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Sardar Movie Review : Sardar is a solid spy movie, nothing more nothing less

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Sardar - Official Tamil Trailer

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Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

C NAVEEN CHANDERASEKAR 491 days ago

Good movie nice message and BGM����

Karthikeyan 627 days ago

MOVIE: SARDAR<br/>MY RATING: 4.5/5<br/><br/>SARDAR MOVIE IS A SPY THRILLER THAT WILL DEFINITELY A WORTH WATCH FILM THE MOVIE STORY IS QUITE UNIQUE AND A GOOD SOCIAL MESSAGE IS THERE IN THE FILM.THE MOVIE EXECUTED VERY VELL.AND COMMING TO PERFORMANCES ALL DID A GOOD JOB TO THEIR ROLES IN PERFORMANCES KARTHI GIVEN A VERY TERRIFIC PERFORMANCE MOSTLY IN SARDAR ROLE HE LIFTED WHOLE MOVIE IN HIS SHOULDER WITH IS FABULOUS PERFORMANCE AND DIRECTOR PS.MITRAN HANDLED THIS SPY THRILLER IN WONDERFUL WAY.AS WE TALKED ABOVE THE EXECUTION OF MOVIE IS WONDERFUL.AND THE BGM IS TOPNOTCH.AND FINALLY PRODUCTION VALUES ARE TOO GOOD.ACTION SEQUENCES ARE ALSO WONDERFUL.<br/><br/>PLUS<br/><br/>KARTHI ACTING <br/>STORY AND SCREENPLAY <br/>EXECUTION <br/>SPY CONTENT <br/>FAST PACED NARRATION<br/>ACTION SEQUENCES<br/>CASTING <br/><br/>DRAWBACKS <br/><br/>LENGTHY RUNTIME<br/><br/>OVERALL:DEFINITELY WORTH WATCH

Bibin Solomon 682 days ago

Lakshmithandapani 683 days ago.

Paste super

Karthi User 693 days ago

A fantastic spy thriller. A stellar performance by Karthi as Sardar. Pulling off a dual role with opposite characterisation is not a small task. The storyline is nice. Screenplay is excellent. Cinematography deserves an applause. Action sequences are superb. The parallel screenplay scenes are excellent. A must watch movie for Spy/Action/thriller movie lovers.&nbsp;

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'Sardar' movie review: Karthi shines in a massy spy thriller with a compelling message

PS Mithran is a committed filmmaker. In his three films so far, the heroes have changed, the heroines have changed, the setting has changed, the look and feel of the films have changed, and the producer has changed, but one thing remains unchanged — the villain. Be it in Irumbuthirai or Hero, or his latest, Sardar, the villain might seem like one person, but it is actually the concept of commercialisation. What’s fascinating about this constant commentary on commercialisation is how the focus, more often than not, is always on people’s choices. Of course, Mithran’s films always have an overarching conflict and an underlying message. However, the resolution of it all isn’t just the responsibility of the protagonist, but is thrown open for the audience to engage and take home a message. More importantly, it makes the audience think of their next move with respect to the theme dealt with in his films. Sardar does that with consummate flair and strikes a balance between being a mass masala entertainer, and a message film with its heart in the right place.

Sardar has a fascinating cold open. It is the 80s. A renegade spy kills a high-ranking Intelligence official. Now, this spy is branded a traitor, but since it is played by Karthi, we definitely know who is on the right side. Nevertheless, the film soon shifts to the present where we see his son Vijayaprakash (Karthi again), a social media-savvy cop, who wants to remove the tag of being a 'traitor's son.' It is an interesting character arc that is milked for entertainment just long enough to ensure the gimmick doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, this tact of knowing when to stop a trope is the strength of Sardar's writing. While the sudden detours to a couple of songs feel like a deterrent to the otherwise on-point narration, the way Mithran uses these songs as montage sequences to further the plot is a welcome sight. While it is clear that we might have to wait longer for espionage thrillers to do away with songs altogether, this is a good middle ground.

Such is the shadow of Vikram that even the usual line of calling a spy a ghost reminds us of the Lokesh Kanagaraj film. Anyway, Sardar might actually remind us of the criminally underrated Bhavesh Joshi, and Velaikkaran. The central conceit is also a hat-tip to the real-life story of a famous Imperial Japanese soldier stationed on an island in the Philippines for three decades. But, make no mistake, Sardar is its own beast, and that is very much due to some smart writing and a brilliant Karthi at the centre of it all. In fact, it is one of the best performances from Karthi in what can be considered one of his massiest films to date. While it is Sardar who gets the maximum applause, his Vijayaprakash wonderfully holds fort on the other end. Considering it is a spy thriller, most of the big buildup moments work best in Sardar's story, and it is fascinating how Karthi, with his shaggy beard and gruff voice, almost makes us forget that he is also the uber-cool clean-shaven cop who is on a similar investigation trail, albeit from another direction. Also, full points to the team for relegating the father-son relationship to the background, and not having any grand sequences that might have distracted us from the plot.

