Yashoda Movie Review

‘Yashoda’

‘Yashoda’ movie review: A spirited Samantha powers a thriller drama

Yashoda is an upcoming Indian Telugu-language science fiction action thriller film written and directed by Hari–Harish. It stars Samantha in the titular role alongside Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Murali Sharma. Principal photography commenced in December 2021 and ended in July 2022.

When Yashoda asks if a courageous person must be a man, the cinema halls erupt into cheers. It is one moment that blurs the distinction of Samanatha the actress and the star and the director Hari and Harish uses it to good effect. Samanatha comes up with a fine role and keeps us invested in the story that blends emotional drama and slick action. Surrogate is one aspect of this sci-fi thriller, built on true events. The payoffs could be better, but this is a fascinating film that tries to do things differently.

At  hospital in the vicinity of a lower middle class settlement, we first see a teary-eyed Yashoda gazing at a poster of an infant. She has opted to be a surrogate mother to tide over a financial necessity and agrees to be transferred to a surrogacy facility, as per the agreement, for the rest of her journey. The warm hues of the basti make way for cooler tones of the plush hospital she finds herself in. 

A large part of this story unfolds in the luxury hospital managed by Madhu (varalaxmi sarathkumar), an art director. Art director Ashok builds the make-believe world, which is aesthetic yet eerie. He also builds a bond between Yashoda and the only doctor in the hospital, Gautam (unni mukundan). When something sinister happens, Yasha decides to get to the root of the problem. The directors sprinkled the narrative with plenty of hints, seemingly casual at first but which ultimately build the big picture necessary for this thriller. For example, Yasha’s routine of putting her bindi on a glass pane - a habit with many women - was cleverly used in this story.