sardar movie review rating

Thanks For Rating

Reminder successfully set, select a city.

• Nashik Times
• Aurangabad Times
• Badlapur Times

You can change your city from here. We serve personalized stories based on the selected city

• Edit Profile
• Briefs Movies TV Web Series Lifestyle Trending Medithon Visual Stories Music Events Videos Theatre Photos Gaming

Netizens call out Kiara Advani's fake accent at Cannes, Kangana Ranaut might quit Bollywood if she wins Lok Sabha elections, Sanjay Leela Bhansali gives update on 'Love & War': Top 5 entertainment news of the day

Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Suhana Khan, and Karan Johar pay visit to producer Ritesh Sidhwani after his mother's demise - WATCH video

Kiara Advani is all smiles as she strikes a pose with Richard Gere at Women in Cinema Gala Dinner at Cannes 2024 - See inside

Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra: Celebrities who own luxurious homes outside India

Aamir Khan SPOTTED shooting for 'Sitaare Zameen Par' in Delhi - WATCH

Nostalgic confessions: 90s Bollywood crushes revisit their iconic status and career highlights

• Movie Reviews

Movie Listings

Boonie Bears: Mumma Ki...

The Sabarmati Report

Desh Ke Gaddar

Auron Mein Kahan Dum T...

Rosy Maam I Love You

Janki Bodiwala: Redefining chic with every step

Pooja Hegde's Lovely Red Outfit to Steal Your Attention

Viral pics of Bhojpuri pics this week

Viral Pics Of Marathi Stars From The Week

Neha Malik's jaw-dropping pics in bikini

A sneak peek of Diana Penty’s camera roll

Heartfelt moments of Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan with their twins Ulagam and Uyir

Madonna Sebastian's mesmerizing looks

​ Rashami Desai's relaxed, effortless style epitomises chic casual ​

​ Malvika Sharma's elegant ethnic looks redefine traditional fashion ​

Kartam Bhugtam

Pyar Ke Do Naam

WOMB: Women Of My Billi...

Main Ladega

Luv You Shankar

Do Aur Do Pyaar

Thelma The Unicorn

The Three Musketeers - ...

The Garfield Movie

The Boy And The Heron

Kingdom Of The Planet O...

Boonie Bears: Guardian ...

The Deep Dark

Aa Okkati Adakku

Prasanna Vadanam

Paarijatha Parvam

Inti Number 13

Family Star

Tillu Square

Babu: No.1 Bullshit Guy

Om Bheem Bush

Sureshanteyum Sumalatha...

Guruvayoorambala Nadayi...

Marivillin Gopurangal

Malayalee From India

Pavi Caretaker

Varshangalkku Shesham

Avatara Purusha 2

Chow Chow Bath

Hide And Seek

Somu Sound Engineer

Nayan Rahasya

Bonbibi: Widows Of The ...

Pariah Volume 1: Every ...

Shri Swapankumarer Bada...

Shinda Shinda No Papa

Sarabha: Cry For Freedo...

Zindagi Zindabaad

Maujaan Hi Maujaan

Chidiyan Da Chamba

White Punjab

Any How Mitti Pao

Gaddi Jaandi Ae Chalaan...

Buhe Bariyan

Swargandharva Sudhir Ph...

Naach Ga Ghuma

Juna Furniture

Alibaba Aani Chalishita...

Aata Vel Zaali

Shivrayancha Chhava

Devra Pe Manva Dole

Dil Ta Pagal Hola

Ittaa Kittaa

Jaishree Krishh

Bushirt T-shirt

Shubh Yatra

Your Rating

Write a review (optional).

• Movie Reviews /

Would you like to review this movie?

