Saturday Aug 16 2008, Chennai

Sathyam- Predictable cop story

Directed by - A.Rajasekhar

Produced by - Vikram Krishna

Music by - Harris Jayaraj

Casts - Vishal,Nayantara, Upendra, Premji Amaran, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Ravi Kale, Sudha Chandran etc.

Banner - Null

So, does ‘Sathyam’ live up to its hype and expectations? ’Yes’ and ‘No’.The ambitious and hard working hero Vishal has hit the bull’s eye, while the debutant director A.Rajasekhar has failed to do so, as he opts for an oft-repeated story and predictable script that lacks novelty.Vishal has done remarkably well to make his first encounter with a cop role impressive and R.D.

Rajashekar, (cinematographer), Craig Mumma (Visual effects), and Stun Siva (action) have added much value to the fare.Nayantara too has succeeded in providing the glamour quotient while Harris Jayaraj has managed to impress with his tunes and background score.Despite all these pluses, the movie disappoints, as what has come out is a regular cop flick that shows an honest police officer taking on the corrupt system.ACP Sathyam (Vishal) enters the scene almost flying to save a thug from the bullets of his colleagues.He wants to deal with the culprits strictly by law, come what may.

For him law is synonyms to God (Sattamum saamiyum Onnu- that’s his motto!).Home Minister Kondal Dasan (Kota Srinivasa Rao) entrusts Sathyam with the responsibility of investigating the murders of the ministers.He finds a political motive behind the killings and finds the killer.The investigations further lead him to a shocking finding, which links him to his past.The killer is none other than his role model and an ex-police officer Manikavel (Upendra), who is now on a hunting spree to eliminate the anti-social elements.

Sathyam puts him behind the bars and challenges him saying that he would punish the culprits, but by following the law.Sathyam then takes on the system single-handedly and consequently he gets into deep trouble.The rest of the story tells you how he fulfils his mission.Added to all this, you have the young television reporter Deva (the glamourous Nayantara), moving around in a funny manner and falling for the hero.‘Sathyam’ disappoints, as the debutant director fails to come out with any thing new in the story or the treatment.

He follows the regular track and tries to impress us with clichéd scenes.He banks heavily on Vishal’s stunts and Nayan’s glamour rather than on the story and the script.Vishal, with a well-toned body and well-shaped muscles, looks awesome.He also renders credible performance as a police officer.But the director goes overboard in action scenes.

Vishal goes on beating up the baddies, who keep on coming in batches.The car chase scenes anyhow have been executed well.The disappointing climax shows a bald headed Vishal giving a long speech before settling things.Kota Srinivasa Rao and Ravi Kale (as ‘Dilli’, a gangster) effectively play the negative roles.Upendra, debuting in Tamil, has impressed with his powerful rendition.

His expressive eyes make his portrayal more credible.Nayantara sizzles with her figure but fizzles when it comes to acting.The culprit again is the director, who has failed to shape up her role well.Premji Amaran’s effort to make us laugh with the support of Nayantara and a few kids falls flat.Harris Jayaraj’s tunes are hummable while his BGM is effective.

Siva’s stunt choreography is breathtaking and R.D.Rajashekar’s camera work is brilliant.The picturisation of a couple of songs (including the much publicized “Chellame…”) is good but the placement of the songs spoils the tempo.‘Sathyam’, a predictable cop story with nothing new to offer, remains as Vishal’s one-man-show.

The first half is dragging with many unwarranted scenes being put in in the name of fun.The resemblance to cop movies like ‘Kaakka Kaakka’, ‘Samy’ and many Telugu cop movies too mars the impact.The flashback sequences too don’t invoke the desired emotional impact.Overall, a predictable and rather disappointing fare.