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Yashoda Movie Review : Samantha 'delivers' a stellar performance

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Hirak Buch 376 83 days ago

SAMANTHA is the most versatile actress I have ever seen.

Anita Kumari 16 165 days ago

THIS MOVIE "YASHODA" IS FANTASTIC.ITS TOUCH MY HEART BECAUSE IT SHOW CARE OF HER SISTER.FOR SAVE HER SISTER SHE TAKE RISK OF HER LIFE AND TO LOSS HER BUEATY .

poojarbirudula 11 433 days ago

It’s all about struggles of the economically backward women n how they are exploited by criminals…. Best part this movie also includes sexual abuse at work place …. Which mostly ignored all the movies….. it’s all abt women empowerment Jai hindi best movie I can rate it 1000 start

suhas jinka 95 449 days ago

sooooooo gud enjoyed but ,if some love story or romance included it will be 4 star rating...

B Sai Vamshi 493 days ago

Movie is seen story about a mothers and children affection movie director creativity is different

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REVIEW: Yashoda – A perfectly engaging medical crime thriller, long story short, short story long.

There are stories featuring female lead characters, and most of them substitute a heroine for a hero. For me, it is always exciting to see a film that is focused on women and in which the female lead is the only one who can advance the plot. Yashoda is a story that is so restricted to a female lead that a male hero can never be substituted. Samantha’s character Yashoda, who is in dire need of money, agrees to agree to be a surrogate mother for an unidentified wealthy. Yashoda is escorted to an expensive, opulent motherhood care facility with the most cutting-edge technology based on the stature of the clientele, only to find a group of identical young women. After a series of unexpected turns, one of the most horrifying crimes you will ever see is revealed.

The main benefit is the screenplay, which typically has some important events occur. A thrilling and reliable technique for story telling that keeps the audience interested involves two parallel stories coming together at one time. Sampath’s character Vasudeva and his squad are in charge of leading the investigation into a string of killings, which eventually uncovers a bigger crime that serves as the plot’s central conflict. It is obvious that Samantha, the movie’s unmistakable protagonist, is up to something or in danger, but the twists are less predictable, which makes them all the more exciting. The secrets of the opulent hospital, Madhu’s (Varalaxmi) backstory, Gowtham’s (Unni Mukunthan) questionable sincerity as Samantha’s true love interest, and what actually occurs to the surrogate mothers inside the hospital are all slowly revealed. A few of these revelations are absolutely fantastic; Samantha’s attempt to climb out the window is a prime example.

With her portrayal of Yashoda, Samantha truly shines. Her innocence is admirable, and her action scenes are fantastic. On the other hand, there is a tonne of support from Sampath, who has done a fantastic job as a cool-headed, shrewd, and brilliant officer. This character could have easily been overly confident and cliche, but the writer and actor handled it well. Murali Sharma as the commissioner, did a fantastic job. The lack of time allocated to establishing Varalaxmi and Unni Mukunthan’s roles is the issue. Varalaxmi’s character remains consistent throughout the movie, the subtlety in her performance on all situations lacks impact in times of crisis. A few of the dubbed scenes had odd dialogs that made the action seem forced and overly theatrical at times. The hospital where Samantha and other women reside is the film’s main location, and it was first questioned as to whether or not it actually existed because it was shot near to a dream world. It is only when justified in the latter part of the film, I thought the art (Ashok) and cinematography (M. Sukumar) have done a fantastic job.

Long story short, short story long – The most important part of the plot, Varalaxmi and Unni Mukunthan’s backstory, has, regrettably, not been given enough time to be thoroughly explained. The most important scenes were rushed and hardly made an impression, and even then, only verbally. Because the plot that is covered in the flashback is so thin, it is easy to raise doubts about the character’s viewpoint and the author’s perception of women’s interests in beauty and cosmetics without providing the necessary justification. This in turn affects how the two performers perform. On the other hand, several moments with less value, such as a few action scenes, have taken longer than necessary.

The seriousness of the medical crime that Yashoda is dealing with will astound the viewers. This movie would have been more than just an interesting medical criminal thriller if the narrative’s core had received more attention than its action sequences and plot twists.

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Yashoda Reviews

This is not a film strong on logic. Even the simplest question would make the screenplay collapse like a house of cards. But the various twists and turns, which frequently border on outlandish, are held together by the formidable presence of Samantha.

Full Review | Nov 15, 2022

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'Yashoda' review: Samantha shatters stereotypes to shine in this thriller

'Yashoda' is an ode to motherhood

Yashoda is an important milestone in Samantha’s journey to become south India’s female superstar.

Simply put, Samantha rises above the regular commercial trappings of an actress to deliver a clincher. When you leave the theatre you cannot recollect any scenes of the actress grooving to catchy songs or watching mushy scenes of her with a male actor. The hero of the movie is Samantha—the mother.

