Spoilers ahead…
Watching Saahasam – aka Prashanth’s attempt to prove he’s still relevant, by dancing and romancing and stopping moving cars with his fists (he plays a happy-go-lucky “youth” named Ravi) – I kept thinking it can’t be easy being the dialogue writer for a masala movie. You’re expected to give every line a… punch. I’m not just talking about the hero’s punch dialogues, like “Dhairiyam irundha cancer patient-um pozhachiduvaan. Kozhaiya irundha ulcer patient-um sethuduvaan.” The line may not be up there with “Yen vazhi thani vazhi,” but hey, you’re working with Prashanth here. He’s merely the… Top Star. Or now, the Seventeenth-from-top Star. Another line, after Ravi shoots down a bad guy, goes, “To remove bacteria from the bathroom, you need to use acid – not perfume.” That sound you hear is the copywriter for the Harpic commercials, banging his head on his portfolio. The bathroom references continue with the heroine (Madhu, played by blandly pretty white-faced North Indian-looking thing with a vaguely idiotic expression that’s somewhere between “tough language” and “easy money”), who examines a bar of Lifebuoy soap and sighs, “Enakku life-um ille. Boy-um ille.”
It’s not a bad story, actually. The first few minutes, liberally inspired by The Dark Knight, detail a bank heist pulled off by a team whose members do not know each other. (Sonu Sood plays the team leader, a hunky villain named Bittu. I suppose we should be glad the film isn’t his story, else we might be watching something called… Bittu Padam.) And at the other end, we have Ravi, a smart kid with get-rich-quick dreams. (We know he’s smart because he can solve a Rubik’s cube. This trait has become to Tamil-film heroes what striped underwear is to henchmen, what a white sari was to Pandari Bai after the sixth reel in an MGR movie.) Had the director, Arun Raj Varma, had half a clue, he’d have focussed on the similarities between Ravi and Bittu, which Ravi’s father (Nasser, in an I-need-this-cheque-to-remodel-the-kitchen role) painfully points out – after all, both men are after easy money. And it’s the father who hands the hero his mission, late into the film. Till then, Ravi is just on an ego trip.
At least, that’s what he calls it. He was forced to act dead in order to protect his family, and this is why he wants revenge. We hear it in his words, but we don’t feel any of it. Neither do we feel the plight of thousands of middle-class investors whose savings were wiped out in that heist. What, you may wonder, is the film filled with, if not these juicy arcs? Let’s see. There’s that scene in the grocery store in which Ravi places a pumpkin in an irate Madhu’s hands so that she stands still (it’s like a paperweight, he explains), and goes on to placate her. She doesn’t budge – until he says how much he yearns for their wedding night. She smiles. Maybe this is why they hire heroines who don’t know the language. The villain doesn’t know the language either. Sonu Sood’s scenes feel like he’s speaking in Telugu, with Prashanth replying in Tamil. He’s going through the motions too. It’s an I-need-this-cheque-to-remodel-my-gym role.
Thaman contributes a couple of catchy tunes. There’s one with a nice Asian effect, shot in Japan, where the extras wear kimonos and carry parasols and wave hand fans. Racist stereotyping, you say? I think the bigger offence is that the budget for this song sequence was not diverted to the script, whose primary function is to showcase Prashanth’s coolth. He sucks on a lollipop while gunning down a bad guy. His sister complains that he roams around the house in a sleeveless vest while her friends visit, showing off his chiselled biceps. (He does look like he’s spent the four-odd years since his last film with a personal trainer hanging from each arm.) There are more than a few references to how handsome he is, and many of these references come from the actor himself. He keeps looking at the camera as though it’s a mirror and he’d like to make love to the reflection. But why should this come as a surprise? It’s his home production, after all, which is often the same thing as a vanity project. It’s a my-daddy’s-got-an-unending-supply-of-cheques role.
KEY:
- Saahasam = courage
Copyright ©2016 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Ram Murali
February 6, 2016
What a hilarious picture you’ve posted there – that dancer on the far left reminds me of your immortal “marvels of the Sistine Chapel” comment.