Another highlight of Sardar is definitely the ensemble cast, which comes together to deliver a compelling film. Be it Chunky Panday as the primary antagonist or Yugi Sethu and Avinash as ex-RAW agents, the functioning of the clandestine agency is neither overtly glorified nor dumbed down. In Sardar, we don't see spies cracking cases and pulling down global conspiracies in just one day. We see how it is a prolonged process, and this attention to showcase the agency with authenticity is appreciable. Even with the women in the film — Laila, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan — each of them have a distinct purpose in the film and aid in the progression of the plot. While their limited screen time does act as a downer, the pressing nature of the overarching theme comes in handy for the writers to do away with certain plot points. A surprise highlight of Sardar is the presence of child actor Rithvik, who plays a precocious kid with a decent arc. It is comforting that this kid manages to say the right things at the right time without sounding unnecessarily older than his age.

Sardar is a technically sound film, especially in the conception and execution of the stunt sequences, which stand testament to the superior talent of stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan, DoP George C Williams, and editor Ruben. Even if the songs don't really leave an impact, especially because we are more invested in the montage sequences rather than the song itself, GV Prakash's strength comes to the fore in the background score, especially in the Sardar portions. These technicians, in tandem with the art department lead by Kathir, give us a fantastic look into the world of Sardar.

Generally, with films like Sardar, there is the problem of overwriting or spoon-feeding the audience. However, kudos to the writers for managing to walk the thin line without taking a patronising tone for most of its 165-minute runtime. The narrative takes a dip whenever we have a bit of forced humour here, and unnecessary romantic detours there, but it manages to recover just in time thanks to the focus shifting to a pressing issue that definitely warrants introspection even if the route taken to its predictable end is utopian.

Sardar is a true blue action thriller with the spy angle amply explored to justify the hint of a sequel. While we are still not sure if Karthi and Mithran will reunite for a Sardar 2, they have convincingly set up the world of cross-border espionage that doubles up as a well-constructed masala entertainer. With both Irumbuthirai and Hero having open endings, Mithran's propensity for promising us a franchise of sorts is known, and with Sardar, he has definitely delivered a film with the potential to finally fulfill that promise.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Panday

Rating: 3.5/5

(This review originally appeared on Cinema Express .com)

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Sardar movie review: Karthi shines as an action star in this flawed but watchable spy thriller

Sardar movie review: karthi-starrer spy thriller is engaging and fun despite several glaring flaws largely due to some brilliant action and the lead star..

PS Mithran is the kind of filmmaker you want to take seriously because he wants to constantly push the envelope. After making a smashing debut with Irumbu Thirai – a terrific cybercrime thriller, he followed it up with the critically acclaimed superhero thriller Hero. Mithran now makes a noteworthy comeback with Sardar, which is a fairly engaging spy thriller that addresses a very pressing issue. Despite a largely predictable second half, Sardar has some very interesting stretches and it genuinely wants to introduce Tamil audiences to the world of spies. The outcome isn’t pathbreaking but it definitely leaves you with the feeling that this story had a lot of potential. Also read: Karthi on PS1 and Sardar

Karthi plays inspector Vijay Prakash, who is hungry for publicity and would do anything to make the headlines. Thanks to his sincere efforts, Tamil Nadu Police has been a topic of constant discussion on social media. However, Vijay’s commitment towards his work is marred on account of his father, a former spy who has been branded a traitor by the government. Vijay is only looked at as the son of a spy who betrayed his own nation and this makes him grow more bitter towards his father.

When an important file goes missing from the hidden vault of R&AW wing, Vijay makes it his life’s mission to catch the person who stole the file. In the process, Vijay learns that his father, once branded as a traitor, has been rotting in a prison in Bangladesh for 32 years. Karthi also plays the father, who goes by the code name Sardar. As Vijay tries to unearth more information about his father, the story introduces him as a stage artist turned spy in the flashback. The rest of the story is about Vijay trying to find out if his father really went rogue and turned against his own nation.

Tamil cinema has had very few spy films over the years and Mithran’s Sardar, despite its share of glaring flaws, is definitely a solid addition to the list. Sardar stays as much as rooted as possible in its attempt to explore the spy genre, and that’s something that really works in the film’s favour. It’s the rootedness of the film that makes it largely entertaining.

