User reviews

PS Mithran once again followed his template , protagonist against Corporate monster , this time he tried in spy thriller genre . Story was predictable , but movie wasn't boring . First half , above average with some commercial elements and good intermission block . Second half was good with some interesting action block , Climax was like last minute school home work , bit rushed and clumsy direction . VFX was poor . Message they were trying to convey was good , but they tried to spoon feed it , at some point it felt cringe . Action sequence were good . Karthi well suited in his different avatar . Comedy worked well in few places , especially Rithu Rocks did a great job . Antagonist was weak , jus felt like Cheetah Siva movie kinda villian . Overall a decent commercial action thriller , despite few flaws its worth watchable .

A heavy-duty subject presented in a documentary style with a touch of spy-thriller elements sprinkled on it.

The old protagonist's character was the only one that was designed properly, everything else was just accessories. If the whole movie would've traveled with this old man's character, it might've become one of the decently made ones but the opportunity was spoiled with a useless heroine, and a baseless plot, especially with the main protagonists' characterization design.

There were a few emotional parts tried but nothing worked out

music/songs/BGM wasn't that enjoyable and didn't add much value to the film

the KGF style parallel story-telling kinda screenplay didn't work at all, it felt so artificial and didn't jell well with the content despite making revelations that both father & son have the same behaviors & mannerisms

and we cannot stop the thought of comparing it against Cobra with respect to the multiple getups of the protagonist

but overall it is a good enough one for a one-time watch for sure.

Mithran once again delivers a solid entertainer with Sardar. A pretty straightforward set up woven around the issue of "water mafia". Kudos to the research done behind the whole bottled water business as it presented a solid base for the spy story. With an entertaining first half, the characters and the conflict are well established. The songs did act as speed breakers but the captivating pre-interval scene ensured it ended on a terrific note.

The second half has the flashback about the titular character where the love story looked bit off considering the main focus was on a serious issue. Barring those few moments and the songs which simply didn't work, the movie got back on track post the flashback. Karthi excelled in both the roles and Chunky Pandey as a baddie was impressive too thanks to better dubbing in the third act.

Special mention to how effectively the water mafia angle is integrated to the commercial template. If the flashback was better handled, this would have ended up as a better entertainer than or on par Irumbu Thirai.

Definitely recommended.

I've seen the movie with no expectations and I totally enjoyed the movie. From the start everything that was just required for the story was shown exept for the songs which seemed just as to be there in a commercial template movie. The songs are not great. But the screenplay and depiction of everything was nicely handled. The movie is surely an entertainer for those who like action. The hero's performance was definitely great! Even though the flashback seemed a bit off, it seemed necessary for the justification of sardar& Vijay's current emotions. No characters seemed to be unnecessary to the plot.

*** Sardar Movie Review ***

Starring Karthi in lead role, also starring Raashii Khanna Rajisha Vijayan , Laila , Chunky Pandey in lead role.

Directed by P. S. Mithran

Plot of the Movie..

Karthi playing the role of Police Inspector Vijay Prakash is quenching his thirst to become famous. One fine day he faces an issue where he takes a detour and realizes that if you're satisfied with the efforts you made for accomplishment of the goal then getting a fame is immaterial...

Analysis of the Movie...

1) The movie throws a very strong subject on the water lobby as how water is being price tagged overlooking the ill-effects of the plastic bottle kept unused/ misused for a long time...

2) PS Mithran had beautifully put forward his message considering the commercial elements which makes the audience to watch till the end...

3) Although we might have seen various hollywood spy thriller movies, here sardar also throws a light on it but at the same time, it remains as a subplot there by not overlapping the main plot and disturbing the cinematic interest..

4) Karthi in double had given an exemplary performance. Especially the voice modulation given for Father character of karthi defines his dedication towards the character...

5) Raashi Khanna and Rajisha Vijayan, from the usual contemporary heroine kinda performance had able to portray a different kind of performance in their limited space...

6) Laila , in her limited space had given justice...

7) Action sequences were well choreographed...

8) Music was ok kind...

9) Cinematography was good

Overall a subject of serious concern in today's time blended with commercial ingredients made Sardar a watchable flick movie...