The plot starts with Samantha embracing motherhood, fighting off villains while pregnant and mouthing dialogues that intend to question why can't women be as brave as men. In one particular scene, Yashoda assures fellow pregnant women that she is like the Hindu epic character Yashoda (foster mother to Lord Krishna) and like her, will protect their unborn children. The glorified and emotional scenes elevate the screen persona of Samantha while striking a chord with the audience.

Yashoda, for the lure of money, agrees to become a surrogate mother. Through an organised system, she is transported to a facility with the latest and most sophisticated infrastructure. There, she mingles with four other participants and forms a bond with them. The facility called Eva is run by Dr Madhu (Varalaxmi) who has laid down rules and regulations for the surrogate mothers to deliver healthy babies to her clients. The surrogate mothers are expected to follow a regime as per instructions provided to them.

One can't help but notice that filmmakers might have been under the influence of squid games while designing the sets or filming scenes here. There is a parallel track unfolding. A supermodel and her boyfriend—a business heir—are killed in an accident. A police team investigating the deaths concludes that it was a planned murder masked as accidental death. The investigation leads them to a beauty product and its manufacturers who are linked to a beauty manufacturer. Murali Sharma as police commissioner keeps a close watch on the investigation but later ends up as an important link in the entire case. Before the interval, Yashoda grows suspicious about her missing friends who disappear into restricted zones of the facility immediately after developing complications. To investigate, she wades deeper into the dangerous terrain.

Unni Mukundan is one of the doctors at the facility who seems to have his eyes fixated on Yashoda. Only post-interval, the two plots running parallel converge to unveil a dangerous crime that goes beyond surrogacy and Yashoda’s role has a suspense element to it. Samantha performs action sequences with ease and they turn out to be one of the highlights of the movie.

Directors Hari and Harish came out with a gripping movie that keeps the interest of the audience intact. It is Samantha’s show all the way as she outperforms herself and continues to prove a point with women-oriented movies. Motherhood transcends languages and so does Samantha’s charisma in this multilingual film

Movie: Yashoda

Cast: Samantha, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Murali Sharma

Director: Hareesh Narayan, K. Hari Shankar

Rating: 4/5

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Yashoda Review: Samantha’s Show

Movie: Yashoda Rating: 2.5/5 Banner: Sridevi Movies Cast: Samantha, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Rao Ramesh, Murali Sharma, Sampath Raj, Shatru, Madhurima, Kalpika Ganesh, Divya Sripada, Priyanka Sharma and others Music: Mani Sharma Cinematography: M Sukumar Editor: Marthand K Venkatesh Art: Ashok Fights: Venkat, Yannick Ben Producer: Sivalenka Krishna Prasad Written and Directed by: Hari - Harish Release Date: Nov 11, 2022 

Samantha's item song in "Pushpa" went viral last year. A year later, she released the thriller "Yashoda," in which she played the lead. "Yashoda" has sparked interest due to her current health situation as well as the stunning trailer.

Let us examine its highlights and low points.

Story: Yashoda (Samantha) agrees to be a surrogate mother because she desperately needs money. She signs a contract with a corporate hospital and is taken to a hidden location where many surrogate mothers are observed prior to their deliveries.

Yashoda is treated at this centre by a handsome doctor named Gowtham (Unni) and is overseen by beauty pageant contestant Madhu (Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar).  Yashoda soon realises that something sinister is going on. She tries to discover the secrets.

A group of police officers, on the other hand, is investigating the murder of a model. What is the connection between these two threads? Is Yashoda about to reveal a secret?

Artistes’ Performances: Samantha bears the weight of the story on her shoulders. She is convincing in both facets of her character. Samantha has also convincingly performed action stunts. She has made every effort to enthral as the story revolves around her.

Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar is an excellent choice for the role of a "beautiful devil." Unni Mukundan is ideal as a doctor with a hidden agenda.

Murali Sharma, Rao Ramesh, Kalpika, Divya Sripada, Sampath Raj, and Shatru all have done their roles justifiably.

Technical Excellence: The plot revolves primarily around a surrogacy centre. The sets that have been created are lavish. The cinematography is satisfactory. The editing should have been more precise. Action stunts are entertaining.

Music is fuctional. Dialogues are effective.

Highlights: Pre-interval scenes Samantha’s performance Twist in the tale

Drawback: The surrogacy center scenes The uneven second half Climax portion

Analysis Hari and Harish, the Tamil directors, have written a story with a different plot point. Many films have dealt with the theme of medical mafias and evil doctors. Surrogacy-themed films have also emerged. "Yashoda" combines all of these elements and tells a very different story within the framework. 

“Yashoda” begins differently because it combines two unrelated stories - a murder investigation and a surrogacy centre scam. However, the directors gradually build up drama and intrigue before the intermission. The pre-interval scenes are the thriller's main draw. They are not only well-written, but also thrillingly shot. 