The only major complaint with Sardar is when it also wants to become an awareness film when it talks about water mafia and how multinational corporations are cashing in on the high demand for clean drinking water. This is where the film really struggles to stay relevant and gradually turns into a boring lecture. At some point, the film isn’t sure whether it wants to be a spy film (which it could’ve been more effectively if only it didn’t try to preach a message) or an awareness film on water mafia. Bhavesh Joshi, for instance, also addressed this issue of water mafia but it left a stronger impact as a superhero film that wants to fix a problem. Unfortunately, Sardar wants to be both a spy film as well as a message-heavy awareness film and the outcome isn’t wholesomely satisfying.

Sardar is still a watchable spy thriller that’s powered by some great action set pieces. Karthi as Sardar, a spy in his 60’s, makes action look so effortless. His introduction scene amidst a prison riot has to be one of the best sequences of the movie. The action is very smartly choreographed, especially when it involves Sardar, who can’t fight like a typical hero who is in his 20s or 30s. The young Karthi is more of a crowd-pleasing character which is fun to watch initially but gets lost with no purpose in the second half of the movie. The young Rithvik is easily one of the better written child characters in recent years. He has such incredibly good screen presence.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Chunky Panday, Rajisha Vijayan, and Raashi Khanna.

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Sardar Movie Review: Karthi is brilliant in this ambitious film, overloaded with message

Director ps mithran's sardar, featuring karthi, chunky pandey and raashi khanna, is a formulaic film with a sensitive message at its core..

Listen to Story

• Karthi's Sardar hit the theatres on October 21.
• The film also features Chunky Pandey, Rajisha Vijayan and Raashi Khanna.
• The espionage thriller is directed by PS Mithran.

Release Date: 21 Oct, 2022

Karthi is on a roll! After a rustic Viruman and the phenomenal Ponniyin Selvan, he is back with director PS Mithran’s Sardar. ‘Once a spy, always a spy,’ is the one-liner attached to this espionage thriller that deals with an environmental hazard. It is safe to say that Sardar has elements that Kamal Haasan-Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram had. Even though both films are cut from the same cloth, they are also different.

Vijaya Prakash (Karthi) is a police inspector, who is haunted by the ghost of his past. His father Sardar (again played by Karthi) is branded as a traitor. Since his childhood, Vijaya Prakash has been bogged down by the tag. Meanwhile, activist Sameera (Laila, in a short role) steals an important document concerning Sardar, which starts a chain of reaction. Who is Sardar? Why was Laila killed? Is Sardar alive? These questions are answered by PS Mithran in the following two-and-a-half hours.

Director PS Mithran is three films old. One thing that Mithran relies on is packaging his film with his findings from the pre-production. It also gives a feeling that Mithran spends ample time in pre-production and amply researches a given topic. While his debut film Irumbu Thirai dealt with cybercrime, his second film, Hero, talks about one’s identity. In Sardar, Mithran delves deep into water theft, which is a growing concern in the country. Laila uncovers an important truth about water being commercialised and tries her best to bring Sardar out of prison to put a full stop to this. Because Sardar is the best agent India has ever produced and everything is possible for him.

Sardar is a film that suffers from an overload of information. However, Mithran does not repeat the mistake he made with his second film, Hero. In Sardar, he picks two important subplots – water theft and reunion of father-son – and concentrates on them. The screenplay keeps you engrossed, and therefore, it pays off to a great extent.

The character build-up to the father's role is tastefully done and makes you want to know who the agent everyone’s raving about is. The heavy-concept film bombards the audience with information and most importantly, lays it bare for people of all ages to understand and comprehend.

However, Sardar is not a film without shortcomings. The film becomes too convenient in many places. For example, Karthi’s characters get everything in the blink of an eye. But, you can not question how he gets everything done. The screenplay also lags in the second half, which waters down the impact it created until then. Also, Sardar is shown as a character who is ageing and suffers from trembling hands. When it comes to fight sequences, he is flawless. But, you cannot question how!

Karthi’s splendid acting as the father and son is brilliant. His nonchalant performance is what makes him desirable. Chunky Panday as the mastermind behind the water theft is appropriate. However, his characterisation could have been more powerful to put up an equal fight with a terrific Karthi.

Cinematography by George C Williams and composer GV Prakash Kumar’s work help elevate the script. Also, props to the art director for doing a brilliant job.

Sardar is a solid film with a strong core idea. With a few misses here and there, the film makes for a compelling watch.

2.5 out of 5 stars for Sardar. Published By: Nairita Mukherjee Published On: Oct 21, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | Sardar teaser out. Karthi is once a spy, always a spy in PS Mithran film

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Sardar Reviews

Flawed but watchable.

