JYOTHI LAKSHMI MOVIE REVIEW

With a striking name Jyothi Lakshmi, the charming Charmi enacts the life of a prostitute with all the audacity and valor. Directed by Puri Jagannadh, the action-drama does take the time to dwell into the story by divulging nothing much about the core plot almost till the interval.  Made on a mediocre budget, Charmi solely shoulders the film with nothing or nobody to support. With a dedicated screenplay, the film might have made a better impact considering the actual sensitiveness of the story.

 

Dramatized characters and the cheesy villain are a huge let down to the film when Puri drives the whole plot only by the dialogues and the patience-testing songs. Charmi’s bodacious performance combined with the brief flashback portion and then the amicable climax save the film from being a regular outing. The lousy production value is over-shadowed by Charmi’s multi-hued costumes. Addressing a theme demanding public attention, credits to the team for taking up an issue less taken and making a non-preachy film.

 

The sudden transition of a prostitute to a heroic feminist and also compromising on looking less steamy post-marriage reduce the conviction on the character sketch. But, the intensely made action portions, showing the mightiness of Jyothi Lakshmi, prove how competitive Charmi can get while doing challenging roles. Minimal characters and predictability put the engaging factor at a danger zone while comedy scenes from Brahmanandham partially evoke laughter.

 

If there are prostitutes in a society, it is because of the kind of men around. With the husband’s support, a woman is bound to lead a respectable life. Taking these two above lines under the radar, Puri and Charmi take the time to highlight the lives of the prostitutes and how media tends to sensationalize everything out of it.  A deliberate attempt to have a dampening first half so as to make a gratifying second half does cost a bit, but the story gains all the momentum and pace towards the end. Not more than 133 minutes, the ideal runtime is another savior to the simple narration.

 

The truism-driven film with an underutilized story is saved from the clutches of becoming a disaster only because of Charmi’s illustrious screen presence. Acclaimed for churning blockbuster films with biggies, kudos to Puri for doing a women-centric film. The film initiates a level of thought among the public regarding certain taboos.The technical backing from the cinematography department adds the much needed flavor, elevating Charmi’s look on screen. Shelling little more money on the cast and few more additions to the story would have made Jyothi Lakshmi a reverberating name.