Movie reivew Policegiri: Sanjay Dutt’s forced delivery makes him a trial to watch

The Indian Express rating: *

Ten years ago,superhit Tamil film Saamy presented a Robin Hood type cop making whoopee in a small town. That cop was played by Vikram with great raffish style,and was the inspiration for Salman Khan’s act in Dabangg. The dark glasses thrust down the back of the shirt was an idea that Dabangg stole,among several others. I watched Saamy and can testify that it was a hoot.

Policegiri is a remake of Saamy,and it is most certainly not a hoot. It is a terrible film,with none of the Tamil original’s sense of fun,trying to boost a star who looks well past his sell-by date. Sanjay Dutt plays Rudra,a ‘combo’ of goonda and good guy,whose one line self-descriptor is ‘buy one get one free’. His love interest is Prachi Desai who doesn’t just look half his age; she looks much less than half his age. And he is up against bad guy Nagori Subramaniyam (Raj),who rampages about,killing people and buying corrupt cops.

There is not one thing about this film that is worthy of being watched. Not poor Desai who wears the most horrendous make-up (her cheeks alternate with hot pink and orange) and trying to look suitably lovelorn. Not Prakash Raj,who is doing what he has been doing in all of these hyper-violent Madras Cut films,clunking innocents on the head and doing loud dialoguebaazi,and here,trying to match steps with a visibly ageing Dutt.

And certainly not Sanjay Dutt,who in real life is serving his prison term,and whose producers are harbouring mistaken notions that audiences are dying to watch him. His dissolute face and forced delivery makes him a trial to watch. Dear Munnabhai,could you please desist ? At least for the time being?

shubhra.gupta@expressindia.com