Fails to keep the audience engaged throughout the movie due to songs, dance, romantic scenes and too much fight scenes (that looks so Unnatural). The movie should have sticked to a single genre (ie, a thriller). But there are moments which deserved an overall better movie. Some scenes have logical errors that are too obvious for the viewers to notice. Anyone who doesn't want to waste 2.43 hrs can fast forward from 1:30:00 and still understand the whole movie.

Overall Sardar (2022) has a good message but misses a good Direction from the crew.

Rating: 6.8/10

If you liked this review, make sure to check out @thegoodshots on YouTube.

This movie take karthi to nxt level, all his get up super. All the characters doing well in their role too. Good fight scenes, brilliant story n screen play. There's no room for boring. Really an intelligent movie, show lot of science fact and the method works. Definitely lot of goosebumps scenes. Not many songs in the movie, just two so far. No any unwanted romantic scenes or comedy. That doesn't mean no any comedy or romantic scenes. It is karthi movie of cz it would be fun n enjoyable movie. But this movie is really so serious n mass. Just a slight build up, but it's acceptable. This movie is about a life of spy, not many ppl know their struggles and sacrifices. So patriotic and family values. Kudos to the director to give such a wonderful treat for this deepavali. All the best for sardar team.

The movie reeks of convenient tropes of political action genre that we have seen umpteen times before - archetypal one-man powerful bureaucrat/capitalist as antagonist, and the usual preachy narration through manipulative emotional scenes involving deaths. But still the movie comes up as fresh and innovative attempt and ends up a good watch, primarily because of two reasons -one was Karthi's performance and the depth of his character, and the second was fast-paced screenplay . The screenplay isn't without logical inconsistencies but they can largely be ignored, if one is willing to appreciate the broader picture . The romantic scenes and misplaced 'meh' songs could have been avoided but they don't take more runtime than needed . Camera work was sloppy in the final sequence but otherwise it was consistently good in the rest of the movie Overall, it is a movie worth watching even with glaring flaws.

Karthi acting super... This movie is much better than prince... Rising Star Karthi will deserve national award.... A well written and well excuted.screenplay is awsm in this movie.definitely worth watching movie. Good concept and director works with very deep in the story the 2 nd half runs very intrest and very fast Finaly 👍👍👍. Best movie of the year.

Dir. Mitran congrats and best wishes.

You rocks again.

This movie is much better than prince... Rising Star Karthi will deserve national award.... Water is a major source of earth. If it also spoil the entire earth will spoil. SAVE EARTH 🌎. Tribute to all unsung Heroes.must watch film. Well made by p s mitran.

Sardar is not a perfect movie, but i would say it is a commercial movie done right. The story had more importance than a actors image or unwanted romantic scenes or forced mass scenes. Karthi gave a amazing performance as both son and father. It was nice to see laila on screen after a long time. Chunky pande was also good. All the other cast members gave a good performance. The action scenes were good, especially the one wich had sardar in it. The cinematography was nice, especially the Pakistan area shown in the movie. The editing in the action scenes were also good. The writing was good. The characters were established nicely.

The issue is that towards the climax, the movie dumbs down the stakes into very simple actions and spoon feeds it to the audience. The exposition in some dilouges felt too much, so that the audience is never confused. Some songs felt unnecessary, it adds nothing much to the movie, so could have avoided them.

Well designed and deserved Spy Action Thriller. Story deal with Water Politics and Spy in the Intelligence. PS Mithran again came back with a bang. Screenplayed greatly. Karthi stole the entire show with great performance in dual role as well as in the multiple getups. Characters designed well for Laila, Raashi Kanna, Rajisha Vijayan. Honoured the females with those characters, but they were coming in very few scenes. Rithu, Chunky Pandey, Munishkanth, Ilavarasu have shown their notable performance. Scenes and Dialogues written Strongly and Greatly. Wonderful content research from PS Mithran and co-writers. GV Prakash BGM gave great support to the film. Songs will get a late pickup once it start to circulate in the social media it seems. Great Cinematography, Lighting, Editing, Stunts - It gave a complete action feel. VFX and Artwork have given gripness to the film, it gave complete period feel as well as close to the reality. Another interesting and good film from P. S Mithran and his Team. Standing applause for Everyone. Carried good messages from this film after watching it.

