'The Warriorr', produced by Srinivasa Chitturi of Srinivasaa Silver Screen, was released in theatres today (July 14).
Story
Satya is a kind and compassionate doctor in Kurnool. Guru, a notorious gangster, provokes him with his merciless attitude. Satya realizes that he has to become a cop to take on Guru. Once he gets posted as a DSP in the same town after becoming a cop, Satya acquires an image of being ruthless in handling crime. The rest of the film is about how Satya makes Guru pay for his crimes.
Performances
A cop film is always expected to be a landmark outing in the career of any star hero. Ram Pothineni fares well in the role of a cop whose traits and thinking are inspired by exceptional cops in real life. His energy and vigour are palpable. However, the rom-com scenes with Krithi Shetty's Whistle Mahalakshmi have him in the film's most awkwardly dull portions.
Aadhi Pinisetty is no stranger to negative roles; he transcends the trappings of his 'Sarrainodu' antagonist to an extent. But the characterization is pathetic and tepid. Krithi Shetty plays her career's most boring character thus far. Her performance is limited to songs.
Nadhiya (as the hero's mother), Brahmaji (as a compromised cop) and Jayaprakash (as a senior doctor) are routine. Redin Kingsley and Divya Sripada are seen in cameo roles.
Technical aspects
Sujith Vaassudev has mostly been a Mollywood cinematographer. His camera angles are sometimes undone by the dull atmospherics of the film. Devi Sri Prasad's BGM was supposed to be tight and throbbing. It is not. 'Bullet Song' and 'Whistle Song' make up for the losses on other songs.
Analysis
Director N Lingusamy's sensibilities are steeped in a certain Kollywood school of filmmaking. He attempts to give his colleague Hari (the director of the 'Singham' series fame) a run for the money by telling a stale cop story whose formula cries for new ideas.
Right from the beginning, 'The Warriorr' has been advertised as the story of a daredevil cop. As such, there was no fun in keeping the audience waiting for Satya to unleash his cop avatar. The first hour's doctor portions should have been abridged. Or, at least, the transformation of the doctor into a cop should have been narrated in a rousing fashion. Everything feels sudden and artificial.
Aadhi Pinisetty's character's arc is unoriginal. An attempt is made to hard-sell him through a backstory filled with uninventive happenings. He laughs like an evil man, talks with arrogance.. When are our filmmakers going to go beyond this caricature of a villain?
There is mother-son sentiment, there is a girlfriend who falls in danger... The audience are long sick of these outdated tropes. For God's sake, think beyond this done-to-death template or stop making cop films.
The second half makes for a headache of a watch, complete with a climax fight that looks primitive.
Closing Remarks
'The Warriorr' is a comprehensive dud. Avoid it!
