Tag: Saripodhaa Sanivaaram

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Hit 3: Nani’s mass jathara

Nani as the psycho cop from Hit The Third Case

The rooted texture of the first two Hit movies is absent here. The third part comes across as more of an ultra mass showreel for Nani, nevertheless the actor’s intense performance coupled with his swag as well as Sanu Varghese’s cinematography makes it a delightful watch for fans of violent investigative dramas, for the rest it might feel like an ovedose

Starcast: Nani, Srinidhi Shetty, Samuthrikani, Rao Ramesh and others

Genre: Action

Director and writer: Sailesh Kolanu

Producer: Prashanti Tripirneni

Production Companies: Wall Poster Cinema and Unanimous Productions

Music: Mickey J Meyer

Cinematography: Sanu Varghese

Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

Sailesh Kolanu’s directorial debut Hit 1 also called as Hit- The First Case released with minimal expectations but surprised everyone with its taut storytelling. It was a major success for its leading man Vishwak Sen who hasn’t been to capitalize on the strong foundation given by the movie. In spite of the logical loopholes and a weak climax it came across as a fresh of breadth air from the formulaic storytelling. The second part of Hit with Adavi Sesh was an ever bigger success, now you have the third part with Nani. Over the last few years Nani’s stardom has increased significantly thanks to his versatile roles and overall persona. Among the mid budget heroes Nani has made rapid strides establishing himself as a star actor. An outsider who has risen to the top with sheer handwork.

Vishwak Sen, Adavi Sesh and Nani from the first three Hit movies and now Karthi in the upcoming Hit 4

The one line story for all the Hit movies would be police officers belonging to the Homicide intervention team dealing with twisted criminals. The third installment of this growing franchise is no different. Nani plays Arjun Sarkar a psycho cop with his own methods, he treats criminals in an extremely brutal manner often indulging in custodial violence. According to him a criminal who cannot reformed should be buried under the ground. The movie focuses on a series of murders following a similar pattern and how Arjun Sarkar infiltrates a particular psychotic gang.

It goes without saying that Nani’s histrionics is the biggest asset of Hit 3. The actor completely imbibes the intensity of Arjun Sarkar starting from the aggressive and ruthless body language. Arjun Sarkar is someone who comes with a streak of short temperedness making him very volatile and Nani absolutely nails the different nuances. At the same time he also raises ample chuckles even in serious situations. Nani’s use of Hindi language in a scene involving a Kashmiri criminal deserves a specific mention. In the action sequences the actor truly comes across as a one man army with the ferocious attitude.

Nani as the violent cop

However there is also a different side to Arjun Sarkar in the portions with the leading lady Srindhi Shetty. There is a visible softness in the scenes of understated romance and Nani completely turns the charm on.

Apart from Nani’s first rate act Sanu Varghese cinematography is also of a very high order whether it is the Kashmir portions or the second half when the movie moves into a survival drama. The way he has captured the high voltage action sequences of the second half is a delight for action junkies. The location of a dense forest set in Arunachal Pradesh becomes an important character in itself too. Mickey J Myer’s songs are all right but his background music is more impactful in the intense moments.

Srindhi Shetty starts off as a typical love interest but the way Sailesh integrates her track into the main one with a certain twist makes their portions more than just your standard love story. Srindhi Shetty gives a good account of herself. Samuthrikani as Nani’s father gives the movie some much needed light moments. The sequences of banter between Nani and Samuthrikani is fun to watch. Adavi Sesh in an extended special appearance makes his entry at a critical juncture, he reprises his role of KD from the second part. The actor is usual charismatic self.

Nani and Srinidhi Shetty

Talking about the portions of custodial violence on some occasions Arjun Sarkar is questioned about his brutal methods by his boss specifically in the Kashmir segment. A major unrest happens in Kashmir due to Arjun Sarkar’s handling, this eventually leads to him being transferred as well. Sailesh Kolanu doesn’t dig deep into the criticism that Arjun Sarkar faces and on numerous occasions the movie seems to be celebrating the violent attitude of Arjun. However the purpose for which Arjun is fighting makes a huge difference unlike SJ Suryah in Saripodhaa Sanivaaram an unhinged cop who takes out his frustrations on a group of innocent people.

A major problem with Hit 3 is the lack of a strong villain. Pratik Babbar as the leader of a twisted online gang is suitably psychotic but fails to make a major impact due to the weak characterization. Sailesh attempts to make a social comment on the consumption of violence with the scenarios resembling the Korean web show Squid Games but this track needed more texture.

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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.