Review: Venkatesh, Nawazuddin's Saindhav Scores With Sharp Writing & Good Acting

Saindhav (starring Venkatesh, who exudes enough gravitas in his 75th film) is a slow-burn gun fight action extravaganza. Before I go into the good points (which this film does have plenty), I must mention the aspect where the movie doesn't score - primarily the spoon-feeding bits, which could’ve been avoided or shortened to make the experience a more enhanced, crisper one.

The film, however, works to a large extent also because its characters are given sharp, intelligent and interesting lines to deliver and there is no character kept just for the sake of swallowing up screen-time.

But then this is a given from writer-director Sailesh Kolanu, whose previous action thrillers (for instance the HIT franchise) have set us up for what can be termed as his signature filmmaking and writing style. Some of the dialogues draw a chuckle, specially when they refer to prevalent cinematic tropes that Telugu cinema is known for (e.g: a line that says “all heroes need one elevation, one build-up and we have to keep delivering, right?”). Sailesh reserves them to be delivered by the most interesting villain to grace Telugu films in a long time - Vikas Malik, played to menacing might by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 

Saindhav’s story is set in a make-believe port city Chandraprastha, that is run by a cartel. It follows the “Vikram” template where a middle-aged man takes on the mighty powers that be in order to save his family. In a scene that follows a heavy duty-action block (of which there are many in almost all variety - guns, fist fight, knives, even a fully-equipped James Bond type gadget of a car) Saindhav tells Mano (Shraddha Srinath), “My flashback is not so interesting or filled with goodness that we have to sit down and listen to it”.

Such lines help in doing away with scenes that otherwise would’ve been written off as cliches. These moments did make me smile at the thought of how Sailesh has cleverly handled a hero-like Venkatesh who comes with his own iconic status and yet it is in Saindhav (after a really long time) one sees him with as much realism as there is heroism. But the high speed shots that show the hero’s legacy (however well-deserved) and a couple of unwanted songs tend to drag the film (Santosh Narayanan’s work in both songs and the background music is a bit dull in this action saga). 

What sets Saindhav apart from a lot of revenge sagas is its excellent sketching of the villain, whose scenes form a world of their own. The rise of Vikas can make for a separate film, and Nawazuddin’s role reminds one of his character in Sacred Games.

In tackling a cunning fox like Vikas lies Saindhav’s larger victory (which is the adage for Venkatesh and his illustrious career). Vikas is a vile creature who would not stop at doing anything violent to anyone save for Jasmine (a fit and fine Andrea). He plays 'Flames' with her name and adores and worships her, even though she is like his “henchman”.

Jasmine, whose remorselessness sees an expression only in the climax, is mostly used only to follow orders but she’s the one who has the power over Vikas.

The role was a tad iffy for me in this story. Perhaps there is a sequel for Jasmine and her revenge on Saindhav, like the climax suggests? That would be good to watch as Andrea is a talented actor who can show us what she can do with a role as grey as this. Arya gets a cameo and a pre-climactic action sequence which sort of brings the film back on track from a meddling middle order to playing on the front foot in its action thriller mode.

The emotional beats work, though it feels a tad repetitive. Venkatesh shines in his father -daughter scenes (the climax intercut between his lament as a father and his killing machine spree shows his strength as an actor, not to forget the excellent writing).

The film narrates Saindhav’s tale in a non-linear fashion, which is quite impressive as we have two fights from two different and two same time zones intercut splendidly. The mightier the villain the more powerful a hero becomes, and Saindhav toes this adage in perfect alignment. 

Nawazuddin speaks Telugu and Hindi in an overlapping speed that will make you go “wow” and it is simply amazing as to how he stops his acting pitch just at the right moment before it gets to be labeled “hamming”.

There's a splendid control over craft, and that is also largely thanks to how his character is written. The magic happens only when the written word is captured for real by a good actor. The humour in Saindhav is ironically linked to its evilest man as well. Nawazuddin’s Vikas Malik will be remembered for long. In the post climax scene, folks in the theatre were already mouthing “Ben Stokes” and mooning over Jasmine like he does on screen.  

Saindhav also has Shraddh Srinath in a role that is modern, graceful and dignified. Her Mano has her own agency.

Mano is an independent taxi driver who tells the powerful hero that she doesn’t need him to fight her battle with her abusive ex-husband and that she will deal with her problem. However the hero does step in, like he has to in any Telugu film especially if the hero is a superman-like figure like Venkatesh.  

Saindhav (aka Sailesh Konneru aka Saiko, the pun with the name sounding like psycho is intended) has action scenes where the weapons are put to good use. The violence is graphic and is positioned as a justification, specially when the hero is not just fighting for his child’s life but also for other children.

Violence in a blockbuster has now become the norm. Saindhav is no different and the action sequences attempt at becoming one notch above what we have been seeing in all the blockbuster films across languages so far. In the end, the director makes an appearance with a bound script (like that bound document is his arsenal, his weapon) uttering those very words (blockbuster film) on screen. I must say I did admire his chutzpah. 

In the theatre I saw the film at, the lights came on for announcing the interval about twenty minutes ahead of the intended time. The lights came on for a brief two minutes and dimmed again as the film continued to play. But this unintended interval point could’ve very well been the correct interval point for the film. However in cinema, like in other creative arts, there is no “correct way” or “perfect way” of making a film. This is Sailesh Kolanu’s way and his way works for most part in Saindhav. And Kolanu’s way doffs its hat to Kamal Haasan, Hey Ram, Mani Ratnam and Nayakan, along with giving its leading man Venkatesh a memorable landmark performance.