Saguni Personal Review – Strictly Average Entertainer

by S. Arun

Political satires are a rarity in Tamil movies. There have been many movies like Dhool, Rajapattai, and Kandaswamy which have either been personal ego clashes / political message-action movies. So how does Saguni match up as a political satire? Does his calculations work or connect with the audience? The answer according to me is an overwhelming NO!!

First Half- Above Average

Saguni does seem to have something during the first 20 minutes. It tells about the rise of an evil politican Prakashraj who with the help of his accomplice Kiran trap a honest politician in a sex scam. And then you have the usual masala tale of a simpleton Kannan played by Karthik. The conversations with Rajini (Santhanam) are a scene stealer. The love story angle of Kannan with the heroine (Praneetha) is riddled with various cliches (regarding how they meet) but manages to be humorous because of Santhanam and Karthik. Song sequences are poorly inserted. The college fight sequence is inserted needlessly having an uninspired background score by G.V.Prakash. The Anushka angle was cinematic but managed to be funny with the help of Santhanam. Santhanam one liners are witty and does make one laugh out loud. Though the initial scene credits tell that the film is fictional and not based on any characters, there are some scenes with current political relevance. The first half is too dragging and would have gone done down the drain if the director had not introduced Radhika’s character.

Second Half-Average

There are too many flaws in the second half and it is a dragging experience. The end of the film is a reminder of Dhool. The second half showed some promise initially regarding the journey of Radhika’s character. Radhika had given a commendable performance in her short role. Why the hero suddenly associates with Kota’s character is difficult to understand. Why should not Radhika be made the CM? The second half also has some irrelevant moments like the swamiar aspect. It is a sad day that a senior artist of Nasser’s stature is largely wasted in the role. It is not well connected with the narrative and mostly ends up as a stand alone track. The small boy’s dialogue to his dad regarding political voting is too cinematic.

Some sequences have homour and political substance. The car burst sequence and the subsequent TV sequences towards the end are too bland and lack any creativity in them. A seasoned director like a Dharani or K.V.Anand would have made it more convincing. Santhanam is largely the relief even in the second half also.

Performances

Karthi’s expressions are largely stereotypical through the course of the film though he scores at some areas. It is largely a step in the negative direction for him after Siruthai where he impressed in roles of both shades.  

Santhanam is the saving grace of this film though some of his jokes might have been much better. Prakash Raj’s character is reduced to a caricature but he still has put his heart into it. In KO, Kota Srinivasa Rao‘s character had some importance. But, not in this film. The dialogues spoken by them are seemingly too ordinary or seen in several other films. Pranitha is bubbly in her role but her expressions have no life in them. Roja makes a dignified effort to make her character look credible. Roja impresses in a short role and she carries herself well after Kaavalan. 

Music 

The songs were not placed well in the film. The opening song “Kandha Karavada” is ok but the choreography is disappointing. But it does pass off as a fun-song nevertheless. G.V.Prakash disappoints with his songs. Pottadhu Pathala is a big disappointment. Manasellam Mazhaiye was the most appealing. Vella Bambaram was just ok. On comparision with Aadukalam and Deiva Thirumagal, this is a mediocre effort from GV.

Bottomline : Saguni lacks in clarity and presentation. Lots of trimming is required in both the halves.

User Rating - 2 out of 5