Pandem Kodi 2 - Movie Review

‘Pandem Kodi 2', starring Vishal, Keerthy Suresh and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, hit the screens this Thursday. Let's find out what works and what doesn't in the case of this movie.  

Story:

This is a sequel to 'Pandem Kodi' (2005). Raja Reddy (Rajkiran) is an ethical and good-hearted village leader. He takes up the responsibility of offering protection to Gopi (Johnny Hari), who is being targeted mercilessly and repeatedly by Bhavani (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), a widow from a neighbouring village.  

Raja Reddy organizes a grand 'Jathara' to appease rain gods for the benefit of the drought-stricken Kadapa district's villages. This is when his son Balu (Vishal) lands in India. Love with the charmingly innocent belle Charu (Keerthy Suresh) happens in no time.  

But all hell breaks loose when Balu confronts Bhavani's goons during the 'Jathara'. Although he faces the demons head-on, things get complicated. How does he deal with them? Will he be able to save his father's honour and Gopi's life? What will happen to Bhavani, the most vengeful woman out there?

Analysis:

Only one thing is certain while watching 'Pandem Kodi 2'. At any given point of time, anything from 25 to 250 people (sometimes, the count can be 2500) will be seen in the frame. It is as if you are sitting in the middle of a fair, not knowing who will be kicked next. It could be even you. The hero doesn't spare even his good uncles, that too despite zero provocation.

The initial sequences introduce us to the root cause of rivalry between the Bhavani faction and the defenceless, well-educated Gopi. Raja Reddy (the hero's father) plays a stellar role in trying to be a peacemaker but to no avail. After much delay, Vishal enters the screen, quickly showing off how he hates flamboyance. He smells the Rayalaseema 'matti'.

He proceeds further, only to bump into Keerthy Suresh, the quintessential 'tuntari' girl who tries to dominate him. Our Mr. Simple Living hero smiles and pretends that he is a driver and not the son of the much-respected and feared Raja Reddy. When such a premise is written for a rom-com track, you know what kind of scenes and dialogues are concocted. It's all utterly predictable.

The writer-director falters when it comes to showcasing the escalation of petty issues into bloody rivalries. Varalaxmi as Bhavani receives a lousy treatment from the director. The director has not focused on her character as it is one-dimensional. The romance track and the hero's sidekicks get a lion's share. Some action sequences here and there work. Even Keerthy Suresh gets to do a random bike stunt. But the poor female antagonist has no luck.

It's not known how many will have fatigue watching this faction movie a week after watching 'Aravindha Sametha'. Gopi is at the center of the feud, but he hardly has an exciting character arc. He starts to bore after a point and one major mishap happens because of his foolishness.

The hero has to tell a heart-breaking lie to the heroine and it's so old-fashioned that it's almost laughable. The reason is pretty much a 80’s idea.

Vishal gets the kind of role in which we have seen him in the past. Yet he rises above all limitations. Varalaxmi is wasted. Keerthy Suresh, Rajkiran, and others are good.  Yuvan Shankar Raja's background music is partly inspired and partly a rip-off. The cinematography and other technical departments are passable.  

Bottomline: 'Pandem Kodi-2' is the story of some compulsive fighters who do dishum-dishum on our heads. A weak premise. An underdeveloped story line. Routine scenes. On the bright side, Vishal, Rajkiran and, to an extent, Keerthy Suresh perform well. Action sequences are too massy.