Lalitham Sundaram is a comedy-drama film directed by Madhu Warrier and stars Biju Menon, Manju Warrier, and Saiju Kurup, alongside other cast members. The movie has a runtime of 119 minutes.
Hotstar describes the movie as:
Too busy with jobs, three siblings lose their connection to their family. Reuniting for their mom’s death anniversary, will her last wish bring back lost love?
– Lalitham Sundaram review does not contain spoilers –
Madhu Warrier’s Lalitham Sundaram is another family drama where once-close siblings get together on their mother’s death anniversary to find that spark that they have been missing. It’s a light-hearted movie, one that tries to navigate sibling relationships. It’s the typical fare, one that gives you funny moments as well as some heavy ones. With problems between the siblings rife, thanks to jealousy and some not-great past actions, this is a movie about finding oneself and others.
In the end, it’s an emotional video of their dying mother, that will definitely give the kids trauma, that inspires them to spend time together and repair what they’ve lost in the course of growing up. The characters themselves are pretty flawed, Sunny more so than others. Although these characters are ones we have seen many times before, they seem one-dimensional more than anything. Either way, it’s still a fun watch – one where you observe these three siblings with so many flaws unravelling their traumas.
There’s honestly nothing new to watch here. It’s something we have seen a few times before. Family dramas rarely come with shocking newness. But the entertainment factor is what matters in movies such as these. There are certain moments in the movie that are extended for no reason and had they been consolidated, we would’ve been treated to a shorter, crisper and more hard-hitting movie. Extending the melodramatic moments makes Lalitham Sundaram seem sluggish.
Plus, the moments of intense emotion and rage seem a bit ingenuine. Although the cast provides stellar performances, there’s something missing in the chemistry sometimes that makes it feel a bit forced. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the cast, for the most part, they bring the emotions of their characters out pretty well. I think Lalitham Sundaram does what it promises – it does well as a light family entertainer without many frills. The movie falters and drags when it tries to be something more than that.
For example, when they bring Sunny’s wife to try to solve their marital problems. It becomes a huge thing for some reason. We spend too much time going over his financial and marital problems and then skim over Annie’s lack of interest in her family. I am not even going to get into how weird it is for the entire family to learn about an abortion, but whatever. Incidents such as these are a part of these people and who they are, but it’s not interesting, to be honest. Again, if you take it for what it is, then it’s decent. But try to go too deep, and you’re in for some trouble.
Summing up: Lalitham Sundaram
Lalitham Sundaram is a decent watch. It has its fun and melodramatic moments – ones that will keep you entertained and thoroughly bored. The movie drags for long stretches of time but its light-hearted moments are what keep it going. The movie has its heart in the right place, but be ready to face some serious drama along the way.
Lalitham Sundaram is streaming on Hotstar.
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