Arun Pawar’s Sapthagiri Express (2016) Movie Review

Movie Name: Sapthagiri Express
Cast: Sapthagiri, Roshini Prakash, Ali, Shakalaka Shankar, Posani Krishna Murali, Shayaji Shinde and Ajay Ghosh.
Music Composed by Bulganin
Directed by Arun Pawar
Cinematography by C Ram Prasad
Edited by Goutham Raju
Produced by Dr K Ravi Kiran

Assistant director turned actor Sapthagiri, who had a decent outings with comedy roles in youthful entertainers has taken up a lead role with commercially viable subject for the first time. “Sapthagiri Express” is touted to be an action drama with some melodramatic episodes. Did director Arun Pawar rallied with a decent cop entertainer? Let’s check out in the review.

Movie starts off as a Selvaraghavan film underlining the labored relationship between son Katamarayudu (Sapthagiri) aspiring theatre artist and his martinet father constable Shiva Reddy (Shivareddy). Following Selva’s style again, it even starts to explore love story of a happy go lucky guy, who tries to woo the new girl in colony Poornima (Roshini Prakash). But things change around when Shiva Reddy’s sudden death leaves him in muddiness and he gets his father’s constable job, but the secret of his father’s death makes a long lasting impact on his life. The encumbrance is now on him to take revenge on his father’s killers (As they were in vicinage of each other always!!) in between his romance with Poornima.

Comedian turned actor Sapthagiri is clearly hanging on to straws hoping to get a lucky break with Sapthagiri Express. He gives it his all and then some more. He acts, spoofs, fights, romances and not to forget, dances. But sadly that’s not enough to save this train wreck of a film. Whereas, debutante Roshini Prakash reminds me of a TV actress, who puts all heart into Poornima’s character, makes the otherwise flashy affair a bit bearable due to her looks. Providing the much needed comic support, Shakalaka Shankar, Bhaskar, Sudhakar, Naresh and colony batch are okay with their okayish timing. Shayaji Shinde sincerely tries to put up a good show as a sincere policeman but Posani Krishna Murali and another villain are not up to the mark in the antagonist roles. Also Shiva Prasad and Rajeswari garu as parents of Sapthagiri are just in few scenes to fill up the space.

In the recent times commercial entertainment has been going through very tough times as writers and directors are following the same old template for every film and failing to innovate even within the realms of genre. And as expected, same in the case with Arun Pawar’s Sapthagiri Express. Arun incorporates the film with every atavistic trapping that could have been used and imbibes it with unnecessary ruffles and points throughout the film. Sometimes you wish the director could have changed simple things and carry the fun soul of the Tamil film “Thirudan Police” (2014) instead. Rather changing major sequences and dragging things out in the climax. The only thing Arun Pawar gets right are couple of songs and comedy episodes,

In an attempt to follow the bigger the better mantra, Arun Pawar goofs it up, not knowing where to stop the spoof (over the top scenes!), he inflicts us with a barrage of senseless scenes that go for ever. Wonder, how the writers didn’t find it odd that hyper nervous Katamarayudu and Kanipakam plan to chop off every chain snatchers hand in Hyderabad and attach them back as they accept their faults. It even appears that script team and director felt that female molestation is a joke, even in a comic film, it is disrespectful and in bad taste. Also much of mockery made of son’s feelings for his father and that seems off in a tale on father son relation. Even if we give logic and reason some rest, such ambiguities are too glaring to be dismissed.

It is futile to talk about the technical aspects in a semi-spoof film because it isn’t eyeing on an award in music or art or choreography or cinematography. Having said that in consideration, the cinematography and choreography are in sync with the mood of the film. Bulganin’s BGM and Papa Nuvvu is quite harmonious and the rest of the songs are just out of the line. This budding musician even tries to imitate “Amma Amma” track from Raghuvaran B Tech as “Velugu Cheekati” in the film with the same rhythm. The editor could worked a bit on continuity issues. The dialogues by Rajashekar Reddy takes us to new depths of idiocy, with Shakalaka Shankar being the pick of the lot.

All in all, Sapthagiri Express is highly forgettable remake from Sapthagiri and team.

Survi Review: 1/5