Tag: S J Suryah

Posted on

Veera Soora Dheeran (Part 2): A delightful star vehicle with an in form Vikram

S U Arun Kumar’s latest directorial is a major departure from his previous movie Chittha in more ways than one. This one is more generic and not as hard hitting in comparison to the last one still Veera Dheera Sooran Part 2 makes for an engaging mass cinema. The surprise package is comedian Prudhvi Raj who excels in a negative role.
  • Starcast: Vikram, Dushara Vijayan, S J Suryah, Prudhvi Raj, Suraj Venjarmoodu and others
  • Genre: Action drama/thriller
  • Writer and director: S U Arun Kumar
  • Producers: Riya Shibu and Shibhu Thameens
  • Cinematography: Theni Eshwar
  • Music: G V Prakash Kumar
  • Production Company: H R Pictures
  • Running time : 2 hours and 30 minutes

Before dissecting Veera Dheera Sooran 2 its necessary to look at why it’s called part 2. A major reason for the movie being called part 2 is that the characters already know each other with established relationships. The movie is both a sequel and prequel simultaneously. Prequel because there is an important flashback explaining the events leading up to the current predicament of its titular protagonist.

The storyline of Veera Dheera Sooran mostly takes place during a particular night. The movie starts off with a woman coming to the house of Periyar Ravi and his son Kannan (Prudhvi Raj and Suraj Venjaramoodu respectively). The woman accuses the father and son of causing harm to her husband. Both of them deny having any hand in the matter but its clear that neither of them are good souls. Meanwhile the husband is seen in the police station giving an important complaint, this compliant has the potential of causing mayhem in the life of Periyar Ravi and son Kannan. S J Suryah is SP Arunagiri, Arunagiri has some old scores to settle and he decides to use this as an opportunity. The situation reaches a point where Periyar Raj is left with no other option other than to bring back his trusted henchman Kaali ( a robust Vikram). Kaali is now a settled family man having left his dark past long time back but eventually gives in due to the continuous pleading of Periyar Ravi. Dushara Vijayan plays the strong housewife Kalai. This is the story in brief nothing more can be revealed.

Vikram and Dushara Vijayan

A strong aspect of Veera Dheera Sooran 2 is how the director has balanced the massy pitch with vulnerability. There is a palpable tension particularly in the first half, Kaali is seen in a very vulnerable situation going through a lot of internal and external conflicts. He is up against individuals whom he cannot completely trust but at the same time has no other option other than to help Periyar. The shared history between Kaali, Arunagiri and Periyar Ravi is kept to a bare minimum making the viewers connect the dots themselves.

The cat and mouse game also has some thrilling moments like the portion involving the dangerous landmine. Even the first interaction between Kaali and Arunagiri has some powerful mass moments with well written punch lines.

The movie also benefits from the fantastic technical department headed by Theni Eshwar’s fantastic cinematography. The way he captures the grittiness of the night situations with the hand held shots and the dim lighting helps significantly in creating a tense atmosphere. GV Prakash’s songs along with his background score also elevate the movie in many ways. His background score particularly stands out in the moments of tension.

Although Veera Dheera Sooran 2 is essentially a mass movie the writing is pretty layered. The best example of this is SJ Suryah’s Arunagiri. The character starts off as a sincere police officer but soon the viewers see him becoming the instigator. He becomes a man consumed with revenge with a calculated malice. The actor dials down his trademark eccentrics showcasing a different facet of him. Even the character of Dushara Vijayan’s Kalai isn’t one dimensional. Kalai is shown to be a sensible and lovable wife but even she picks up a knife at a certain point due to certain circumstances.

S J Suryah as Arunagiri

What pulls down Veera Seera Dhooran part 2 is the flashback portion. The writing starts to get tedious slowing down the movie’s pace significantly. Also the film’s generic storyline with the traditional elements of the hero outsmarting the villains reduces the tension. The pre climax with Vikram taking on the many baddies in spite of being thrashed and even shot makes the proceedings difficult to digest even in the template of mass commercial cinema.

In the role of Kaali Vikram delivers an outstanding act, its a far better star outing than the unnecessarily convoluted Thangaalan. The actor particularly shines in the portions where Kaali is going through a lot of emotional turmoil. The surprise package though is comedian Prudhvi Raj who is generally known for his numerous comic roles. As Periyar Ravi Prudhvi Raj does a terrific job in conveying both the menace and also the vulnerability of a family man. A scene which particularly stands outs is the portion where Periyar pleads for Kaali’s help. There is a palpable helplessness wonderfully conveyed by the actor. Dushara Vijayan also makes a significant impact. Her part of Kalai isn’t there just for the sake of it, she adds an emotional depth. Suraj Venjaramoodu as the impulsive son also has his moments.

