Producer: Omar Sherif
Director: Lohithadas
Cast: Vinu Mohan, Bhama, Nedumudi Venu, Athulya, Aparna, Seethalekshmi, Sreehari, Vijayanthi, Prabha Dutt.
Music: M Jayachandran

Writer turned director Lohithadas has many blockbuster hits to his credit and has ceaselessly enamored his audience with good screenplay. After the lukewarm success of ‘Chakkaramuthu’, Lohithadas uses the never failing formula of combining bits and pieces of different film for creating the story line for his next release ‘Naivedhyam’. Nevertheless, he comes out with an appealing flick to look forward to this Onam.

‘Naivedhyam’ comes as a fresh whiff since it is unlike the pigeonhole performances and script of the commonly served flicks.  This film differs from the rest partly because of its superb performance by the actors and partly because of its well-knitted script and persuasive storytelling.

The story notches with a brief on the life of Mohana Krishnan (Vinoo Anand), a candid brahmin fellow who takes up carpentry work to fend a living for himself and his widowed mother and sister. He was the son of noted dramatist C.K. who spent his entire life fighting for the rights of writers. After his father’s early demise, Mohana managed to pursue his education related to arts till secondary level. But circumstances forced him to drop his education and earn a living. Supported by one of his father's associate lyricist Kaithapram, who happens to spot him in a creative sitting, Mohana Krishnan enters the Kovilakom, headed by Ramavarma Thampuram, a religious elderly man who was a cherished student of Chembai Vaidhya Natha Bhagavathar.

Mohana Krishnan was looking for a job in Kovilakom but couldn’t get one because of his financial crisis. But after the health of the head priest in Tharavadu temple started to detoriate, Ramavarma Thampuran appointed him to assist with the religious affairs within the temple. Although he wasn’t well acquainted with mantras and rituals, the old priest provided him with the basic guidance and assigned him the rituals of the temple while keeping the administrative function for himself.

After Mohana joins as the assistant priest, the fate of the temple brightens. He works day in and out for the welfare of the temple. In the meantime, he catches the eyes of many young girls and especially Satya Bhama (Bhama), an orphan who lives with her grandmother and earns a living by selling papad.

Satya Bhama lives in constant fear of her distant relative Surendran, a crook who wants to marry her. Whenever Surendran visits her, she seeks shelter in the temple. Eventually she starts visiting temple each night and her recurring visits end in a love affair between Mohana and Satya. But like all love stories, they too have to face the trial of time. The films start slowly but gather speed after a few reels. The monologues of Mohana with the deity of Lord Krishna accelerate the push of the flick.

Debutant actor Vinoo enthralls with his superb performance. Keeping in tandem with his family tradition, Vinoo proves with his very first film that he is here to stay. Bhama too confirms that she is not just another pretty face, but a beauty with tremendous acting caliber. Her chemistry with Vinoo Anand is incredible since they are a new match up, good looking and simple and so is their love towards each other.

Other actors like Bharath Gopi and Nedumudi Venu are impressive in their roles. This film brims with a whole bunch of fresh faces who also come up with decent performances.

M. Jayachandran comes up with five mellifluous tracks for the album that hardly fails to impress. But the choicest of all the tracks is ‘Oda Kuzhal Vili Ketto’.

Camera work by debutante cameraman Sajan Kalathil is praiseworthy. Credit for the beautiful sets should go to the art director Prashanth Madhav.

A nicely made film devoid of all glitz and glamour, it entices with its novelty and plain handling.