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This is an archive article published on January 13, 2024
Saindhav movie review: Venkatesh film is utterly avoidable
Saindhav movie review: It seems to be the Rana Naidu impact that Venkatesh has chosen a family-centric action thriller as his 75th project.
Actor Venkaesh Daggubati plays the titular role in Saindhav.
Venkatesh Daggubati’s 75th film, in a career spanning 37 years, is a landmark film. Having revived his career with Drushyam films, F2 and most recently maiden OTT venture Rana Naidu, Venkatesh is not ready to slow down. The mostly negative criticism for Rana Naidu appears to have rattled him, as he has been a mascot for family entertainment almost all of his career. Perhaps that is the reason he has chosen a family-centric action thriller as his 75th project. After successfully delivering two HIT series thrillers, this is a huge next step for director Sailesh Kolanu as well, with Rs 80 crore as its massive budget.
Saindhav is set in a fictional city called Chandra Prastha, which is a hotbed for terrorism, smuggling and also supplies mercenaries to the world. Most of the activity is controlled by a cartel, headed by Vishwamitra (Mukhesh Rishi), supported by Vikas Malik (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Michael (Jishu Sen Gupta).
Saindhav (Venkatesh) was also a member of this group earlier, but is now leading a peaceful life with his daughter Gayatri (Sara Palekar). Manognya (Sraddha Srinadh) is their neighbour, who is also in love with Saindhav.
The cartel is on the verge of finalising a major deal but everything is confiscated by custom officer Murthy (JayaPrakash) under whom Saindhav is employed as a crane operator. Gayatri, meanwhile, is diagnosed with a dangerous illness called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, SMA, and needs an urgent injection that costs Rs 17 crores. While struggling to get money for this medicine and save his daughter, Saindhav also gets dragged back into the cartel, only to finally destroy it. How he achieves it, who helps him and who gets in his way and why the issue becomes important to the lives of over 300 kids forms the rest of the story.
This is a sort of John Wick-meets-Drushyam with a touch of medical thriller in a mythical city that may be inspired by Gotham city. The father we get to see in the beginning is not one awash in his daughter’s love, nor is he a repentant soul. He appears as if he is just waiting for the first push to get back to his old ways.
Shraddha brings some sobriety to the action, but most of the narrative feels plastic and forced. Nawaz’s hyper act mixed with his fixation for Jasmine (Andrea Jeremiah), his dangerous looking assistant appears funny in the beginning, but wears off soon enough.
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As the war escalates and turns into a one-man show, with Venkatesh yelling “lekka maruddhi” every once in a while, all I could think was adding a number to the flop count this season. It is a Rana Naidu repeat for Venkatesh in terms of acting.
Saindhav is an avoidable film; fans can catch it on OTT.
Saindhav movie cast: Venkatesh, Sraddha Shrinath, Andrea Jeremiah, Sara Palekar, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Saindhav movie director: Sailesh Kolanu
Saindhav movie rating: 1.5 stars
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