It is really a pleasant surprise to see Kalabhavan Mani trying to do something original without aping the megastars in his new Malayalam film Swarnam directed by debutant Venugopan and scripted by S Suresh Babu. This film places Mani in an environment where he fits naturally, and that makes it a highly watchable film.

Divakaran (Kalabhavan Mani) is a hot headed bullock cart driver in a village on the banks of the Shiruvani River. Other than being angry and stingy, Divakaran is a virtuous man. He is saving his hard earned money to buy a truck. He hates his wife Radha (Praveena) and her orphaned niece Ponkutty (Baby Nayanthara), whom he considers to be an additional burden.

It is believed that the river has gold deposits. But, anyone who has jumped into the river to find the gold has lost his life. Divakaran's horoscope says that he is the only person who will find that gold. Divakaran does not pay any heed to such assumptions as he believes in earning money the hard work.

But, circumstances make Divakaran jump into the river. From here the tale goes off on a totally different tangent that makes us completely lose interest in the story.

The climax does not pack the punch as expected after the solid build up in the first half. The main premise seems to be sidelined as well as a couple of characters of importance.

It is the presence of Mani that makes Swarnam a riveting viewing experience. Most of the times when we think of Mani's performances, we get the image of borderline hamming. Here he is kept on tight leash. So, even the most cliched scenes of angry Mani are not overdrawn.

Praveena in her comeback film does give a solid performance, which gives her half baked character some substance. She shows enough gumption to be at par with Mani, matching his histrionic skills.

Jagathy Sreekumar in a villainous role with a comic touch has nothing new to offer. But, the effortlessness with which he carries it off is praiseworthy. Murali as subdued and silent man suffering humiliation at the hands of his rude son-in-law does not suit an actor of his calibre.

In the final analysis, Swarnam is an effort worth our time. But, it could have been better with little finesse and crafting.

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