But momentum begins to wane after that point. It also becomes predictable after a certain point. The story's twist, while impressive, is also formulaic. Such a twist was seen in an iconic blockbuster 15 years ago, and it has since appeared in numerous films.

And flashback story involves Unni Mukundan and Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar. This story does not completely convince us. It appears to be superficial. Unni Mukundan's and Varalxaxmi's character arcs are underdeveloped.

While the plot and overall concept are intriguing, key scenes are executed half-heartedly. The Murali Sharma/Sampath Raj incident is far too predictable.

"Yashoda" works in parts. Samantha's performance and presence, as well as the film's basic concept and certain episodes, are its strong points. Despite some predictability, it makes an okay watch.

Bottom line: Works in Parts

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Tags: Yashoda Yashoda Review Yashoda Movie Review Yashoda Rating Yashoda Movie Rating Yashoda Telugu Movie Review

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• Home » Movies » Yashoda Movie Review

Yashoda review: A gritty, engaging tale of surrogacy with high-octane stunts by Samantha

A fast-paced screenplay, a tight script, hard-hitting dialogues, some amazing artwork, and an enchanting BGM make it a must-watch.

Published:Nov 11, 2022

Samantha's latest release 'Yashoda' is an engaging watch. (SrideviMovieOff/Twitter)

Samantha delivers her career's best performance!

Yashoda (Telugu)

• Cast: Samantha, Unni Mukundan and Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar
• Director: Hari Shankar & Harish Narayana
• Producer: Sivalenka Krishna Prasad
• Music: Mani Sarma
• Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, and Revathy
• Director: Maneesh Sharma
• Producer: Aditya Chopra
• Music: Pritam Chakraborty
• Runtime: 2 hours 35 minutes

Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s much-awaited movie Yashoda is finally in theatres this Friday, 11 November. It managed to garner and create good hype in the Indian film circles.

And the film has lived up to the expectations it created!

Directed by Hari and Harish Narayan, Yashoda is produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad. It casts Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Unni Mukundan in key roles.

The flick opens with an accident where one of the country’s leading models, Aarushi, dies. The cops stay busy investigating the reason behind the accident. Soon, they conclude that it was a premeditated murder.

Parallel to this plot runs another story: Yashoda (Samantha) becomes a surrogate and enters a surrogacy facility.

She makes friends with other pregnant women, and soon realises that something sinister is going on at the surrogacy centre.

A story with a difference

Soon, Yashoda and her fellow surrogate mothers start feeling like jailbirds; they cannot step out of the medical facility until their delivery.

Interestingly, nobody has a clue as to what happens after the surrogates enter the operation theatre for delivery. Also, they are not allowed even a glimpse of their babies.

As an inquisitive Yashoda starts digging deeper into the secrets, she realises that there’s more to the surrogacy centre than meets the eye.

However, in the process, she gets caught by Madhu (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and Gowtham (Unni Mukundan), the masterminds behind the facility.

Gowtham works as a doctor at the facility, while Madhu takes care of the well-being of the pregnant women.

Yashoda enters the medical facility, but not to be a surrogate mother. What her real motive is and who is helping her from the outside is something worth watching on the big screen.

This time, more than ever, I was hoping and praying for all your support in promoting the film. The affection you have showered on me & Yashoda in the run up to the release is humbling. Forever grateful to all of you. You are my family❤️ Truly hope you enjoy the film. Thank you🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/O8rbC4cYU4 — Samantha (@Samanthaprabhu2) November 11, 2022

Samantha is the lifeline

Coming to the performances, Samantha is the true hero of the film. Once again, she proves to be one of the most bankable actors among the current lot.

In the web series The Family Man , Samantha turned heads with her kickass action sequences and stunts. But in Yashoda , she takes it to the next level. The high-octane stunts pump up the adrenaline rush.

Also, she tugs at our heartstrings with her nuances and emotions, proving yet again why she is the most sought-after actor in the industry. This is certainly her career’s best performance.

Varalaxmi Sarathmkumar is seen as someone obsessed with beauty. She appears so calm that we don’t see a storm coming.

Unni Mukundan plays a good boy in the beginning, but reveals his true colours as Gowtham as the momentum picks up.

Other artists like Kalpika and Divya Sripada are great, too.

. @Samanthaprabhu2 ‘s new-age Action thriller #Yashoda gets Thumping Response in Theatres💥 Book Your Tickets 🎟️ https://t.co/qDWQI9JPvE https://t.co/bdsqzgwCYi #YashodaInCinemas @varusarath5 @Iamunnimukundan @harishankaroffi @hareeshnarayan @krishnasivalenk @SrideviMovieOff pic.twitter.com/ppfi287lnu — Sridevi Movies (@SrideviMovieOff) November 11, 2022

Kudos to Hari-Harish duo

The credit for Yashoda goes to none other than Samantha and the director duo Hari-Harish.

