Review : Michael – Gangster drama that works in parts

PAN Indian film Michael starring Sundeep Kishan and Divyansha Kaushik in the lead roles, has hit the screens today. The movie has a huge star cast and gained very good buzz through its promotional content. So let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Gurunath (Gautham Vasudev Menon) is a dreadful gangster in Mumbai (then Bombay). He gets rescued by a small kid Micheal (Sundeep Kishan) from a murder attack. Gurunath hence asks his henchman Swamy (Ayappa Sharma) to raise Michael. After a few years, Gurunath is once again saved by Michael which makes the former assign his bar business to the latter. Gurunath learns Rathan (Anish Kuruvilla) is behind the attack. Gurunath directs Michael to kill Rathan and his daughter Theera (Divyansha Kaushik). Did Micheal complete the task? What happened later? This forms part of the story.

Plus Points:

Protagonist Sundeep Kishan gave his best to the film. The physical transformation of Sundeep is impeccable and his effort is clearly visible throughout. The actor performed exceptionally well in the intense fight sequences. Not just the action part, Sundeep Kishan killed it in the romantic sequences as well. Sundeep doesn’t have many dialogues in the movie but yet he leaves his mark.

The lead pair’s chemistry is good, The background score and visuals are top-notch in the film. Michael is easily one of the most stylishly made flicks in the Telugu cinema. The dark tone of the film is well set and the mood is maintained throughout. Credit to the technical team who made the film look so rich and elegant.

Vijay Sethupathi and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar impressed in their short cameos. Though they don’t have more scope to perform, both talented actors made their presence felt. If not for them the second half is totally forgettable. The action sequences are well-designed and they look good on screen.

Minus Points:

While the makers tried to showcase the movie glossy, the story and screenplay completely went for a toss. The whole concentration was on making the film look rich and stylish but in all this, the important elements are left out.

The movie’s story is a beaten-to-death concept. The writing department failed to come up with an engaging narrative and the rich visuals can’t keep the audience invested in this flick. There is style written all over the film but the emotional connect which is the need of the hour is completely absent.

It is not wrong to get inspired by other films, but in Michael, the impact was a bit higher. Few shots have so much resemblance to earlier films and at times the audience would get the feel of watching the older films as well.

There are a bunch of artists in the film but none make their mark. Their characters are poorly written and a few are absolutely wasted in their roles. The lengthy runtime adds to the woes.

Technical Aspects:

Kiran Koushik’s cinematography is surely the best in recent times and one can’t believe that it is his first film. He tried to add value to this action drama and he succeeded in his job. Sam CS did a terrific job as well. The haunting background score enhanced the feel at a few junctures.

The production values are superb and the makers spent high on the film. Coming to the writer-director, Ranjit Jeyakodi, he missed a huge opportunity with Michael .Despite having a magnificent technical team, he didn’t succeed in coming up with an engaging story. The screenplay is no different and the movie is filled with many boring moments. The characterizations are pretty weak and there isn’t any novelty in the film.

Verdict:

On the whole, Michael didn’t live up to the hype and was okay in parts. More focus was laid on the technical aspects. Hence the story and narrative were taken a beating. Sundeep Kishan and Vijay Sethupathi are the saving grace in this stretched action drama. You can give it a try but keep your expectations in check.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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