Saguni Movie Review

If you have a sense of déjà vu while reading the plot synopsis of 'Saguni', you are bang on. The film is actually a rehash of Dharani’s 'Dhool', which was about a villager (played by Vikram) coming to the city to solve his village’s problem only to earn the wrath of a minister. But while 'Dhool' was a paisa vasool entertainer despite being over-the-top, 'Saguni' is an underwhelming film that squanders more than it saves. But what salvages it from being downright trite is the lightness of touch that it has during its first half.

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The initial scenes when Kamal gets acquainted with Rajini aka Appadurai (Santhanam), an auto driver, and narrates his story are in fact scripted entertainingly to an extent (with a pointless cameo by a leading heroine thrown in), and you too go along with the ambling narrative indulgently, forgiving the lackluster songs — and even the heroine — that seem to have been thrust into the film just for the sake of it. But as it enters political territory, the film’s momentum falters when, in fact, it should have actually picked up steam, and the result is a narrative that meanders with nothing new to offer.

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For a long stretch, we forget the real purpose behind Kamal’s visit to the city as he goes about encouraging Ramani Aachi (Radhikaa), a local idli seller-turned-loan shark, to contest the local body polls (he even manages to make her the mayor of the city). The director then abandons this character and introduces a new one, Perumal (Kota Srinivasa Rao), the leader of the opposition party, and spends the rest of the time focussing on Kamal’s plans to make Perumal the chief minister.
The film was promoted all along as a political satire, but the few references it has to present-day politics are mere pokes than punches and the effect is that of watching a satire minus the sting. Even the game of political one-upmanship between the hero and the villain feels tame. Where we should have had an engrossing battle of wits, we only get a one-sided game as director Shankar Dayal makes Boopathi a passive observer. 
Kamal scores his victories quite easily, while rarely facing any stiff challenge. Yes, he gets arrested on a false drug charge and is sent to prison, but while we expect this to be a blow to his plan, the director confounds us by treating it as a mere walk in the park for his lead. And Karthi’s laid-back portrayal also takes away the seriousness out of the character. Contrast this against how Vikram’s character in 'Dhool' is almost beaten to death by his foes and then, stages a bold resurrection. Now, which one feels more heroic?
While Saguni of the Mahabarata is considered the greatest gambler, this film could be called the great ambler as it coasts along from one plot point to another without really making any significant impression or making you care for its characters. Think of it as a fake model of a high-end mobile phone that you get in Burma Bazaar — it has all the features, only that they aren’t as effective as they should be.

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