The directors truly deserve applause for making a film with such a fast-paced screenplay and tight script. It is hard for anyone to pick up faults in the story.

Though the movie has been made based on facts, added elements like the emotional drama make it an engaging and entertaining watch.

Pulagam Chinnarayana and Bhagyalakshmi Challa did a great job with the dialogues.

Art director Ashok needs a special mention for building a surrogate facility that looks nothing less than a luxurious, corporate hospital.

Producer Krishna Prasad splurged on the film to make sure it turned out to be the best.

The background music by Mani Sharma elevates every scene. Action scenes by Yanick Ben and Venkat give us an adrenaline rush.

Blockbuster #Yashoda 🔥 Our team at #Sudarshan35 with the super hit director duo 🥳 @harishankaroffi and @hareeshnarayan garu @Samanthaprabhu2 #YashodaTheMovie pic.twitter.com/GeEYpmRCPk — Yashoda From Nov11 (@SamanthaPrabuFC) November 11, 2022

An edge-of-the-seat experience

Yashoda brings you to the edge of your seat. The first half hour of the film is all about parallel plots. Soon, an interesting and unpredictable story arises, with unexpected twists and turns.

Slowly, the other side of the surrogacy world is revealed: the medical mafia and what surrogacy can do to a woman who is in a financial crisis.

The movie also sheds light on the ways the rich exploit the poor.

On the whole, Yashoda is a gritty and engaging tale of surrogacy that one shouldn’t miss.

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Yashoda Movie Review

Article by Suman M Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 11:14 am, 11 November 2022

2 Hr 15 Mins   |   Thriller   |   11-11-2022

Cast - Samantha, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Rao Ramesh and others

Director - Hareesh, Hari

Producer - Sivalenka Krishna Prasad

Banner - Sridevi Movies

Music - Mani Sharma

Samantha has so evolved as a performer, where her name has become a selling point along with the other aspects of a film. Samantha is coming with a film Yashoda, where she plays the lead role. The trailer was intriguing and hinted at conspiracy around the concept of surrogacy. The movie was released today in theaters. Check out the review.

What Is It About?

Yashoda (Samantha) a food delivery girl agrees to become a surrogate mother for a large sum of money. She will be sent to a highly sophisticated surrogate facility owned by Madhubala (Varalakshmi Sarathkumar). Yashoda learns that something is not right at the facility and she gets shocked seeing gruesome incidents happening there. On the other side, there is an active murder investigation of a business tycoon that leads to a stunning end. How is it linked to Yashoda’s story and what she does thereafter form the rest of the story.

Performances

Samantha gave an apt performance in the role of Yashoda. This role is a cakewalk for her, yet the effort she put into crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘I’s could be seen in this dual-shaded role. This time she had to do the action part also and she has done it effortlessly. 

Varalakshmi Sarathkumar appears as a dangerous woman in a cold blood. Most of her roles were aggressive and yelling types, but In Yashoda she had to be subtle yet ruthless. She did quite well. Unni Mukundan supported her well. Sampath Raj, Murli Sharma, and others were alright in their respective roles. Kalpika, Divya Sripada, and others will be seen in brief roles. 

Technicalities

The storyline of Yashoda is interesting. For the concept, the movie hardly needed outdoor shots. Most of the sets looked fine while some shots in the facility appear to be heavily inspired by Hollywood sci-fi thrillers. The concept of confining the inmates with illusion walls is an unusual setup. The screenplay is good. Background music by Manisharma is alright. 

Samantha Fresh Plot

Thumbs Down

Slow First Half Predictable episodes Routine Climax

Analysis  

There were many movies based on the concept of surrogacy earlier. This plot of Yashoda is a plot developed from real investigative research that is untouched in films so far. A woman in need of money agrees to be a surrogate mother for an unknown billionaire and reaches a state-of-the-art facility for the same. Smelling a conspiracy, she digs deeper to unturn the dark truths only to find a giant mafia. 

The first half of Yashoda is slow with the setup in the surrogacy facility, with friends and character establishment. But it gets interesting as the narrative gets into the plot a little deeper toward the interval block. The pre-interval to interval sequences are rightly done promising an intriguing second half. The plot could be sensed on whole, but the details remain blurred until the revelations slowly turn up

The second half is more gripping and intriguing with each twist and turn. From Madhu’s flashback to the establishment of the murder investigation link, there are some good twists that turned out well. The concept of narrating two parallel stories back and forth without disclosing a link between them and that too until the latter second half is adventurous. If one side derails, there is a chance that by the time the link is established, the narration might have looked bumpy. That balance and suspense link between the two sides is maintained well by the director duo. 

