Saripodhaa Sanivaaram Movie Review: Nani's Saripodhaa Sanivaaram hit theatres on August 29.
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram review:The last time a son promised his mother something, got into major trouble with powerful people, inspired hundreds of oppressed people to reclaim their power, and ensured justice was served while he turned into a messiah of sorts, we called it KGF. By no means is Nani’s latest Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, mounted on the scale of a KGF, similar to the Yash starrer. But at its core, the Nani film has similar beats. KGF, in turn, had similar beats to many of its illustrious predecessors, and they, in turn, were inspired by their predecessors. Basically, the core of Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a story that is as old as it gets. One man fighting against the system. But mass masala films, more often than not, follow the same template. What new can you do? But Vivek Athreya and Nani seem to be asking a more pertinent question. Why should we do something new? Why give something new when you can wonderfully rehash the old, give it just a little twist, add in writing flourishes, and neatly wrap it up with a bow and present the same old story. Idi Saripodhaa? (Isn’t that enough?)
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is neatly divided into multiple chapters, and you can almost feel the veiled sarcasm in following this method. In fact, this tongue-in-cheek way of dealing with the masala-ness of Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a fascinating approach by Vivek and Co. They fully embrace the OTT-ness even when somehow remaining at an arm’s length. Take, for instance, the way we are introduced to the reason why Surya only unleashes his anger on Saturdays. There is a gradual buildup to this moment, but it has a tragic layer simmering underneath. Now, this ‘prologue’ was one of my favourite stretches of the film because right in the beginning, Vivek bares all his cards. He sets up the protagonists. He sets up the buildup to the antagonist. He sets up the reason for his anger. He sets up the callback that would be referenced at the most opportune moment. He teases us with the full capacity of Surya’s rage, and pulls it back at the perfect time. And, in a weirdly wonderful way, casts Sai Kumar as the calm old father to the angry young man. How the turntables…?
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After this amazing prologue, what follows is the introduction to the grownup Surya (a terrific Nani), who is a fiery, young man, whose uncontrollable rage is channelled to help people in need. Parallelly, we are introduced to the world of Dayanand (a terrific SJ Suryah), who is an angry young-ish man, whose uncontrollable rage wreaks havoc on the unassuming and innocent people of Sokulapalem. Of course, their worlds have to meet. This is facilitated by the presence of Charulatha (Priyanka Mohan), a constable in Dayanand’s police station. Of course, there is romance brewing between Surya and Charulatha. It also has a cute sequence referencing one of Nani’s older films, and despite being one of the oldest tricks in the book to elevate the protagonist, it manages to put a smile on our face. You see, the film has all the beats that we expect out of a commercial mass masala entertainer. Idi saripodhaa?
Nani and Priyanka Mohan in Saripodhaa Sanivaaram.
But, time and again, whenever there is a sense of saturation settling in, Vivek adds in snippets of ingenuity. For instance, the reason why Dayanand wants Charulatha to accompany him everywhere is downright creepy, but we don’t think much of it because it is a means to another end. The same holds true with two other layers involving the families of the protagonist and the antagonist. Both these families are entirely dysfunctional, and supremely troubled. On the outset, characters played by Murli Sharma and Sai Kumar might seem like straight arrows, and in fact, for the longest time, they are. But Vivek pulls up one trump card after another to give them a terrific line here, and a wonderful scene there to make them feel unique despite their usualness. And yet, the town of Sokulapalem and its inhabitants are extremely one-note. In fact, they feel less like characters, and more like caricatures of the commercial cinema cliches. But the scenes are written in such a way that your heart beats hard for their plight, because we are tuned to empathise with such characters on screen even if it is the billionth time we are seeing them. And yet, it works, because… idi saripodhaa?
The film is wonderfully written in the way not one scene feels wasted. Every little thing has a way of being used in a place you least expect it to be used. These flourishes are brilliant, and it almost makes you believe that the never-ending cliches in the film weren’t a slight in judgement but perfectly orchestrated. But to sell these masala requirements, you need actors who know to surrender to the characters. That’s where SJ Suryah and Nani come in and lead the battalion of actors like Murli Sharma, Ajay, Sai Kumar, Harsha Vardhan, and Ajay Ghosh, who are the best in the business. Their conviction even when saying the most outlandish of things makes you feel engaged with the happenings on screen. It is brilliant how Suryah makes you feel you are watching him do something new even when he is playing similar roles. He is the perfect foil for Nani, who turns up his masala-ness just to the right level to ensure he stands tall against the SJ Suryah juggernaut. Nani manages to exude earnestness in a role that is built to be invincible. It isn’t an easy task to be vulnerable despite the audience knowing nothing will happen to him because… he is the Hero. Vivek stretches the audience’s willing suspension of disbelief for the longest time, but always manages to rein it in just in time. While the three women — Abhirami, Priyanka Mohan, and Aditi Balan — are the soul of the film as they decide the actions of the protagonist at any given moment of time, make no mistake, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is about the anger of three men — Nani’s Surya, SJ Suryah’s Daya, and Vivek Athreya.
Despite becoming a fan favourite and lauded by critics, Ante Sundaraniki, the previous collaboration between Nani and Vivek, didn’t create the box-office storm it was expected to. The film was panned by sections of the audience, who found it to be too indulgent, overwritten, overlong, too subtle, too all over the place, and just not the ‘mass’ film they thought it would be. However, the same can be said of Saripodhaa Sanivaaram too. But, for every question that pops up, it is almost like Vivek and Nani are screaming counter questions. By the third ‘incident’, we know why Surya goes into Hulk-mode on Saturdays, but we watch a few more of the same indulgence? But did it add to the humour? Yes, but it didn’t add to the narrative. But did you laugh? Yes, but… it didn’t add to the narrative. But did you want to whistle for the slow-mo shots of Nani punching and kicking his way through an assembly line of henchmen with the backdrop of brilliant lighting, smoke, water, and what-not, accompanied by the adrenaline pumping background score of Jakes Bejoy? Yes, but not every action block, however innovative and interestingly choreographed, added to the narrative. But was it mass enough? Yes, but…why didn’t those henchmen attack him on other days. But was it mass enough? Yes, but… Was it mass enough? Yes, but…
Ee Mass SARIPODHAA? Yes.
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Saripodhaa Sanivaaram movie cast: Nani, SJ Suryah, Priyanka Mohan, Murli Sharma, Ajay, Sai Kumar, Harsha Vardhan, Ajay Ghosh
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram movie director: Vivek Athreya
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram movie rating: 3 stars
