Settai  - A Reasonable Remake

by Bharath Vijayakumar

Dark comedy is a dicey genre that can backfire if not handled properly. Delhi Belly did that remarkably well. It was a cult classic that got embraced by most of the mainstream audience as well. Has Settai managed to do the same? 

Plot

J.K.(Arya) and his friends (Santhanam and Premji) are journalists. Despite their modest earnings they seem to enjoy a contended life. Inadvertently they cross the path of some smugglers (Nasser and his henchmen) and take possession of their diamonds.  The three friends are now on the run for their life. Then there is also the love affair(s) that Arya shares with the two leading ladies (Hansika and Anjali).

Cast

It needs guts to take up a movie like Settai for someone like Arya. There is absolutely no compulsion for him to do a movie where he has limited screen presence and needs to give more scope to his counterparts. Tamil cinema seems to embracing multi starrers!!!  Santhanam is definitely good while Premji seems a bit subdued.  The buddy bond and camaraderie that was evident between the three friends in the Hindi version seems missing in Settai. The same can be said about Hansika and Anjali. While there is nothing to complain about their performance the annoyance you felt at how Shehnaaz treated Imran in Delhi Belly and the certain charm that Poorna Jagannathan carried despite not being breathtakingly beautiful will definitely keep crossing the minds of those who have seen the original version. Nasser reprises the role made memorable by Vijay Raaz and the veteran does well.

Music and Direction

Thaman has come up with catchy tunes again. The songs however contribute more as speed breakers than anything else. The director has however cleverly made sure that all the songs are crisp. The ‘retro kuthu’ song pictured on Premji with its lyrics that could have gone crude, has been tastefully done with restraint.  The item song of Neetu Chandra however falls flat. Thankfully it runs during the opening credits.

The adult content and swear words have been reduced or suitably modified. The explicit scatological references however remain. Be forewarned if you are someone who is put off by this. Settai has them in plenty. Using foul words in rhyming one-liners seems fad these days. Whether it is in good taste is debatable. But it makes little sense when you hear beep sounds for the words that you are not supposed to hear when actually the audience are laughing already.

Bottomline

These days comedy sells even if it is not of the highest quality. Settai is a diluted version of Delhi Belly. But thankfully the essence is intact. And unlike say a ‘3 Idiots’, Delhi Belly is not a movie that is familiar with a majority of the Tamil audience. Kannan has done a fair job in this remake that may click with the youngsters.

Verdict: 2.75/5