Yashoda Movie Review: A thriller beyond the usual masala fare

Review: Hari and Hareesh's Yashoda takes a very real-world situation, ups the ante and on top of everything talented actor like Samantha carry it through.

Yashoda (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) is a surrogate in desperate need of money. Instead of carrying out her pregnancy in the basti she lives in, she is urged to move to the high-end facility Eva, owned by Madhu (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar). It also helps that she has Dr Gowtam (Unni Mukundan), who's easy on the eyes, looking after her health. While the clinically white rooms, pastel outfits, luxurious food and great company seem like a dream-come-true for any pregnant woman, cracks soon form on the surface. A disappearance here, a glitch there and soon Yashoda finds herself unravelling the mystery behind it all.

On the other hand, in the world outside Eva, we also have a murder mystery unravelling. A Hollywood starlet dies under mysterious circumstances, so do a tycoon and a super model. An unknown drug seem to hold the key to the whole mystery. Secret codes, dead policemen, loose ends - how does it all connect to the facility?

The first half of Yashoda is full of comedy and emotion. The scenes where smart-mouthed Yashoda flirts with Gowtam, pulls pranks on the facility workers and banters with the many women like her there makes you chuckle. Every woman there has a story and more often than not, it's much more to do with than just being a vessel to help childless parents. The more Yashoda seems to find out about the facility, the more a team of police men (Murli Sharma, Shatru, Sampath Raj) seem to lose track of their investigation, stumbling upon road blocks.

A fight scene right before the interval sets the tone for what's to follow - an edge-of-the-seat thriller that sees Yashoda claw and fight her way out of the situation she's in. There's something instinctive about the way Samantha's character is hunted and even more so in the way she fights for survival. all through the film ensures to keep you engaged.

Yashoda is the right film in this weekend if you're looking for something beyond the usual masala fare or love stories. A must watch for Samantha fans!