Vellinakshatram

Direction : Vinayan
Release : 2004
Music : M. Jayachandran
Cast : Pritiviraj, Meenakshi, Karthika, Salim Kumar

Vinayan`s horror fantasy mixed with comedy Vellinakshatram has turned out to be a sleep inducing big bore. The convuluted screenplay is a pretext to smother the viewer with flashy computer game visuals and effects masquerading as graphics.

Vinayan has lifted the basic plot from an old 1976 film The Omen on the birth of anti-Christ Damein who brings mysterious accidents and overall feeling of death to his parents and others. Added to that, the director has liberally helped himself to his old stock of films like Akasaganga and Indriyam and in the climax a little bit of Fazil`s Manichitrathazhu. The end result is a horrid time that will make you swear never to see another horror-comedy, a genre popular in Kerala.

Vinod (Pritviraj) is in love with Aswathy (Karthika) a member of Lakshmipuram royal family, which has a lot of dark secrets. When Aswathy`s mother refuses to get her married to Vinod she elopes and marries him. Just before the birth of their child, Vinod and Aswathy make up with the royal family consisting of two uncles (Jagathy and Jagathish) and their wives. Later a child is born to them and Aswathy dies mysteriously during the delivery. Her grandmother is bedridden by now. The baby is looked after by the members of the family who start thinking that the little girl is possessed. Meanwhile a home nurse Indu (Meenakshi) is brought to look after the girl. Later Indu also gets processed by a spirit who is the `Godmother` of the spirit inside the child!!

Why these spirits are seeking revenge against the villain (Siddique), another uncle of Aswathy is told in the climax. M.Jayachandran`s tunes and background score are not up to the mark as the eerie music necessary for a ghost thriller is missing. The song Pineapple Penne...Chocolate Peese is picturised on the lines of Uyirin…Uyire… from Kaakha Kaakha. Comedians like Jagathy, Jagadish and Salim Kumar overshadow Pritviraj, the hero of the film. The new girl Meenakshi (Sharmilee in Tamil) is a total disappointment as she cannot emote and she looks too chubby. Karthika fits into the role of Aswathy and the little girl is also good. Jayasurya makes a cameo and does a mimicry act and vanishes.

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