Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer ‘Yashoda’ is an action thriller written and directed by Hari and Harish. Other than Samantha in the titular role, Yashoda features Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Murali Sharma in other pivotal characters. With Yashoda Telugu cinema takes a jump into the medical action thriller genre. The trailer that had already created a decent hype sets expectations for an engaging thriller. Lately, Samantha has become a pan-India star with her presence in ‘The Family Man’ web series as the main antagonist. Yashoda too has a ‘The Family Man’ with its stuntman Hollywood’s Yannick Ben designing impressive stunts for Samantha again.
Yashoda begins with the accidental death / murder of a foreign celebrity and also an affluent businessman in separate incidences. Though on the face of it, it looks an open-shut case, the police department goes ahead to investigate. On the other hand, Yashoda (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) accepts to become a surrogate for a ‘big shot’ for a price. She needs a significant amount to take care of her younger sister. Yashoda is taken to a secret / unknown facility later revealed as ‘Eva’. The facility is run by Madhu (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and Dr. Gautham (Unni Mukundan). Yashoda is not alone; is introduced to a few more surrogates in the facility. Things seem fine in the plush facility with great rooms, gadgets, stylish clothes, food and all until she comes across something fishy. From here on begins Yashoda’s search in unearthing the scam, finding the wrong and the wrong doers.
Hari and Harish try to present the story with two parallel tracks that converge into one scam. The first half is a mix of some drama, comedy in bits and pieces and some subtle romance all culminating into an action cliff-hanger at the interval point.
Are the two accidents or murders? What is Yashoda sensing and what is it that she comes across. How are these two plots related and who is behind the scam forms the later half of the film. The post interval portion is full of drama, twists and turns and some major shocking revelations that keeps the audience at the edge of the seat.
Yashoda is a tailer-made script for Samantha that she does complete justice to. Her expressions in the lighter moments as well as drama and action make an otherwise not-so-great script worth watching. The much hyped or spoken about action choreography is worth every line written about it and showcases Samantha into an action hero too.
Unni Mukundan as the doctor in the facility looks charming and plays his part with conviction. As for Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, she looks good and deceptive at the same time. The layers in her character could have had been more striking to make the drama more intriguing. Murali Sharma, though has limited role, does justice to his character. As an actor Murali Sharma seems to have created an important place for himself in the South cinema especially Telugu and Tamil.
The sets and art direction are all up to the mark with good production quality.
Through Yashoda, the director has also brought to common knowledge that surrogacy has become a source of generating money and so many girls get into the system to make money, which in turn destroys the medical necessity of the process. As the end roll scrolls, the director has also flashed news pieces from various sources quoting how some medical scamsters are misusing surrogacy and made a business out of foetus itself!!
Overall, Yashoda rides on Samantha’s confident shoulder as a female centric narrative, with the twists and turns in the plot Yashoda is at least a one-time must-watch film
Movie: Yashoda
Director: Hari and Harish,
Cast: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Rao Ramesh, Murali Sharma, Sampath Raj, Rajiv Kumar Aneja, Shatru, Madhurima, Divya Sripada, Kalpika Ganesh, Priyanka Sharma, Preethi Asrani
Duration: 132 Mins
