Sa-Ro-Ja

SAROJA impresses the viewer from first frame to the last frame.

5 minutes into the movie and one gets to notice that the presentation is chic and contemporary and the aesthetics used to convey the ticking away of time itself serves as a constant reminder of the rich visuals to follow.

There have been many films in this genre where the length of the movie is roughly equal to the length of the main plot of the storyline.

Saroja's main USP that sets it apart from all other films in this genre is the exquisite interlacing of situational humour at unimaginably frequent intervals.

The film has a very simple storyline of the coming together of a kidnapping coup that slowly falls apart due to the acts of a bumbling set of four friends who lose their way in an attempt to reach Hyderabad to watch a cricket game live the following day, after they decide to take an unknown diversion from the main highway which is completely jammed due to a very damaging accident. (An eighteen wheeler carrying sulphuric acid topples over).

While Prakash Raj, Jayaram and Sampath essay their characters with professional ease, the four friends comprising SP Charan, Premgi Amaren, Shiva (Radio Mirchi Fame) and Vaibhav (upcoming Tollywood hero) prove to be an amazing combination of situational humourists.

Each of the four gets their fair share in providing the perfect comic relief to an otherwise tense story narration. But it is Premgi Amaren who amazes everyone with his unique style of comedy.

He has mastered the art of reeling off of a famous punchline of a hit film in the most inappropriate situation in this film that he has you in splits.

The main punchline parodied by him throughout the movie is

• Evvalavo Pannitom...Idha Pannamaatoma (quoting Vijay from Azhagiya Tamizh Magan)....

However he draws more applause when he uses two punchlines from Sivaji

• When the other three stop to pick up Premji who has a very bad fall in a desparate attempt to escape in a goods train, he responds with the punchline "cool" when the others approach near him to check if he is ok.
• The one which takes the cake is when the others cry hoarse in reprimanding him for saving the kidnapped girl and bringing her along since they feel that they themselves are in a pitiable position.....Premji uses the same Rajni intonation of the Sivaji courtscene and exclaims "I was cornered. I was helpless" which draws a huge applause from the audience.

Music is definitely a plus point of the film. But I guess Music will definitely be good if the music director is inspired by such a young and energetic team wanting to make a difference to the way wholesome entertainers are conceived and presented.

Yuvan even appears in the video of the first song 'Cheeky Cheeky' and has shed a lot of his shyness compared to his first appearance for a song in Punnagai Poovae a few years ago.

His BGMs lend very good support to the story narration. BGM is at the heart of comedy in this film as yesteryear BGMs are reused at perfect places to induce laughter. A classic example being the introduction of the Volkswagen Caravan with the famous music of Karakattakaran Perichambazham scene.

In his only second film, Venkat Prabhu has shown variety in all departments of movie making that you certainly want to put him in the big league of directors of Tamil Cinema. He certainly deserves the title credits "A Venkat Prabhu Movie"

Venkat Prabhu's sharp intellect is showcased by some interesting facets of movie making.

1. A needless scene showing the actual toppling of the lorry is avoided. (saving the budget for better utilization)
2. Keeping a lingering connection to the super duper Chennai 600028 on two counts > A slender connection to the game of cricket is maintained. > All the key characters of Chennai 600028 make a cameo appearance in the highway scene (The best one being that of 'Subramaniyapuram Jai'. The subtle nature of humour in his part is too good to mention in this review and has to be seen to be enjoyed along with the surprise element built into it).
3. The picturization of the road song, Dost Bada Dost, is very pleasing to the eye. Almost a powerpoint presentation feel is given to the way scenes flow. The Volkswagen caravan is used as the axis point of the next frame from which the the entire frame zooms out giving it a novel appeal.
4. The last scene could have very well been at the venue of the cricket match where the four friends watch the match in some VIP box together with Prakash Raj and his family.....Instead Venkat chooses to end the movie with a humourous note of showing the Telugu veteran comedian (i forgot his name) losing his way by following the four heroes and ending up in Kerala instead of Hyderabad.

In my opinion it is a brilliant decision not to show even one frame involving the game of cricket although the interest in seeing the game live is the main starting point of the story narration. This ensures that there are no comparisons of this movie with Chennai 600028.

Actually one leading daily has played spoilsport in revealing the hidden aspect of a key actor's role by interviewing him on the very element of surprise built into his role. But the movie will hardly be affected by that exposure since there are so many aspects of the script that act as its positive elements.

On the whole it is a fabulous movie that entertains the viewer from start to finish.

My verdict: 10 on 10