Movie Review : Shivathandavam

Film: "Shivathandavam"; Director: A.L. Vijay; Cast: Vikram, Jagapati Babu, Anushka Shetty, Amy Jackson, Lakshmi Rai, Santhanam and Nasser; Rating: ***

Touted to be an unusual revenge story, "Shivathandavam" is Vikram's film all the way. The actor handles his role with precision and style. However, what could've been a slick thriller of the kind never seen before is jeopardized due to an extended running time and unwanted characters.

"Shivathandavam" is the Telugu dubbed version of Tamil film "Thaandavam", starring Vikram and Jagapati Babu, who play RAW agents. When Vikram signs up for an investigation that almost kills his best friend, little did he know he will be double crossed by people he cared for the most, and be turned into a fugitive on the run, seeking revenge.

The plot is simple and easy to predict, however Vijay gives it the touch of brilliance and makes it interestingly engrossing. You have the perfect setting for an interesting action revenge saga until you're disappointed with characters that were never needed.

Thanks to Daniel Kish, an expert in echo-location, the film takes effort to show something extremely interesting that was never seen before. But, unfortunately not enough effort has been made to make one understand how exactly someone can locate objects with echo.

Director Vijay only spends close to five minutes to explain echo-location to the audience verbally, whereas it should've ideally been demonstrated. The lack of understanding of the concept only leads to mockery of the same, which is quite disheartening. His direction has definitely improved since his last film, but one can still feel he hasn't given his best yet.

Vikram delivers a satisfying performance.

The marriage sequence in the village was heartwarming and a delight to watch. Anushka, though present for very little time, manages to give a neat performance and proves how comfortable she was in her role. Amy and Santhanam were sheer waste of time, while Lakshmi's part goes unnoticed in a role that could've been done by anyone.

GV Prakash's music adds some lighter moments to the film. London, seen through the lens of Nirav Shah, was a visual delight and it is something everyone can look forward to.