On the downside, a perverted security guard, a highly monitored facility with umpteen blindspots, and a spine-chilling mafia setup with opened exit doors are some routine cinematic liberties that could have been worked differently. The emotional blocks in the pre-climax are too conventional. 

The thrill factor worked mostly while the emotional episodes are cliched. The climax is obvious with some routine action blocks. Overall, Yashoda is a decent thriller with a few stereotyped scenes. 

Bottomline: Decent Thriller With Suspense Elements !

Rating: 2.75/5

Watch Below Gulte Public Talk of Yashoda

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Yashoda movie review: Samantha Ruth Prabhu shines, but she cannot hide the flaws in this thriller

Samantha is brilliant in Yashoda that falters in effectively landing its shocking twists and turns.

Language: Tamil, and Telugu

Cast: Samantha, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Murali Sharma, Sampath

Director: Hari-Harish

Since the morning of the release of Yashoda , I have seen multiple reports that claim that a lot rides on Yashoda for actor Samantha who plays the lead in this film. To be honest, the actor has proved time and again that her performance will stand the test of time, and it is then not fair to encapsulate all of an actor in one project. Yashoda is not a film that would receive rapturous attention from the audience, and neither is it a dud. It is a promising premise aided by great performances of its lead cast.

What it does suffer from is lack of bringing its vision from paper onto screen. Without going too much into the details of the film’s plot, which is a thriller that you must experience as an audience, what I can tell you is that there is all signs of making a great film in Yashoda ’s first half. It sets up the characters, their lives and their ordeals. For instance, why does Samantha as Yashoda interested in being a surrogate? Who is Madhubala (Varalaxmi), and what is the truth about her identity and so on.

So where exactly does it falter? It begins to misstep the moment the film begins to hide behind Yashoda. Instead of packing up the plot, and fleshing out the arc enough to aid the punches that the film hopes to land, the main hope for the film is Yashoda’s antics. How she gets close to other surrogates, how she befriends people in the clinic that she goes to are hyperfocussed. Most of the times, the why becomes an afterthought.

It is also this nuanced look at delivering twists that is missing from the film. For instance, does a twist land the punch, and leave audiences gasping? Or does it leave them mildly interested? They could also be left clueless if the said punches didn’t land. Where you can place Yashoda in this scale is smack in the middle. They are clear about the twist that they want to introduce and it is smart. However, the way they introduce it and way these particular scenes are written do not do much for the plot progression.

It is not so much that you see what is coming because the twists are cliched and borrowed from stereotypes. If anything, some of the most interesting things about the film apart from its premise is its twists. It is unfortunate that they do not have space to breathe and take shape of their own. The punch is required to make a good shocking twist in a thriller effectual is what is missing from the film.

Considering that the film is a thriller, it is important to pay attention to the pace of the film. At times, this also suffers because of humour that is not seamless. The humour in this film, which on second thought feels unintentional, is jarring and ends up leaving us disconnected from the seriousness of the plot. In fact, the dependency on Yashoda’s act throughout the film goes overboard, has the same effect. Because it was so obviously out of place, it threw me as a viewer out of the story momentarily.

This in turn affected how engrossing the film could have been. Such disturbances occur not partially, but often throughout the story. The onus is then on the viewers to stay with the characters. I am then forced to pay attention as opposed to me being instinctively engrossed in the film. This is, in fact, my biggest complaint abut Yashoda . The fact that the thriller gave me the time and space to let my wander. Throughout it all, my attention did stay on one thing, or I must say, one person and that is Samantha.

She lights up the screen in ways few actors are capable of today, and she does so with so much enthusiasm and affection for the camera that one cannot help but be attracted towards her character on screen.

To conclude, Yashoda as a film is a great example of how a film could be interesting, entertaining, and yet flawed to the point of contention.

Rating: 2.75 (out of 5)

Yashoda is playing in cinemas

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with a special focus on identity and gender politics.

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November 11, 2022

Yashoda movie review: samantha gives a stellar performance in this thriller that largely works.

A decent thriller!

Directors: Hari and Harish

Movies have now become ways in which we come to know of conspiracies and criminal activities that happen in the ‘dark world’. A filmmaker takes a lot of effort to research such criminal activities before making a film out of it. Recently, Mithran’s Sardar was one such movie that was well-researched. Hari and Harish too, have tried to bring something new to the table with Yashoda. While it has some misses here and there, the movie largely works especially because of Samantha. 

The story revolves around the character Yashoda (Samantha) who agrees to become a surrogate mother in order to earn some money. She is put in a facility where she meets many such surrogates with financial needs. When she unveils mysterious happenings in the facility, she takes the investigation upon herself. How she solves the mystery is for you to find out when you watch the film. 

Yashoda has two parallel storylines running side by side. While on the one side we see Yashoda’s story headlined by Samantha, on the other, we see a few Police officers trying to solve a number of crimes. This parallel plot is led by Sampath Raj and his team of policemen. Somewhere in the middle of the second half, these two storylines come together. 

