Sabari Movie Review: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar shines in Psychological Thriller

Cast: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Ganesh Venkatraman, Shashank, Mime Gopi, Sunayana, Baby Karthik, Rajashree Nair, among others

Direction: Anil Katz

Music: Gopi Sunder

Editing: Dharmendra Kakarla

Cinematography: Rahul Vatsav, Nani Chamidisetty

Producer: Mahendranath Kundla

Release Date: 03-05-2024

The movie ‘Sabari‘, directed by Anil Katz with Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as the main character, was produced by Mahendranath Kundla. Notable performances also come from Ganesh Venkatraman, Shashank, Mime Gopi, Sunayana, and Baby Karthik. The film premiered on May 3rd, available in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. Let’s explore how it performed.

Plot

Sanjana (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) and Aravind (Ganesh Venkatraman) fall in love, marry, and relocate to Mumbai. After some time, Sanjana moves back to Visakhapatnam with her daughter Riya (Baby Niveksha), leaving Aravind behind for undisclosed reasons. She finds employment as a Zumba dance trainer in a corporate company with a friend’s help. In the meantime, Surya (Mime Gopi) makes an attempt on Sanjana’s life. During the investigation, the police find out that Surya is dead. Who was Surya and why was he following Sanjana? What led to her separation from Aravind? How did Sanjana rescue her abducted daughter? These questions form the crux of the narrative.

Performance

Varalaxmi Sarathkumar delivered a compelling performance as Sanjana, showcasing a significant shift from her typical villainous roles. She convincingly portrays a mother determined to protect her daughter. Mime Gopi’s depiction of the antagonist was effective. Baby Niveksha gave a remarkable performance as Riya. Ganesh Venkatraman portrayed Aravind adeptly. Shashank as a lawyer and Madhusudhan as the police officer Shankar, along with the rest of the cast, also played their roles effectively.

Direction

Director Anil Katz has crafted this movie into a psychological thriller, masterfully portraying a mother’s battle to protect her child. The emotional storyline, fueled by Sanjana’s job search, her past, her marriage to Aravind, and their subsequent separation, holds the viewer’s interest. However, the first half of the film feels prolonged due to overly detailed scenes. An intriguing twist just before the interval captures the audience’s attention, and the interest escalates in the second half as each new twist unfolds, culminating in a thrilling turn just before the climax. Although the story is compelling, the director faced challenges in making it consistently engaging. The screenplay, overly focused on specific details, sometimes seemed to drag for some viewers.

Technically

Technically, the film is adequate. Gopi Sunder’s background score stands out, but the songs lack memorability. The cinematography earns commendable marks. However, the editing needed to be tighter; despite the film’s brief runtime, it contains several superfluous scenes that could have been trimmed more sharply. The production values suit the film well.