<p>Sound Thoma <br />Malayalam (U) ¬¬<br />Director: Vaishak<br />Cast: Dileep, Namitha Pramod, Saikumar <br /><br /></p>.<p>He was born with a cleft lip and a crooked nose, which in turn render his speech more or less inarticulate. In spite of the impairment, he is called Sound Thoma, perhaps a compliment given by villagers after his cranky attempts at singing and speaking loud.<br /><br />Writer Benny P Nayarambalam tries to cash in on the weird aspect, but fails to make it endearing to the viewers. The film, crammed with Dileep’s dialogues, ends up as his monologue, which sometimes goes inaudible, sometimes loquacious and sometimes irritating. And most of his mannerisms and body language remind us of his 2002 hit Kunjikoonan, which was far superior content-wise.<br /><br />Sai kumar (Paulo), as Thoma’s parsimonious dad, however, strikes a chord. He is an unscrupulous money-lender, who fleeces people with high interest. Even his sons, whom he had brought up as ‘prospective dowry-bridegrooms’, are secondary to him vis-à-vis money. <br /><br />Though the film drags a bit in the first half, a handful of talented actors like Mukesh, Suraj and Namitha Pramod induce some momentum post-intermission. Laughs, peppy jigs, larger-than-life heroism, the triumph of good over evil... Sound Thoma has them all. But in the end, the film turns out to be one to be watched in lighter vein.<br /></p>
<p>Sound Thoma <br />Malayalam (U) ¬¬<br />Director: Vaishak<br />Cast: Dileep, Namitha Pramod, Saikumar <br /><br /></p>.<p>He was born with a cleft lip and a crooked nose, which in turn render his speech more or less inarticulate. In spite of the impairment, he is called Sound Thoma, perhaps a compliment given by villagers after his cranky attempts at singing and speaking loud.<br /><br />Writer Benny P Nayarambalam tries to cash in on the weird aspect, but fails to make it endearing to the viewers. The film, crammed with Dileep’s dialogues, ends up as his monologue, which sometimes goes inaudible, sometimes loquacious and sometimes irritating. And most of his mannerisms and body language remind us of his 2002 hit Kunjikoonan, which was far superior content-wise.<br /><br />Sai kumar (Paulo), as Thoma’s parsimonious dad, however, strikes a chord. He is an unscrupulous money-lender, who fleeces people with high interest. Even his sons, whom he had brought up as ‘prospective dowry-bridegrooms’, are secondary to him vis-à-vis money. <br /><br />Though the film drags a bit in the first half, a handful of talented actors like Mukesh, Suraj and Namitha Pramod induce some momentum post-intermission. Laughs, peppy jigs, larger-than-life heroism, the triumph of good over evil... Sound Thoma has them all. But in the end, the film turns out to be one to be watched in lighter vein.<br /></p>
