Due to VC Abhilash's unique style, we wouldn't dare compare Sabash Chandra Bose to the work of any other director. The movie is one of those exceptional films that so vividly captures the style and spirit of the 1980s that watching it seems like travelling back in time for two hours.?
Chandra Bose visits his close friend Yatindran to watch TV. One day, after a small argument, Chandra storms off, promising to get a colour TV. He uses unusual means to get television and runs into a series of problems as a result.
In the late 1980s, when televisions were not particularly widespread in homes, the story is set in Nedumangad hamlet in Thiruvananthapuram. Every evening, Chandra Bose and his family, along with all the other neighbours, congregate at Yathindran's home to watch television because he is the only person in the hamlet with a Black and White TV.
Yathi, Chandrabose, and other friends are enjoying their drinks. And after a fight over a TV debate one day, Chandrabose becomes irate and confronts Yathindran in front of the other villagers, saying he will purchase a colour television within a week. The rest of the plot revolves around how Chandrabose, who is struggling financially, manages to get a colour television.
The story is highly interesting because it depicts a time when television was a luxury and there was only one station available¡ªour all-time favourite Doordarshan¡ªthis film is incredibly popular with the general public. This movie has a 90s Doordarshan-era time-travel feel to it.
Venkatesh is a good match for Subash Chandra Bose's persona. He did a good job portraying both Chandra and Ashok. Shriya, who portrays Venkatesh's former girlfriend, Swarajyamexudes a gorgeous, endearing charm as the naive, patriotic rural beauty. Her outfits are fairly straightforward since they reflect 1940s society. In the song of "Neredi Pandu," she is both sensual and seductive.
VC Abhilash, who received the national prize for the Indrans-starring film Aalorukkam, takes on a more amusing role in Sabash Chandra Bose. Johny Antony gives Vishnu Unnikrishnan a serious run for his money with his humorous one-liners and dialogue as a short-tempered, rough guy who is genuinely kind at heart. The beauty of the village is superbly captured by Sajith Purushan's camera.
In fact, it's among the year's funniest Malayalam films. And it accomplishes this by putting some of the simplest ideas into a straightforward narrative. It may be the way a scene is staged, how an actor performs, or the silences. Three or four homes could accommodate the number of characters in the movie.?
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A nostalgic touch, such as the most significant and central element of the movie: an old TV set. When there were only one or two homes in a specific neighbourhood, Sabash Chandra Bose recalls the period when one home served as the neighborhood's "theatre" for everyone. Other than the generosity of the folks who possessed this set, there was no other means to see a movie or television show. Even the homes have walls covered in celebrity posters or vintage billboards, aren't all that dissimilar from Nedumudi Venu's mansion near Kallan Pavithran or Sreenivasan's house near Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu.
When it turns into a heist film, the movie is funniest. The robbery usually generates all the drama in heist movies. However, in this movie, the heist phase is a simple affair. Restoring the stolen object poses the biggest obstacle.?The core conflict that causes the majority of the tension and chuckles is this circumstance.
All of the songs have a folk feel to them and are calming, but Suraj Santhosh's rendition of Jamanthee Jamanthee Penne nee Jamanthee will stick with you. Both the background music and the song of Sreejith Sivasankaran are good.
Although many criticised the movie even before it was released as being "degrading," actor Vishnu Unnikrishnan responded angrily to the criticism of his most recent film, "Sabash Chandra Bose."?
Vishnu posted in his FB post and captioned, "I can understand the degrading but I don¡¯t understand the logic in degrading a film before its release. The film was released in Kerala on August 05th and the first shows were at 10 am but by 9 am there were cyber-attacks from certain English profiles. There were Pakistani profiles that had comments in English saying the film was bad. Though it's a small film, clearly this is a deliberate move to degrade the film. This comes at a time when the families are showing an interest in the film after seeing the trailer, teaser and promotions. We are sure such comments will be ignored once the film releases and there will be genuine responses."
The movie's second half turns to the thriller genre while still including humorous parts from the first half, which provides comic relief. In general, it's a fun film that evokes nostalgia while also possibly evoking something fresh in younger viewers.?Sabash Chandra Bose can be enjoyed purely as a leisurely form of amusement.
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