Madhu, played by blandly pretty white-faced North Indian-looking thing
–> Come on, you could have just said, “Alabaster automaton!” Or, did you find her even dumber than the usual AAs?!
She doesn’t budge – until he says how much he yearns for their wedding night. She smiles. Maybe this is why they hire heroines who don’t know the language.
–> EPIC!
If I were to put a twist on the Vijay-Vadivel conversation from Sachein, it would go something like
“Ivo enaththa kazhatrya ayyachami?!”
“Enaththa da kazhattala?!?! Dressu, Moolai elaathayum kazhattitu thaane sooting-ku vandhuruku!”
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Anu Warrier
February 6, 2016
I-need-this-cheque-to-remodel-the-kitchen role
Ah, the story of my life! 🙂
How do you deal with this, BR – Visaranai on the one hand, and Saahasam on the other? The only thing that’s good about this film is your review, underscored by your now-familiar brand of humour.
Thanks for the laugh before I go out and dig my way through 1ft of snow. (And no, nary a sign of Shammi Kapoor yodelling yahooo! on my driveway, even though it resembles one of the mini-slopes of the Alps. Ah, well…)
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praneshp
February 6, 2016
Ha ha. I saw the trailer for this when watching Iruthi Sutru, and my first thought was “I can’t wait for brangan’s review”.
I wonder how his daddy has cheques to throw about though. Did they make enough hits in the 90s to waste money on this one?
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Ravi K
February 6, 2016
“En vazhi thani vazhi” – the one person in the audience for this movie.
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brangan
February 6, 2016
Anu Warrier: How do you deal with this, BR – Visaranai on the one hand, and Saahasam on the other?
Heh. Let me tell you it’s not easy, this film critic thing
(wipes sweat, picks up cross and trudges on)
praneshp: Actually, I wondered about this too. I know Thiagarajan was a reasonably successful actor in the 80s, but I’m surprised. I mean, even Prashanth, for that matter, hardly had any serious success. He had quite a few hits, but not enough to catapult him into a league where he’d start getting serious money. Or did he? 🙂
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Srinivas R
February 6, 2016
About the money for Prashanth and his dad to produce these movies, i believe they have a successful business – pharmaceutical company and jewellery trade, probably that money is being channeled to these vanity projects.
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Aravind Ramachandran
February 6, 2016
At some level, I got to assume you just are having a blast having to sit through these movies, which otherwise would have you depressed for a month, and think up of the clever lines. Another good review!
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Vivek
February 6, 2016
hahaha! But wait, is this by any chance, remake of Telugu cinema “Julayi” (Wayward)?
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 6, 2016
Perseverance is the word!
//I wonder how his daddy has cheques to throw about though. Did they make enough hits in the 90s to waste money on this one?//
Good one. Prashanth’s grandfather (maternal) was a big director in Telugu and Kannada. But that was some forty, fifty years ago!
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Vijay siva
February 6, 2016
Haha….. I saw a dialogue in the trailer of this crap…. “y do we need logic sir…, ppl just opt fr magic”
…….
But there wasn’t no magic at all…..
Baradwaj uncle…….
I really really love ur reviews…
#im 16 years old
#uncle is correct I guess
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MANK
February 6, 2016
Hello, this sounds like a remake of allu arjun starre julayi. there also the heroine’s name was madhu and villain was bittu played by sonu sood
Reg:Prashant\s finances, didnt he even have a divorce in between? when even simbu is finding it difficult to get buyers for his film, how did thyagarajan\prashanth manage it, or do they have any strong political affiliations.
Heh. Let me tell you it’s not easy, this film critic thing
(wipes sweat, picks up cross and trudges on)
lol Brangan, and i thought you had the easiest job in the world 🙂
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brangan
February 6, 2016
Vijay siva: If you are from the generation that writes “y” for “why”, “fr” for “for”, “ppl” for “people”, then yes, child, I am most definitely an “uncle” 😀
Or should I have said “uncl”?
