Saindhav

This movie feels like déjà vu with its overly simple storyline that brings nothing new to the table. We've definitely witnessed this plot somewhere before. The screenplay tries to be a trailblazer in Telugu cinema, but it's like trying to make a sandwich with just one slice of bread - not very satisfying. The first half-hour is a snoozefest, the last half-hour manages to redeem the film a bit, and the middle is just meh.

Venkatesh's character is like a well-cooked dish - written properly with a side of great looks and a dash of impressive performance.

Navazuddin as antagonist is the spice we needed; his performance is like a firecracker. Arya and Shradda are like those tasty appetizers you wish you had more of - limited screen space, but they deliver.

The child actor Baby Sara and the rest of the cast are like the supporting actors in a play - doing their job well without stealing the spotlight.

Cinematography and background score play nice, but the songs are like a bad karaoke night - better skipped. The action sequences are a rollercoaster of thrills, but it gets a tad too violent.

Sailesh's direction is a mixed bag - some scenes are like a chef's kiss, while others leave you wondering if they used salt.

Watching this in theaters might not be the best use of your time, but if you're patient, it could be an okay OTT watch.

Saindhav (Victory Venkatesh) has temporarily retired his Saiko avatar to work as a crane operator, supporting his family consisting of a wife and a daughter. There is a cartel illegally training kids by giving them arms and trading them to terrorist outfits. Saiko used to work for this cartel before quitting. After knowing the cartel's dirty operation, Saindhav steals their containers and in the meantime finds out his daughter is suffering from a medical condition which requires an expensive treatment. The story is set up with the baddies wanting the containers and targeting the ailing girl to get it which only allows Saiko to come out of retirement. Bloodshed ensues and how Saiko serves up cold blooded justice forms rest of the story.

Saindhav has the right idea but it falters immensely with the weak screenplay that fails to engage till the end. I wouldn't say overstuffed but it has all the ingredients this particular genre demands to churn out a blockbuster action entertainer. The execution is simply not there as the flow keeps getting jarring and the scene transition end up having no impact. There are bunch of baddies and an over the top Nawazuddin Siddique who tries to entertain throughout but his character arc is messy, a casualty due to the hype lead character gets. For a thriller it's uneven and the baddies are shown to be no match to Saiko even with the setbacks he receives. The dialogues felt weak and too much bloodshed couldn't elevate the bland narrative.

Saindhav, a 2023 Telugu-language action thriller film, marks a significant milestone in Venkatesh's career as his 75th film. The film, directed by Sailesh Kolanu, boasts a star-studded cast including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shruti Haasan, and Rao Ramesh.

The story revolves around Saindhav, a powerful and influential man with a mysterious past. When his daughter falls critically ill, he is forced to confront his past and delve into the criminal underworld to secure a life-saving drug. This sets off a chain of events, leading to a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between Saindhav and a formidable gangster named Vikas Malik (Nawazuddin Siddiqui).

The film is visually stunning, with lavish production design and breathtaking action sequences. Venkatesh delivers a powerful performance, showcasing his range and intensity. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, as always, is captivating as the ruthless antagonist. However, the film's narrative falters at times, with predictable plot points and a somewhat underwhelming climax.

Despite its shortcomings, Saindhav is a visually impressive and entertaining action film that will appeal to fans of the genre. It's a fitting tribute to Venkatesh's illustrious career, showcasing his enduring star power and ability to deliver a powerful performance.

With no arrogance at all, I felt that the director took lot of liberty for nothing. He thought he could deliver core emotional drama packed with action by doing too easy to guess plot and lot of repeated dialogues for no reason. It felt instead of focusing on drama it went more about world building. And to be honest its boring. None of the locations look real. And most importantly all the actors did fine job but on the over the top plot. It's so reckless of the writer, director and producer for extent. They could have bring much better product having all the star cast and crew. A big yawn at the end of the day.

Though the idea of Saindhav is good and has a lot of potential, the director couldn't come up with an interesting narrative. The screenplay is flat for the most part. The world-building isn't done well, and the first half an hour is slow and unexciting. Fights were too violent.

Saindhav has a bunch of great actors, but none of them make any impact due to the way their characterizations are written. Andrea Jeremiah, Shraddha Srinath, Ruhani Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta, Arya, Mukesh Rishi, and Jayaprakash deserved much better roles. There are logical errors in the story as well.

For any action film, the background score is very vital in enhancing the impact. Unfortunately, the background score provided by Santosh Narayanan is pretty bad and hardly adds any value to the film. In fact, the impact of neatly designed action blocks was brought down with the background score. In a few important moments, it was almost non-existent.