Story: A vignette into the lives and loves of brothers Sumesh and Ramesh
Review: Sumesh & Ramesh has its heart in the right place, but good intentions alone are not enough to save a film. It is a bit like The Comedy of Errors-style stories of 1990s Malayalam films, where a mix-up is supposed to lead to great hilarity.
Sumesh (Sreenath Bhasi) and Ramesh (Balu Varghese) are brothers in a lower-middle class family, where their mother, played by Praveena, manages most of the finances. But that’s only because the three men, including the father (Salim Kumar), don’t really seem interested to go to work. The film ambles along with some family moments, with the romance of the brothers moving the story along. Younger brother Ramesh is the first to get a job and get married, so now Sumesh must also get his act together.
The thing is, even the funny moments are not quite funny enough, and the actors, particularly Sreenath Bhasi and, to an extent, Salim Kumar, seem to be struggling, because they are not sure of how to handle their parts. Any praise for acting is reserved for the women, whether Praveena, or young actresses, Devika Krishnan and Karthika Vellatheri, who are good in the emotional and comic bits.
Sanoop Thykoodam, who has directed the film, and also shares script credit with Joseph Vijeesh, seems to have made up moments in the film solely to extend its run-time and to create a twist. Several situations are glossed over, without really leaving an impact. Sumesh’s romantic involvements, for example, largely feel pointless, though it all gets tied up in the end. The chemistry and situations between the brothers are also patchy.
But it all feels a bit innocent and feel-good in its own weak way, maybe because amid all the thrillers that Malayalam has largely been releasing, a family story seems refreshing.
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