Film Review: Poojai

Film Review: Poojai
Singham template

All the movies of director Hari, beginning with Thamizh which featured Prasanth and Simran in the lead roles, have been action packed, coupled with family sentiments and the latest one, with Vishal in the lead, is no exception. All the formulaic features that usually form part of a Hari film are all intact here as well, the racy screenplay included. But then, the problem is that the theme is too old-fashioned, with a customary villain trying to dominate a particular community and the hero rising in revolt the moment his family gets affected. Neither there is freshness in treatment nor there is novelty in the narration.

Vasudevan (Vishal), who hails from an affluent family, is forced to live separately and he resorts to money-lending. He soon gets acquainted with Divya (Shruthi Hassan) from the neighbourhood and needless to mention, they turn lovers in due course. Enter Thandavam (Mukesh Tiwari), a local bigwig who heads a gang of professional killers. When Vasu’s family gets affected by Thandavam, Vasu sets out to settle scores and from then on, it is all action, in what could be described as Singam template. Siva Kozhundhu (Sathyaraj) is an ADGP who has reportedly been deputed to keep an eye on Thandavam, but he lets the hero act on his behalf all the time. For the fans of Vishal, Poojai could mean an ‘action cracker’, but for other serious viewers, it simply means that Hari couldn’t rise to the expectations he himself set of late.

Being the producer, Vishal has worked hard to keep the character kicking and alive, willing to flex his muscles at the mere drop of a hat. He is very effective in both expressions and in his movements in the action sequences. Shruthi Haasan, who is back to Kollywood after a long gap, tries to woo Vishal as well as the audience through her glamour quotient, but only ends up looking out of place most of the time. With a borrowed voice, Mukesh Tiwari plays the baddie and just does what he is expected to do.

- RS Prakash