Yashoda Movie Review: Samantha Ruth Prabhu takes the lead in Yashoda, a medical thriller, written and directed by Hari–Haris, that deals with dangerous malpractices in cosmetics industry and the dark conspiratorial web of fetus farming. Yashoda begins with the mysterious death of a Hollywood actress, whose autopsy reveals a unknown drug in her body. Soon after we meet the protagonist Yashoda (Samantha) who has agreed to be a surrogate mother for an unseen couple, so that she can use the money for the surgery of her younger sister. Yashoda Movie Review: Netizens Give Thumbs Up for Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Performance and Mani Sharma’s BGM in Hari–Harish’s Thriller.

Yashoda is drugged and taken to a mysterious but posh facility called EVA, where its head Madhu (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) assures her that she would be taken care of very well there. Yashoda befriends with the other inmates and also finds herself drawn towards Gautham (Unni Mukundan), the handsome doctor working there. But all that glitters is not gold and soon, Yashoda finds out there is something very dark and creepy going on at the facility.

On a parallel track, there is also a team of cops, assisted by an ex-military man (Sampath Raj, quite solid in the role), investigating the deaths of a businessman and his model girlfriend, and stumbling upon a larger conspiracy at work.

Watch the Trailer:

Yashoda has an arresting premise which is established in the first half itself. Even if you have not seen the trailer - I didn't - you can smell the dodginess around EVA, right from the beginning, and I was surprised that apart from Yashoda, none of the other women felt there was anything wrong with the residence they are in. Yes, poverty has put them in desperate situations but does that mean it also absolves them of intellect?

Anyway, the most intriguing portions of the first half revolves around the strange intentions of EVA and its operators, as well as what it has to do with the police investigation which has its own set of twists and turns. Which is also why the sentimental portions where Yashoda gets to know her co-inmates better slow down the tempo very much. Yashoda's 'romantic' scenes with Gautham also felt distracting from the mystery, even though the idea makes sense later on and they also allow Samantha to brighten up the room, which is always a win. Thankfully, the film decides to shift gears and return on track near the interval. Yashoda Movie: Review, Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date – All You Need to Know About Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Film!

Tempo-wise, the second half is much better. The focus is purely on Yashoda trying to figure what EVA is upto, and the movie drops one twist after another, as it merges the two parallel tracks here. The backstory of the antagonists is interesting, and there are two fight sequences that are thrilling. Where Yashoda falters is that not all twists work. Some of the revelations feel very obvious, and the supposed smart ones are hampered by lack of logic or the movie's annoying tendency to offer exposition. For a very secure organisation, EVA's inconsistent security measures is highly convenient for the protagonist to get what she wants, and then the villains offer her the rest of the info with ease. There are some good surprise twists and turns too, but I felt the buildup for those weren't fleshed out well, and the climax is pretty average.

What works even when the film is down is Samantha. The actress puts up an impressive show be it in the dramatic scenes and more so, in the action sequences and is definitely the film's biggest asset. Felt Varalaxmi could have been more vicious as the sneaky Madhu which would have made her character come across more imposing, and the writing around her character's motivations felt very superficial. Unni Mukundan is decent, but the twist around his character shouldn't have been made so obvious.

Final Thoughts

Yashoda benefits from Samantha's dominating performance and an arresting premise, though the thriller is bogged down by its inconsistent writing and a lack of logic in how it approaches some of its clever twists and turns.

Rating:2.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2022 02:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).