#SaripodhaaSanivaaram Review

#SaripodhaaSanivaaram

2024- Telugu

Starring: Nani , S.J.Suryah , Priyanka Arul Mohan , Sai Kumar, Aditi Balan & Murali Sharma

Directed by Vivek Athreya

Plot: Suriya , a Youngster who has anger management issues , promises his mother that he will suppress all his anger from Sunday - Friday and use only Saturday to showcase his anger. With such an issue, Suriya crosspaths with C I Dayanand , a Sadist police who uses people of Sokulapalam, a place that once used to be crime hub now reformed for his personal uses. What happens during Suriya and Daya's confrontation and how it affects thwir personal life forms the rest of the story.

Performance wise , Nani as Suriya hits it out of the park . His subtle performance on other days , and rage mode on Saturday is differentiated wonderfully . Wonderful performance. But the showstealer is SJ Suriyah as Dayanand. The Man's wicked smile and his comic reactions stand out remarkably making it a career best performance. Priyanka Mohan as the lady lead doesn't get much role , though her involvement has better landing in First Half , Second Half she's literally missing largely. Sai Kumar as Nani's Father , is both powerful and hilarious at times when situation demands. He has a good chemistry with Nani which works beautifully on screen. Aditi Balan as Nani's Sister seems like a misfit .

Murali Sharma as SJS brother gets a funny track from the beginning and becomes a bit serious towards the end, and Murali performs normally. Rest of the cast including the people of Sokulapalam have done a decent job. Abhirami in a cameo is good.

Technically the film is very strong. Backed by a Powerful Music & BGMs by Jakes Bejoy makes the situations more tender and larger than life. Garam Garam song stands out. Cinematography by Murali G is bright and supports Vivek Athreya's Vision very organically. Editing by Karthika Srinivas is sharp and to the point. There are no unnecessary or unwanted scenes at all. Special Mention to the Art Department for the Sets of Sokulapalam, it was very real.

The Film starts with the Prologue about Suriya's Past and his promise with his Mother. The film's first hour almost entirely spends on setting up each and every characters and their backstories & motives including that of Nani, SJS , Priyanka ,Sai Kumar and Murali Sharma. The Core Confrontation between the Protagonist & Antagonist almost begins towards the interval. Post the Interval Bang , the film kind off deviates from the smaller picture to focus on something else, the larger picture. This deviation is very seamless and doesn't even feel disturbing. The film's third act is quiet dragged but the ultimate end is satisfying.

Talking about the film's Negatives, the entire base concept might not work for everyone. What seems like a unique concept might be trivial and funny for some . If that doesn't work , the entire film is going to be alien to them . The film's screenplay is relatively slow on purpose to build the character and their arc properly. Also comparing, the First Half , Second Half more stretched sequences that could've been cut short by atleast 10 mins. Though the film is largely engaging, the film's excessive run-time of 2hr 50+ mins could've been cut short by 5-10 mins .

Coming to Writer Director Vivek Athreya, he has picked a very unique one liner and built a commercial mass masala movie around it. His Strong writing and infact brilliant writing makes the screenplay more interesting and unique. The ideas aren't new but the execution is very different from regular commercial movies. Instead of focusing on a normal, Cat & Mouse chase , Vivek gives both the characters a strong cause to fight for , especially for the protagonist to fight against the antagonist, the reason & emotion is very strong. Also Special Mention to dialogues by Vivek which were subtle yet sharp. The film has minor issues here and there in terms of lag and convinient writing, but it is all topped by a top notch action sequences and the on and off humour supported by bombastic performances of SJS and Nani.

Highlights:

1)Jakes Bejoy Thumping BGM

2)Bar Sequence 

3)Pre Interval Fight Sequence 

Overall : Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a unique mix of brilliant writing and regular commercial masala that ticks both the boxes rightly. The brilliant screenplay keeps each and every scene mostly original making it a entertaining watch. Monstrous Performance by SJS and Nani.

Rating : 3.5-3.75/5

Television Rights: Zee Telugu/Zee Tamizh

Digital Rights: Netflix