SAGUNI is not Intelligent

by Kannan Vijayakumar

‘Saguni’ has been in the making ever since the release of Siruthai. After many delays due to the change of antagonist and reshoots, Saguni has received a tremendous opening mainly due to the return of the rocking combo, Santhanam-Karthi. With heavy promotions and generous release of teasers, did Saguni live up to the hype?

Synopsis

The film is about Kamalakannan a.k.a Kamal’s (Karthi) who travels to Chennai in an attempt to stop the demolishing of his house at his hometown which is believed to be a prestigious property of the ancestors. In the mission, he meets Appadurai a.k.a Rajini (Santhanam) and travels with him in his auto after confessing his flashback. However, hell breaks loose when true colours of the Chief Minister (Prakash Raj) is exposed. How Kamal destroys his empire and save his ancestral property with his mind games forms the crux of the story.

Story-Screenplay

Debutant Shankar Dayal’s decision to take a political premise and establish the vital role of a kingmaker in Indian politics is a bold one. The premise itself has created much hype. The film starts off with a childish but an innovative opening of Karthi and travels in the same jolly mood throughout the first half. The entry of Santhanam is a scream and the decision to name them ‘Kamal-Rajini’ weaved with interesting subtexts are engaging. However, the main let down is that the first half has only this ingredient and the film does not move an inch. The introduction of the heroine looks forced and her presence does not add any value to the story. Unfortunately, the film starts to pick up momentum during the interval block.

In the second half, things look to spice up with Karthi vowing to destroy the empire of the CM using four people he incidentally meets. The mind games which are supposed to be the USP of the film are very predictable and lack logic. All four characters are introduced in a hurry and go missing as the film progresses. By the time the film hits the second half, it becomes a tiring watch with familiar scenes. Moreover, the climax portion is the weakest link in the movie. Saguni had all the commercial elements but struggles with a messy script and half etched characters. Honestly, without the saving grace of Santhanam-Karthi combo, Saguni would have found it hard to even float.

Casting & Performance  

Karthi has come a long way and proved himself to be a full-fledged commercial actor. Having the second biggest opening in terms of screens after Endhiran is a big progress for a 6-film old actor. He has given whatever the script demands him (excellent dance and comic timing). Sadly, the character is not very well etched out. Santhanam's comedy is fireworks nowadays and with Karthi’s combo, he has not disappointed. Pranitha has nothing much to do. Prakash Raj ease-pass his role while, Radika, Naasar and Kota Srinivasa Rao are good in their limited role. Unfortunately, Andrea and Anushka’s special appearances look pointless. Overall, the casting of Saguni has been well conceived. However, the character designs somewhat gets lost along the way.

Technicality

PG Muthiah’s cinematography gives a suitable colour to this commercial flick while G.V Prakash’s music is apt for the film’s tone with ‘Potathu Pathala’ and ‘Vellai Pamabaram’ linger through our ears even after the film ends. However the BGM seems to be very repetitive. Editor Sreekar Prasad’s cuts are draggy and surprisingly abrupt at times affecting the flow.

Conclusion 

Saguni flexes hard with good performances and thought provoking dialogues but falls flat with an unfocused screenplay. Saguni might find takers who might just go for the rocking combo of Karthi and Santhanam. However others might get disappointed. People going in with zero expectations might like this political satire.

Verdict  : Saguni is not as intelligent. 

Rating: 2/5