R Madhavan overpowers Naga Chaitanya in Savyasachi, a film that blends a concept from Argentinian film Wild Tales and a somewhat rare biological phenomenon. The ambiguity and general lack of awareness about the vanishing twin syndrome leads director Chandoo Mondeti to add completely irrelevant scenes (read comedy scenes) that exploit the fact that the lead actor’s left side is reportedly controlled by his twin (who vanished in his mother’s womb).
So there are slaps on Naga’s behind, the heroine’s behind, the best friends face. Seemingly normal situations become hurdles faced because of the lead’s inability to control an entire side of his body.
When it’s time for him to fight, you know that it’s not going to be easy. Like in Naan Sigappu Manidhan, this automatically makes the lead an underdog. He’s not just fighting the villain. He’s also fighting himself.
Naga Chaitanya is an affable presence onscreen. But it takes willing suspension of one’s belief to absorb the fact that Naga can take on the beefier, scarier Arun (R Madhavan relishing the kind of role that allows him to loom large over the film and Naga) and emerge unscathed.
But this is an Indian film. And Indian heroes win. So director Mondeti writes Naga as the victor. He is the victim also, here.
However, in writing in a powerful villain for Savyasachi, and by casting R Madhavan in the role, he also offers Naga Chaitanya an insurmountable obstacle. One can outsmart a villain, but never out charm Madhavan. So, Naga is relegated to a secondary role as Madhavan’s Arun rants and raves.
Apart from the tacked on romantic angle (featuring Nidhhi Aggerwal) and gross inaccuracies in the depiction of the vanishing twin syndrome, Savyasachi is an entertaining action film that wants to be more. Its science fiction ambitions are let down by the fact that, at its very core, Savyasachi wants to be an action thriller and give the film’s leads as many burning car/house, cliffhanger sequences as possible.
If not for Bhumika Chawla’s sane presence as Naga’s sister – Madhavan’s manic energy and Naga Chaitanya’s attempts at portraying a fierce action hero could’ve resulted in a bitter cocktail that could’ve just made our left hands take control of our lives as well.
The Savyasachi review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.