Saripodhaa Sanivaaram review: Nani, SJ Suryah's film isn't flawless but subverts tropes

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram review: Vivek Athreya’s film turns the vigilante trope on the head to deliver something far more meaningful than expected.

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram review: Vivek Athreya, who’s known for making Mental Madhilo, Brochevarevarura and Ante Sundaraniki, tries his hand at the classic tale of good vs evil with Saripodhaa Sanivaaram. While the film’s basic premise makes it seem like any old commercial movie, the director makes the genre his own – particularly the humour and the visual grammar. (Also Read: Nani opens up about the influence of Kamal Haasan, calls him ‘a gift to cinema')

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram story

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram review: SJ Suryah, Nani face-off in this commercial drama.

Surya (Nani) has always been hot-headed and quick with his fists whenever someone ticks him off. His mother Chayadevi (Abhirami) worries it’ll do him more harm than good to carry on this way, giving him a solution to keep his temper in check. So, while he’s your regular ol’ man-next-door 6 days a week with carefully combed hair and tucked in shirt, he also maintains a careful ledger of everyone who has made him angry, taking action on Saturdays only if he believes it's justified.

Surya meets his arch-nemesis in Dayanand (SJ Suryah), an equally hot-headed, borderline-manic police officer. Daya's beef with his brother Koormanand (Murli Sharma) has some very real consequences for Sokulapalem – a Stuartpuram-style colony with people whose ancestors were thieves. Unlike Surya, he channels his anger on whoever is at the wrong place at the wrong time. Newly appointed constable Charulatha (Priyanka Mohan) is the only one who initially shows his victims any compassion.

Given Vivek’s affinity for rom-coms and crime comedy, one might wonder how he would handle something massy. The answer is — quite well! Saripodhaa Sanivaaram gives Nani ample whistle-worthy moments while being surprisingly funny and respectful towards the subject at hand — a rare combination in commercial cinema. For example, there are moments when women suffer physical abuse on-screen, but it’s never shown to us, let alone glamourised. It’s also refreshing to see a massy movie give the antagonist more to do than leech over women.

Some key moments, however, are let down by convenient writing, and the lengthy runtime could be a gripe, but the film manages to keep you engaged overall. There are no random dance numbers to cut the flow, either. The background score by Jakes Bejoy, in particular, ebbs and flows with Surya’s mood, making for an immersive experience and adding depth to a story that might otherwise come across as run-of-the-mill.

Vivek’s strong points

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram deals with a lot of issues without in-your-face social messaging. Beneath all the well-shot fight scenes, there are warm moments, like when a mother teaches a daughter that her place is not in the kitchen, but cooking is a good skill to learn. Or when a little girl is taught that at some point, humans must evolve to look after one another instead of relying on the hope of divine intervention.

In some moments, when it feels like Vivek is relying on clichés, he breaks them, including one that draws parallels between Surya and Charu with Krishna and Satyabhama. Vivek has always excelled at humour and staying true to his style, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram has some delightfully laugh-out-loud moments, particularly between Daya and Koorma or Surya and his father Sankaram (Sai Kumar). Amid some highly tense moments, Vivek breaks the monotony with well-placed lines that leave you chuckling.

The director also brings out the best in the diverse cast, who shine in their roles — big or small. Nani and Suryah, in particular, seem to revel in their characters. Nani gets to play a true-blue angry young man who is furious at how the world is, but with a new-age twist. Suryah is particularly good in the moments his character lets loose and grows deranged to adapt to the situations.

The visual grammar

It’s almost like when Vivek decided to shake things up in his filmography; he decided to go all out. Murali G’s heady cinematography brings Hyderabad's gritty, grimier side to life. Gone are brightly lit pastel-hued homes, reminiscent of Mental Madhilo. Instead, the film plays out in earthy tones, with the cool blues and browns peppered with pops of red, much like Surya’s anger. Only when he falls for Charu do more colours slowly seep in.

A particular shot of Surya at a pub during a fight scene backlit by neon stays with you. Of course, as the film progresses, the colour tones evolve as his character grows and he understands how to use his anger. Golden or green light is used quite well in moments of self reflection. The penultimate scene, which shows his anger finally finding purpose, glows in shades of gold and red, much like the coal that provides warmth.

The drawbacks

The only drawback in this close-to-3-hour film is when Vivek forgets to subvert the clichés. The writing isn’t as sharp or clever as it should be when it comes to explaining away conveniences. The rift between Daya and Koorma escalates due to happenstance at the fag end of the film. Surya’s sister Bhadra (Aditi Balan) and Charu return to his life in ways that are explained away half-heartedly.

There’s also a supporting character who randomly waltzes in the first time Surya faces off with Daya. In a film that otherwise ties up knots cleanly, scenes like these stand out like a sore thumb, feeling like an easy way out. It’s disappointing to see Charu and Bhadra not well-fleshed out, unlike Vivek’s female characters in previous films.

In conclusion

On paper, Saripodhaa Sanivaaram reads like your cookie-cutter commercial cinema, in which the emotional portions rely on the amma (mother) and akka (elder sister) sentiment, or the hero becomes the saviour of the masses. But Vivek smartly depends not just on his cast’s performances, but also on his strong technical team and mostly good writing to set his film apart. He also turns the vigilante trope on its head. Much like Surya, the film struggles to find its purpose for a while. But eventually, it does.