'Sridevi Soda Center' has hit the screens. The film is out in a large number of theatres. Here is our review:
Story:
Lighting Sooribabu (Sudheer Babu), who belongs to an oppressed caste, falls in love with Sodala Sridevi (Anandhi), the daughter of a caste-conscious man (played by VK Naresh). The village's feudal lord Kasi (Pavel Navageethan) is attracted to Sridevi. Just as Sridevi starts reciprocating Sooribabu's feelings, the latter develops a rivalry with Kasi's trusted lieutenant. The rest of the film is about the repercussions of the love, the violent rivalry, and more.
Analysis:
Writer-director Karuna Kumar of 'Palasa 1978' fame is back. Unlike his debut movie, which was powerful in its narrative and statement, the film under review is an exercise in endless cliches. The love story is run of the mill, while the conflict plot point culminates in a shocking yet familiar climax. The caste angle is not explored in an intelligent way. It doesn't evoke any melancholy in the audience.
The first half goes into building up the love story. The way Suribabu moons over Sridevi, the latter's characterization (which was evident in the trailer itself), the turns their love story takes eventually - none of them packs a punch. It would have been phenomenal had the element of Suribabu getting embroiled in a murder case been milked to deliver a well-rounded screenplay arc.
The rom-com scenes are old-fashioned to the hilt. One grows increasingly restless with the routine lines spouted by the antagonist. In the presence of the heroine, the hero has a list of platitudes to mouth. A sequence involving him and Rocket Raghava was intended to be a hoot. But it's hardly funny.
The father-son bonding (the male lead's father is played by an effective Raghu Babu), the hero-friend camaraderie (Satyam Rajesh does a fine job), the father-daughter equations (read the Anandhi-Naresh duo) - they all should have resulted in a fruitful and engaging story.
Characters played by the likes of Harshavardhan and Ajay don't raise the bar. The prison scenes are a dampener. The less said about the fights, the better. They are primitive and have zero novelty.
One loses all hope, but the climax sort of passes muster. Even here, it could have been more poignant than what the film has in store in terms of execution.
Mani Sharma's songs are much better than the routine background score. The cinematography is okayish. At 152 minutes, the film is too lengthy.
Sudheer Babu proves his mettle years after 'Sammohanam'. He works hard and builds a macho look. He is also likable as a young lover boy who does cute things. Anandhi's chemistry with him is impressive. Raghu Babu and Naresh compete with each other to give their best. Pavel Navageethan doesn't make a mark.
Verdict:
'Sridevi Soda Center' is an ineffective romantic actioner.
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