Cast & Crew

Sardar Movie Review : Sardar is a solid spy movie, nothing more nothing less

• Times Of India

Sardar - Official Tamil Trailer

Sardar - Official Telugu Trailer

Sardar - Official Tamil Teaser

Sardar - Official Telugu Teaser

Sardar | Telugu Song - Senaathipathi Nene

Users' Reviews

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

C NAVEEN CHANDERASEKAR 1 312 days ago

Good movie nice message and BGM����

Karthikeyan 25 448 days ago

MOVIE: SARDAR<br/>MY RATING: 4.5/5<br/><br/>SARDAR MOVIE IS A SPY THRILLER THAT WILL DEFINITELY A WORTH WATCH FILM THE MOVIE STORY IS QUITE UNIQUE AND A GOOD SOCIAL MESSAGE IS THERE IN THE FILM.THE MOVIE EXECUTED VERY VELL.AND COMMING TO PERFORMANCES ALL DID A GOOD JOB TO THEIR ROLES IN PERFORMANCES KARTHI GIVEN A VERY TERRIFIC PERFORMANCE MOSTLY IN SARDAR ROLE HE LIFTED WHOLE MOVIE IN HIS SHOULDER WITH IS FABULOUS PERFORMANCE AND DIRECTOR PS.MITRAN HANDLED THIS SPY THRILLER IN WONDERFUL WAY.AS WE TALKED ABOVE THE EXECUTION OF MOVIE IS WONDERFUL.AND THE BGM IS TOPNOTCH.AND FINALLY PRODUCTION VALUES ARE TOO GOOD.ACTION SEQUENCES ARE ALSO WONDERFUL.<br/><br/>PLUS<br/><br/>KARTHI ACTING <br/>STORY AND SCREENPLAY <br/>EXECUTION <br/>SPY CONTENT <br/>FAST PACED NARRATION<br/>ACTION SEQUENCES<br/>CASTING <br/><br/>DRAWBACKS <br/><br/>LENGTHY RUNTIME<br/><br/>OVERALL:DEFINITELY WORTH WATCH

Bibin Solomon 503 days ago

Lakshmithandapani 505 days ago.

Paste super

Karthi User 514 days ago

A fantastic spy thriller. A stellar performance by Karthi as Sardar. Pulling off a dual role with opposite characterisation is not a small task. The storyline is nice. Screenplay is excellent. Cinematography deserves an applause. Action sequences are superb. The parallel screenplay scenes are excellent. A must watch movie for Spy/Action/thriller movie lovers.&nbsp;

Visual Stories

Trendy ways to style your black kurta pajama

Entertainment

How to stop being your own worst enemy

Aditi Rao Hydari's black sharara set is a must-have ethnic essential

8 ways to use Boondi in creating delicious dishes

Most romantic destinations for your June travels

Kiara Advani channels old Hollywood glamour at Cannes 2024 in corset gown

9 Indian curries made without vegetables

How to successfully grow ‘Cherry tomatoes’ in the kitchen garden

​Gentle whispers to keep kids safe and loved​

News - Sardar

Karthi praises Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra’s 'A...

Remember Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta's adorable co-...

Arjun Das says 'Kaithi 2' will show what happens in Dil...

Nikkhil Advani's 'Freedom at Midnight' to showcase last...

'Sardar 2' to focus on drug deals, usage, and exploitat...

Jashn Kohli on role in 'Amar Singh Chamkila': Wanted to...

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Get reviews of the latest theatrical releases every week, right in your inbox every Friday.

Thanks for subscribing.

Please Click Here to subscribe other newsletters that may interest you, and you'll always find stories you want to read in your inbox.

Popular Movie Reviews

Inga Naan Thaan Kingu

Padikkadha Pakkangal

Aranmanai 4

Subscribe Now! Get features like

• Latest News
• Entertainment
• Real Estate
• RR vs KKR Live Score
• SRH vs PBKS Live Score
• Lok Sabha Election 2024
• My First Vote
• RR vs KKR Live
• SRH vs PBKS Live
• IPL 2024 Schedule
• IPL Points Table
• IPL Purple Cap
• IPL Orange Cap
• The Interview
• Web Stories
• Virat Kohli
• Mumbai News
• Bengaluru News
• Daily Digest
• Election Schedule 2024

Sardar movie review: Karthi shines as an action star in this flawed but watchable spy thriller

Sardar movie review: karthi-starrer spy thriller is engaging and fun despite several glaring flaws largely due to some brilliant action and the lead star..

