Snehaveedu, the 2011 movie from the duo Mohanlal and Sathyan Anthikad, though well received in theaters, was a big let down. It takes a good 45 minutes in a 150 minute movie to even reach the main plot. This initial stretch is filled with overused village nostalgia pills with nothing new to boast.
In one of the scenes, Mohanlal boasts how he used to be a Casanova in his youth. And the movie stops for the interval soon after the arrival of a young boy, who claims that he is Mohanlal’s son. The interval is well timed and promises a good second half. But, the main plot is complete nonsense, the truth behind the boy being the worst. (If you want to know, read the spoilers section in the end). Mohanlal vehemently denies the fatherhood throughout the movie. Sheela is shown as a doting mother in the first half, but her behaviour indicates that she does not believe Mohanlal. Is not trust an essential aspect in love? Whenever confronted, she says that she trusts him, but is just taking care of the boy until the truth is revealed. Suspiciously, she is against every method of investigation. This drags on and on. At one point, Mohanlal wants to do D.N.A test to prove his innocence. Again, Sheela opposes and asks the stupid question “Was the paternity of Mohanlal’s father ever tested this way?”. As if all this was not enough, in an attempt to console Mohanlal, Sheela compares taking care of this kid with taking care of cats and dogs. There, she, and in my opinion the author, misses the whole point. Here what is at stake is the guy’s honour (The article on Golanthara varthakal is relevant here). Also, Sheela does not go around taking care of all the kids in the world. The fact that she wants to take care of this boy is a clear sign of mistrust.
I did feel sympathy for Mohanlal’s character, Ajayan. There I believe the director scored a point.
--SPOILERS--
Finally we realise that, Mamukkoya, a friend of Mohanlal during his Madras days, is the source of this lie. The boy is the son of a junior artist known to Mamukkoya, and nobody knows who fathered him. The mother of the boy died during a movie shoot. He claims, he feared the kid would have committed suicide, if he had not lied to the boy. Mohanlal returns back with Mamukoya to prove his innocence. However, feeling unwanted he had left. They quickly head to the railway station to find him sitting on a bench, as if waiting for them to take him back. Mohanlal confronts the boy and tells him that he is indeed Mohanlal’s son and apologises for treating him otherwise till then.
Overall a bad movie with an abysmal ending.
P.S: I would not have been so harsh if it came from a newbie, but expectations from Sathyan Anthikaad is high.
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