As like Karthi's #Kaithi, Sardar is also staying as a Diwali Treat for all class audience and Karthi fans.

Become one of the biggest blockbuster of this year with huge box office collections. Must watch film in Theatres.

Karthi has been having a stunning year with three grand releases. Starting with his Rural flick Viruman, to the Blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan to now the Diwali release, Sardar, things have worked out just great for him.

Sardar is a movie about an attention seeking, Media friendly cop, Vijay Prakash, who has a past he wants to forget, gets a case that gives a major case that digs up many of his past horrors. How he starts facing that forms the crux of the story.

Karthi is absolutely stunning in this film and he sure definitely did a great job pulling of the both the roles of the police and the spy. Both Raashi Khanna and Rajisha Vijayan fit their roles and does their part well.

Laila, even though she had the role that moves the plot, her acting for certain sequences could have been better as it demanded better emotions. Chunky Pandey, is again the run of the mill millionare who wants nothing but do take the country under his control, and this time it is water. Rithwik, does pull some attention from the audiences but again passes as the over enthusiastic kid who can get away with anything.

Mithran does a good job to keep the audiences pinned to the screen as the screen play is definitely racy and presents the right platform for a complete action entertainer. He skilfully blends the water issue with many research materials which is quite impressive but as any movie, this movie looses track towards the climax portions and it may be passed on as a preachy film.

The action choreographer, Dhilip Subbarayan does do a commendable job and most of the action set pieces are very wonderful to look at. George C Williams with the camera does bring the magnificent canvas that Mithran wants to show us.

But this technically good film with a good story suffers from a few generic scenes and the very generic climax with a villain who we know will hate as he has many shades from different movies that we have already seen from Kaththi to Bhoomi recently. Also the movie could have been cut short as the movie only took off from the Pre interval sequence.

A good watch for family audeinces to enjoy, and with Karthi's and the other good performances, this is an above average movie going experience.

Who in their right minds thought casting Chunky Panday as the main antagonist was a good idea? Earlier this year, we got Chiyaan Vikram's lacklustre Cobra, and now this. PS Mithran inherits AR Murugadoss' "Wikipedia logic" and blends it with some weird conspiracy theories to come up with a boring, below-average affair. The plot is as hollow as a bamboo stick, the performances nothing to write home about. Also, there's some noticeably bad lip-sync even when native Tamil actors are speaking. Why do Bangladeshi officers speak Tamil with a Malayali accent whereas a Pakistani army general speaks English with a British accent? That horribly preachy scene in the climax was the nail in the coffin. A couple of set-pieces aside, Sardar is an utter waste of time.

Despite being hampered by commercial roadblocks, Sardar still succeeds in carrying out such a mammoth project, thanks to the brilliance in the screenplay by P. S. Mithran. Backed up by some scintillating background score from G V Prakash Kumar, this Karthi starter has much more to offer than just being any other spy thrillers out there.

Note - Though I will be discussing the screenplay techniques used in the feature, I will refrain from any kind of spoilers, as much as possible. Happy reading!

Prelude - The man behind the (Iron) Screen

Usually, after witnessing any feature in a theatre, people flock out, in-order to flock to a different kind of medium - Social Media. However, after this particular feature, the way we see and use mobile phones, let alone social media, was changed. The feature is Irumbu Thirai (Iron Screen) and the man who created the change is P. S. Mithran. The way the seriousness of the theme was handled was commended by many.

Although his next feature - Hero - was as ambitious as his first, it did not just strike a chord with the audience and ended up with a lukewarm response. Nevertheless, the treatment was more than enough for P. S. Mithran to earn a spot on my list of "Screenplay writers to watch out for".

Yes, he is a commercial director. Yes, the initial 30 minutes will have a mandatory "love" portion for the lead character (aka Hero). And Yes, the lead character ultimately wins! In spite of having such a stereotypical storyline in both of his previous films, P. S. Mithran stood out with the way he presented them, in his different approach to creating such thrillers. This was purely the only motive for me to watch his next feature - Sardar.