Full Review | Oct 21, 2022

The world of Sardar is established with style, dramatic intensity and when needed, that silly comedic charm.

PS Mithran's Sardar is an efficiently made spy movie, which, despite a story arc that is familiar, manages to keep us engaged till the end.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 21, 2022

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Sardar movie review: Karthi shines in this film that centers on its own version of scarlet letter, and the spy business

A spy film has to be stylish, sharp and slick if it is set in the present. Since Sardar is partly set in the 80s, the stunts in the film are more brutal and physically intimate.

Language: Tamil

Cast:  Karthi, Rajisha Vijayan, Raashi Khanna, Chunky Panday, Laila

Director: P.S. Mithran

Star rating: 3/5

From the very first shot, Karthi -starrer Sardar intrigues you. It is a brilliant shot of a government employee held at gunpoint in a boat on India-Bangladesh border. The resounding gunshot that pans away to reveal the title of the film promises a fascinating spy-thriller. However, that fascination is tested. In fact, the weakest point in Sardar is its first act that sets up a connection between the present and the past. Sardar is India’s most talented spy trained in the 80s, and Vijay Prakash is a police officer whose main motive is to make an attempt at living beyond the legacy left behind by his father who has been labelled a traitor by the nation’s highest intelligence agency.

The first act is where the narrative panders to formulaic concepts such as the masala-packed intro song, a romantic track and narrative montages. Of these, only the narrative montage works. The former two serve as nothing but a distraction, or more accurately, an obstacle before we as viewers can get to the heart of the story. The film picks up pace only after Vijay Prakash decides to capture a traitor of the nation, in an attempt to erase his legacy. Until this investigation, Vijay’s belief that his father had been a bad man had been absolute. After all, his father’s entire family had allegedly died by suicide. Their death only served as further proof regarding his father’s crimes. How his absolute belief is broken, the doubts that crop up in the process of his investigation, the trials that Vijay’s character experience during this time are a tale of their own.

You peel this layer away, and you learn about a controversy that is at play at large here. A conspiracy that attacks capitalism, one that blames the society for putting a price to anything and everything possible. In this case, rightly so. The more we learn of this controversy, the more we internalise it. In fact, the first thing that I did after the film ended was look into the commercialisation of waterways in countries across the world. I read about countries where it was successful and countries where it wasn’t. It is an interesting overarching theme to have for a spy thriller.

Of course, the film does pander to the suspicions that India at large has about China’s intention politically. However, it does work out in favour of the narrative. After the initial hiccup in the first act, there are certain unexpected edits and cutaways that do seem like an attempt by an amateur. In an otherwise tight screenplay that also does great at giving life to its supporting characters, these moments are irksome. The one who distracts you from such irksome moments in the film is this child — Timmy. Unlike other child actors that are forced to act cutesy, or way more mature for their age, this little guy is spot-on with his role. The role portrayed by Rithvik travels partially with Vijay before he partners up with Sardar. I say partner up because he does more to help the old man complete his three-decade-old mission. Vijay, at one point, becomes a spectator in his father’s life, and then he becomes a supporter.

It is Timmy who is aware of all of Sardar’s plans until the very end. Similarly, his mother Sameera Thomas (Laila) gets a brilliant arc of her own despite the short screen time. In fact, she serves as a turning point in both Vijay and Sardar’s life. In times when spy thrillers have one-dimensional female characters, Sardar has done better. That is not to say that there is no room for improvement. One of the characters that I was personally a tad bit disappointed with is that of Rajisha Vijayan’s. Raashi Khanna, on the other hand, gets comparatively more screen time, but she is also the love interest who exists solely for the male character’s growth.

A spy film has to be stylish, sharp and slick if it is set in the present. Since Sardar is partly set in the 80s, the stunts in the film are more brutal and physically intimate. The ways in which Sardar infiltrates enemy outposts is ingenious, yet simple. As an undercover agent, his acceptance of his role — no glory, no honour, or a nod to services provided — and the consequences that comes with it is what drives the film to the finish line. Speaking of stunt sequences, there is one that is quite inspired, where Sardar uses electricity and steam. The background score here, the editing, and visuals all come together beautifully. In fact, the high points of the film feature Sardar . The villain in this film — portrayed by Chunky Panday — is set up to perform a very popular trope in the espionage genre. While he is not the most impressive villains we have had in recent times, the film only sees him as a figure of corruption. The villain in this tale is something else entirely, and this is addressed through the film’s overarching topic.

