Sardar Review: It's Karthi's show all the way in this Diwali firecracker by PS Mithran

3/5

Story: A diabolical plan by a ruthless businessman threatens the security of the entire nation. And the only person who can save the country from the sinister scheme is a spy in exile, who has been declared a traitor.

Review: PS Mithran's Sardar's opening scene hovers over the Indo-Bangladesh waters where we see a spy going off the rails on a boat. The year is 1988. Cut to the present and we meet the happy-go-lucky, publicity-hungry police officer Vijayprakash (Karthi) who is a social media sensation as well, so much so that everyone wants to be seen with him to get their own two minutes of fame. But things are not all rosy in his life as he lives with the tag of being a traitor's son.

In the meantime, activist Samira (Laila), who has been ardently campaigning against the privatisation of water bodies and companies churning out PET bottles selling water, is found mysteriously dead, leaving her only son all alone in the world. She is soon dubbed a traitor for committing a ghastly crime.

As Vijay Prakash has a déjà vu of his own childhood, he soon discovers that there is more than what meets the eye. As he joins one dot after the other, he learns that a diabolical plan by a ruthless businessman Rathore (Chunky Panday) is threatening the security of the entire nation. And the only person who can save the country is a spy in exile, who has been declared a traitor, namely his father Agent Sardar.

Though the story arc is not entirely novel, what works for Sardar is its execution. Despite its length (which could have been trimmed a bit), Sardar manages to keep the audience glued to the seats until the last minute. PS Mithran's film slips in the message of the importance of water conservation and the need to protect our water bodies, but thankfully, it doesn't really come across as preachy.

The film also has some typical elements, like an unselfish guardian, who takes an abandoned child under his wings and a smart kid that roots for the hero and eggs him on to complete the mission at hand. The leading ladies don't have much to do in the film, other than helping the hero find the clues. Chunky Pandey makes a neat debut in Tamil as the stony-hearted businessman Rathore. Laila's comeback character, however, could have been etched a tad better.

The highlight of the film is the star Karthi himself, who carries the entire film on his shoulders with elan. While he wins hearts as the cheerful Vijayprakash who is haunted by his father's traitor tag, when he appears as Agent Sardar, who would go any length to save his country, its fireworks all the way. There seems to be some unapologetic attempts to make the superspy look superheroic, but they don't really seem thrusted into the scheme of things. Simply put, Sardar is Karthi's show all the way and he is out there all guns blazing.

Despite the fact that the film manages to entertain from all quarters, the one shortcoming is that the characters somehow don't really tug at your heart and you don't empathise with their emotions on screen. Barring this emotional aspect and the length of the film, Karthi's Sardar is indeed a Diwali firework.

Verdict: A compelling story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.