Release date : October 18, 2018
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Starring : Vishal, Keerthy Suresh, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Director : Lingusamy
Producers : Akshay Jayantilal Gada, Dhaval Jayantilal Gada, Jayantilal Gada
Music Director : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematographer : Shakthi
The much-awaited sequel of Pandem Kodi has hit the big screens today. Titled Pandem Kodi2, the movie stars Vishal, Keerthy Suresh, and Varalaxmi in the lead roles. Read on to check whether the action entertainer lives up to the expectations laid upon it.
Story:
Raja Reddy(Rajkiran), a prominent personality in the Kadapa region fights for the welfare of the surrounding villages. However, an opposition group, led by Bhavani(Varalakshmi Sarathkumar), seeks revenge for a massacre that happened in the past. This is when Balu(Vishal) gets himself involved in these rifts.
Meanwhile, Balu meets Charumathi(Keerthy Suresh) and the couple develops feelings towards each other. How will Balu save his love life amidst all these complexities? Will he be able to settle the ongoing feuds between 2 groups? The answers to these questions form the plot of the film.
Plus Points:
The movie gets off to a flying start as action-packed sequences between two neighboring villages are narrated at a brisk pace. The first twenty minutes show a lot of promise and keep the viewer glued to the screen. The fights have been choreographed well and placed to perfection in the first half.
Rajkiran is a peach of an actor and his screen presence is simply brilliant. His mature and settled acting brings a lot of intensity to the proceedings. Vishal looks dynamic and performed well in the action episodes. The noted actor managed to adapt himself in a commercial setup after starring in a few experimental flicks recently.
Keerthy Suresh excelled in the role of a strong-gutted villager. She looks like a live wire and this is easily one of her most energetic performances till date. Her chemistry with Vishal looks good on screen. Varalakshmi got a meaty role and her portrayal of a cruel and menacing lady is really convincing.
Minus points:
After a decent first half, one would expect a pacy and entertaining second half but the director messes it up with too many subplots. Episodes where the hero tries to cover up a crucial incident that could decide the fate of two villages looks silly and unappealing. It is more like watching two independent halves with the latter one undoing all the good work of the first one.
There are too many action blocks in the second half and that can put off the audience. More often than not, these sequences look like they were forced into the movie to fulfill the runtime requirements.
The climax has been ended abruptly as the antagonist leaves all her anguish after a simple incident and agrees with the hero’s point of view. The subsequent episodes are poor and look far-fetched.
Technical Aspects:
The director, Linguswamy stuck to his strengths and chose an out an out commercial concept for the sequel of a blockbuster movie, which released 13 years ago. Albeit, there are very few similarities between the original one and the sequel.
The production values are good and every frame in the film looks rich. The camera works are on point for this commercial drama. A few fight sequences have been captured well.
Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is adequate. Two songs are good to hear but the real deal here is the scintillating background music. His energetic scores add a lot of depth to action blocks.
Verdict:
On the whole, Pandem Kodi is a routine commercial entertainer which has good performances from the lead cast. The first half is pacy and engaging but things go slightly off track in the second half and that takes a toll on the overall experience. The movie will connect well with a section of the audience who have a liking towards typical action entertainers with mass appeal.
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team