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Yossarian
February 6, 2016
@BR: Hilarious review apart, hope you had better luck with the 3rd release you were going to catch 🙂
As for the financial part, having a stake in the largest jewellery store in Chennai shouldn’t hurt I guess.
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Chandram
February 6, 2016
This is a remake of a Telugu film. 😀
And, as the producers might have obviously bought the rights, they might have just put up the Telugu version shots, just to save production time and money. :p
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venkatesh
February 6, 2016
There are some actors who toil to get where they are push every sinew to reach the top and there is Prashanth.
The guy comes from a bona fide filmy family, has had movies with Shankar and Mani Ratnam and then goes ahead and makes a string of completely idiotic movies or as my better half says: “avanuku onnuame theriyadhu….”
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venkatesh
February 6, 2016
BTW, i would dive right in and pay for a film called “Bittu Padam”.
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Rakesh
February 6, 2016
That “bland North Indian looking girl” is Amanda Rosario, an Australian. Not that it makes any difference.
Thiyagarajan’s cash inflow does look fishy, he even gifted Thaman a car for producing “an outstanding soundtrack”.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/music/Prashanth-gifts-Thaman-a-Fortuner-car/articleshow/45203411.cms
Maybe Thiyagarajan is channelizing his funds from whoever backed Dev Anand;s ventures since the mid 1980’s. The last Prashanth movie which made money must have been Sundar C’s Winner, which is remembered fondly for Vadivelu’s antics (and Kiran Rathod;s.. err.. swimwear)
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Amit Joki
February 6, 2016
BR: I’m a 16 year-old fan of yours too (you know about my fanboyism though, I guess). The real-life cliches for teenagers nowadays are way too many haha… They use hashtags for no reason at all, type like this “mA_lyF_mA_rUlezzz”, and the plethora of selfies.
Nonetheless, I’d ask if you could review a short film, I’m about to make? I mean is there any chance at all that you’d review a short film from one of your readers?
Of course, I’m not asking for a space in this blog, just your insight via mail to me, probably?
Your reviews are awesome and are in sync with how I think cinema should be, most importantly, what it should not be.
Your reviews bring in a sense of humor, sarcasm, witty lines whilst also presenting a good review of the movie. Keep them coming!
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Se V
February 6, 2016
Game of u to go along so well with being referred to as an uncle although what choice does one have in such a case? I inwardly dread being called aunty but on my visits to India, it seems to have become routine now. No one seems to see me as the girl I once was and the one I seem to still think of myself as. I guess that is a road we all have to travel one day. For the moment, I am happy at not being called “grandma”…yet!
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Vikas Raj
February 6, 2016
The story sounds a lot like the Telugu movie, Julaayi. Especially Sonu Sood/bank heist/ rubik cube and the like…
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Ravi K
February 7, 2016
Prashanth was in some hits, but did he himself ever develop a following? I’m not that familiar with his films, but it seems like he was incidental to the success of the few hits he’s had.
If he wants to continue making movies he should produce a film with a decent screenplay and an interesting role for himself. The ship has sailed long back on him becoming a mass hero.
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brangan
February 7, 2016
Rakesh: That “bland North Indian looking girl” is Amanda Rosario, an Australian.
OH. MY. GOD. That seriously makes me re-evaluate my whole review…
Ada ponga saar 🙂
Amit Joki: I am in discussions to open out this blog in a way that will allow for more reader stuff — so just hang on.
Se V: I inwardly dread being called aunty
I can’t say I know the feeling, because — inwardly or outwardly — I’ve never dreaded being called “aunty” :-p
But seriously, I know what you mean. It used to bug when I was in my 30s. In my 40s, it’s seriously nothing 🙂
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Sharmila Rao
February 7, 2016
Years ago, I met a girl from australia who gushed about how much she loved prashanth… all of us were speechless… well, each to her own..
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Amit Joki
February 7, 2016
BR: Great then! Looking forward to it.
Rakesh: Man, I thought she was Nargis Fakhri.
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tonks
February 7, 2016
My mom was only eighteen when she got married (this was a long time back) and tells us how as a newly-wed, she was heart broken to be called Aunty by the grown-up children who lived in the flat next to theirs (who were actually older than her).
