The foremost reason I was looking forward to 'C/O Saira Banu' was to watch Amala Akkineni making a grand comeback into the silverscreen,after giving out some memorable performances in yesteryear films like 'Ente Sooryaputhrikku','Shiva' and 'Mythili Ennai Kaathali',to name a few.Even though she did few cameo appearances in films like 'Manam' and 'Hamari Adhuri Kahaani' and a full length mother role in Sekhar Kammula's 2012 box office hit 'Life Is Beautiful',I must say the character 'Annie John Tharavaady' in C/O Saira Banu is without doubt her notable comeback performance that had the talented actress playing a meaty role of a reputed advocate with ease and perfection.
Directed by debutant Antony Sony,C/O Saira Banu is an interesting family drama that achieves momentum once the central plot of a helpless women going the extra mile to rescue her son from a fake case of hit and run utilizing minimal backing at her disposal is reached.The first half started rather interestingly but turned monotonous at few occasions due to inconsistency in the screenplay that prevented the movie from cruising the mediocre level at any point in the initial hour.
The highlight of the first half is the heartwarming chemistry between Manju Warrier and Shane Nigam that gives it a realistic feel,holding the viewers attention at least upto an extent that's satisfactory.The light-hearted sequences involving Manju and Shane were relatable for the most part even though at least a couple of comic instances backfired without making any impact whatsoever.
The screenplay written by RJ Shaan and Bipin Chandran reached the top gear by the onset of the second half and there was no looking back from then with the court-room proceedings and investigation part being handled pretty well making it a thrilling affair for audience of all ages.The climax portion was the best part and received applause from the crowd.The fact that the movie never turned preachy even though the plot had good room for that must be appreciated.
Songs and background score by Mejo Joseph was adequate for the proceedings.The technical side of the movie was fine.Cinematography part was handled well by Abdul Rahim.Edits by Sagar Das were fine.
As I said earlier,the most impressive performance from the cast was by Amala Akkineni who tried her best to portray the character convincingly even though there were few lip sync issues at times.Manju Warrier was equally good and gave a neat performance as the title character Banu well.Shane Nigam did his part well even though his role was ditto like the one from his debut film Kismath.Another pick among the cast was Biju Sopanam who played a noteworthy role that reminded me of Arshad Warsi from Subash Kapoor's Jolly LLB-a good debut in the big screen after his hilarious act in sitcoms.John Paul's dialogue delivery was overfly dramatic.Rest of the cast was OK.
Overall,C/O Saira banu is a pretty decent feel-good drama that's elevated by a well-executed post interval court room session .
Final Verdict::A feel-good family drama that's definitely watchable,Saira banu boasts of a towering performance from Amala Akkineni and an equally good act by Manju Warrier who has managed to pull off one of her best performances after her comeback into Mollywood film industry.Watch it with low expectations and I am pretty sure you will not be disappointed!
