Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewBOTTOM LINE
A Long Overdrawn But Watchable Thriller

OUR RATING
2.75/5

CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 29 mins


Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewWhat Is the Film About?
Arjun Lenin Suravaram (Nikhil) is an engineering graduate. His father wants him to be a software engineer, but Arjun harbours the ambition of becoming a BBC journalist. He joins a local news channel as a reporter without informing his father.

Arjun’s (Nikhil) life turns upside down one day when the police arrest him for forgery or producing fake certificates for student loans and job. How he uncovers the ‘fake degree certificate’ scam is what the movie is all about?

How Is Nikhil’s Performance?
Nikhil is slowly and steadily making progress as a ‘star’ among the young brigade. Barring the occasional Shankarabharanam, he has picked unique subjects and improved his performance as an actor and star respectively. He has come a long way since the Happy Days phase. The growth in physicality and performance is visible through the years, and that is what makes it work for Arjun Suravaram.

There is a boyish charm in Nikhil that is a considerable distraction whenever he takes up something massy. In Arjun Suravaram that is least visible. It helps the audience take the narrative seriously and not let it look too far-fetched. Once that hurdle is crossed, Nikhil does his usual to carry through the story without any problem. He is fine and does the action and drama convincingly.

The growing masculine screen presence opens up vast possibilities for Nikhil in future if he picks strong content-oriented subjects and mixes them with commercial entertainers, age-specific being a common feature in both.


Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewDirection by TN Santosh?
Arjun Suravaram is a remake of Tamil film Kanithan. TN Santhosh who handled the original directs the remake as well. It helps the narrative a great deal as the director knows the subject inside out and presents it thrillingly.

The basic story and content itself is the strength of Arjun Suravaram. The gravity of the issue of fake certificates and forgery of documents is well-presented. The characters are set up neatly in the said background with all the commercial elements in place.

The movie kicks in once we get into the core story. It starts from the moment of the arrest of the lead character. Since then, the drama and thriller elements are weaved together in a formulaic manner. The issues crop up in maintaining a balance of emotions in the narrative regarding the highs and lows. Some work superbly, but then others, despite having good content in them, fall flat. The execution gets the blame here. The pre-interval and interval block is a primary example in this case.

The second half maintains the momentum is the story, but the screenplay continues to have that little inconsistency. Also, in the eagerness to add to many twists, logics go for a toss at times. However, they aren’t too dumb or in your face varieties.

Just when you think the story might be ending, it extends further. The extra length leads to the setting of a monotonous feeling. The one-dimensional thriller mode further sucks energy. But, there are still moments of thrill amidst all these and that is what makes Arjun Suravaram is a fairly decent watch.

Overall, an exciting premise and thriller narrative keeps one hooked throughout. There are slightly less appealing parts in between, but they are not enough to bring down the effort as a whole. It makes for a decent one time watch in the end.


Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewLavanya Tripathi and Others?
Lavanya Tripathy playing the female lead has a role that is not merely for glamour or as a love interest for the hero. She has a decent character, and it is neatly done. Posani Krishna Murali has got another role on the lines of his Temper constable act. He shines in the second half of the movie. Vennela Kishore does a character that is more than being a comedian. He has done an emotional performance, here. Sathya manages few laughs in his supporting the hero role.

Tarun Arora is given a villain role with a difference. He plays it in his usual style. Nagineedu is likeable in the small part he has. The same holds for Kishore as well.

Music and Other Departments?
Sam CS provided music for Arjun Suravaram. One of the songs is catchy, and that’s about it. The background score is adequate. The cinematography is decent, overall, though at times we get a feeling of a delayed project. The editing could have been slightly better. The writing is fine with some well-worded drama related to journalism between father and son.


Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewHighlights?
Story
Nikhil
Casting

Drawbacks?
Feels Lengthy Despite Less Runtime
The screenplay, in parts


Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewAlternative Take
Given the storyline, the director has got all the eggs together in a single basket. It overpowers the narrative as the proceedings seem to happen too soon and too quickly. Either a simpler story or a little elaboration further to accommodate the twists would have elevated the overall dramatic factor additionally.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes

Will You Recommend It?
Yes

Arjun Suravaram Review by Siddartha Toleti

Arjun-Suravaram-ReviewPreview: Arjun Suravaram

After several postponements due to financial issues, ‘Arjun Suravaram‘ is finally in the theatres much to the respite of the lead actors Nikhil Siddharth and Lavanya Tripathi who have been struggling for a decent hit to their credit to keep themselves going in the industry.

‘Arjun Suravaram’, the remake Tamil hit film ‘Kanithan’ revolved around a TV journalist who gets into a soup for cheating banks. Though the original was released in 2016, we hope that the concept of the movie would be relatable even in the present situations.

This is a very crucial movie for Nikhil who is struggling himself to be in the race along with the other heroes in the second league, of course, it’s crucial for Lavanya Tripathi, even. She didn’t have a release, so far, this year.

It has been a while since one of Nikhil’s films came to theatres. The theatrical trailer of the movie was okay and hope, the same would be the case with the movie as well directed by the director of the original, TN Santosh.

Its time to know if Nikhil’s woes as an actor come to an end and if the movie was engaging enough to take him into a safe zone. Keep watching this space for our mirchi9 team’s comprehensive ‘Arjun Suravaram’ review. Stay tuned, folks!