Screenplay - The Game Changer

If there is one element that changed the fate of Sardar, it's the screenplay. Though it follows a three-arc structure on its base, there were other techniques interlaced to provide a brilliant structure to the grandeur nature of the project. The screenplay is fairly linear in nature but employs a kind of Double Journey structure, whenever an emotional/psychological high moment occurs. Sometimes it employs flashbacks and sometimes it's flashforwards, but the emotion and the adrenaline rush stay the same throughout such sequences. It reminded me of Godfather Part 2 (1974), which had parallel dramas running - prequel and sequel to the Godfather (1972), which shows the rise of both the son and his father in different timelines (co-incidental?!).

Let me tell you an example. There is this sequence, where Vijay Prakash (Karthi) imagines himself in place of a kid, striking an emotional chord with him. The whole sequence panned out brilliantly from script to screen, thanks to the amalgamating work from P. S. Mithran (Writer/Director), George C. Williams (Cinematographer), Ruben (Editor), and G. V. Prakash Kumar (Music). The use of flashback was crisp, quick and highly effective, and was also exhibiting the dual nature of the story itself!

Starting from the subtext of the film (Once a spy, always a spy), to how good a spy should be, the feature is filled with setups and payoffs which are well written and used at places in a striking manner. Along with effective uses of callbacks, the screenplay draws audience attention to details to just the right amount, refraining from creating complex sub-plots, and once such callback sequence hits the screen, it for sure delivers some pleasure hormones to our brain cells!

But, with the advent of OTT, most of us are aware of such spy thriller genre. Hence, I will not be exaggerating if I say that we all know what happens next. But, it's the how that matters! That's where the use of Fabula and syuzhet comes in, which was used effectively in the genre of crime thrillers/investigations. Fabula is the raw material of a story and syuzhet is the way it was organised, and it is one of the commonly employed techniques were one witness the result first and then to the "how" part, later. Employing the Flashforward technique in combination with the Fabula and syuzhet, P. S. Mithran created a hybrid one where the screenplay is pretty linear and non-complex, and yet flashforwards to offer a high point just before an emotional high point occurs - the Action Blocks.

Action Blocks - Compelling one

For any spy thriller, it is a taken that the protoganist can do anything out of ordinary. He could smash multiple persons at once, handle extreme machineries, and carry out stunts that may be impossible in real world, with Beast and Vikram being prime examples. However, Sardar sets something different. By employing the screenplay techniques that were discussed earlier, the action blocks were used as a medium of storytelling, than just being a reason to show the muscle power of the lead. The execution was more than enough to pump enough adrenaline into the audience, to sustain their attention until such sequence occurs next. Hence, one will forgo the illogical sequences that might pop up here and there. Still, there are certain misses that P. S. Mithran could've caught earlier.

The Misses

As the feature dives into the world of Vijay Prakash, we witness a certain conversation between a (supposed) IT wing and a politician from a certain political party, which sort of provides the introduction for the lead (Vijay Prakash). However, we see no closing act for these people, and not even callbacks at any point of time. For a movie that used callbacks such effectively, this sequence was certainly a disappointment.

The same goes for the dreamy song sequence between the lead characters, Vijay Prakash and Shalini (Raashi Khanna). What could have been a song with just montage sequences, imparted the unwanted sequences with costumes and set pieces that are no way connected to this earth, literally!

Is it worth it?

Unlike Vikram, which was filled with guns, bullets, blood and action sequences, Sardar shows you the other side of being a spy. It lets us explore the downside of it, the after-effects, the repercussion it could've on a person's life. Though sounding more like a family drama, Sardar is still a compelling watch in the genre of a spy thriller, which reminds us the famous quote from Alfred Hitchcock.

"To make a great film, you need three things - the script, the script and the script."

• Alfred Hitchcock, known as the "Master of Suspense"

Sardar by PS Mithran, A good entertainer with a social message.

If you're making a commercial action film, you should understand that MUSIC will be the backbone of the film which will make the audience to enjoy the film.

This film seriously lacks good BGM and Songs!

Though the screenplay and action sequences are good, the BGM and songs are not lifting up the film!

