Salaga: A commendable directorial debut by Duniya Vijay

 “We are releasing the film in 300 screens with around 1,200 shows. We assure complete entertainment for every kind of audience. For those who want mass content, we have enough of that, for those expecting comedy, there are ample laughs and for those who want sentiments, we have beautiful sentiments. We have it all blended well and this is our highlight and the reason I chose to back the film.” said Producer KP Sreekanth.

Salaga, one of the most dreaded criminals, is on the prowl and begins his hunt by killing Suri in the beginning of the film. No sooner than he thinks he's invincible, there comes ACP Samrat to stop him. Thus the film revolves around a person who is pulled into the realm of the underworld. How he is brought to justice by an upright cop, forms the crux of the story.

The story begins from the ports of Mangaluru, where a peek into the smuggling of arms into Bengaluru is shown. What begins thereafter is a fast-paced narrative of Salaga, a notorious criminal, on the prowl to kill a nexus of criminals that involves people from different backgrounds. Salaga seems ruthless and unstoppable, which is only until ACP Samrat steps in to put a halt to these killings. What begins thereafter is an edgy tale.

The story is a little over two hours in length and the scenes are quick and not loud, unlike most underworld films. While the dialogues by Maasthi definitely are a highlight, they are not over the top. The scenes move quickly and the action scenes are gory, but the background score is subdued, which adds a cushioning effect. In fact, Charan Raj's background score is atypical to films from the genre, something he has proved with Tagaru and Popcorn Monkey Tiger too.

The editing and cinematography are slick too and Vijay shows a good hold on his craft and the technical team in his maiden outing. While the entire story is subdued, there is a certain flashback episode that kind of sticks out in terms of melodrama.

The film has some good performances from everyone in the cast. Duniya Vijay leads the pack, matched equally by Dhananjaya in a suave new avatar. Sanjana Anand holds fort in her role as the lover of a criminal. The surprise package is Cockroach Sudhi, whose role as Savithri is entertaining and deserves big applode.

Salaga might not be appreciated by all. A certificate is justified by the high gore and violence in thefilm. But for those who love their films with rowdyism, this will not disappoint. And the message that Vijay shares in the end is commendable.