Arun Mohan’s intriguingly titled Sarabham is a classic noir-style mystery. It has the patsy, the femme fatale, the plot with more twists than a jalebi – what it doesn’t have is a consistent mood, and noir just isn’t noir without mood.
This is one of those films where they appear to have spent so much time dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” in the story – which isn’t bad; a jolly mix of murder, kidnapping, assumed identities and other such joys that make for riveting viewing – that they’ve forgotten to do anything more.
There are no memorable lines. The acting is flat (the leads are Naveen Chandra and Salony Luthra, who looks strikingly like Angelina Jolie in some angles). And there are no “moments” to speak of, those scenes we rewind in the mind and go “ahh!” The loopy twists keep us watching, but with unbitten nails and a rock- steady pulse. And what use is that in a suspense film?
Sarabham
Genre: Suspense
Director: Arun Mohan
Cast: Naveen Chandra, Salony Luthra, ‘Aadukalam’ Naren
Storyline: A mix of murder, kidnapping and assumed identities
Bottomline: A good story, but what about the rest?