PS Mithran is the kind of filmmaker you want to take seriously because he wants to constantly push the envelope. After making a smashing debut with Irumbu Thirai – a terrific cybercrime thriller, he followed it up with the critically acclaimed superhero thriller Hero. Mithran now makes a noteworthy comeback with Sardar, which is a fairly engaging spy thriller that addresses a very pressing issue. Despite a largely predictable second half, Sardar has some very interesting stretches and it genuinely wants to introduce Tamil audiences to the world of spies. The outcome isn’t pathbreaking but it definitely leaves you with the feeling that this story had a lot of potential. Also read: Karthi on PS1 and Sardar

Karthi plays inspector Vijay Prakash, who is hungry for publicity and would do anything to make the headlines. Thanks to his sincere efforts, Tamil Nadu Police has been a topic of constant discussion on social media. However, Vijay’s commitment towards his work is marred on account of his father, a former spy who has been branded a traitor by the government. Vijay is only looked at as the son of a spy who betrayed his own nation and this makes him grow more bitter towards his father.

When an important file goes missing from the hidden vault of R&AW wing, Vijay makes it his life’s mission to catch the person who stole the file. In the process, Vijay learns that his father, once branded as a traitor, has been rotting in a prison in Bangladesh for 32 years. Karthi also plays the father, who goes by the code name Sardar. As Vijay tries to unearth more information about his father, the story introduces him as a stage artist turned spy in the flashback. The rest of the story is about Vijay trying to find out if his father really went rogue and turned against his own nation.

Tamil cinema has had very few spy films over the years and Mithran’s Sardar, despite its share of glaring flaws, is definitely a solid addition to the list. Sardar stays as much as rooted as possible in its attempt to explore the spy genre, and that’s something that really works in the film’s favour. It’s the rootedness of the film that makes it largely entertaining.

The only major complaint with Sardar is when it also wants to become an awareness film when it talks about water mafia and how multinational corporations are cashing in on the high demand for clean drinking water. This is where the film really struggles to stay relevant and gradually turns into a boring lecture. At some point, the film isn’t sure whether it wants to be a spy film (which it could’ve been more effectively if only it didn’t try to preach a message) or an awareness film on water mafia. Bhavesh Joshi, for instance, also addressed this issue of water mafia but it left a stronger impact as a superhero film that wants to fix a problem. Unfortunately, Sardar wants to be both a spy film as well as a message-heavy awareness film and the outcome isn’t wholesomely satisfying.

Sardar is still a watchable spy thriller that’s powered by some great action set pieces. Karthi as Sardar, a spy in his 60’s, makes action look so effortless. His introduction scene amidst a prison riot has to be one of the best sequences of the movie. The action is very smartly choreographed, especially when it involves Sardar, who can’t fight like a typical hero who is in his 20s or 30s. The young Karthi is more of a crowd-pleasing character which is fun to watch initially but gets lost with no purpose in the second half of the movie. The young Rithvik is easily one of the better written child characters in recent years. He has such incredibly good screen presence.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Chunky Panday, Rajisha Vijayan, and Raashi Khanna.

IPL 2024 Coverage

Join Hindustan Times

Create free account and unlock exciting features like.

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Weather Today
• HT Newsletters
• Subscription
• Print Ad Rates
• Code of Ethics

• IPL Live Score
• T20 World Cup Schedule
• IPL 2024 Auctions
• T20 World Cup 2024
• Cricket Teams
• Cricket Players
• ICC Rankings
• Cricket Schedule
• T20 World Cup Points Table
• Other Cities
• Income Tax Calculator
• Budget 2024
• Petrol Prices
• Diesel Prices
• Silver Rate
• Relationships
• Art and Culture
• Taylor Swift: A Primer
• Telugu Cinema
• Tamil Cinema
• Board Exams
• Exam Results
• Competitive Exams
• BBA Colleges
• Engineering Colleges
• Medical Colleges
• BCA Colleges
• Medical Exams
• Engineering Exams
• Horoscope 2024
• Festive Calendar 2024
• Compatibility Calculator
• The Economist Articles
• Lok Sabha States
• Lok Sabha Parties
• Lok Sabha Candidates
• Explainer Video
• On The Record
• Vikram Chandra Daily Wrap
• EPL 2023-24
• ISL 2023-24
• Asian Games 2023
• Public Health
• Economic Policy
• International Affairs
• Climate Change
• Gender Equality
• future tech
• Daily Sudoku
• Daily Crossword
• Daily Word Jumble
• HT Friday Finance
• Explore Hindustan Times
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Subscription - Terms of Use

