Movie Review : Sardar 2
Young Vijay Prakash ( Karthi) is trying his best to become a spy for the country like his father Bose aka Codename Sardar (Karthi), but the RAW head ( Ashish Vidyarthi) is unaccepting.
In his attempt to prove himself, he stumbles upon clues which lead him to Black Dagger ( SJ Suryah), a dreaded villain who is out to wreak havoc in the country with a dreaded poison gas weapon called Duko.
In a bid to find out more, Vijay's work brings him face to face with his father, Sardar, who was believed dead in China.
Together, they attempt to find a way to stop Black Dagger.
Do they succeed? What is the mystery of Duko? How is it all linked to Sardar's past? Do the father-son duo stop the destruction Black Dagger has envisaged?
The film manages to give the feel of a racy spy thriller, which soon turns international,reaching across oceans to Japan, right from the word go. The racy action begins with Vijay Prakash's finding of the black dagger and from then on there is no slowing the clock with romantic dalliances or songs.
The Action blocks are the mainstay of the film, and Karthi pulls them off stupendously, in both of his dual roles. Many of the stunts stand out, like the one on the plane in Japan, in the cable car in the climax portions, inside the underground portions of the fort to name a few. Kudos to the stunt choreographers for the frenzied and hair -raising, edge -of-the-seat action be it on land, in jungles, mid-air, over the ocean, inside a cable car or even underground. A lot of care seems to have been taken to incorporate different terrain and locales to add to the suspense and thrills.
The face -off scenes between SJ Suryah and Sardar and also with Vijay Prakash are stimulating with the intense monster energy and skill of both actors on display, within the confines of their characters.
Both the heroines, Malavika Mohanan and Ashika Ranganath shine in noteworthy performances, leaving a mark, playing significant and serious roles in taking the story forward. Both turn out to be apt choices, bringing an earnest dignity to their sincere performances. One hopes to see more of them in Kollywood.
Its delightful to watch this light hearted version of Nizhalgal Ravi and teaming with Yogi Babu and later with SJ Suryah in a crucial scene, there is no dearth of drama and a bit of fun in the otherwise serious thriller.
The camerawork of George Williams deserves special mention as does the set design department. Sam CS ' BGM amplifies the mood of the film. The make -up and prosthetics team also deserves kudos.
Its a Karthi Show all the way and the actor stands tall as he fulfils both roles of father and son with equal panache. As the senior Spy he brings a gravitas, restraint and a quiet but deadly, controlled energy with his expressions, moves and eyes. This version is him stands out all through. As Bose, his younger self, also shown in the movie, Karthi lets the vulnerability of his character come through as the young Bose in finely honed emotional act with the forest dwellers, displaying the sense of guilt and humanity of his character. As Vijay Prakash he transforms into the energetic youngster who misses his father and yearns to be like him. In all the get -ups, Karthi displays his mastery over his craft, getting into the skin of each, with a stirring performance that holds the story together.
SJ Suryah in his usual style, delivers a charged and dramatic performance with his usual energy, bringing to life Black Dagger. His rousing speech about antibiotics stays in memory long after. The twisted logic, psycological games and dark intentions of his character are brought out with an amplified, frenzied and passionately impactful performance.
The highlight of this franchise, the message in the story, is about antibiotics and the ill effects of their rampant unbridled use by citizens, which is brough out very effectively in a long speech by SJ Suryah.
On the flip side, the film could do with some trimming to make for crisper viewing. The screenplay seems to have pacing issues and the writing seems to try and touch on too many aspects, biting off more than it can chew. The RAW head (Ashish Vidyarthi) seems to shown in a uni dimensionl tone, almost like a cariacature. While the villain's message against antibiotic use seems earnest, what he wants to achieve by destroying the world doesn't hold water and could have been better written. SJ Suryah could have been written in perhaps a different way as villain, than this impassioned, hi voltage version which seems similar to few of his previous outings.
Overall, the Karthi starrer Sardar 2 makes for a sound family entertainer, with solid performances, enjoyable stretches of thrilling action, emotional moments, sound camerawork, grand making and peek into the fascinating, fantastic spy world of Sardar.
Rating 3.5/5
*Sardar 2 Movie Cast and Crew Details*
Produced by Prince Pictures and Ivy Entertainment.
Starring - Karthi, SJ Suryah, Malavika Mohanan, Ashika Ranganath, Yogi Babu, Rajisha Vijayan and others.
Directed - by P.S Mithran
Based on Story & Characters by P.S Mithran
Co Produced by - A. Venkatesh
Produced by - S. Lakshman Kumar and Ishan Saksena
Music - Sam CS
DOP - George C Williams
Editor - Vijay Velukutty
Production Design - Rajeevan Nambiar
Production Executive - AP Paalpaandi
Art - MSP Madhavan, B. Sekar
Stunt - Dhilip Subbarayan, Chethan D'souza
Sound Design - Tapas Nayak
Screenplay - Nambi
Additional Story - Rathna Kumar, Ashameera Aiyappan, Vignesh Muniyandi
Production Manager - A sathik, S Nagarajan, K Vijay
Co Directors:- Ashok kumar, Naveen Nanjundan
Costume Designer - Poornima Ramaswamy
Makeup - Nellai V Shanmugam
Special Makeup - Pattanam Rasheed
Casting - Varsha Varadarajan
Colorist - Prasath Somasekar
DI - Knack Studios
VFX - Mind Stein Studios, Dheera Studios
Production Manager - A. Sathik
Stills - Mahesh Jayachandran
PRO :- Sathish S2MEDIA
Promotions - Cinemapayyan
Publicity Design - NXTGEN Shynumash