In a film that captures the journey of a father and son in parallel, one where their fights are shows with intercuts, and their struggles overlap each other to brilliant background score, the absence of a grand reunion scene is interesting. What we see instead is Timmy act as a bridge between this father and son. It is similar to how the writers do not want to make a grandstand with their message. They make their point, show you their side of the argument and leave it to you to decide which side of history you want to place yourself at. Overall, the film comes together after its initial hiccup, and it forms a cohesive and effective narrative.

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with special focus on identity and gender politics.

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• vibhus-17780
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spy content was good

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Once a spy, always a spy.

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An Engaging Spy Thriller with Solid Subject

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Sardar has it's moments, but...

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A masterpiece spy movie

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Blockbuster Movie

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Stunning Spy Film

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Karthi Shines in this message heavy generic and long Spy/Cop film

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A below-par spy thriller for social-message-craving audiences! [+34%]

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Engaging spy thriller with proper research.

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Sardar (Tamil) - an ambitious spy thriller with a brilliant screenplay that hits the right spot

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Average entertainer

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Perfect Spy Movie from India ; once a spy always a Spy

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Best movie in 2022 with some social message

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JALAM EVA JEEVANAM (in Sanskrit)

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Too many flaws!

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Superb movie for the suspense movie lovers

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Sardar Review - A spy thriller that is overlong but reasonably engaging!

Published date : 21/oct/2022.

Sardar - A spy thriller that is overlong but reasonably engaging!

Bharath Vijayakumar

P.S. Mithran’s Sardar is about a father and a son. It also has a message regarding a social menace. And it is a spy thriller. There is quite a lot stuffed into Sardar and this is one reason for its runtime of 2 hours and 46 minutes. The film starts off with the focus entirely on Inspector Vijaya Prakash (Karthi). He is a publicity freak who always wears a mischievous grin. We then learn the reason for his eagerness to gain a good name. His father was a traitor who let the country down or that is what everyone around tells him. But more about this comes later. Now it is about Vijaya Prakash and his romantic interest Shalini (Raashii Khanna), a lawyer who fights for the right. These initial scenes aren’t anything new, but Karthi makes it enjoyable. We have the mandatory meeting, flirting and a song. Enters Sameera (Laila), a social activist and things turn serious. She is trying to expose a serious menace and this episode is quite similar to what we saw Sneha do in Mohan Raja’s Vellaikaran . Karthi follows the trail and things start leading to the titular character and the secrets that he is holding.

The Sardar Karthi makes an entry towards the interval with quite some build-up and this segment (again quite typical) is one of the high moments of the film. Post interval, we have an elaborate flashback that explains what Sardar’s mission was and what it has to do with the current happenings. P.S. Mithran ensures that Sardar remains engaging right through. The movie is quite long but it always moves at a rapid pace. After the initial setup there is almost no flab, and the focus is entirely on the core plot. I was assuming that the focus would be back on Vijaya Prakash, and he would be the one saving the day, but it is all Sardar post interval.

The issue with Sardar , like most action and mass films these days is the villain. I really don’t get the idea behind having a North Indian villain speaking Tamil with poor lip sync. This idea of having even foreigners speak in their native language with a dubbed voiceover in Tamil keeps pushing you out of the film. Save Thuppakk i, I am not sure if this idea worked in any film. For you to root for the hero, you need to really hate the villain and there needs to be a strong challenge. The second half of Sardar moves at a brisk pace but where is the emotional attachment and a tension filled cat and mouse game? The stakes are high, but a nice seesaw battle with a strong villain would have made Sardar so much better. The emotions in the first half involving Laila and her son works. But the same cannot be said about the second half. Given the enormity of emotions involved, the film should have got us involved a lot more.

Sardar is sufficiently engaging and moves at a brisk pace. But it is overlong and lacks a strong villain. A globe-trotting spy thriller with multiple makeovers is a genre that Tamil cinema keeps floundering. With that in the equation, Sardar does a lot better and is definitely passable even when you aren’t entirely invested.

Rating: 3/5 

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Sardar: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

• Release Date 21 October 2022
• Language Tamil
• Dubbed In Telugu
• Genre Action
• Duration 2h 45min
• Cast Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Panday, Laila, Rithvik, Munishkanth, Ashwin Kumar, Yugi Sethu, Avinash, Yog Japee, Mohammad Ali Baig, Balaji Sakthivel, Dinesh Prabhakar, Aadhira Pandilakshmi, Ilavarasu, Sahana Vasudevan, Shyam Krishnan, Swaminathan, Sharath Ravi, Jagan Krishnan, Vijay Varadharaj, Abdool Lee, Myna Nandhini
• Director P. S. Mithran
• Writer P. S. Mithran, Pon Parthiban, Roju Binpu, Ragu Geevee
• Cinematography George C. Williams
• Music G. V. Prakash Kumar
• Producer S. Lakshman Kumar
• Production Prince Pictures
• Certificate U/A

About Sardar Movie (2022)

Vijaya Prakash (Karthi), a fame-hungry cop, gets a chance to learn the true story of his father, Chandra Bose (Karthi) — who was branded as a traitor to his country — when he sets off to investigate the case of a social activist, Sameera Thomas (Laila), who is fighting against a water pipeline project.

