A woman\'s fight for survival

Kadha Thudarunnu

Director Sathyan Anthikkad, in his latest film �Kadha Thudarunnu, uses the stale formula of melodrama and clich�d dialogues to tell the story of a hapless young woman. Scripted by the director, the movie, which portrays a womans battle against all odds, seems contrived.

Shanavas (Asif Ali), a keyboard player, and Vidyalakshmi (Mamta Mohandas) marry against the wishes of their families. They have a daughter (Baby Anikha) and live in a rented house. Tragedy strikes when some goons inadvertently hack Shanavas to death. Vidya is left to fend for herself. Nowhere to go and penniless, she finds shelter at railway stations. One day, Vidya boards an autorickshaw and travels in it throughout the day. She absconds without paying the fare. The driver, Preman (Jayaram), thinks he has been cheated. He spots her a few days later and comes to know all about her. He takes her to his colony, only to be confronted by Shanavas family which wants to take possession of the child.

Jayaram is his usual self. Mamta Mohandas does not seem comfortable in the role. KPAC Lalitha, Mamukoya, Innocent, Chembil Asokan, Sreejith Ravi and Lekshmi Priya enliven the movie. Venu cranks the camera. Vayalar Sarathchandra Varmas lyrics are scored by Ilayaraja. Hariharan, Chitra, Karthik, Vijay Yesudas and Swetha have rendered the songs.