'Sardar' movie review: Karthi shines in a massy spy thriller with a compelling message

PS Mithran is a committed filmmaker. In his three films so far, the heroes have changed, the heroines have changed, the setting has changed, the look and feel of the films have changed, and the producer has changed, but one thing remains unchanged — the villain. Be it in Irumbuthirai or Hero, or his latest, Sardar, the villain might seem like one person, but it is actually the concept of commercialisation. What’s fascinating about this constant commentary on commercialisation is how the focus, more often than not, is always on people’s choices. Of course, Mithran’s films always have an overarching conflict and an underlying message. However, the resolution of it all isn’t just the responsibility of the protagonist, but is thrown open for the audience to engage and take home a message. More importantly, it makes the audience think of their next move with respect to the theme dealt with in his films. Sardar does that with consummate flair and strikes a balance between being a mass masala entertainer, and a message film with its heart in the right place.

Sardar has a fascinating cold open. It is the 80s. A renegade spy kills a high-ranking Intelligence official. Now, this spy is branded a traitor, but since it is played by Karthi, we definitely know who is on the right side. Nevertheless, the film soon shifts to the present where we see his son Vijayaprakash (Karthi again), a social media-savvy cop, who wants to remove the tag of being a 'traitor's son.' It is an interesting character arc that is milked for entertainment just long enough to ensure the gimmick doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, this tact of knowing when to stop a trope is the strength of Sardar's writing. While the sudden detours to a couple of songs feel like a deterrent to the otherwise on-point narration, the way Mithran uses these songs as montage sequences to further the plot is a welcome sight. While it is clear that we might have to wait longer for espionage thrillers to do away with songs altogether, this is a good middle ground.

Such is the shadow of Vikram that even the usual line of calling a spy a ghost reminds us of the Lokesh Kanagaraj film. Anyway, Sardar might actually remind us of the criminally underrated Bhavesh Joshi, and Velaikkaran. The central conceit is also a hat-tip to the real-life story of a famous Imperial Japanese soldier stationed on an island in the Philippines for three decades. But, make no mistake, Sardar is its own beast, and that is very much due to some smart writing and a brilliant Karthi at the centre of it all. In fact, it is one of the best performances from Karthi in what can be considered one of his massiest films to date. While it is Sardar who gets the maximum applause, his Vijayaprakash wonderfully holds fort on the other end. Considering it is a spy thriller, most of the big buildup moments work best in Sardar's story, and it is fascinating how Karthi, with his shaggy beard and gruff voice, almost makes us forget that he is also the uber-cool clean-shaven cop who is on a similar investigation trail, albeit from another direction. Also, full points to the team for relegating the father-son relationship to the background, and not having any grand sequences that might have distracted us from the plot.

Another highlight of Sardar is definitely the ensemble cast, which comes together to deliver a compelling film. Be it Chunky Panday as the primary antagonist or Yugi Sethu and Avinash as ex-RAW agents, the functioning of the clandestine agency is neither overtly glorified nor dumbed down. In Sardar, we don't see spies cracking cases and pulling down global conspiracies in just one day. We see how it is a prolonged process, and this attention to showcase the agency with authenticity is appreciable. Even with the women in the film — Laila, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan — each of them have a distinct purpose in the film and aid in the progression of the plot. While their limited screen time does act as a downer, the pressing nature of the overarching theme comes in handy for the writers to do away with certain plot points. A surprise highlight of Sardar is the presence of child actor Rithvik, who plays a precocious kid with a decent arc. It is comforting that this kid manages to say the right things at the right time without sounding unnecessarily older than his age.