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Release Date : October 21, 2022

123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5

Starring: Karthi, Raashi Khanna and Rajisha Vijayan

Director: P.S Mithran

Producer: S.Lakshman Kumar

Music Director : GV Prakash Kumar

Cinematography : George C Williams

Editor : Ruben

Related Links : Trailer

Karthi is flying high with the success of his latest film Ponniyin Selvan. He is back with a new action drama called Sardaar which has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Vijay(Karthi) is a sincere cop who always gives his best and his department is also quite happy with his efforts. He loves lawyer Shalini(Raashi Khanna) and is looking for bigger goals in life. This is also the time when a massive project named One Line One Pipe is being planned in the country. A few RAW agents want this project to be stopped at any cost. Left with no choice, they bring Sardaar into the action to deal with this situation. Who is this Sardaar? What is the connection between Vijay and Sardaar? What is this whole project about? To know the answers, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

Plus Points:

Karthi is becoming better with each film. He plays a double role in this film and aces it. The difference he showcases in two characters was super cool. He will be seen in different getups in this film and the body language he uses for each one of them is stunning. Karthi is one of the major assets and showcases himself in a new avatar in this film.

Raashi Khann gets a good role and she gives ample support to Karthi and looks good on screen. Yesteryear actress Laila was seen in a key role and it was so good to see her after a long gap. Chunkey Pandey played an important character and he is doing quite good with each film and was lethal in Sardaar.

The other heroine, Rajisha has also done a good job in her role. The fight sequences are slick and evoke interest for the audience. The manner in which the thrills are showcased in a stylish manner reveal how good the technical values of the film are.

Minus Points:

The stakes are quite high in the second half and there was scope for more drama and thrill but the director Mithran does not make proper use of it and shows some scenes in a very predictable manner. More crisp narration would have made matters even better.

The climax is good but this is not effective as one expects after seeing the entire film. A more solid bang in the end would have been quite good. The film starts on a slow note and runtime should have been edited a bit to make matters crisp.

Technical Aspects:

As said earlier, Sardaar is high on technical aspects. GV Prakash scores the music for this film. His music is average but the BGM composed is just amazing. The camerawork by Goerge Williams is stunning and showcases the film in a solid manner. The Telugu dubbing is also very good.

Coming to the director Mithran, he has done a good job with the film. He has written an action packed story and narrated it in a good manner. Had he made the film crisp, the output would have been a lot better. He has showcased Karthi in a solid manner and his fans will love him in a new role.

On the whole, Sardaar is an emotional spy drama which is stylish, and action packed. The film is a bit lengthy and has a few issues in the second half. But Karthi’s solid performance, strong content with good thrills erases all the issues and make this film a good watch this festive season. Go for it.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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Sardar Udham Review: Vicky Kaushal Delivers His Best Performance To Date

Sardar udham review: the brilliantly lensed biopic also draws power from lead actor vicky kaushal's intense and intuitive performance..

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Amol Parashar, Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Banita Sandhu, Kirsty Averton

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

The scale of the meticulously structured period narrative is grand but Sardar Udham , helmed by Shoojit Sircar, shuns the trappings of a Bollywood biopic. But that certainly isn't the film's sole strength. The brilliantly lensed biopic also draws power from lead actor Vicky Kaushal's intense and intuitive performance Sardar Udham presents a revolutionary hero of India's struggle for freedom as a real, relatable, laddoo -loving young man who just happened to be somebody who saw death from such close quarters, and in such horrific circumstances, that his resolve to avenge the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre turned into a self-assigned mission.

The facts that are laid out on the screen might not be absolutely accurate - a disclaimer at the start of the film admits as much although Sardar Udham is "based on true events" - but details that the two screenwriters Subhendu Bhattacharya and Ritesh Shah pack into the busy script are orchestrated to convey a sense of truth.

Despite the fact that it clocks well over two and a half hours and is marked by a back-and-forth-in-time rhythm, Sardar Udham is always gripping and meaningful because it is first and foremost a measured character study and not a mere action-driven saga.

Vicky Kaushal, playing Shaheed Udham Singh, delivers his best performance to date, capturing the acute psychological dynamics of an ideologically driven man not incapable of grasping or expressing softer emotions.

