Saripodhaa Sanivaaram Review: Ok.. Saripoddhi

BOTTOM LINE
Ok.. Saripoddhi

RATING
2.5/5

CENSOR
U/A, 2h 50m

What Is the Film About?

Surya (Nani) has had anger issues since childhood and promises his mother that he will only get into fights on Saturdays. Daya (SJ Suryah) is a notoriously rude police official. The film ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’ is about why Surya picks Daya for his Saturday fight and how, in the process, Surya ends up rescuing the entire public of Sokulapalem, who are victims of Daya’s cruelty.

Performances

Nani plays Surya, who has anger issues and can take down dozens of goons when he fights. It feels like the role is a bit too heavy for an actor like Nani; whether in terms of physicality or screen presence, the mass appeal is missing, and there aren’t any action scenes that are elevated by his presence. Other than this, there are no major complaints, as he does his usual work, but there is little scope for Nani to showcase his emotional side. Overall, both in terms of performance and goodwill, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram feels like a project that comes and goes without leaving much of an impact.

S. J. Suryah is an outright show-stealer among the cast, delivering an impactful performance as a particularly rude police official. He is the perfect choice for the role and does it full justice.

Priyanka Arul Mohan gets a forgettable role, as the way the love track is written and the way she is presented adds nothing to the film. The audience will likely forget her as they exit the theater.

Analysis

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is directed by Vivek Athreya, who previously directed Ante Sundaraniki with Nani. This time, however, he has shifted to a mass action film.

At a glance, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram features a core plot where the lead hero fights only on Saturdays, using the rest of the week to build his anger or drop it before fighting. All it needed was a slick and kick-ass fresh presentation, similar to Malayalam films like Thallumaala or the recent RDX, which blend action and drama effectively.

Vivek Athreya fails to create a unique characterization for Nani’s (Surya’s) role, which should have been a key requirement for a script like this. Except for his anger issues and his promise to fight only on Saturdays, there are no traits that make this character exciting or special. This is a significant drawback. However, the casting of S. J. Suryah as a psychotic police official is a brilliant choice. Vivek Athreya effectively utilizes him, which significantly benefits the film.

The first half sets up the core narrative and introduces the hero, followed by an intro fight that should have been a standout moment but is merely decent. The director spends a lot of time explaining the hero’s behavior, which feels unnecessary at times. The same applies to S. J. Suryah’s introduction. There are also subplots involving a land issue and a brother conflict.

Up until the interval, there are no standout or high moments, but the interval face-off provides hope for a more engaging second half, as the setup and character introductions are complete.

The second half begins with Nani working to bring smiles to the people of Sokulapalem. However, even after the entire second half is done, the director fails to present the world or people of Sokulapalem in an organic way. In the climax, when Nani wants to fight at least one person from Sokulapalem against S. J. Suryah, it only looks artificial because the required emotion or drama for the entire place or town like Sokulapalem was never shown.

What works in the second half are the tense moments built around S. J. Suryah’s evil character. That’s what drives the narrative forward, but surprisingly, a talented writer like Vivek Athreya never provides any thrills, even though there are plenty of opportunities. For example, the crucial leads on how S. J. Suryah discovers who is actually fighting on Saturdays should have been a highlight, but the clues and ideas are used in a flat and simple manner.

One should not complain about logics in a mass film, like how someone who fights only on Saturdays since childhood is unknown to everyone or how S. J. Suryah’s character behaves as if there is zero law in the country. In a mass film, these are not so big issues. However, writing quality is essential for elevating the film to a whole new level, which is a big miss here.

The emotional sister-sentiment thread is also unsatisfying, as is the patchy heroine track with the hero; neither comes across as organic.

Nevertheless, S. J. Suryah’s powerhouse energy and performance, along with Nani and Jakes Bejoy frequently elevating the scenes, make the movie watchable.

Overall, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram despite having a fresh core plot, fails to present Surya with unique traits, and the execution of drama and action feels routine, making it a one-time watch with limited expectations.

Performances by Others Actors

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram features several talented artists like Murali Sharma, Sai Kumar, Ajay, Harsha Vardhan, Ajay Ghosh, and Sivaji, who all perform their roles competently without any complaints. However, the way their characters are written, none of them stand out in hindsight. Vishnu Oi has a patchy role and appears in a few scenes without any reason.

Aditi Balan plays the role of Nani’s sister, but there is hardly anything for her to take away from this project.

Music and Other Departments?

Among all the technical departments, the one that stands out is Jakes Bejoy’s background score. Though his songs disappoint a lot, he delivered with the BGM, without which the film would have felt much weaker. The only complaint is that he tried too hard to make every scene loud, which wasn’t always necessary. Just to name an example, even in an emotional scene involving actor Sivaji, Jakes Bejoy used a loud score, as if that’s what he was paid for. But he is definitely the biggest asset to the project.

Murali G’s cinematography is just okay; visually, nothing feels exciting, though there are no major complaints. The editing by Karthika Srinivas is not satisfactory, as the film, which is centered on action, feels very lengthy with excessive, long blocks that frequently make it boring.

The production values of the production house DVV Entertainment are decent.

Highlights?

S.J. Suryah’s solid performance

Jakes Bejoy’s BGM

A few mild tense moments

Drawbacks?

Core plot Different, execution routine

Forced emotions between Nani and the Sokulapalem people

Lifeless hero-heroine track

Flat revelations (clues that lead S. J. Suryah to find the Saturday fighter)

Unnecessarily lengthy

Did I Enjoy It?

Not much

Will You Recommend It?

Only if you don’t mind a lengthy, low-key action film.

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram Movie Review by M9