Jagapathi Babu and Priyamani starrer ‘Sadhyam’ is a film which justifies its title. It’s a film where anything is possible and I mean just about anything devoid of logic and conviction. Directed by Karthikeya Gopalakrishna, the film has been produced by Ratna Kumar, Karunakar and Sureshbabu on ‘Kumar Brothers Cinema’ banner. The film narrates the story about what happens when a woman who has been pushed around, suddenly has one chance to regain her lost courage and hope!

What is it about : Priyamani stars as Suhani, who’s too scared to lead a normal life. She works in a Software company where everyone takes her for granted. One fateful night, she rescues Krishna Prasad (Tanikella Bharani) who’s injured after a car accident. When he wakes up, the two have a conversation where Suhani tells him how she’s scared about everything, of everyone. Having understood her anger and frustration, he “gifts” her, a revolver with one bullet and tells her to take revenge on that one person she hates the most. The rest of the story is narrated in intermittent flashbacks as Suhani recounts the details of her life, people she has met including Sandip (Jagapathi Babu) and hated the most for what they have done to her.

What is Good: Priyamani’s characterization as a meek girl who’s scared of everything is good especially in the first few minutes of the film. Although her costumes never reflect her characterization, Priyamani manages to bring out the right mood to portray the role initially. The film is narrated in intermittent flashbacks and dialogues and scenes of her interaction with Jagapathi Babu are well written. Jagapathi Babu’s characterization with an extremely casual attitude is good in parts and he’s breeze through his scenes with good ease.

How bad is it: The posters of ‘Sadhyam’ are quite misleading and it’s not entirely an action adventure with guns, goons and ahem, you know what! The film fails to excite or even engage on almost all accounts; however, the biggest flaw is a lame script which never lets you understand what’s happening on screen. Even the screenplay of the film is another deterrent which flip flops between being a gloomy story and a happy romantic feel good film. When the protagonist is running out of time and in a gloomy mood, what’s surprising is her ability to even think about the happy moments of her life! On the whole, the film is so lame that it’s surprising that it’s got a good cast which on any given day put their heart and soul in their work!

Technical Department: The story written by Shyam would have been a lot better if there weren’t so many twists and turns attributed to Jagapathi Babu’s character. It could have been an engaging film had the story been about Suhani, her fear and the exact reason for her fear, instead of all the tomfoolery for 160 minutes. Palani Kumar’s cinematography is extremely bland! Although the moods of the lead actors are captured well at times, the film looks too dull and lacks the visual impact. Gowtham Raju’s editing could have been a lot better. Karthikeya Gopalakrishna’s dialogues, screenplay and direction would have made some sense had he asked himself the first question, ‘Is this film possible?’ after writing the initial draft. Had he spent little more time on the script, ‘Sadhyam’ could have been a good thriller. But, it didn’t happen and what we have is a film which is preposterous to even think about, the moment you step outside the cinema hall.

Bottom Line: It’s hard to believe that Priyamani and Jagapathi Babu have acted in a film like ‘Sadhyam’. If the onscreen chemistry which the duo share on screen is the reason why they continue to act in a series of films, then a film like ‘Sadhyam’ definitely comes as a wake up call! The film is unintentionally funny and at the same time excruciatingly painful to sit through. The so called twists and turns is just a lame excuse to drag the film to test your patience. Two thumbs down for Sadhyam. Both Priyamani and Jagapathi Babu have had better films to boast about and this one is a completely forgettable encounter!

P.S: After 160 minutes of this painful adventure, the scariest part of the entire film is an announcement that ‘Sadhyam-2’ will be coming soon. I hope that film is never made in first place!