The film's structure - Sardar Udham has a flow that is staccato and yet wonderfully harmonious - is well thought-out and the brutal carnage in the walled city of Amritsar on April 13, 1919 is staged in great detail deep inside the film's final stretch. The soul of the film is best reflected in the restrained, unobtrusive, hugely effective background score by Shantanu Moitra.

With his cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay and the rest of his technical team, Sircar has delivered a Hindi biopic that could be regarded as world class in style and substance. Sardar Udham demonstrates how much more effective a movie could be when it is not a scrappy and bloated vehicle for a self-obsessed A-list star peddling superficial notions of patriotism.

The two bad guys in Sardar Udham are Brigadier General Michael O'Dwyer (Shaun Scott), the lieutenant-governor Punjab from 1912 to 1919, and General Reginald Dyer (Andrew Havill), who ordered the firing that killed 20,000 men, women and children in Jallianwala Bagh. The former, since he is the one in Udham Singh's line of fire, receives much more play than the latter.

In Indian films about the oppressive nature of British rule, the White man is invariably a caricaturized monster. Not here. Sardar Udham allows us a peek into the skewed mind of O'Dwyer and reveals, without any overt dramatic flourish, his firm belief that if the Empire were to leave India to its own devices the nation would slide into chaos and savagery and its people would begin killing one another.

That is one of the last lines the character speaks on the fateful day. O'Dwyer's assassination happens rather early in the film and the rest of Sardar Udham focuses on a dual track narrative that pieces together the arcs of the two men involved in the incident - the assassin and his quarry.

But not all the British characters in Sardar Udham are reprehensible creatures, certainly not Scotland Yard's Detective Inspector Swain (Stephen Hogan), who in the process of handling the O'Dwyer assassination case, develops a grudging admiration for the Indian revolutionary and then a full-blown understanding of his motives.

The screenplay makes space for Eileen Palmer (Kirsty Averton), a British Communist Party member who extends a helping hand to Udham Singh as he hides behind several aliases and spends many years biding his time, as also for a deaf-mute girl (Banita Sandhu in a cameo) in a romantic track that does not get in the way of the film's larger purpose.

Udham Singh's mission isn't of the hit-and-run variety; it has a gradual, granular build-up. It is, in a way, a slow, painstaking grind, and the film dedicated to his bravery isn't in a hurry to impose any false momentum upon his story.

Sardar Udham does not take the easy option of mounting a 'celebration' of the protagonist's heroism. It instead examines why he went to the lengths that he did to deliver comeuppance to the man he holds responsible for mowing down thousands of his countrymen. The script provides a personal reason for Udham Singh's single-minded pursuit of O'Dwyer but for that revelation the audience has to wait a couple of hours and a bit.

Bhagat Singh (Amol Parashar in a special appearance) is a constant presence in Sardar Udham both as a political thinker who influences the eponymous character (although Udham Singh was several years older than Bhagat Singh) and also simply as a notion, a man so wedded to a cause that he walks to the gallows with a song on his lips. No, there are no songs in Sardar Udham but the hanging of Bhagat Singh at the age of 23 strengthens Udham Singh's doggedness.

He makes a perilous journey to London to execute his plan. He dreams of freedom, inspired doubtless by Bhagat Singh's goal of liberty and equality for all - farmers, workers and students. When the two admirable men discuss the distinction between revolution and terrorism, the thoughts they put on the table resonate loud and clear because individual freedom (yes, of farmers, workers and students) is at as much of a premium today as it was nine decades ago.

Or when Udham says nobody wins in war, only hatred does, and makes an impassioned plea for free speech in an address to an audience of one, an old homeless man sleeping on a park bench, he sounds staggeringly prescient.

In Sardar Udham , Sircar combines a portrait of shocking brutality with a depiction of one man's determination not to back off from his risky stratagem.

There is a phenomenal degree of craft in Sardar Udham but none of it is employed for mere effect. There is great deal of soul, too, in this magnificently crafted film. Every image that the cinematographer creates - be it a misty morning in the Punjab countryside, a snow-covered expanse in the Soviet Union or the dank, dark interiors of a jail or an interrogation room is infused with significance and stunning textural and visual depth.

As far as Bollywood biopics go, Sardar Udham is a cut above. It will always be a hard act to follow.

