kumbasaaram' and as the hapless father who would stop at nothing to save his son's life, comes up with an imposing performance that deserves a huge round of applause. Honey Rose is quite impressive as well, while Priyanka who is back after a hiatus, proves yet again that her potentials as an actor have never been fully explored. A special word of appreciation is also due to young Akash, who comes up with a striking feat as the ailing Jerry. 'Kumbasaaram' scores low on the entertainment quotient, nor does it proffer fresh thoughts or novel illuminations. But it does offer those occasional flashes of a talented film maker who could do infinitely better with a more solid script at his disposal.
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