Sabhalam directed by Ashok.R.Nath is an off-beat film that dwells into the life of an aged couple. The highlight of the film is its bold theme and Balachandra Menon’s restraint performance.

Balachandra Menon

Barister Sankaran Nambiar (Balachandra Menon) and his wife Subhadra (Sumitra) have been married for 40 years and they have never lived without each other even for a single day. Though a successful lawyer, Nambiar had quit his job years back as he was fed up of the corrupt system and preferred to settle down in his ancestral home with his wife. Their only son Govindan (Manoj K.Jayan) is settled in US with his wife Renu .

Renu becomes pregnant and the old couple is overjoyed, but soon all the happiness comes to an end when they hear that Govindan is coming to India to take his mother with him back to look after his wife. Nambiar is shattered, as he cannot live without his wife but at the same time, realising that Renu has to be looked after silences him. The couple separates but Nambiar’s life comes to an end due to loneliness. At the same time miles away in US, Subhadra too dies at the same time and death brings them together once again.

Though the director has tried to convey the story of the couple in an old fashioned way, with limited star cast and a shoestring budget Sabhalam is slow and has a clichéd approach. Balachandra Menon and Sumitra are excellent in their respective roles. All the supporting cast like the Vaidyan (Kunjan), Govindan’s friend (Madhupal) and home nurse (Uma Shankari) are good, but the director has to be congratulated for making the characters of Renu (who never appears on screen) and her mother memorable. The story and script is by Madambu Kunjikuttan

Directed by Ashok K Nath
Produced by Movie Magic
Starring: Balachandra Menon, Manoj K Jayan, Sumithra, Uma, Kunjan