• Cast Vicky Kaushal, Amol Parashar, Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Banita Sandhu, Kirsty Averton
• Director Shhojit Sircar

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Sardar Movie Review: Karthi shines in a massy spy thriller with a compelling message

Rating: ( 3.5 / 5)

PS Mithran is a committed filmmaker. In his three films so far, the heroes have changed, the heroines have changed, the setting has changed, the look and feel of the films have changed, and the producer has changed, but one thing remains unchanged — the villain. Be it in  Irumbuthirai  or  Hero , or his latest,  Sardar , the villain might seem like one person, but it is actually the concept of commercialisation. What’s fascinating about this constant commentary on commercialisation is how the focus, more often than not, is always on people’s choices. Of course, Mithran’s films always have an overarching conflict and an underlying message. However, the resolution of it all isn’t just the responsibility of the protagonist, but is thrown open for the audience to engage and take home a message. More importantly, it makes the audience think of their next move with respect to the theme dealt with in his films.  Sardar  does that with consummate flair and strikes a balance between being a mass masala entertainer, and a message film with its heart in the right place.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Panday Sardar   has a fascinating cold open. It is the 80s. A renegade spy kills a high-ranking Intelligence official. Now, this spy is branded a traitor, but since it is played by Karthi, we definitely know who is on the right side. Nevertheless, the film soon shifts to the present where we see his son Vijayaprakash (Karthi again), a social media-savvy cop, who wants to remove the tag of being a 'traitor's son.' It is an interesting character arc that is milked for entertainment just long enough to ensure the gimmick doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, this tact of knowing when to stop a trope is the strength of  Sardar 's writing. While the sudden detours to a couple of songs feel like a deterrent to the otherwise on-point narration, the way Mithran uses these songs as montage sequences to further the plot is a welcome sight. While it is clear that we might have to wait longer for espionage thrillers to do away with songs altogether, this is a good middle ground. Such is the shadow of  Vikram  that even the usual line of calling a spy a ghost reminds us of the Lokesh Kanagaraj film. Anyway,  Sardar  might actually remind us of the criminally underrated  Bhavesh Joshi , and  Velaikkaran . The central conceit is also a hat-tip to the real-life story of a famous Imperial Japanese soldier stationed on an island in the Philippines for three decades. But, make no mistake,  Sardar  is its own beast, and that is very much due to some smart writing and a brilliant Karthi at the centre of it all. In fact, it is one of the best performances from Karthi in what can be considered one of his massiest films to date. While it is Sardar who gets the maximum applause, his Vijayaprakash wonderfully holds fort on the other end. Considering it is a spy thriller, most of the big buildup moments work best in Sardar's story, and it is fascinating how Karthi, with his shaggy beard and gruff voice, almost makes us forget that he is also the uber-cool clean-shaven cop who is on a similar investigation trail, albeit from another direction. Also, full points to the team for relegating the father-son relationship to the background, and not having any grand sequences that might have distracted us from the plot.   Another highlight of  Sardar  is definitely the ensemble cast, which comes together to deliver a compelling film. Be it Chunky Panday as the primary antagonist or Yugi Sethu and Avinash as ex-RAW agents, the functioning of the clandestine agency is neither overtly glorified nor dumbed down. In  Sardar , we don't see spies cracking cases and pulling down global conspiracies in just one day. We see how it is a prolonged process, and this attention to showcase the agency with authenticity is appreciable. Even with the women in the film — Laila, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan — each of them have a distinct purpose in the film and aid in the progression of the plot. While their limited screen time does act as a downer, the pressing nature of the overarching theme comes in handy for the writers to do away with certain plot points. A surprise highlight of  Sardar  is the presence of child actor Rithvik, who plays a precocious kid with a decent arc. It is comforting that this kid manages to say the right things at the right time without sounding unnecessarily older than his age. Sardar  is a technically sound film, especially in the conception and execution of the stunt sequences, which stand testament to the superior talent of stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan, DoP George C Williams, and editor Ruben. Even if the songs don't really leave an impact, especially because we are more invested in the montage sequences rather than the song itself, GV Prakash's strength comes to the fore in the background score, especially in the Sardar portions. These technicians, in tandem with the art department lead by Kathir, give us a fantastic look into the world of  Sardar . Generally, with films like  Sardar , there is the problem of overwriting or spoon-feeding the audience. However, kudos to the writers for managing to walk the thin line without taking a patronising tone for most of its 165-minute runtime. The narrative takes a dip whenever we have a bit of forced humour here, and unnecessary romantic detours there, but it manages to recover just in time thanks to the focus shifting to a pressing issue that definitely warrants introspection even if the route taken to its predictable end is utopian. Sardar  is a true blue action thriller with the spy angle amply explored to justify the hint of a sequel. While we are still not sure if Karthi and Mithran will reunite for a  Sardar 2 , they have convincingly set up the world of cross-border espionage that doubles up as a well-constructed masala entertainer. With both  Irumbuthirai  and  Hero  having open endings, Mithran's propensity for promising us a franchise of sorts is known, and with  Sardar , he has definitely delivered a film with the potential to finally fulfill that promise.

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