Ithra Mathram Movie Reviews

Director K Gopinathan’s Ithra Maathram is based on Kalpetta Narayanan’s novel of the same title. The film takes a closer look into the life of a 38-year-old woman living in a sleepy village in Wynad, on her death, from the memories of a few persons who were part of her life.
The film begins when Sumithra (Swetha Menon) is lying dead and then a picture of hers is being drawn from the memories of others. This includes her husband, a soft-spoken man named Vasudevan (Biju Menon). Even though they lived together, they were poles apart and had almost a loveless marriage. The couple’s daughter Anasuya (Malavika) is a student and the father and daughter start thinking on what she meant to them, only after losing her.

Among the others who reminisces Sumithra include an older woman, who had given her life savings as some gold ornaments to keep it safely, a young man, who was taken care of by her like her own son, her friends with whom she shared her secret fantasies and a local salesman, with whom she had a sexual encounter one day among others.

As the mystery behind the woman is unveiled slowly a more vivid picture of what she actually was is revealed. This is in fact beautiful and shockingly real as well. And in the end, life moves on as usual and the woman is forgotten pretty soon, as everyone around her is selfishly busy getting involved in newer things of their own.

K Gopinathan succeeds in conveying the basic idea but it has been narrated in an old fashioned manner, using most of the clichés synonymous with the ‘serious’ films. The conscious effort to add an intellectual tone to the film is evident and as it happens mostly with film based on adaptations from fiction. The dialogues are often lengthy and a bit too dramatic. The visuals are fine and the music is really good.

Swetha Menon comes up with an impressive performance but Biju Menon has nothing much to do. The rest of the characters have limited roles to play and have done their parts fine.

Ithra Maathram has its moments though things get a bit over the top at times. Perhaps in an extra effort to portray the film as modern, the dialogues have been made to sound too explicit and obviously, it stands out as well.

Still some of the hard-hitting thoughts shared in the film makes you think and will continue to haunt you for a while. If you have an eye for genuine, serious cinema, this one could be a fine option.