Arjun Suravaram - Movie Review
Friday, November 29, 2019 - 14:15
Arjun Suravaram (2019)
Cast & Crew:
Film: Arjun Suravaram
Cast: Nikhil Siddharth, Lavanya Tripathi, Vennela Kishore, Posani, Tarun Arora, Nagineedu, Satya, Vidyullekha and others
Music: Sam CS
Cinematography: Surya
Editing: Naveen Nooli
Producer: Rajkumar Akella
Written and Directed by: T Santosh
Release Date: November 29, 2019
Story
Arjun Lenin Suravaram (Nikhil) works as an investigative journalist in a local news channel. His dream is to work in BBC but he soon gets arrested for submitting fake educational certificates. He didn’t do forgery; he is a victim. Like him, there are thousands of victims of this fake degree certificate racket. He hatches a plan to hunt down the kingpin of this racket. On the other hand, the mastermind Thura Sarkar (Tarun Arora) behind this crime also realizes that someone is after him. Cat-and-mouse game follows.
Analysis
TN Santosh who directed ‘Kanithan’ in Tamil followed the same story and screenplay for the Telugu remake ‘Arjun Suravaram’. Barring minor changes, it is a faithful remake. The action thriller has dealt with a topical issue - fake degree certificate racket. After a tepid start, ‘Arjun Suravaram’ picks up the tempo and moves with gripping narration for an hour. The middle portion of this drama is quite compelling. Hero hunting down the kingpin and the evil mastermind is also looking for the identity of the protagonist is an interesting juxtapose. That brings out weave some thrilling moments. And the film does serve them well during the second act.
Laced with fast-paced action and stunts, ‘Arjun Suravaram’ rises above the logical points to the most part in the second act. But all the compelling narration goes down in the penultimate portion. It was the climax part that should have been more thrilling but the director has lost the grip here. It would have easily been an engaging thriller but this aspect has spoiled it.
Nikhil as a young investigative journalist is convincing. He has put in a sincere effort. Lavanya Tripathi’s is okay. Tarun Arora as the main villain is believable. Vennela Kishore has done both comedy and emotional sequences well. Posani Krishna Murali and Nagineedu deserve mention. Raja Ravindra’s character is like a prototype.
Musical score works in some places. Cinematography is good. Action episodes are filmed effectively. Editing is uneven. Director TN Santosh has recreated his Tamil film in Telugu with little changes.
Bottom line: 'Arjun Suravaram’ has some interesting tense moments. The middle portion is quite compelling but the penultimate portion leaves much to be desired.
