JACOBINTE SWARGARAJYAM MOVIE REVIEW

Any successful man is an outcome of his problems and the methods he devised to tackle them. Irrespective of social, cultural, geographical and financial backdrops, everybody has some problem of varied magnitudes that they are handling on a day to day basis. Opening with the tag, “based on a true story”, Jacobinte Swargarajyam is a divine attempt of director Vineeth Sreenivasan trying to throw some light on the lives of Malayalis based out of other countries.

It is a highly notable trend among the citizens of Kerala to work in other countries in the notion to uplift their socio economic status and Jacob (protagonist) is one such self made man. Playing the title character, Renji Panicker is assertive and demands respect in every frame. Lakshmi Ramakrishnan is indeed back as a full fledged performer in this family entertainer which holds a meaty role for her to play. Sreenath Bhasi as Abin, Aima Sebastian as Ammu and  Stacen as Chris furnish genuinity in their rendition; this has enhanced the overall connect you start building with Jacob’s family.

Coming to the important character of Jerry, played by Nivin Pauly - One enjoys his presence in every frame. Enjoy here does not only imply the entertainment factor but also the satisfaction one gets while witnessing somebody do their job sincerely. All the other supporting artist glow along with the well sketched plot and helps the viewer to escape mediocrity in the overall feel.

If everybody who stands as a part of the crew decides/signs a pact to do their fullest with utmost dedication, you get to see a film like Jacobinte Swargarajyam. Jomon T John’s work behind the lens complemented by Ranjan Abraham’s edit, gracefully stays within the limits, that is, these technicalities do not come in between the story and the audience.

Shaan Rahman has understood his responsibility well. He continuously compliments the narration with his apt background score and sets the mood for each scene quickly. Well placed songs are mention worthy.

The tale is simple and might be predictable for few. But it sure does not give up in its pursuit to captivate the viewer. The narrator’s decision to take it slow and steady in terms of feeding the mood of the story to the audience has been well handled. Perhaps certain portions in the early second half could have been trimmed to contain the length. That is perhaps the only downside if one has to be critical.

If you meet the following criteria,

You are in your 20s or early 30s
You are a hard worker and a dreamer
You consider your parents as your role model

Then, Jacobinte Swargarajyam is a film that you want to take your parents to and press their palm at moments to indicate that they have fed the right things to you at the right time and say a big Thank You for an inspiring upbringing they gave you.