Farhana review: Aishwarya Rajesh shoulders this engaging suspense-laden drama with a neat supporting cast

3.5/5

Story: A woman, whose life revolves around her big family, takes up a job at a call centre to make ends meet. She befriends a stranger during her work time and develops a liking for him. However, little did she know that her personal and professional lives are going to be topsy-turvy. She gets the shock of her life after realizing that the stranger is a shady person. As a mother of three children, she regrets not spending enough time with her kids and husband. All hell breaks loose when the stranger starts blackmailing her.

Review: Nelson Venkatesan's Farhana is an example of how a strong supporting cast could aid a film's protagonist and screenplay in building a series of intriguing sequences. What begins as a family drama turns into a suspense thriller in an organic manner with engaging conflicts happening at regular intervals.

It begins with Farhana (Aishwarya Rajesh) realizing that despite her husband and father-in-law working their tail off in a footwear shop, the family involving three children is struggling hard to make ends meet. The husband's lack of higher education stops him from securing a well-paid job. She expresses her interest to join a call centre to her family members. Though the elder member of the patriarchal family isn't happy with her idea, he agrees to it considering their financial status.

Within no time, Farhana becomes one of the best performing employees in her company. But befriending a stranger lands her in a huge trouble. She regrets her decision to meet the toxic person and spending time indulging in conversations with him almost every day.

The unexpected series of incidents leaves her life in shambles. Torn between her conservative family and the dangerous stranger, she gets help from a couple of colleagues. How is she going to deal with the issue?

Aishwarya Rajesh comes up with one of her career best performances in the film. She plays the varied layers in her character - a doting mother, understanding wife and a confident working woman who becomes vulnerable - effortlessly, thus complementing the screenplay. Her expressions and body language are on point which convinces viewers about the hassles she goes through. 

Jithan Ramesh surprises us with the subtle and effective portrayal of a caring husband who acts as a backbone to his earning wife. Kitty lends his immense experience to the rigid father-in-law role he essays. Anumol and Aishwarya Dutta are apt in their roles and come up with justifying performances.

Gokul Benoy's compact cinematography and Justin Prabhakaran's music act as catalysts for the movie's screenplay. The unusual visuals in metro stations and the bustling street in Triplicane offer depth to the story and its central characters. 

On the downside, the scenes that showcase Farhana getting closer to the stranger are stretched beyond a point even after their bonding has been properly established. This turns out to be a speed breaker of sorts in a story which has been moving at a rapid pace. 

The climax twist doesn't leave you surprised, but the manner in which the family bonding is depicted is enjoyable. The film delves into the human psyche through its characters who are different from each other in many ways. It subtly conveys a message, too, without being preachy.

Verdict: The movie is an impressive outing, thanks to well-made sequences, neat technical aspects and compelling performances from its lead characters.