Much hype surrounds “Saindhav,” Venkatesh’s 75th film. We’ll find out if Sailesh Kolanu’s film is actually Venky’s career-defining work.
Gayatri and her father, Saindhav Koneru (Venkatesh), reside in the harbor city of Chandraprastha. A neighbor named Mano, played by Sraddha Sreenath, has strong ties to both Saindhav and his daughter, and she is now living on her own after her divorce from her husband, Getup Seenu.
Former drug cartel member Saindhav is now putting his past behind him as he works as a crane operator and leads a life separate from his criminal past.
He contacts his old employer for help after finding that his daughter has the rare condition SMA and that the medical treatment will cost Rs 17 crore. He then receives orders from his superior to assassinate Vikas (Nawazuddin Siddique), the titular cartel chief.
The elimination of the cartel operations in Chandraprastha is one of Saindhav’s many challenges; the other is rescuing his daughter.
Highlights in performance:
Aggression is a necessary part of Venkatesh’s character. While it’s admirable that he’s playing a role that’s appropriate for his age, the character he portrayed was bland and uninteresting. This is a typical action role.
Nawazuddin Siddique tries his hand at playing a quirky villain. But his over-the-top histrionics and delivery of speech that mashes Hindi and Telugu also annoys.
Jup, Ruhani Sharma, and Shraddha Srinath all play supporting parts.
Arya, Jisshu Senugupta, and Andrea are actors who provide little to the story but drive considerable production expenditures.
Both tracks’ musical arrangements by Santosh Narayan fall flat. However, one should not overlook the background score.
The cinematography by Manikandan is quite remarkable; he skillfully maintains a solemn atmosphere all through the film. The editing lacks a quick velocity, just like the writing.
Analysis by Saindhav:
For an iconic film (his 75th) starring a famous actor like Venkatesh, one would hope for a good plot. Venkatesh’s approval of this narrative, which has any redeeming qualities, is disheartening. After starring in a string of bombs, why would Venkatesh agree to star in yet another action flick?
In the end, it’s puzzling that director Sailesh Kolanu (“Hit”) thought this script would be good enough for a sequel (there’s a suggestion of one at the film’s conclusion).
Chandraprastha is a made-up city in the novel. More than 300 children in the city suffer from this uncommon disease; the cost of injecting each of them is Rs 17 crore. The government, however, takes no action. Vial manufacturers are actually members of a mafia organization. Is that right? To what extent was Venkatesh swayed by this ludicrous tale?
Early scenes are somewhat plodding. Throughout the first forty minutes of the film, it is dull and uninteresting. By the time we reach the intermission, things start to heat up. Having said that, the main conflict quickly gets tedious after its creation.
Then why did Arya become involved? Nobody knows. JP has no idea that he is the great-grandfather of Venkatesh’s daughter. The character of Shraddha Srinath is just as bad. There are a lot of actors who just show up. It feels like yet another recycled action flick in the vein of a few flops from the last ten or fifteen years.
The director boasted in the film’s advertising materials that the last twenty minutes will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, all thanks to Venkatesh’s performance, which will literally leave us dumbfounded. The acting is only adequate, and the conclusion drags on for no apparent reason.
In sum, “Saindhav” fails miserably. The only thing this action drama offers is dullness. There is not a single redeemable quality in the film. The viewer becomes confused as to why there is an excessive number of violent action sequences following each other, and the action episodes just keep coming at them. Even action movie fans find this picture repulsive and mentally draining because it fails to evoke any kind of emotional response from its viewers. The fact that Venkatesh consented to this screenplay for his 75th film is shocking.
Movie: Saindhav
Movie: Saindhavibomma Rating: 2/5
Cast: Venkatesh, Shraddha Srinath, Ruhani Sharma, Nawazuddin Siddique, Arya, Andrea Jeremiah, Mukesh Rishi, Jisshu Sengupta, Baby Ssara Palekar, JP, Getup Srinu and others
Music: Santosh Narayan
Cinematographer: S.Manikandan
Editing: Garry Bh
Art: Avinash Kolla
Producers: Venkat Boyanapalli
Written and Directed by: Sailesh Kolanu
Release Date: Jan 13, 2023