Sandakozhi 2 movie review: A masala film sans flavour

It’s been 13 years since Sandakozhi released, but its sequel begins seven years after its predecessor. Balu (Vishal), returns to his village in Theni after finishing his higher studies abroad. He’s probably the only person in the movie who retains his character traits from the first part. He’s still the same; humble, modest and maintains a calm demeanor, even if he has to thrash 20-odd goons. He doesn’t think twice to fall for the naïve Chembaruthi (Keerthy Suresh), who makes you realise how good Hema (Meera Jasmine) was in Sandakozhi. There’s a passing mention about Hema's fate as well. The timing of Balu’s arrival couldn’t have been more apt, as the entire village gears up for the thiruvizha after a brief hiatus. Elsewhere, there’s the growing seed of revenge, which will take shape.

The issue with Sandakozhi 2 is partly due to its inconsistencies. For instance, the screenplay of its predecessor was so organic that it had genuinely good moments to hoot for (picture the bus fight scene with Vishal and Lal). The director took extra effort to build proper action sequences. Even the conflict was staged around Balu and his family. But here, it centers on Anbu, who makes his presence throughout, but is hardly felt. Perhaps casting a familiar actor would have had made the difference. The film also suffers from the absence of a strong villain. Pechi (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, in her loudest role yet)-- whose character seems to be modelled after Sriya Reddy from Thimiru — merely exists, mouthing insipid dialogues. But Rajkiran as Durai Ayya is terrific and gets the whistles each time he folds the veshti.

Lingusamy sets up the drama quiet well in the first half, with a nearly deafening score by Yuvan Shankar Raja. However, it’s the second half that causes serious damage, with the lack of fresh ideas. The revenge angle, too, is not properly fleshed out, which makes Sandakozhi 2 a passable entertainer.