While the first half goes in setting the story in motion, the second half answers some obvious questions we all would have had throughout the way. In the second half, just when we think they have revealed all the secrets, the filmmakers have placed a ticking time bomb of a reveal. Now, this reveal may have been predictable for many. But, it was quite fascinating to watch onscreen as it tied up many loose ends. 

While the thrill factors and the conflict of interest all worked, there were some things that did not. Some scenes, looked like they came straight out of the CID television series. Sampath Raj plays the role of a genius who discovers the truth with his detective-like brain. However, in some scenes where he does that, the writing was so poor, that it was pretty unbelievable and unjustified. If portions such as these are ignored, the movie and its expos é work on the whole. 

Samantha’s performing prowess comes out through Yashoda. While we already saw her fight in The Family Man 2, in this film, you can see that she has given her complete commitment to mastering the action sequences. She is brilliant in parts where she plays a sensitive Yashoda. At the same time, she has very convincingly played the tenacious and resilient Yashoda as well. If you want to watch Yashoda for its plot, Samantha is the plot. 

Apart from her, Unni Mukundan also plays a convincing role in the film. He is raw in some scenes, and cute in others, making him a complete package. Although Varalakshmi’s performance was superb, her characterization could have been much better. Many of the characters were shown as black or white. Some grey areas would have really helped in convincing the audience of the plot and the performance. Murali Sharma, Sampath Raj, Kalpika Sharma, and Divya Sripada have overall played fine supporting characters. 

Two technical aspects of the film are to be mentioned. Art Director Ashok’s setup of the surrogate facility was extremely believable and fascinating. It, in fact, looked like it came straight out of an episode of the ‘Black Mirror’ series. Similarly, Preetham Jukalker’s choice of outfits for Samantha is also a treat for the eyes. 

The criminal activities unveiled through Yashoda are supposedly true. As mentioned above, the very idea to bring out such a conspiracy and thoroughly research it before doing so is worth a mention. The movie does not bore you with unwanted songs or love tracks. The to-the-point film lags a little when the scenes look a little like a soap opera. But, the movie will leave you quite satisfied and engaged at the end of it. 

Rating: 3/5 

Verdict: Watch Yashoda in theatres for Samantha, that’s it!

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Yashoda gets a release date

Yashoda stars samantha ruth prabhu, varalaxmi sarathkumar, unni mukundan, rao ramesh, murali sharma, among others..

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu on Monday revealed the release date of her upcoming movie, Yashoda . The movie will hit the screens on November 11. Cashing in on the momentum in Samantha’s career, the filmmakers will release the film in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi, besides the original Telugu language.

Yashoda is helmed by the director duo Hari and Harish. The teaser of the movie that was released earlier showed Samantha playing the role of a pregnant woman, who’s put through a strenuous training programme. The reason behind her physical and mental suffering is unclear. The film also stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Unni Mukundan, Rao Ramesh, Murali Sharma, Sampath Raj, Shatru, Madhurima, Kalpika Ganesh, Divya Sripada, and Priyanka Sharma in the supporting cast.

Yashoda is Samantha’s first solo film after the 2018 horror-thriller U-Turn. She was last seen in Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal. Even though the film received poor reviews from critics, it managed to become a hit at the box office in Tamil Nadu . She shared screen space with Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi in the film.

Samantha is also waiting for the release of the mythological drama Shaakuntalam. Written and directed by Gunasekhar, it will also mark the screen debut of Allu Arjun ’s daughter Allu Arha. It also stars Dev Mohan and will be released in all major Indian languages.

Samantha at the present is in the US training for her upcoming web series Citadel.

• Samantha Ruth Prabhu

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Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round.

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‘Furiosa’ Is a Box Office Dud, Adding to Hollywood Woes

Memorial Day weekend ticket sales in North America are expected to total $125 million, down 40 percent from last year.

By Brooks Barnes

Reporting from Los Angeles

Hollywood expected “ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ” to scorch the box office over the holiday weekend. Instead, the big-budget Warner Bros. prequel iced it over.

“Furiosa,” which cost $168 million to make, not including tens of millions of dollars in marketing costs, collected an estimated $25.6 million in the United States and Canada from Thursday night to Sunday. Box office analysts expected the film to take in about $5.4 million on Monday, for a holiday-weekend total of $31 million.

That would be the worst Memorial Day weekend result in 43 years after adjusting for inflation — ever since “Bustin’ Loose,” a comedic drama starring Richard Pryor, collected $24 million in 1981. (Box office records exclude 2020, when most theaters were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.)

The franchise’s previous chapter, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” took in $45.4 million in 2015, or roughly $61 million in today’s dollars — and that was without the benefit of a holiday weekend.