Sardar is a technically sound film, especially in the conception and execution of the stunt sequences, which stand testament to the superior talent of stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan, DoP George C Williams, and editor Ruben. Even if the songs don't really leave an impact, especially because we are more invested in the montage sequences rather than the song itself, GV Prakash's strength comes to the fore in the background score, especially in the Sardar portions. These technicians, in tandem with the art department lead by Kathir, give us a fantastic look into the world of Sardar.

Generally, with films like Sardar, there is the problem of overwriting or spoon-feeding the audience. However, kudos to the writers for managing to walk the thin line without taking a patronising tone for most of its 165-minute runtime. The narrative takes a dip whenever we have a bit of forced humour here, and unnecessary romantic detours there, but it manages to recover just in time thanks to the focus shifting to a pressing issue that definitely warrants introspection even if the route taken to its predictable end is utopian.

Sardar is a true blue action thriller with the spy angle amply explored to justify the hint of a sequel. While we are still not sure if Karthi and Mithran will reunite for a Sardar 2, they have convincingly set up the world of cross-border espionage that doubles up as a well-constructed masala entertainer. With both Irumbuthirai and Hero having open endings, Mithran's propensity for promising us a franchise of sorts is known, and with Sardar, he has definitely delivered a film with the potential to finally fulfill that promise.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Panday

Rating: 3.5/5

(This review originally appeared on Cinema Express .com)

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp  

Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest

Related Stories

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Link to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Link to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
• The Last Stop in Yuma County Link to The Last Stop in Yuma County

New TV Tonight

• Evil: Season 4
• Trying: Season 4
• Tires: Season 1
• Fairly OddParents: A New Wish: Season 1
• Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.: Season 1
• Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza: Season 1
• Jurassic World: Chaos Theory: Season 1
• Mulligan: Season 2
• The 1% Club: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• Bridgerton: Season 3
• Dark Matter: Season 1
• Outer Range: Season 2
• Bodkin: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Doctor Who: Season 1
• Hacks: Season 3
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Bridgerton: Season 3 Link to Bridgerton: Season 3
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Cannes Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

The Best Movies of 1999

Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

What’s Next For Marvel’s Merry Mutants In X-Men ’97 ?

Kinds of Kindness First Reviews: Unpredictable, Unapologetic, and Definitely Not for Everyone

• Trending on RT
• Cannes Film Festival Scorecard
• Best Movies of 1999
• Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024
• TV Premiere Dates

Sardar Reviews

Flawed but watchable.

Full Review | Oct 21, 2022

The world of Sardar is established with style, dramatic intensity and when needed, that silly comedic charm.

PS Mithran's Sardar is an efficiently made spy movie, which, despite a story arc that is familiar, manages to keep us engaged till the end.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 21, 2022

• India Today
• Business Today
• Reader’s Digest
• Harper's Bazaar
• Brides Today
• Cosmopolitan
• Aaj Tak Campus
• India Today Hindi

Sardar Movie Review: Karthi is brilliant in this ambitious film, overloaded with message

Director ps mithran’s sardar, featuring karthi, chunky pandey and raashi khanna, is a formulaic film with a sensitive message at its core..

Listen to Story

• Karthi's Sardar hit the theatres on October 21.
• The film also features Chunky Pandey, Rajisha Vijayan and Raashi Khanna.
• The espionage thriller is directed by PS Mithran.

Release Date: 21 Oct, 2022

Karthi is on a roll! After a rustic Viruman and the phenomenal Ponniyin Selvan, he is back with director PS Mithran’s Sardar. ‘Once a spy, always a spy,’ is the one-liner attached to this espionage thriller that deals with an environmental hazard. It is safe to say that Sardar has elements that Kamal Haasan-Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram had. Even though both films are cut from the same cloth, they are also different.

Vijaya Prakash (Karthi) is a police inspector, who is haunted by the ghost of his past. His father Sardar (again played by Karthi) is branded as a traitor. Since his childhood, Vijaya Prakash has been bogged down by the tag. Meanwhile, activist Sameera (Laila, in a short role) steals an important document concerning Sardar, which starts a chain of reaction. Who is Sardar? Why was Laila killed? Is Sardar alive? These questions are answered by PS Mithran in the following two-and-a-half hours.

