'Sarpatta Parampara', dubbed from Tamil, is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Here is our review of the latest OTT release.

Story:

The film is set in the 1970s Madras. Those are the days of Emergency when two boxing camps are rivals in the city. One of them is Sarpatta Parampara, which is coached by Rangan (Pasupathy). The other one is Idiyappam Parampara, which is trained by Duraikannu (GM Kumar).

Samaran (Arya) grows up watching boxing and admiring the sport. But since his mother wants him to stay away from the sport, he keeps his admiration for the sport subdued. There comes a point when he has to take up boxing for an honourable reason. What is it? What consequences does he face because of the life-altering decision? Answers to these questions are found in the course of the film.

Analysis:

Director Pa Ranjith of 'Kabali' and 'Kaala' fame is back with a bang. After failing to enthuse fanboys of Rajinikanth with 'Kabali' and the highly overrated 'Kaala', the 'Madras' director taps into his creative prowess in telling a rousing tale. The Kollywood director infuses his film with a socio-political message as well. While the product is laced with the Tamil nativity, the Telugu audience will not find it underwhelming.

The performances are top-notch, with Arya delivering a dekko. The actor plays the challenging physical role with ease. He looks electric in the ring. The rest of the cast is very good, too. He is egged on by Anbariv's stunt choreography to deliver goods. Ramalingam's production design rises up to the occasion. After all, the movie is a period film and the visuals had to be convincing without fail.

The film is helped immensely by the fact that Santhosh Narayanan and Murali G turn out to be their major assets. The former's music adds to the intense toppings. And the latter is superb as a director of photography with finesse.

Pa Ranjith, true to his style, enriches the second half with a pronounced social commentary. The protagonist gets some solid lines, backed also by a group of well-rounded characters around him.

On the flip side, 'Sarpatta Parampara' does slow down at times. As the pace slackens, we feel that there should be more to the drama that is on offer. Mariyamma (Dushara Vijayan), who plays the hero's wife, is remarkable and it's her characterization that saves at least a couple of scenes.

There should have been more drama to how Arya's character takes different turns as per the story. The pre-climax portions could have been tight.

Verdict:

The film comes with a strong socio-political subtext and subtleties. The backdrop, Arya's brilliant performance and the screenplay are its strengths. The second half feels like a drag on the flipside.