Saaho: A futile attempt to cater to the ‘mass appeal’ of Prabhas

You are introduced to a fictional city Waaji. You are shown multiple characters. And there is a voice-over that explains what is what. But you buy nothing. There’s a film within the film.

In an interview with indianexpress.com, Prabhas had said, “For every ten minutes, there is a ‘surprise’ in Saaho.” After catching the film, I am confused as to what he was referring to. The film doesn’t fare any better plot-wise. To be honest, there’s no plot as everything is a matter of convenience in a ‘masala’ film. Prabhas’ character tells Amrita Nair (Shraddha Kapoor), “What are you doing in the police department?” He thinks only ‘men’ are eligible to investigate cases. Is it?

Prabhas flies in the air like Shaktiman in one scene. In another, we see Shraddha and Prabhas fight with baddies, exchanging cute romantic glances. As an audience, you ask “Am I watching a cop story?” Even, Neil Nitin Mukesh gets the same doubt and messages Shraddha, “Are you still police?” She gets upset by the text and puts her phone down. Shraddha candidly acknowledges she doesn’t have much to do in the film. “You seem to know everything. I am not being useful to you, I guess,” she tells Prabhas. Guess what? I was laughing out loud.

It was easy for the audience to invest in Baahubali because of the hero Amarendra Baahubali. In Saaho, you have a confusing Prabhas who can’t make up his mind—if he wants to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’. He gets one of the bizarre hero-introduction shots. The camera zooms in after five whistles. Err… cooker whistles!

Also, hey, there’s a song called “Bad Boy” in which Prabhas dances with beach girls, okay? You can’t blame him for the mess, after all. Sujeeth Reddy is equally liable for the goof-up. As one of the characters rightly says, “Nothing here is as it seems.”

There’s an interval block as Prabhas tells, “It’s showtime”. But you feel like saying, “No, I am done. I want to go home.” That’s when the film actually starts. Saaho goes through an identity crisis as Sujeeth tries too many things with too many characters that lead to mindless twists and the result: you lose focus and interest. You can hardly keep track of what’s happening.

You are shown exotic locations, swanky cars and stylish bikes. You get a glimpse at all the expensive stuff. I agree it’s difficult to put them together and make a film. But Saaho needed a much more able filmmaker than Sujeeth. Someone who knows what he is dealing with, without being blinded by Prabhas’ star image. Saaho may have ‘mass scenes’ that elevate the theatrical experience of Prabhas’ diehard fans, but it’s not wholesome.

We were told Saaho was made on the budget of Rs 350 crore, but a poorly-made VFX panther and a python try to scare us to no effect. Saaho is proof that Sujeeth needs to work on his storytelling and writing. A character, initially, scratches his ass and yawns. I left the theater doing the same.