If this film had a solid album and a banger BGM, I can assure you this film would've hit 200 crores!

GV Prakash, I hope you get back on track, Theri was the last good commercial album from you.

PS Mithran, nothing bad in your work but please take extra effort for your future film's songs and BGM!

Overall: 6.5/10.

The perfect Indianised version of James bond 007

The success of this movie is the script. Well written script with the solid screen play keeps the viewers engaging from Start to end. Hats off to director co writer P. S. Mithran for writing such a wonderful movie.

Next our hero Karthy, he is just like a water , he fits in to every character she tooks up From Vandhiya Thevan to sardar Karthi had stunned us with his acting skills Next comes the background score , elevated each and every scenes The action sequences are well made Each and every department of this movie works very well to provide us with such a wonderful movie Overall a worth watching movie ever made in india on spy thriller category.

Best movie of 2022 with a social message on water which has been portrait with such a ease and then the acting of the Sardar himself it's excellent and all the other actors special mention to Chanky pander as well he has done a good job here. Also the story telling action sequence all are so good to see on the screen good music. Expecting more of such movies to be taken in Indian cinema and use this as a tool to tell the environmental problem the world is facing today rather than making big cinema just to earn money not saying don't make money but do something for the betterment of the society as well and educate.

What a Story, PS Mithran sir thank you to give a wonder ful msg with Strong story line. Karthi aka Sardar/Vijay if I want to choose one character of him, I definitely go with Agent SARDAR what a man, his patriotism is NXT level. His life is for Nation 🙏. Karthi do such a powerful character n Police cop too. He mangae both characters with different body language, i really loved it. All characters are done their Job. All the Best to Sardar Crew. Each scene intriguing second half is completely 🔥🔥🔥. Absolutely beautiful msg from people to understand and also patriotism. Simply I said "Once a Spy, always a Spy"

Awesome spy film. Felt like Hollywood type movie. Screenplay to direction simply superb. Can watch over and over again for karthi mind blowing dual performance. Story is excellent. There is not a dull moment. Great comeback for Laila and the boy was very good in his role. Actress the usual filler. Songs not so great and distraction in the fast paced flick. Karthi is a on a roll this year with back to back hits. Hollywood range. Unexpected twist turns and climax. Can't wait for the sequel. Highly recommend this movie. Wish I saw it sooner and didn't wait so long to watch this masterpiece. Simply wow movie.

Great acting by the hero Karthik and perfect direction good content and a very important message for the society and we expect the part 2 also for this movie I loved this movie very much a very good subject got for the director and it is a perfect role for the Karthik I didn't expected this much content from the Karthik he is really superb and the heroine also and the emotions of this movie is also fine there is a perfect role for the intelligence of the hero in this movie were Karthik did the great job I have became a fan of Karthik after this movie and wating for the part 2 eagerly awesome wonder and great.

Excellent Patriotic movie in Recent times.

The story line is Novel on Indian screen. Taking is Gripping & Thrilling for entire 2.45 hours length but not boring .

Karthi Getups in the movie are very apt & meaningful. Concept of Bottled water scam & Water network are shown excellently, thus depicting need for water saving in the Country.

Truly satisfied after watching this movie. Narration is good & Screenplay is extraordinary.

Kudos to the director & writer for presenting such a wonderful movie. Every Indian must watch this movie & nurture their Patriotism towards the Mother India.

My rating 9/10.

Sardar is highly entertaining, packed with engaging action and drama that kept me hooked throughout. The performances are strong, with the lead delivering a compelling portrayal that adds depth to the story. The cinematography is also impressive, capturing the grandeur and intensity of the narrative effectively.

However, the film isn't without its flaws. The runtime is quite long, which can be a bit daunting and makes the film feel somewhat stretched. There are moments where the script veers into implausibility, stretching credibility and making it hard to fully buy into the story. While the film aims for epic scale, it occasionally gets bogged down in its own ambition.

In summary, this film delivers on entertainment value and boasts solid performances and stunning visuals. Yet, its lengthy runtime and some dubious plot points might not appeal to everyone. It's an ambitious effort that, despite its flaws, offers an engaging watch for those who enjoy grand, dramatic narratives.