Actress Priyamani shines in touching 'Thirakatha'

"Thirakatha", which in Malayalam means 'screenplay', is an interesting movie based on the occupational hazards of showbiz sans the extravaganza seen in Hindi film "Khoya Khoya Chand" or the mastery of Guru Dutt in the 1959 classic "Kagaz Ke Phool".

Rumoured to be loosely based on the real life of a late south Indian actress, "Thirakatha" exposes the tragic life of film personalities - within and beyond the arc-lights.

Director Renjith, known for making offbeat films, has chosen his subject well and its treatment etches the agony of stars.

The movie is all about a director Akbar (Prithviraj) and his fiancée Devyani's (Samvrutha) quest to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of actress Malavika (Priyamani). In the process, they stumble on her tragic affair with matinee idol Ajay Chandran (Anoop).

While Prithviraj, Samvrutha and Anoop play their roles very well, National Award winning actress Priyamani as Malavika steals the show, underplaying the tragedienne to perfection.

Renjith's direction is fine but the script sometimes dwells too much on the sub-plot - the romance between Akbar and Devyani.

However, "Thirakatha" is on the whole a touching screenplay that weaves in myriad characters with the appropriate dose of irony.

Somewhat a period film set in the 1980s, "Thirakatha" is juxtaposed quickly with modern-day Malayalam filmdom to keep the audience interested.

Sarath's music just about passes muster.

But, Radhakrishnan's cinematography takes one's breath away thanks to frames within frames exposing the stark differences in a movie set in front and behind the camera.