Apart from Venkatesh and Nawazuddin's roles, director Sailesh Kolanu fails to focus on the characterisation of other artistes.
Venkatesh's 'Saindhav' is directed by Sailesh Kolanu. (X)
Saindhav (Telugu)
Saindhav Koneru aka SaiKo (Venkatesh Daggubati) stares at an unforeseen future as he confronts a health exigency to rescue his ailing daughter (played by Ssara Palekar).
The medical treatment costs a staggering ₹17 crore. In his fervent pursuit to rescue his ailing daughter, Saindhav unravels a distressing truth — that the sole remedy for this uncommon ailment lies within medicine.
The exorbitant cost is attributed to a pharmaceutical mafia overseen by Vikas Malik (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Consequently, Saindhav takes on Vikas, his clandestine operations and a legion of henchmen.
Well, this is the crux of Sailesh Kolanu’s directorial.
The narrative kicks off on an intriguing note, with a clandestine gun cartel meticulously hatching something big, and its consequences are dangerous if left unchecked.
A poster of the film ‘Saindhav’. (X)
Director Sailesh Kolanu, who previously helmed thrillers like HIT (2020) and HIT: The Second Case (2022), has come up with a similar theme. However, it is not a core thriller involving action and emotion.
While leaving the cinema hall, one would certainly wonder what made the director ponder upon Saindhav in the first place — is it because he felt the story was so compelling to tell it on screen or he believed in Venkatesh to carry the whole weight of the film?
The tale of Saindhav lacks novelty, following a routine pattern of past classics like Rrajinikanth’s Basha (1995).
Basha has a familiar storyline — the hero keeps aside his past to lead an ordinary life and finds himself ensnared in adversity. He is compelled to confront old rivals.
As the latter half commences, the inherent inconsistency within the cartel dynamics and the individuals involved becomes increasingly apparent.
The entire setup lacks cinematic finesse and fails to impress visually. The addition of underdeveloped characters like Arya (as Manas) further contributes to the narrative’s shortcomings.
Venkatesh in a still from ‘Saindhav’. (X)
Midway through Saindhav, you cannot help getting flashed with glimpses of Kamal Haasan’s Vikram (2022) and Rajinikanth’s Jailer (2023). The fault does not lie with the audience; it is a consequence of shared elements among the three films.
However, there is a subtle deviation here. While Vikram and Jailer cast the protagonists as grandfathers, Saindhav has Venkatesh as a doting father who takes a violent route to save his daughter.
Not just that, Saindhav has Hollywood’s iconic John Wick (2014) inside him as he navigates a world of gangsters.
Fans of Hollywood movies might enjoy John Wick-styled Saindhav in the film, with several scenes seemingly inspired by the iconic series. Despite the attempt to follow in the footsteps of John Wick in terms of treatment and characterisation, Saindhav falls way short of capturing the magic of the original.
Putting aside comparisons, approaching Saindhav as a standalone movie proves challenging. While the movie attempts to explore elements of sentiment, action, and emotion, the overall impact lacks strength.
The songs by Santhosh Narayanan are not so great; the background music fails to impress either.
The film struggles to elevate the hero and his struggle to navigate family problems, though the production values remain fairly good.
#Saindhav is all yours now ♥️ pic.twitter.com/LvkX7N2gDE
— Venkatesh Daggubati (@VenkyMama) January 13, 2024
Venkatesh, as a crane operator, infuses life into his character. For him, the emotional scenes and the fight sequences are effortless. The ease shown by him in the action sequences is good.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has done well in his role. Bearing a few boring ones, his dialogues in Hindi and Telugu draw whistles in theatres.
Apart from Venkatesh and Nawazuddin’s roles, director Sailesh Kolanu fails to focus on the characterisation of other artistes.
Tamil actor Arya has a cameo appearance.
Female lead Shraddha Srinath does well within her space.
Mukesh Rishi, Jisshu Sen Gupta, Ruhani Sharma, and Jayaprakash chip in well for their respective roles.
Saindhav starts as a promising action drama but disappoints with its plain narrative and dull sequences without any twists — all through the runtime.
Bearing action episodes and emotional scenes featuring Venkatesh, the story is inconsistent with poor screenplay and music.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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