Prudhvi Raj as Periyar Ravi is the surprise package

Veera Dheera Sooran Teaser

Final word: Veera Dheera Sooran is a must watch for fans of rustic action dramas and Vikram.

Posted on

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram: A whacky tale of hot-headed men in a commercial format

Director Vivek Athreya talks about channeling anger in the right direction and not using it for futile reasons. The director brings his trademark quirks to a regular plot of good versus evil

  • Starcast: Nani, SJ Suryah, Sai Kumar, Priyanka Mohan, Aditi Balan, Abhirami and others
  • Director and writer: Vivek Athreya
  • Music and background score: Jakes Bejoy
  • Producer: D VV Dannaya
  • Production house: DVV Entertainment
  • Running time: 2 hours and 46 minutes

Vivek Athreya’s last Ante Sundaraniki was a simple rom peppered with a lot of situational humor, through the jokes he did a fine job in addressing our religious biases. In spite of a long winding screenplay the film has built a solid fan base over the years. Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is less indulgent, but the trademark Vivek Athreya’s touches are aplenty. On the surface Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a regular vigilante story with a nod to Salim Javed’s angry young man. What makes the difference here though is the world building, a solid base for the hero villain conflict. The film also has interesting touches particularly the characterization of Sai Kumar, Sai Kumar’s character of an angry cop in police story doesn’t need a particular introduction, in a refreshing reversal Sai Kumar is seen as a peace-loving father constantly worrying about the consequences of his son’s anger. He is also seen cooking and cleaning, but Vivek Athreya doesn’t reduce him to a whimp giving the senior actor his own mass moment.

Building a solid base for the hero villain conflict

The broad storyline of Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is about an insurance agent Surya (Nani). Surya leads an ordinary life from Monday to Friday but on Saturday he unleashes his anger. The reason for the Saturday fixation is connected to the mother played by Abhirami, she was also aggressive in nature. The beginning portions establish how Surya’s sense of social justice comes from his mother. Even the sister played by Aditi Balan has her own temper and isn’t someone who cows down easily. On certain occasions Sai Kumar’s Sankaram feels like an odd one out trying to maintain balance. S. J Suryah ironically named Dayanand Daya also has anger issues, he shares a thorny relationship with the brother Kurmanand (a hilarious Murali Sharma). Since Kurmanand is an MLA Dayanand channels his frustration on the locality of Sokulapalem this colony is inspired from the famous Stuartpuram, their ancestors were thieves, and the present Sokulapalem people are the victims of a certain stigma. Whenever Dayanand wants to vent his anger, he comes to that place and inflicts torture on whomever he wants. It is just a matter of time before the worlds of Surya and Dayanand collide, this happens due to Priyanka Mohan’s Charulatha a newly appointed constable. The movie is divided into various chapters like the prologue, turn and knot among others.

A strong aspect of Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is the strong characterizations that Vivek Athreya gives to both the hero and villain. Both of them come across as two powerful entities. The director has also designed some interesting character traits. For example, S J Suryah’s character comes with shades of sarcastic humor, there are times where he goes from serious to jovial within a flash of second. These nuances add a lot to the role and the actor simply chews the scenery. His scenes with Nani though few in number are power packed. On certain occasions he even overshadows Nani with his powerful presence.

Nani’s Surya on the other hand is someone who suppresses his anger until Saturday and takes it out only when he feels the frustration is justified. For the father he is a tickling time bomb, and this leads to numerous laugh out loud moments. A certain warmth can also be seen at a crucial juncture when the father gives him an important advice. Nani as always does a fine job both in portraying both the boy next door and also the angry young man.

A certain warmth is also there

The romantic scenes with Priyanka Mohan are also filled with some fun moments. Particularly the meta references to Eega. Their love has been treated in a dignified matter. Priyanka Mohan’s Charulatha is someone who doesn’t like violence and stays away from confrontation. This trait comes across as an ode to Mani Ratnam’s classic movie Thalapathy.

The romance has been treated in a dignified manner

Mention must also be the portions involving S J Suryah and Murali Sharma. Their scenes again have undertones of humor, at the same time the viewers understand the origin of Dayanand’s skewed personality.Saripodhaa Sanivaaram also comes with a mythological reference to Krishna and Satyabhama ending Narakasura’s terror. There is an important message on how one shouldn’t rely on divine intervention, instead people must stand up for themselves. This has come out beautifully. The movie tries its best to not showcase Nani as the ultimate savior even though the climatic battle prominently features Nani and S J Suryah’s face off. At the same time, it has to be said that the people of Sokulapalem could have done with more fleshed out characters. At certain points they resemble a cliched helpless lot waiting for someone to change their lives. Similarly, no higher authorities keeping a check on Dayanand’s activities is hard to digest.

Jakes Bejoy’s background score elevates the drama on numerous occasions particularly the tense moments. Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a good attempt a bringing some freshness within the good versus evil genre in spite of a few setbacks.