Ganesha Meendum Santhipom Review: A cesspool of bad ideas

You know a film has been in cold storage for years when you see the use of old rupee notes or if an actor with a small role is projected as the face of the project because they became a phenomenon in the period between the shoot and release. Prithvi Rajan's Ganesha Meendum Santhipom, which doesn't know what genre it belongs to, ticks both these boxes. The timeline of this film's shooting schedule can be figured out from the scenes. In some sequences, we get to see the new rupee notes, while certain other shots, like those in the flashback sequences, feature the old ones. A blurred calendar in one scene tells us that it was probably shot a while ago, while dialogues about Bigg Boss show were likely added during dubbing to cash in on Oviyaa's popularity. But these anachronisms are the least of this film's worries. 

Director: Ratheesh Erate

Cast: Prithvi Rajan, Oviyaa, Devika Nambiar, IM Vijayan

Despite being promoted as a film starring Oviyaa, the actor actually appears for less than five minutes in this film, which was clearly shot before she rose to fame through Bigg Boss. But even in that meagre time, she's subjected to enough misery as a character as well as an actor. In her introduction scene, which has been slowed down on the editing table to increase the 'build up', Solomon (Prithvi Rajan) compares her with the new Rs 2000 notes. Later she's made to utter lines like, "Oruthana podanum saar," is called a "gujuli kutti" in a song, and appears in an unwanted tennis sequence, where blurring is used to save the film's 'U' certification. 

The less said about the technical aspects of Ganesha Meendum Santhipom, the better. Half the lip-sync is off, the background score is a mix of those in cartoons and porn films, and I don't remember the last time I saw a film where the cinematographer had trouble focusing on the only character in some scenes. I strongly believe that even the best of the films will have flaws and the worst of the films will have something to offer. But here, I had to look deep to find anything worthwhile -- Singampuli would have to be my pick in this fiasco. 

This film not only takes our common sense for granted, but also that of its own characters. For instance, a set of characters believe that one needs a visa to go to Delhi. There's a full-fledged duet song right in between a chase sequence. And if that's not enough, there's also a flashback in a flashback.  The reason for the conflict between Solomon and Katta Panchayathu Katthari (IM Vijayan of Thimuru fame) is lame, to say the least -- the former breaks the villain's bike's headlight. And yet, it leads to serious punch dialogues such as "Original bulb dhaan venum," at a high pitch, and a random 'comical' dance number after receiving the right bulb which goes something like "Bulb kedachiduchu." I wish I was making these up! 

On the whole, Ganesha Meendum Santhipom tries to do a lot, but fails to be worth our time. The last sequence has the lead characters running away from trouble, and honestly, I wish I could've done the same.