Pakka review: An exhausting watch; far away from entertainment and reality

When director SS Surya's Pakka was introduced, the claims were high and mighty callin the film a 'pakka' commercial entertainer. However, the film has nothing to entertain the audience.

Your reviewer understands that a lot of effort goes into making a film and respecting that fact tends to tone down the intensity of harshness while writing about a film that hasn't shaped up really well. But comes an odd occasion as this when the film is exceptionally bad and there is no choice but to call a spade a spade.

Despite having a long cast list of talented artistes including Vikram Prabhu, Nikki Galrani, Bindhu Madhavi, Soori, Sathish, Anandaraj Selvaraj, D Singampuli and Nizhalgal Ravi, the film miserbaly fails to offer anything, except for sleep.

The film begins with Dhoni Kumar (Vikram Prabhu) saving Nadhiya (Bindhu Madhavi) from being run over by a train. Nadhiya initially mistakes Dhoni Kumar, who is a big fan of cricketer Dhoni, to be her boyfriend Paandi (also Vikram Prabhu).

However, Dhoni explains that he isn't her lover and finds her story interesting after he learns that her boyfriend looks exactly like him. She narrates her story and reasons why she eloped with Paandi. Her boyfriend has now gone missing and all her attempts to find him have failed. Dhoni promises to help her find her boyfriend and with that, the first half ends.

In the next, it is Dhoni's turn to narrate his love story. He tells her how he and Rajini Radha (Nikki Galrani), president of the Rajinikanth fans club in his village, who were constantly at loggerheads, fell in love. Rajini, it seems, died in a freak accident while lighing a firecracker. After the stories are exchanged, the duo begin the search for Paandi.

Director Surya seems to be living in a world that is far, far away from reality. Even if you forgive the wafer-thin plot, the manner in which some props have been used and some scenes have been shot are downright atrocious.

There is one particular sequence where bougainvillea flowers shown growing from a tree! Yeah, you read that right.

The film has roped in comedians like Soori, D Singampuli, Sathish and S Ravi Mariya but did not use their talent. Not once did the reviewer smile, let alone laugh. The so called comedy sequences are redundant and dull. What they do is annoy.

The music by C Sathya is decent. That is probably the only good thing about the film.

Among the actors, Vikram Prabhu fails miserably as Dhoni Kumar but does a decent job as Paandi. Bindhu Madhavi, who appears all through the first half and for a little while in the second, plays her part neatly.

Nikki Galrani, who appears only in the second half, breathes some life in to the film with her performance.

On the whole, Pakka is one film that is likely to leave you drained and exhausted.