Si 3 movie review: Predictable and formulaic but a Suriya show all the way!
Director: Hari
Cast: Suriya, Anushka Shetty, Shruti Haasan, Raadhika and Nasser.
The much-awaited third instalment of Suriya – Hari combo’s Singam franchise, 'Si 3,' finally hits the marquee after multiple delays due to unforeseen reasons. However, Suriya’s terrific screen presence, agility and infectious energy levels and Hari’s speed remain intact in the third part, making this film a treat for Suriya fans.
Though the prequels were set in Tamil Nadu, the premises of ‘Si 3’ are set in Vizag in Andhra Pradesh with the entire story unveiling there. Every character speaks in Tamil and a disclaimer card flashed as the film starts. Durai Singam (Suriya), the upright, unbeatable cop of TN is specially brought to Vizag by Home Minster (Sarath Babu) to solve the mysterious murder of police commissioner Ramakrishna (Jayaprakash). Assisting Singam in the mission is a bunch of cops (played by Soori, Robo Shankar and Krish).
During his probe, through a series of investigations, Singam discovers that Madhusudhna Raddy (Sarat Saxena), the self-centered thug, is involved in nefarious activities in Vizag and is behind the murder of CoP. The investigation ultimately leads to his nexus, one Vizag born Vittal Prasad (Thakur Anoop Singh), a multimillionaire and son of Central Home Minister (Suman) who is based in Australia, are the brains behind all illegal activities. Vittal, who is into several multinational businesses including dealing with scraps, ships tons of e-waste and medical waste and dumps it in Vizag. The obnoxious toxic gases emitted from these wastes kill several children from a nearby school. When CoP is out to expose the criminals, Reddy hatches a plan and murders him. How Singam nabs Vittal and brings him to book forms the rest of the story.
It is Suriya all the way! The actor’s intense act, be it in high-octane action sequences, delivering (message oriented) punch lines, body language, dancing and romancing the two ladies is intact for the third time. His eyes speak volumes. It looks like as if playing Durai Singam is a penance for Suriya. Though Hari gets a new core story and sequences, after a point the narration becomes predictable and formulaic.
While Anushka looks matured, her weight gain appears uncomfortable in dance routines. Shruti in a poorly etched role as a journalist does not contribute anything to the film except be there for a song sequence. Much was talked about Anoop Singh’s debut in Tamil. Unfortunately, he hardly makes any impact, which may be due to the underdeveloped characterization. Soori’s comedy falls flat. There are a host of supporting cast some from earlier parts including Vijayakumar, Nasser, Radha Ravi, Manorama, Radhika Sarathkumar, Krish Suman and Sarath Babu. Then there’s an item number with Neetu Chandra.
With foot-tapping songs of Devi Sri Prasad a major plus especially in the first part of Singam, here Harris Jayaraj’s music is just average. The BGM is so loud and reminds one of oft-heard types. Priyan’s camera travels at a terrific pace matching Hari’s speed with grand aerial and wide-angle shots. Si 3 may appeal to commercial movie lovers.
