Date:08/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/08/stories/2008090858790200.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Some gripping action flick this

Alluring: A still from the film.

Film: Saroja

Cast: SPB Charan, Vaibhav

Direction: Venkat Prabhu

Director Venkat Prabhu brings in squandered talent – S.B. Charan, Vaibhav, Siva and Premji - and makes a slick and an enjoyable film.

It is technically superior and he utilizes the talent of the top-notch creative team to narrate the story convincingly. Essentially bilingual, time and again it provides a Tamil flavour but the pace of the film keeps you engrossed and makes this thril ler a fun ride.

Storyline

Four friends hire a caravan to watch a cricket match live. Their journey from Chennai to Hyderabad is stopped when a lorry carrying chemicals overturns on the highway forcing them to take an unknown route.

This diversion takes them to the haven of a dreaded gangster and his company and they run for their lives. They rescue Saroja (Vega), a school girl who is kidnapped by the gangster and whether they succeed in their mission or not, forms the rest of the story. The nicest thing about the film is there are no complications and all characters are presented in a simple manner.

The director consciously avoids romance and comedy. The escape sequences succeed in mounting tension and the director keeps you guessing as to what will happen in the finale.

Action aficionados will definitely like Saroja.

Y. Sunita Chowdhary