Jacob is a successful entrepreneur running a steel business in Dubai. Proud of his malayalee roots, he dotes on his family of wife, 3 sons and a daughter. His happy life is rudely interrupted by a backstabbing during the 2008 economic crisis which cripples the family financially and it is up to the sons living in his shadow to save the family from oblivion.
Language:
Malayalam
Running Time:
146 min
Rating:
U
Release date:
08 April 2016
Directed by:
Vineeth Sreenivasan
Produced by:
Noble Babu Thomas
Written by:
Vineeth Sreenivasan
Starring:
Nivin Pauly
Renji Panicker
Lakshmy Ramakrishnan
Sreenath Bhasi
Aima Sebastian
Stacen
Reba Monica John
Ashwin Kumar
Music by:
Shaan Rahman
Shot by:
Jomon T. John
Editing by:
Ranjan Abraham
Distributed by:
LJ Films

What’s Hot

  • Renji Panikker plays the titular role of Jacob, an uncompromising optimist to perfection. Many lines which are amateur in nature come across well on screen primarily baking on his ability to emote & modulate appropriately. He shoulders the first half extremely well.
  • Lakshmy Ramakrishnan shines in her ability to hold fort as the strong-willed woman of the house. She scores in the minimal space provided. Sreenath Bhasi who plays the role of Ebin, the misunderstood son seems to be the most natural among the performers on display. While others seemed to be descending into melodrama at the drop of a hat, he played his character to a T.
  • The film has a lovely background score by Shaan Rahman and the songs also have been placed aptly gelling well with the flow of the film. Given that the film is primarily set in Dubai it is nice to see the cinematographer, Jomon T. John consciously have less shots of the Dubai skyline and concentrate more on playing with the lighting to present some wonderful frames.

What’s Not

  • All real-life stories don’t by default make a good film. There is some amount of work that is needed to make it an engaging experience. But here all we get is cheese, cheese & more cheese in the name of emotional melodrama surrounding a real family in Dubai.
  • It is actually good to see Nivin Pauly allowing himself to be completely overshadowed by a senior actor throughout the first half. However, post that too he is unable to come out & become the ‘head’ of the family that the script demands, in spite of scoring well in his forte – comedy.
  • There are multiple logical inconsistencies related to money-lending & borrowing that reduce the believability of the script. It is downright silly to still see a kid being shown as a mathematics wiz just because he can solve the Rubix cube. The Aju Varghese track is also an absolute disaster that tests the patience of the viewer in spite of his best efforts.
  • It is sometimes necessary for regional films to play the language or the community card to enforce the core spirit. However, repeated usage of the ‘Malayali’ sentiment in this film really gets on the nerves and comes across as a blatant attempt to play to the gallery.
  • Ashwin Kumar makes a good debut as the quintessential baddie. However, the fact that his character is totally ‘black’ drains out the reality and makes the character look extremely artificial. In hindsight, it is good that Gautham Menon was not wasted in such a role.

Badges

Cinematography
Music

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

Jacobinte Swargarajyam attempts to be a tugging-at-the-heart emotional ride tracing the path of a close-knit family as it rides through financial calamities but it ends up to as a cheesy melodrama highlighting the amateurishness in scripting & dialogues.