KARYASTHAN REVIEW

In Dileep's 100th film scriptwriters Siby K Thomas and Udaykrishna rewrite and rework on their own done to death story for what seems the hundredth time. Karyasthan, believe it or not, is once again a rehash of one of those films that tell the story of two warring families that battle it out from either side of their boundary walls.

This time around we have Puthezhath and Kizhakkedath families headed by two Nair Karanavars (Madhu & G K Pillai), and a Karyasthan Krishnanunni (Dileep) who arrives with the intent of bringing about a truce between the two. In the process, he falls in love with Sreebala (Akhila) and wins the hearts of both the Karanavars as well.

The very idea to place two huge families at loggerheads with each other makes up Formula Number One. Usually you see the ancestral houses away from each other, but in this case, you have them on the same plot, and quite conveniently placed adjacent to each other. Even better, since all you need is a giant wall between the two to put up the perfect setting.

That done, we could move on to the familial structure. This would be Formula Two. The two aging Karanavars at the top of both the families resemble lions who have seen better days. Not as agile as they once have been, they still can roar. Both of them have three to four sons each who seem like symbols of universal brother hood in the beginning, but soon turn out to be avenging demons ready to claw each other out. These men have wives as well, who never utter a word, but who remain in a straight line at the back row, whenever you need to click a family picture. They also come out and flash their brilliant smiles once in a while, during celebrations like Onam, when they are usually very busy making the Pookalam and having a good time on the swing.

Formula Number Three would consist of the one bad man who pretends to be an ally, but who in fact has been fanning the flames in the battle between the families all the while. If a murder has been committed, in all likeliness this would be the man behind it. He would also in all probability have a trusted aide with him who would prove useful towards the climax, when the hero drags him onto the middle of the family playground for the grand confession that would finally set things right.

The hero would have to be an all rounder; like in this case, he makes an entry on a cart that has been painted like a Dalmatian puppy drawn by two white horses and makes a somersault like Rajnikanth. He soon displays his skills in cane fighting and has a penchant of taking up seemingly impossible tasks. Formula Number Four.

Performances from the lead actors are even. Dileep does all that he usually does, and so does Suraj. Akhila makes a decent entry into Malayalam films, and looks and acts like a charm. The music on the other hand, barely leaves a mark.

With all these formulaic elements in tact, Karyasthan disappoints as Dileep's hundredth film. Dileep and Suraj do manage to bring in a few giggles, but the film serves as a sure sign that Dileep needs to reinvent himself. Real quick