Hollywood had high expectations for “Furiosa,” which Warner Bros. premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; the movie received exceptional reviews . On Sunday, however, it was unclear whether “Furiosa” would manage even first place at the box office. Analysts said the poorly reviewed “ Garfield ” (Sony), which cost $60 million to make, could inch ahead. It could also be a tie.

Sony declared victory, saying it expected “Garfield,” produced and financed by Alcon Entertainment, to be No. 1, with $31.8 million in ticket sales. “With summer holidays beginning this week, the film is well-positioned for a long theatrical run,” Sony said, adding that it had successfully “relaunched” the lasagna-loving character as a movie franchise.

Why did fewer moviegoers turn out for “Furiosa” than expected? Warner Bros. declined to comment, but the film capital was rife with theories. One involved Anya Taylor-Joy, who played the title role in “Furiosa.”

The 28-year-old actress has been ascending for nearly a decade, gaining attention in 2015 for “The Witch,” an art house horror movie, and winning awards in 2020 for playing a troubled chess prodigy in “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix mini-series. But she had never anchored a big-budget summer movie before.

Increasing the pressure, Ms. Taylor-Joy took over the role of Furiosa from the Oscar-winning Charlize Theron, now 48, who helped turn “ Mad Max: Fury Road ” into a hit in 2015.

“Moviegoers do not want prequel origin stories,” where significant franchise characters are “portrayed not by the actor who originated and defined them, but by a younger, less-famous performer,” Scott Mendelson, a box office analyst who publishes a subscription newsletter, wrote on Saturday.

“Furiosa,” directed by George Miller and co-starring Chris Hemsworth, may have been released too soon after the similar-looking “Dune: Part Two,” which delivered giant ticket sales in March, some film executives said. At the same time, they added, “Furiosa” may have been released too long after “Fury Road,” allowing the “Mad Max” fan base to cool.

There has also been a lack of momentum at the box office, noted Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore media analyst. Hollywood’s summer season started with “The Fall Guy,” which arrived to $28 million in ticket sales earlier this month — the lowest summer kickoff since 1995. The April box office suffered from a shortage of movies, which studios blamed on lingering fallout from union strikes in 2023.

“The current malaise shows the importance of the health of the overall marketplace in the months leading up to this all-important moviegoing season,” Mr. Dergarabedian said in an email.

Theaters in the United States and Canada were expected to sell about $125 million in tickets over the weekend, down roughly 40 percent from last year, according to Comscore. For the year to date, ticket sales in the two countries total $2.6 billion, down 22 percent from the same period a year ago, Comscore said.

Mr. Dergarabedian is an optimist, however.

“It’s not game over for theaters this summer as many have asserted,” he said, noting that sequels like “Inside Out 2,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” could arrive as major hits in June and July. If those films deliver, he said, Hollywood can salvage “the perception of the movie theater business as a viable and relevant part of the entertainment ecosystem.”

Brooks Barnes covers all things Hollywood. He joined The New York Times in 2007 and previously worked at The Wall Street Journal. More about Brooks Barnes

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Greg cosell is impressed with commanders qb jayden daniels, share this article.

No one watches more NFL tape than Greg Cosell. The longtime NFL Films producer created the “NFL Matchup” show over 30 years ago, which has remained football’s premier Xs & Os show. The only complaint is it’s not long enough.

Cosell is a popular guest on the podcast and radio circuit and co-hosts a podcast with Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

Cosell recently joined the “John Keim Report” podcast, where he talked exclusively about the Washington Commanders. He also extensively covered rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

What does Cosell think of Daniels? First of all, he really likes him.

“He’s not just a runner; obviously, he’s incredibly dynamic, but I think as he’s played more, he’s a pocket quarterback,” Cosell said. “He leaves the pocket when, for the most part, it’s a last resort.”

The NFL has changed over the years with quarterback style, but being able to throw consistently from the pocket remains one of the most important traits for any successful NFL passer.

Remember, one criticism of Daniels ahead of the 2024 NFL draft was that he didn’t throw to the middle of the field enough. Analysts praised his deep ball but believed others, like Drake Maye, did a better job throwing between the numbers.

Cosell sees no issues here.

“For the most part, he lets the system work,” Cosell continued. “I thought one of the things that really stood out this year from his LSU tape was his willingness to work through the progressions and make progression-read throws. And particularly make throws in the middle of the field between the numbers. Which for a lot of quarterbacks coming from college to the NFL, John, and you know this, is an issue because the hash marks are closer. And sometimes it seems to young quarterbacks like there are 15 defenders on the field when they have to make throws in the middle of the field because it’s tighter. In college, you don’t necessarily have that issue because the hash marks are wider, and the defense has to stretch horizontally to deal with that, and therefore the middle is often wide open.”

What about his arm strength?

