Story: Saira Banu, a post woman and a single mom, is caught unawares when her son Joshua Peter, a law student, gets entangled in a legal hassle. The opponents in the case are a bunch of affluent and powerful names of the society. How would the middle-class woman help her son?
Review: Being a single parent is no cakewalk, that too when the kids hit their teens and nurture the dreams of being free birds. Debutant director Antony Sony’s emotional thriller drama C/O Saira Banu is the tale of a single mom, who will stop at nothing to rescue her son when he gets trapped in a case that too with some mighty opponents involved.
Saira Banu ( Manju Warrier) and Joshua Peter (Shane Nigam)are more like buddies or siblings, than a mom and son. After a slight tiff between the duo over Joshua’s decision to pursue his passion, the youngster storms out from home, eventually ending up in a knotty crime situation. When Annie John Tharavady (Amala Akkineni), a reputed lawyer is assigned the case to plead against Joshua, Saira, a middle-class woman, is still groping in the dark thinking how to save her son.
The first half of the film establishes the kind of relationship between Saira and Joshua, and their unique story, which is a refreshing plot. There are a few aww moments that make your heart beat for both of them. However, it falls flat whenever comedy is attempted. The biggest and most genuine comic moment in the movie is when the young mom tries to bargain with a street vendor over the price of a sunglass. The film picks up pace and becomes interesting when the story line turns serious after the mild spat between the mom and son. In the second half, the film scores when it shows how an underprivileged woman is caught in a fix when she gets trapped in a series of legal issues. The court scenes post the interval break are relatable, moving and engaging enough to keep the audience interested.
In her comeback film, Amala Akkineni impresses by mouthing some lengthy Malayalam dialogues, that too in the scenes of court room proceedings. Some minor, often unavoidable glitches apart, she commands respect as a renowned lawyer and a fiery mom. Manju Warrier, who was often termed in her first innings as one of the few actresses in Malayalam who can handle humour with ease, hasn’t succeeded in regaining her comedy skills yet after the comeback. Most of her attempts at humour fizzle out, but she pulls off the emotional scenes of the film with aplomb. Shane Nigam is the right fit to play Joshua, but one wonders why his expressions are quite limited and uniform – whether angry, sad or indifferent. The film’s music by Mejjo Joseph accentuates the scenes quite a bit and is impressive.
The film is worth a watch if you want to see how Amala Akkineni fares in her comeback movie, and catch an emotional tale about wonder moms.