Samadhana Pusthakam review: A good effort to raise awareness about sex education, but needed better execution

Samadhana Pusthakam (A Book of Peace) is the new addition to the list of films that tried to raise awareness about sex education.

The movie has a good intention but lags in execution. The makers must be appreciated though for presenting a relevant topic through a group of newcomers.

The film is set against the backdrop of a school and the story is set in two different periods—2000 and 2023. Alex (Siju Wilson), a business magnate, is invited by his school as chief guest for its 75th anniversary. Upon his visit to the school, he realises that students aren’t given freedom even in modern times.

At the anniversary celebrations, he gives an account of his school days and some memorable incidents. It was the time when smartphones were slowly making their way into the market and there were no porn sites available to watch erotic content. However, teens and adults used to buy erotic literature available in local stores.

A group of class X students manage to get hold of an erotic book, but end up in trouble in the school. The events that follow keep the story’s momentum going and take the audiences, particularly those in their early and late 30s, down memory lane.

What happens to those students? What do their parents do? How do these students get out of the ’embarrassing’ situation?—form the crux of Samadhana Pusthakam.

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Raveesh Nath deserves appreciation

Debut director Raveesh Nath needs to be appreciated for trying to discuss a taboo topic (sex education) on the big screen in a casual yet subtle way.

The director cleverly doesn’t reveal Alex’s identity in the past (the 2000 story), which keeps the viewers guessing. The portions where Siju Wilson appears as Alex have come out well. After all, the story demands an actor with a star value to keep the audience engaged.

Further, Leona Lishoy, the school principal in 2023, is shown as a representative of people who are into moral policing.

The film also gives an account of teachers and parents who don’t understand the concept of friendship between girls and boys.

Samadhana Pusthakam shows how most Biology teachers in schools skip the lessons on the reproductive system since they find it “oddly uncomfortable” to explain to the students. It also underscores why it is essential to create awareness about sex education at the school level.

Fails in execution

Further, the film depicts how erotic literature could harm the students, though it remained the crucial and only means of knowledge for several generations. However, the film invests more time in this aspect and neglects to deal with other viewpoints.

Nevertheless, the script lacks certain ingredients that fail to keep the audience hooked to their seats till the end. Raveesh Nath fails to effectively translate the script, particularly the events in the 2000s, onto the screen.

Given that sex education continues to be a taboo topic, the director must have focused on including more scenes that could explain the role of parents, teachers and society in imparting sex education to the younger generation instead of dealing more with erotic literature.

Coming to performances, all the newcomers have done their part well.

Siju Wilson and Leona Lishoy play major roles in the film and both actors shine.

Meghanathan, as the principal in the 2000s, is apt.

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Final take

Samadhana Pusthakam is a well-meant film made on a relevant topic. However, it loses its track somewhere in the middle and gets back to it only in the climax.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)