Movie Review: Sabari
The story begins in Vishakhapatnam in 2021, at a mental care home. A man Surya ( mime Gopi) is after a document and kills a nurse and other inmates to get to his goal.
Cut to Sanjana ( Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) , a mother of a 5 year old Riya, who visits her friend, in search of a job. She finds it tough to get a job but doesnt give up on her principles.
What is her backstory ?As a tween, Sanjana lost her loving mother and her father married again. Life with her stepmother is a torture till she finds freedom when Arvind ( Ganesh Venkatraman) enters her life. Life is good and the duo hand a baby girl, Riya, soon.
But the marriage falls apart when her husband is caught cheating on her. She leaves him along with Riya. Arvind vows vengeance. He files a case for custody of Riya, since the divorce is affecting his career and prestige.
Cut to the present, she finds good job at last thanks to her friend Rahul ( Shashank) but since she is over-qualified she doesnt get the job. However, she does manage to get the job of a zumba instructor in the same office, being a qualified dancer.
Just when things are going right, Riya is kidnapped. Who is behind it all? Does Sanjana find out the bitter truth ? Does she get her child out of danger?
. Varalaxmi looks every inch the confident woman all through the film, and portrays the role perfectly, right from her dressing to her body language, expressions and dialogues, which are meaningful and not over the top. She carries the film on her shoulders superbly, establish her mettle as a charismatic performer.
Ganesh Venkatraman as the vengeful husband does justice to his role, showcasing the negative side of the character to perfection with a trace of suave style.
Mime Gopi looks menacing as the role demands and instils the necessary chills. The role is a cakewalk for him.
The song with Varalaxmi and her loving family is beautifully filmed. The chases and stunts are gripping and the suspense is kept alive till the climax.
The overall story is intriguingly narrated to keep you glued to the screen. However, the non linear narration can get confusing at times.
The film has good visuals, scenic locations and a plethora of solid supportimg cast.
The thrill elenents are aplenty and the emotional connect is established by Varalaxmi's performance. She has also done well in the action scenes too.
Watch out for the climax twists.
On the flip side, the dubbing synch in Tamil needed attention.
Overall, the film has emotions, thrills, suspense, good making, a sound cast and plenty of plot twists to keep the viewer glued.
On the flip side, the Telugu original does show up in the Tamil dubbing.
CAST;
VARALAXMI SARATHKUMAR AS SANJANA
MIME GOPI AS SURYA
GANESH VENKATRAMAN AS ARVIND
SHASHANK AS RAHUL
TECHNICIAN;
PRODUCER - MAHENDRA NATH KONDLA
DIRECTOR - ANIL KATZ
EDITOR
MUSIC
CINEMATOGRAPHY - RAHUL SHRIVATSAV & NANI CHAMIDISETTY
ART DIRECTOR - ASHISH TEJA PULALA
