JOIN US'Yashoda' review: Samantha shines in a realistic action thriller
Yashoda
Telugu (Theatres)
Director: Hareesh Narayan, K Hari Shankar
Cast: Samantha, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan
Rating: 3/5
Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s ‘Yashoda’, in which she plays the titular role, attempts to redefine the thriller genre for women. Introduced as an ordinary working-class woman, Yashoda commits herself to becoming a surrogate mother in exchange for money which she can use for her sister’s treatment.
The story lingers in suspense and reveals snippets only through Yashoda reminiscing the happy moments with her sister. Without stalling, the story soon sets to narrate that something is wrong with the organisation where Yashoda is taken in for her stay through the pregnancy and till the birth of the child.
The movie is supported by a parallel narration where there are a few high-profile deaths that happen which bring in a team of police officers to investigate the causes. Sampath Raj, Murli and Shatru have held on to their roles convincingly. The parallel narrations run in a predictable manner, where the audience is bound to assume a connection between Yashoda and the investigating team. The story revolves around surrogacy and the mothers’ emotions, and what comes as a twist is that the overall theme does not address commercial surrogacy, instead it targets the beauty industry and the evils that play in keeping the industry alive and running.
Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar who plays as Madhu owns the surrogacy organisation along with Unni Mukundan who plays as Dr. Gautham. Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar has presented her role with ease but the narrative element and the screen time given to her fail to use good talent to the maximum. In Yashoda’s narrative, we see a quest of a woman who has entered the web of surrogacy and is searching for something. Samantha’s performance is creditable, and she plays the role of an action queen in a subtle and realistic manner. The action sequences are not exaggerated, and Samantha convincingly makes Yashoda’s fights, literal and metaphorical, as any woman or a mother would do in order to save her child.
The story’s dependency on making the surrogacy centre as a hi-tech space that has access to everything and still losing track of Yashoda’s movements clashes with the logic. While the movie wants the concept of ‘Embryo Vitrified Artistry’ to reach a larger audience, the narration does not really support the effect. Overall, the script could have been linear and tighter, and also emotionally deep.