Yashoda

Yashoda (2022) : Movie Review -

Hari-Harish's action thriller, Yashoda, starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the titular character, is the same old mindless South film that we used to avoid before Bahubali, RRR, KGF, Pushpa, and Kantara came along. Yashoda tries to be a smart spy thriller, but believe me, it runs on such a senseless path led by the directors that even a decent script starts annoying you. If you have seen the James Bond series, the Mission Impossible series, and some other known spy action thrillers from the global cinema, then Yashoda has nothing but cinematic torture for you. But if you are unaware of those popular foreign flicks and enjoy watching influential and adapted stuff, then you can have a good time at the movies with a kick-ass female lead.

The film is about a young girl named Yashoda (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), who goes through surrogacy and is admitted to a secret, top-class place called "EVA." She starts getting acquainted with the surroundings, headed by Madhubala (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), and even falls in love with the male doctor, Gautham (Unni Mukundan). However, she learns about illegal activities regarding surrogacy and sets out to bring the perpetrators to justice, while the cops are looking for a racket that is hunting foreigners in the outside world.

Yashoda is an ambitious script as it offers a lot of twists and thrills for a normal massy brain. The problem is in the screenplay and execution. Both are bad, ohh sorry, terribly bad. The screenplay will make you accustomed to plenty of loops, illogical characters, horrible scenes, uncomfortable conflicts, and out-of-this-world heroinism. A pregnant woman can fight off easily like a normal girl, she can deceive CCTV cameras, the smart fellas who are running the place can be fooled easily, they can roam freely even after being attacked, they can't even take the girls as hostages, Dr. Gautam was a 'bloody scientist' (as he only quoted), but he has an IQ of a primary school student who doesn't know whom to love and why, and with whom to make business, Madhubala is more obsessed about beauty than fashion models and her own life, she can change life partners even before the second hand in the clock ticks on next Stop, and bla bla. How many more loops? I can't just fit enough in this short review. The first half passes without any motive, and by then you can predict the entire plot that will occur in the second half, which is referred to as "suspense."

Samantha is a good performer, and she has proven it in a few films (Mahanati, U-Turn), despite having played a simple beauty doll in many hero-oriented films. This role was a chance for her to prove her mettle as a mass heroine, and she does that, but falls short as an "actor." Her action sequences and dedication towards them are praiseworthy, but expression and acting are left behind. Please note that I am not talking about dialogue delivery because I had to see the film with horrendous Hindi dubbing. Unni Mukundan and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's attitudes, which have some typical South villain vibes but are such childishly written characters, take you by surprise. Rao Ramesh, Sampath Raj, Murali Sharman, Satru, and Madhurima have done what all side role actors usually do in regular mass films.

Coming to the technical aspects, except for action directors, all the other departments are highly disappointing. The loud background score will make your ears bleed with unwanted noise, the cinematography is dull, and the editing is very poor. The visual effects in some scenes are even worse than cartoons. Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan have brought the film down with their downgraded vision and outdated presentation. Why do the characters have to behave like the 80s villains, who hardly had anything to do with the brainstorming? And the irony is, you have to show them as scientists, ministers, cops, and educated people. Who's gonna believe it? The Hindi audience used to call these films mindless a few years ago, and Yashoda is a perfect fit in that league. Overall, an ambitious and enthusiastic action thriller with no stamina, organs, or brain.

RATING - 4/10*

In 2009, a SFC based cosmetics company Neocutis Inc admitted that it used cells from a male fetus as one of the key ingredients in its age defying cream. It used the Processed Skin Cell Protein -PSP, obtained from a postage stamp-sized rectangle of skin taken from a terminated 14-week old male fetus in Switzerland. This scandalized the anti-abortionists across the nation. Although, the fetal kidney cells are being used for the polio vaccine.

The plot of this movie is based on these lines. It feels quite preposterous. An intriguing tandem plot with almost equally weighted two storylines. It unravels an ugly truth. It has however, few unfounded de trop elements for example rape attempt, bullying and overstretched conclusion. The protagonist played by Samantha Prabhu who delivers a commendable performance and her character is cultivated in a stable unhurried manner. But an outmoded bolly/tollywood drama makes a supposedly an excellent unique modern mystery drama somewhat ineffectual and little run-of-the-mill. Still an okay watch.

Can you just imagine a Criminal Nexus going live on a video conference and giving each detail of the crime?

Can you imagine a cabinet minister coming on a video call for an ordered execution?

Vasudev simply goes on telling the DIG was behind all of that without no backing evidences. A sitting commissioner goes to kill someone as if he is a supari killer.

These were only a few of many illogical stuffs in the movie.

The movie started well. But the director could not hold it for long. Tried to force fit too many twists and turns which did not make sense at all

Logic did thousand deaths in this movie.

The concept of the movie is absolutely about a new concept. Here girls are hired for surrogacy and are kept in a closed apartment without having zero contact with anyone. They were said that the hot shots people hire these girls and take their respective babies after their delivery. Neither the mother nor the couples who pay for their deliveries come in contact with each other during the delivery period. Samantha Ruth who played "Yashoda" in this movie agrees for surrogacy so that she can arrange money for her sister's operation. Yashoda while staying in the closed apartment discovers that something is fishy and the film is about whole investigation. Very new topic,may be it would be unacceptable to larger audience but yes it's a movie for all Samantha lovers.

The theme of Yashoda movie is loosely based on a Hollywood movie called "Level 16". They copied the central concept from the English movie and adapted it to an Indian audience.

This is a mystery/suspense film. The only reason anybody should watch this film is because of Samantha without her whole thing is almost unwatchable. This is kind of a low budget movie with ample usage of CGI/Graphics etc. The film narration is kind of patchy and disjointed. The dialogues and direction seems quite pedestrian.

I thought in the end they dragged it on for too long even after the mystery plot has been revealed.