Sardar Movie Review: A solid spy movie

Review: The film begins in 1988 in which we learn about a spy who has seemingly gone rogue. The action then cuts to the present when we meet his son Vijay Prakash (Karthi), a publicity-hungry cop who is haunted by the spectre of being a traitor's son. When Samira (Laila), an activist campaigning against privatisation of water bodies dies mysteriously, he tries to find out the killers only to realise a complex web of lies and deciet that has put the nation under danger. And the only man who can stop Rathore, an evil businessman (Chunky Panday), and his nefarious plans is his superspy dad (Karthi again), who is living in exile.

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.The director also manages to effectively weave in a message on the importance of preserving our water resources and preventing them from falling into private hands, without it coming across as preachy. Mithran also gives his star quite a few heroic moments, which are organic rather than force-fitted as is often the case. At the same time, Sardar is unapologetic about being a star vehicle, and Karthi delivers a robust performance in the roles of a son shadowed by the deeds of his father, and a resilient spy who will stop at nothing to protect the integrity of his nation. The supporting characters are all functional, used mainly to further the plot, but Mithran manages to make them feel integral to the film even though as characters, they are archetypes - the romantic interest who helps the hero in his investigation, the good-hearted guardian, a child who provides an emotional reason to the protagonist's mission and so on.

But one draw backk of the film is the fact that the film never appeals to our heart as much as it does to our brain. We never feel agitated when a character is betrayed. We never feel sadness when a mass murder happens. And we never feel as excited as we should be when a character gets a mass introduction. And for an action film, the stunts are largely derivative and overlong, and do not provide the adrenaline rush we look for in such moment