“He doesn’t have a power arm, but he can certainly make all the throws,” he said. “I just thought there was a calmness and a poise, composure to his game. He played effectively and efficiently from the pocket. And he made the kinds of throws you see in NFL games. He wasn’t one of those guys that built up his numbers throwing tunnel screens.”

Cosell doesn’t buy that Daniels became a top prospect because of his 2023 season. He started looking at him as a potentially elite prospect last summer based on his 2022 tape. Cosell also noted how good Daniels was as a true freshman at Arizona State, and he has continued to improve.

Another criticism of Daniels was that he threw to elite receivers at LSU. As we’ve stated before with Joe Burrow, that was a foolish criticism. Cosell used the same comparison.

There was a lot more in this conversation that we’d encourage you to check out, with more on Daniels and some good stuff on offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

You can watch the entire segment below.

Cosell’s opinion carries a lot of weight. He’s seen it all over the years and he studies every player — every throw. He views Daniels as a complete quarterback who can run.

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Mad Max 'Furiosa' review: New prequel is a snazzy action movie, but no 'Fury Road'

Anyone who’s seen “Mad Max: Fury Road” doesn’t forget it. The movie is a unicorn of sorts, a pure and perfect action flick with post-apocalyptic hot rods, gorgeous demolition-derby carnage and demented confidence.

That’s a sky-high bar most movies fail to reach, including its inspired prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters Friday).

Director George Miller fleshes out the busy backstory of Charlize Theron’s “Fury Road” heroine, with the title role now played by Anya Taylor-Joy , for a decent origin tale that works better as a revenge thriller. Miller crafts an explosive, world-building epic charting new parts of the dystopian Wasteland he created with Mel Gibson in 1979’s “Mad Max,” this time letting Taylor-Joy and a charismatically evil Chris Hemsworth loose in a gnarly landscape full of revving engines and bizarre personalities.

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Nine years ago, the last “Mad Max” introduced Furiosa as a weary soldier helping the imperious Immortan Joe’s runaway wives alongside Tom Hardy’s hard-luck antihero Max during a three-day odyssey of sandstorms and chaos. “Furiosa” leads right up to that movie by going way back, following its title character over 15 years from a traumatized young girl to an independent warrior queen.

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Little Furiosa (Alyla Browne) lives in Green Place, a “land of abundance” with forests, fruit and nature. An act of kid mischief angers some motorcycle-riding goons, who capture Furiosa and take her to their ruthless and mercurial leader, Dementus (Hemsworth). Furiosa’s sharpshooting mom Mary (Charlee Fraser) rescues her daughter from this nomadic biker horde, but their escape is foiled and Dementus tortures and kills Mary, taking Furiosa as a prisoner.

Dementus is an ambitious creep as well, and he envies the expansive Citadel of warlord Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). An invasion goes badly, yet Dementus becomes a power player in the Wasteland political system, using Furiosa as a trading chip in a deal with Joe. Things aren’t any better for her under the Immortan's guardianship, so Furiosa disguises herself and hides for years as a hardworking mute boy.

Taylor-Joy doesn’t even show up until an hour into “Furiosa,” and that’s when the plot, which starts in a meandering episodic fashion, kicks into overdrive. Furiosa proves herself a capable crew member on a War Rig driven by ace supply runner Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), who becomes a trusted confidante (with definite Mad Max vibes). Her blood still boils when it comes to Dementus, and the struggle between him and Joe sets a violent, painful path for Furiosa to become the woman with a buzzcut and mechanical arm we know and love.

Few put together an action scene with jaw-dropping gunfights and white-knuckle crashes that energize all the senses like Miller. In “Furiosa,” foes fly in on parachutes and gliders to wage battle on endlessly cool vehicles, and the 79-year-old director creates breathtaking sequences out of Taylor-Joy taking cover from overwhelming flames and driving like a bat out of hell.

Well-suited for Miller’s signature brand of metal mayhem, she sports a laconic gumption matched only by Hemsworth’s scuzzy antagonism: Dementus is a buff, motormouthed weasel and, thanks to Hemsworth (plus a fake nose with its own area code), strangely magnetic and likable, tossing bon mots like "When things go bonkers, you have to adapt."

“Furiosa” weaves in some familiar faces, too, most of them ones only a mother could love. The “Fury Road” faithful get a return engagement seeing the pale War Boys and old pals like the Organic Mechanic and Doof Warrior are back, alongside new weirdos like Toe Jam and the History Man. (A couple of biker dudes even get their names from a popular motorcycle manufacturer.)

But the prequel is a conventionally structured, overlong 2½-hour movie and “Fury Road” was so special because it wasn’t: The last “Mad Max” essentially existed as a two-hour chase scene that threw us into the stressful lives of its protagonists, and we got to know them through their conflict rather than a bunch of exposition.

So “Furiosa” is no “Fury Road.” That’s OK. With Taylor-Joy behind the wheel and Hemsworth riding shotgun, it’s a groovy enough ride.