Reloaded Sagar looks great, but...

Review by P.Muraleedharan

'Sagar -Alias Jackie-Reloaded' has been one of the most hyped and eagerly awaited films in recent times. Nobody can dispute that. But, the Mohanlal film directed by Amal Neerad, touted to be one of the most stylish films ever made in Malayalam, falls flat on its face.

It is not a movie, but an apparition of one; not a single character, including that of Mohanlal, has its feet on the ground. That is quite a feat to achieve, for sure! Hats off to you, Amal!

 

The film is a sequel to 'Irupatham Noottandu', directed by K.Madhu and scripted by S.N.Swamy, way back in 1987. Its hero, Sagar, was an earthy fellow with a human heart, who succumbed to the force of circumstances and became a smuggler. Twenty years later, he is a big don operating from Dubai, who deals in 'biscuit' and construction'.

 

Amal Neerad has tried to improve upon his debut directorial venture, 'Big B', in terms of style. But, without a beating heart (a credible plot and intent), the style looks like new clothes on a corpse. The situations look contrived and characters unconvincing. Towards the climax, there is a scene where the hero slits the throat of a baddie. Its effect was...Yawn! Nobody knows whether the 'effect' is exactly what the director wanted!

 

And Mohanlal, the gifted actor known for his effortless emoting, tries his best to look a wooden don. He is seen with a leather jacket on even in the sultry, humid climate of Kerala. One thing is clear: It is time Mohanlal chose his roles carefully. If he fails to realise what suits him best, he is in for trouble.

 

The story goes like this: One day he gets a call from Indu (Shobhana), the daughter of Kerala CM (Nedumudi Venu), requesting his services to save her husband Manu (Manoj K.Jayan) from a gang of kidnappers.

 

Sagar obliges her promptly. He lands in Goa with a band of goons (Sorry, since they are with the hero, we have to call them 'bodyguards!) and rescues Manu from the clutches of Rozario brothers, led by Michael (Sampath). Sagar has an ongoing rivary with another Dubai based don, Naina (Suman). The enemies of Sagar join hands to finish him off, but being the smart cookie that he is (It cannot be otherwise!), he is able to outthink and outlast them.

 

In between, he meets Aarathy Menon (Bhavana), a TV reporter out to expose Jackie, the Don and there is time enough for a duet. (Of course, the viewers boo it!).

 

The surprising thing about the movie is that it is almost a play, with two or three major sets. One of the sets is the chief minister's residence, where most of the dialogues take place.  The irritable Hari (Ganesh), the brother of Indu and an enemy of Sagar, has performed well. All others in the cast, including Nedumudi, Sobhana and Jagathy, have nothing much to perform. The superstar's son, Pranav make a passing appearance in the movie, towards the end.

 

Cinematography by the director himself is excellent, so is the fast-paced editing. But, the music by Gopi Sundar is loud and disappointing.

Source: www.filmysouth.com