Apparently a married status alone qualifies you to auntyhood in India 🙂 . What to do. We are like this only 😉 .
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tonks
February 7, 2016
‘Grown up children’ is an oxymoron. But thats exactly what they were 😉
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Iswarya
February 7, 2016
tonks: I have been “auntied” since my early twenties, unmarried times. But then, I’ve always had my sweet revenge by addressing all my students (even occasionally a few of them my age or older) universally as “child” or even “kiddo!” 😉
Even now, there are the ones among those ‘kids’ who consider a statement like “Kids, you just behave like children” (said in that hands-on-hips, exasperated tone) to be funny!
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Anu Warrier
February 8, 2016
tonks, I got married in my mid-twenties, and was aghast to find the kids in the predominantly Tam-Brahm society in which my husband lived, calling me maami! ‘Aunty’ was infinitely preferable, though I didn’t quite feel ‘Aunty-ish’ either. (Of course, the day, I borrowed one of their bicycles to go haring off for a jaunt, I became ‘Akka. Good times. 🙂 )
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Anu : In Malluland suburbia, thankfully for me, its still mostly ‘chechi’ (or the occasional, increasingly-rare-with-the-years ‘moley’). The next drastic leap is to “ammamma”. Which is, as you know, much worse than a simple ‘aunty’. Fingers crossed, I’m hoping desperately that that doesnt arrive anytime soon ;).
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Rahini David
February 8, 2016
Where is that kiddo who unleashed the Uncle/Aunty business? 😀
I am a confirmed Aunty, but more on that later (and elsewhere)
Joki, I am really looking forward to that short film you are about to make.
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Arun Annamalai
February 8, 2016
Just wanted to add some of the scenes were not even re-shot, they were lifted from the telugu original, all scenes were Prashant was not involved, smart way to save money, smart editing.
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Deepak
February 8, 2016
Reg: Thyagaraja and son’s finances – Thyagarajan also acted in many a malayalam movie in 80’s as the villain (the most iconic being Salem Vishnu from New Delhi) and the one-off “hero’s sidekick who dies to spur the hero on” role as well. However, I doubt mallu movies then paid all that well compared to the Tamil industry – so maybe he was a smart invester as well?
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Amit Joki
February 8, 2016
Rahini David: Joki’s my family name, so I’d prefer being called Amit haha…Thanks for looking forward to it. I now have one confirmed audience, which means motivation, yay!
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Ram Murali
February 8, 2016
Amit,
Please count me in.
Sincerely,
Ram Uncle (aged 34)
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tonks
February 8, 2016
Me three 🙂
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
February 9, 2016
Amit: Annan naa irukken pa!
Just curious, any uncle/aunty for a 26-year-old kid here?
You can anonymously confirm it by downvoting this comment!
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Anu Warrier
February 9, 2016
Me four. (I suppose I will be part of the ‘aunty’ brigade! 🙂 )
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Iswarya
February 9, 2016
Count goes up to 5. At this rate, Amit, I guess you’d be getting more audience than Prasanth who seems to have pumped crores in for the same purpose! (And that would be the real Saahasam, eh?)
Good luck to you! 🙂
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badri
February 9, 2016
I came in here seeing 37 comments and wondered what on earth people would be saying about Prashant ! But poor guy! Even this comment section ignores his ‘talent’ 😛 😛
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Nivazr
February 9, 2016
“He keeps looking at the camera as though it’s a mirror and he’d like to make love to the reflection.”
my favourite linee from the review, I saw some scenes and wondering why he is staring at the camera and laughing :-)))
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Raj Balakrishnan
February 9, 2016
Thank God I moved out of India quite sometime ago. No calling people aunties or uncles overseas, just the first name.
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Adithyan
January 15, 2017
I didn’t read this review when the film released(i was surprised seeing you reviewing prashanth’s film) as i couldn’t watch this film that time but today i watched this one (DVD).. And after completing the film i came here to read ur review for this film and i had wonderful laugh reading your review tks rangan…
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