'Saaho' review: Prabhas leads this exhausting and insufferable action-thriller
When one is blessed with some Rs. 350 odd crores, the ideas could get grand. So, upon being given a production budget of this tune, writer-director Sujeeth decided to make a big and ambitious film. Honestly, we've no problems with that. But, as it turns out, the film, Saaho, starring Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor, is unbearably exhausting and downright insufferable. Here's our review.
There's money and action, and some more money and action
The film opens to the hypothetical city of Waaji, some thousands of miles away from India. It's a place for the ultra rich. We are introduced to a business empire called Roy Group. The head of the Group, Mr. Roy (Jackie Shroff), meets a disastrous accident, during his trip to India, and dies. What follows is a needless, nonsensical dogfight for power and money.
Apparently, makers wanted something great (sans a genuine) screenplay
Well, the money isn't ours, so who are we to judge? But when you go in with a bagful of expectations into the movie hall, you expect some sense, at the very least. Unfortunately, the need for a genuine (or at least tolerable) screenplay was overlooked by the makers. There are just too many plot holes, and most of them shamefully outlandish.
And then there's so much style, it equates to nuisance
Expectedly, there's a lot of style in Saaho. In fact, Prabhas carries all his scenes with swagger. His character, Sidhant Nandan 'Saaho', can literally be seen flying (without parachute) in more instances than one. And then, in an utterly unbelievable sight, this guy romances his lady love, among endless rounds of perpetually rolling machine guns. There's so much style, that it almost equates to nuisance.
Also, it is so long, you may start feeling homesick
If a pathetic screenplay wasn't enough to ruin the film, it is also marred by a super-exhaustive runtime. The narrative is jam-packed with excessive action and unnecessary dialogs. The film has many shoddy dialogs, countless clichés, several nods to stereotypes, and even those frustrating old-school song-and-dance sequences. All in all, Saaho feels so long and exhausting, that you may as well walk out.
Prabhas carries it with style and power; Shraddha is mediocre
The superstar from South, Prabhas is the life of this film. He is used as a superhero, just that he does not wear a cape. He portrays a larger-than-life, and no-holds-barred character, who is simply unstoppable. And honestly, despite all the flaws of the film, the man does his job pretty convincingly. Shraddha Kapoor, on the other hand, is just about average.
The film has many talented actors, supporting the lead couple
The film has many talented actors, just that they are all dwarfed by a senseless script. The lot comprises veteran Jackie Shroff, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Mahesh Manjrekar, Murli Sharma, Prakash Belawadi, and Arun Vijay, among others.
'Saaho' has a lot, none of it is worth it!
In conclusion, Saaho has some really high-octane action scenes, a whole lot of amazing actors. But eventually, lack of a good screenplay (and execution) does it a great disservice, and every potentially good thing about the film starts to feel worthless. Sure those spectacular visuals prove the use of that insane budget, but in no way, do they justify it. Final verdict: 1/5 stars.
