What’s it about?
Inspector Dayanand (SJ Suryah) is a police officer in Sokulapalem. He engages in unprovoked physical violence and has a conflict with his politician brother, Kurmanand (Murali Sharma). At this station, Charulatha (Priyanka Mohan) is a constable.
Surya (Nani), who works as an insurance agent, lives with his father, Sai Kumar. From an early age, he has struggled with anger management problems. In order to manage his fury, his mother, prior to her demise, advised him to channel his rage exclusively on Saturdays and solely for justifiable reasons.
How does Surya channel his anger towards a just cause and mobilize the people of Sokulapalem to oppose Daya?
Analysis
“Saripodhaa Sanivaaram,” directed by Vivek Athreya, takes place in a fictitious location known as Sokulapalem. It combines elements of a vigilante narrative with a conventional mass films structure. The protagonist’s actions, such as beating people on Saturdays for valid motives and concealing his true identity from the heroine, evoke similarities with vigilante films such as “Shahenshah” (1998). Similarly, the hero’s cat-and-mouse games with the antagonist brings to mind movies like “Race Gurram.” The final moments remind us of numerous mass masala films, including “Chatrapathi.” But director Vivek Athreya begins the film quite interestingly.
Before the movie title card appears, we get to know the real reason why the protagonist unleashes his fury only on Saturday, with the element of mother sentiment. The ensuing sequences drag on, yet the antagonist’s arrival ignites the screen instantly.
Vivek Athreya has not only given a terrific characterization to the villain, but the actor SJ Suryah gives a new twist with his fascinating performance. Therefore, SJ Suryah’s confrontational scenes with the hero, Nani, become captivating whenever he appears on screen.
Although Vivek Athreya divided the film into various chapters such as Modalu, Malupu, Peetamudi, Madhyabhagam, and Daagudumoothalu, the story remains a straightforward tale of a hero confronting a formidable villain. Vivek Athreya has attempted to add his own unique touch to this routine plot by incorporating some clever screenplay writing techniques. However, his tactics have not yielded full results because some of them are too trite and illogical.
The implementation of “plant” and “payoff” moments has proven effective in certain places. For instance, the hero intervenes to save a character who consistently turns the clock ten minutes late, a habit that becomes crucial in the second part of the story. Similarly, the heroine saves the hero’s number, referring to it as ‘bottle cap’, after initially witnessing him tossing a bottle cap to rescue a woman, a move that pays off later in the film. The film features cleverly written scenes, with the protagonist and antagonist engaging in a game of cat and mouse.
However, it stops there. Additionally, it is plagued by predictable scenes and logical issues. The people of Sokulapalem (the word and the setting sound completely odd for a Telangana backdrop), which is close to or in Hyderabad, living in fear because of a police inspector is entirely appropriate illogical and far away from reality. What is the system doing?
Nani, as always, brings authenticity to every character he portrays. He has given a neat performance. In the role of a brutal cop, SJ Suryah steals the show. His sequences are thrilling. He dominates much of the film. Priyanka Arul Mohan convincingly portrays Charulatha. Murali Sharma, who plays a politician, also has some good moments. Saikumar is okay.
Jakes Bejoy’s background score enhances the story and elevates certain episodes. The background score’s thematic music beats make the film interesting. Murali’s cinematography is top-class.
Bottom line: “Saripodhaa Sanivaaram” is literally Surya’s show; from the story point of view, it’s protagonist Surya’s show (played Nani), and as far as the performances are concerned, the one who actually steals the show is SJ Suryah. In summary, the film attempts to change the traditional mass action movie template through clever writing but ultimately gains only mixed results. It has an equal number of intriguing moments and predictable episodes. Length is a big problem.
Rating: 3/5
Movie: Saripodhaa Sanivaaram
Cast: Nani, Priyanka Arul Mohan, SJ Suryah, Sai Kumar, Murali Sharma, Abhirami, Vishnu, and others
Music: Jakes Bejoy
DOP: Murali G
Editor: Karthika Srinivas R
Art Director: GM Sekhar
Action: Ram-Laxman, Real Satish
Producers: DVV Danayya, Kalyan Dasari
Written and directed by: Vivek Athreya
Release Date: Aug 29, 2024
