Stars power average film

Cast: Sarath Kumar, Shriya Saran, Goundamani, Srisha etc
Director: K.S.Ravikumar
Rating: * *

The K S Ravikumar-Sarath Kumar duo are considered a safe bet at the B-O given their track record of past hits. Jaggubhai gives every indication of being the next on their ‘hit list.’ The movie was in the news recently for being released on the internet even before it hit the theatres. Ravikumar has given Sarath Kumar an image makeover in the film and it works. Apparently inspired by the French thriller Wasabi, Sarath Kumar hogs the limelight playing a dad yearning for the love of his daughter (Shriya).
Jagannathan (Sarath Kumar) is an honest police officer in Chennai. One fine day, he gets a call, which tells him that the woman he was in love with and split from two decades ago, is dead. It turns out she wanted him to take care of their daughter Monisha (Shriya Saran), who lives in Australia and whose life is in danger. Jagannathan goes undercover and takes a trip to Australia.
Flashback to 20 years ago, when Jagannathan went to the same country as Jaggubhai to nab an underworld don (Hamid Ansari). There he met a young girl Ilavarasi (Srisha), they had a brief romance followed by a series of misunderstandings, and Jagannathan returned to India with his love life in tatters. Cut to the present. He goes back to set things right with the help of his ‘Man in Black’ (Goundamani).
Sarath Kumar is good, he impresses in the emotional scenes as well as the stunt sequences. Giving him ample support are Shriya and Goundamani. Shriya as the spoilt brat fits the role, and Goundamani, returning after quite a gap, is back in form. The music by Rafi, a former associate of Rahman, is just about adequate. RD Rajshekar’s cinematography is a major asset to the movie. The first half is racy while the second half wanders and needs trimming. The baddies are clichéd. Despite all this the movie is well made and has the kind of breathtaking stunts you would look for in a Sarath starrer.