Cover Story

Cast: Suresh Gopi, Biju Menon, Nedumudi Venu, Tabu
Language: Malayalam
Banner: Ravathi Kalamandir
Director: G.S. Vijayan
Producer: Menaka Suresh Kumar
Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery
Music: Sarath
Year: 2000

`Cover Story` is a thriller which centres around Vijay, theexecutive-director of True Vision, a television channel that has earned for itself an enviable name in news reporting. The story goes like this. Retired Justice Menon is murdered by an unknown assassin. There is only one witness, a young girl Jasmine, who works in a computer firm and who has had only a vague glance of the murderer. Jasmine, who has come from Mumbai, seems to be shrouded in mystery. And when she becomes witness to another murder, that too of retired DGP R.V.Thampuran, ACP Anand.S.Nath, who looks into the case begins to suspect that she is somehow involved in the murder. Anand and Vijay are friends. But while Anand is bent upon interrogating Jasmine, Vijay takes a protective stand. And halfway through the film, when the killer`s identity is revealed, things take a new turn.

Suresh Gopi is his usual self as Vijay and Biju Menon looks good and Performs convincingly as Anand. Tabu, for whom `Cover Story` is her second released film in Malayalam, seems not to have put her will into performing her role as Jasmine and once in a while, she seems rather distracted. May be it is on account of poor characterization or maybe it is just an illusion that happens due to a comparison with her stellar performance in Mahesh Manjrekar`s recently released `Astitva`. Nedumudi Venu puts in a great performance as Justice Menon. Siddique is at ease as Isaac Thomas, a shrewd and villainous politician. Among the rest, T.P.Madhavan as retired Head Constable Chandran Nair, Meghanathan as S.I. John Verghese and Riza Bawa as R.V.Thampuran are not so bad. N.F.Verghese puts in a brief but noteworthy appearance as Madhavan, a bold and outspoken journalist and father of Vijay. National Award winner Master Aswin, as the child Vijay, looks refreshing.

Despite good performances by most of the artists, the plot or rather the treatment seems to be rather unconvincing and that is perhaps why the film lacks box-office appeal. The songs also, penned by Gireesh Puthencherry and set to tune by Sharath, do not contribute much, though their picturisation has been done in a really appreciable manner.

Anyhow in total, while emerging out of the theatre after having seen `Cover Story`, one is forced to stop and wonder why such films are made at all in the first place!

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