Shajahanum Pareekuttyum Movie Review

Synopsis: Jiya suffers from short term memory loss after an accident. Soon, a thug named Prince and a businessman Pranav enters her life claiming she was in love with both of them. Who is the real love of her life and what is the intention of the other?

Review: Scriptwriter Y V Rajesh brought together Jayasurya and Kunchacko Boban for his films 'Gulumaal' and 'Three Kings'. While the former had a bit of mystery to keep the audience engaged, the latter begged its viewers to leave their brains at the door to enjoy it. The comic caper 'Shajahanum Pareekuttyum' is a mix of both films.
Its plot kick starts with the story of Amala Paul’s character Jiya, a wealthy girl with a craze for cars, who now suffers from short term memory loss after an accident. She was set to be engaged to Major E Ravi (Aju Varghese) who entrusts his friend to look into Jiya’s recent past. The investigation reveals that she had a certain Mr. P in her life and that brings into the picture – a thug named Prince (Jayasurya) and a suave businessman Pranav (Kunchacko Boban). Both claim that Jiya was in love with them. Are they telling the truth? What are their intentions? How did Jiya meet with the accident? These questions drive the plot.
Director Boban Samuel had to string together the trio’s past, the intentions of each character and also engage the audience through the journey. While he accomplished that to a good extent in his movie 'Romans', he falters here. The first half is dedicated to the back stories of the trio but it has no zing. In fact, the comedy track with Aju and Suraj Venjaramoodu is given better lines and time that it overshadows the main plot. While the second half picks up speed, it comes with a set of formulaic twists and trivial payoffs.
Both Jayasurya and Kunchacko are stifled due to a lacklustre script that offers them no scope for performance. Amala Paul carries off her role as a confused yet confident girl well. The comedy though – except for scenes with Kalabhavan Shajon, Rafi and Kunchacko – falls flat with lines that are heard before. Plus, the background score is sometimes too jarring.
The movie is also loaded with tributes to several films including 'Thalapathi', 'Titanic', Ennu Ninte Moideen, Inale and Tower Heist. With the sort of star cast assembled, it could have been a laugh riot but instead this movie is just an average fare with just a few good jokes.