What’s it about?
On his first job, Dr. Satya (Ram Pothineni) moves to Kurnool. Guru (Aadhi Pinishetty) controls the entire city, and his benami supplies poor-quality medicines to the hospital Satya works. No one has the guts to revolt against him, but Satya does. The powerful Guru nearly kills Satya in an incident.
Two years later, he enters the city not as a doctor but as an IPS officer. He is now a police officer and can take on Guru with all the powers.
Analysis
Lingusamy, better known to the Telugu audience as the director of ‘Pandem Kodi’ and ‘Awaara’, in his Telugu debut has chosen a story of a cop vs a rowdy. “The Warriorr” is set against the backdrop of Kurnool city.
Inspired by true events, Lingusamy has written the story of a doctor becoming an IPS officer. MBBS graduates appearing for UPSC exams is not a new thing but the protagonist of Lingusamy’s ‘The Warriorr’ becomes an IPS officer for a different purpose. The protagonist believes that he can provide better treatment to a society suffering from rowdies than as a doctor. So, the doctor turns police officer for another ‘operation’.
Barring the point that a doctor becomes a police officer, ‘The Warriorr’ doesn’t have any novelty. It is a regular cop story much like Suriya starrer ‘Singam’ or other umpteen cop dramas. Lingusamy presents the first half of the film in a fast-paced manner, leaving no time for us to complain. Filled with mass moments and entertaining scenes, the interval comes in a jiffy.
By placing the entire story of the second half as a direct clash between the hero and the villain, Lingusamy let the film enter into a predictable zone. A mistake in the writing of the screenplay!
When you make the premise a regular battle between the protagonist and the antagonist without any new turns and twists, you invite trouble yourself. That is what happened here. Lingusamy’s narrative in the second half lacks inventiveness.
The standout scene in the entire drama is the villain Aadhi fearing for his life with the silence of the protagonist. The 15-minute kidnap sequence is terrific. But the film turns completely clichéd from here.
Ram single-handedly shoulders the film. Ram gets the chance to show two variations in a movie of a doctor and a cop. Despite playing the role of a police officer for the first time, he gets it right. He manages to hold our attention even when the narrative turns bland.
Krithi Shetty has played her part well. She has shared good chemistry with Ram and danced well. Aadhi Pinishetty’s performance as a villain is another interesting feature. Aadhi’s introduction is one of the best aspects of the film. Among other actors, Nadiya and Brahmaji are noteworthy.
Devi Sri Prasad has once again given foot tapping numbers. “Bullett”, “Dada Dada” and “Whistle” add energy to this film. Sujith Vassudev’s cinematography is another asset.
Bottom-line: With a regular storyline of a cop vs rowdy, ‘The Warriorr’ solely relies on Ram’s shoulders, and he delivers what is required. Three catchy songs and Ram’s acting are the better part of this routine cop drama. But the masala is not sufficient enough to satiate the taste buds. The second half of the film runs on complete predictable lines.
Rating: 2.5/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: The Warriorr
Cast: Ram Pothineni, Aadhi Pinishetty, Krithi Shetty, Akshara Gowda, and others
Dialogue: Sai Madhav Burra
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography: Sujith Vassudev
Editor: Navin Nooli
Production Design: DY Sathya Narayana
Producer: Srinivasaa Chitturi
Director: N. Lingusamy
Release Date: July 14, 2022
