Review : Yashoda – Thrills decently

Yashoda is a film that Samantha had pinned a lot of hopes on. Due to her ill health she could not promote it as well. The film directed by Hari and Harish has finally hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Yashoda(Samantha) is a poor girl who agrees to become a surrogate mother. She is taken to Eva, a surrogacy center owned by Madhu(Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar). Things start well for Yashoda but one small incident creates a doubt in her mind. She then takes it upon herself to find out the truth behind the surrogacy mafia. How she unravels it is the main story.

Plus Points:

The basic backdrop of surrogacy is new for Telugu cinema and has been set up nicely in the narrative. This gives Yashoda a completely new edge. The director duo set up the whole surrogacy concept well and created an intriguing factor right from the beginning.

Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar is getting better with each film and gets a meaty part once again. She as the head of the surrogacy center is amazing. Her flashback in the second half with Rao Ramesh is very good. Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan is also neat in his role.

The second half is where the actual action begins as the twists executed are very good. The action part and suspense elements have been unravelled quite well in the second half. Kalpika Ganesh is good in her role along with Murali Sharma and Sampath who play cops.

Last but not the least, Samantha gives her life and soul to the film and is stunning as Yashoda. Be it the way she managed the pregnant setup or did the action part, Samantha is in top form. Yashoda is completely based on her character and Sam holds fort superbly. Not to miss her action movies and endearing emotion when she comes to know the actual surrogacy scam give the film a good depth.

Minus Points:

One of the biggest minus points of the film are the logical issues. The film is set in a surrogacy center which is shown as hitech and filled with cameras. But Sam escapes them easily. Such scenes are plenty and look a bit over the top.

The film starts on an interesting note until Samantha reaches the surrogacy center. From there, the film falls flat as scenes related to ragging and details of the center drag for no reason. A more linear screenplay and crisp narrative would have made matters better.

The film could have been more emotionally strong as the actual cause of Varalakshmi turning into a certain manner is not showcased well. More depth and pain in her role would have made the purpose of the villain more intense. In a way, the bonding between key characters is weak.

Technical Aspects:

Music by Mani Sharma is good and the BGM creates a solid impact in the proceedings. The camera work is very good but the art department needs a special mention as the surrogacy center looks cool. The lyrics and dialogues by Pulagam Chinninarayana and Bhagyalakshmi are also very good. Production values are amazing.

Coming to the director duo Hari and Harish, they have done a good job with the film. They, casting Samantha, for such a role is half battle won. They have taken a new backdrop which many do not know and created a good story around it.

Hari and Harish manage to enhance the film with neat twists and thrills in the second half. There are a few logical issues in their narrative but the twists cover them up nicely. As they waste too much time in the first half, they don’t have much time to create more impact in the flashback which was a key. But still, they narrate the film in such a way that the normal audience would not observe these errors and enjoy the film.

Verdict:

On the whole, Yashoda is Samantha’s one woman show. Right from the first frame, she carries the film on her shoulders and gives a solid performance. A few logical errors and slow start are basic drawbacks. If you ignore these aspects, Yashoda has an interesting backdrop and makes for a decent watch this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review