Saindhav Movie Review

Sailesh Kolanu, of HIT fame, has got a big-ticket chance to direct Venkatesh Daggubati for Saindhav. Touted to be a stylish action thriller, the film is in Sankranthi fray. Will Venkatesh and Sailesh deliver?

What is it about?

Sahndiav (Venkatesh) works as a crane operator at Chandraprastha Port. His daughter, Gayathri, is his world. Saindhav’s life gets shattered when he finds out that his daughter is suffering from the rare disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and she needs one injection which costs 17 crore. Meanwhile, a large number of containers carrying arms, drugs, and fake currency are caught at the port. These belong to Don Vikas Mallik (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who is transporting teenagers for terrorism along with these arms and drugs. Saindhav, as he promised to stop such crimes against youth, hides these containers. How Saindhav fights baddie Vikas’ gangs and how he protects his daughter forms the crux of the story.

Performances

Venkatesh as Saindhav is subtle in his performance and convincingly portrays the father role. He is decent in the action scenes which go overboard and defy logic. Shraddha Srinath as Mano gets a supporting role who is there to take care of daughter Gayathri and be an emotional support to Saindhav. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Vikas Mallik gets a villain role with no consistency. He turns serious at times and he turns funny, and silly at portions. He is only strong in his words and claims whereas he is inefficient. However, Nawaz’s performance is flawless. It is the writing of his character that is underwhelming. Andrea Jeremiah (Jasmine) is his love and sidekick who has a role without weight. Mukesh Rishi as Mitra, the leader of the cartel, is weak again. Jayaprakash just exists as Port head and Saindhav’s well-wisher. Baby Sara shines and delivers impactful acting.

Technicalities

On paper, everything seems good for Saindhav. But the film falters in the narration and gets lost in the translation on screen. Technically, the film is flawless with a rich production design and made on a large scale. However, it couldn’t save this action thriller. The background score neither enhances the viewing experience nor leaves a lasting impact. The dragged portions need to be trimmed.

Thumbs Up

Father-Daughter Emotion
Stylish Presentation With Action Stunts

Thumbs Down

Dragged Second-Half
Inefficient Villain and Many Characters
Clumsy Narration

Analysis

Director Sailesh Kolanu’s idea of a stylish action thriller seems good. But he has put his entire energy into the stylish presentation, leaving the thriller part to the last. The thriller needs a tight and gripping story backed by twists. This is missing in Saindhav. The result is a film with a stylish presentation and weak substance.

The inclusion of numerous characters without proper establishment contributes to a cluttered and disjointed storyline. Sample Manas (Arya), bestie of Saindhav, who comes to help him in tough times, but with no proper reasoning or emotional connection. Even the roles of Jisshu, Mukesh Rishi and Jayaprakash hardly have an impact.

The single parent fighting for his daughter’s rare disease and linking this with the mafia backdrop is challenging to balance. This is where the director also failed. The narration is clumsy and dragged. The initial portions move at a slow pace but the film picks up the momentum and holds interest as it approaches the midpoint.

The silver lining in Saindhav is father-daughter emotion. The bond with daughter Gayathri is well-established and sets a strong supporting base. Even this goes off the track in the second half. The entire second half is a battle between Saindhav and Vikas Mallik, their one-upmanship, tit for tats. It becomes a very typical hero vs villain battle with always the hero having the upper hand.

Protagonist Saindhav is projected as mighty, and powerful who can scare even Mitra and Vikas, but there is not enough justification for it. Saindhav’s past is all hype but lacks depth in its writing. All we are told is that Saindhav worked for the mafia and he is a changed man after losing his wife. This is cliche writing and looks unconvincing.

The ending is not predictable and Sailesh saves something for climax. But by then audiences are tired. The end doesn’t compensate for the lacklustre middle. Despite Director Sailesh Kolanu’s attempt to create a stylish action thriller, the film falters in delivering an engaging narrative and emotional depth.

Verdict: Stylish Saiko, But Fails!

Rating: 2.5/5