Director PS Mithran is three films old. One thing that Mithran relies on is packaging his film with his findings from the pre-production. It also gives a feeling that Mithran spends ample time in pre-production and amply researches a given topic. While his debut film Irumbu Thirai dealt with cybercrime, his second film, Hero, talks about one’s identity. In Sardar, Mithran delves deep into water theft, which is a growing concern in the country. Laila uncovers an important truth about water being commercialised and tries her best to bring Sardar out of prison to put a full stop to this. Because Sardar is the best agent India has ever produced and everything is possible for him.

Sardar is a film that suffers from an overload of information. However, Mithran does not repeat the mistake he made with his second film, Hero. In Sardar, he picks two important subplots – water theft and reunion of father-son – and concentrates on them. The screenplay keeps you engrossed, and therefore, it pays off to a great extent.

The character build-up to the father's role is tastefully done and makes you want to know who the agent everyone’s raving about is. The heavy-concept film bombards the audience with information and most importantly, lays it bare for people of all ages to understand and comprehend.

However, Sardar is not a film without shortcomings. The film becomes too convenient in many places. For example, Karthi’s characters get everything in the blink of an eye. But, you can not question how he gets everything done. The screenplay also lags in the second half, which waters down the impact it created until then. Also, Sardar is shown as a character who is ageing and suffers from trembling hands. When it comes to fight sequences, he is flawless. But, you cannot question how!

Karthi’s splendid acting as the father and son is brilliant. His nonchalant performance is what makes him desirable. Chunky Panday as the mastermind behind the water theft is appropriate. However, his characterisation could have been more powerful to put up an equal fight with a terrific Karthi.

Cinematography by George C Williams and composer GV Prakash Kumar’s work help elevate the script. Also, props to the art director for doing a brilliant job.

Sardar is a solid film with a strong core idea. With a few misses here and there, the film makes for a compelling watch.

2.5 out of 5 stars for Sardar. Published By: Nairita Mukherjee Published On: Oct 21, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | Sardar teaser out. Karthi is once a spy, always a spy in PS Mithran film

• Firstpost Defence Summit
• Entertainment
• Web Stories
• Health Supplement
• First Sports
• Fast and Factual
• Between The Lines
• Firstpost America

Sardar movie review: Karthi shines in this film that centers on its own version of scarlet letter, and the spy business

A spy film has to be stylish, sharp and slick if it is set in the present. Since Sardar is partly set in the 80s, the stunts in the film are more brutal and physically intimate.

Language: Tamil

Cast:  Karthi, Rajisha Vijayan, Raashi Khanna, Chunky Panday, Laila

Director: P.S. Mithran

Star rating: 3/5

From the very first shot, Karthi -starrer Sardar intrigues you. It is a brilliant shot of a government employee held at gunpoint in a boat on India-Bangladesh border. The resounding gunshot that pans away to reveal the title of the film promises a fascinating spy-thriller. However, that fascination is tested. In fact, the weakest point in Sardar is its first act that sets up a connection between the present and the past. Sardar is India’s most talented spy trained in the 80s, and Vijay Prakash is a police officer whose main motive is to make an attempt at living beyond the legacy left behind by his father who has been labelled a traitor by the nation’s highest intelligence agency.

The first act is where the narrative panders to formulaic concepts such as the masala-packed intro song, a romantic track and narrative montages. Of these, only the narrative montage works. The former two serve as nothing but a distraction, or more accurately, an obstacle before we as viewers can get to the heart of the story. The film picks up pace only after Vijay Prakash decides to capture a traitor of the nation, in an attempt to erase his legacy. Until this investigation, Vijay’s belief that his father had been a bad man had been absolute. After all, his father’s entire family had allegedly died by suicide. Their death only served as further proof regarding his father’s crimes. How his absolute belief is broken, the doubts that crop up in the process of his investigation, the trials that Vijay’s character experience during this time are a tale of their own.

You peel this layer away, and you learn about a controversy that is at play at large here. A conspiracy that attacks capitalism, one that blames the society for putting a price to anything and everything possible. In this case, rightly so. The more we learn of this controversy, the more we internalise it. In fact, the first thing that I did after the film ended was look into the commercialisation of waterways in countries across the world. I read about countries where it was successful and countries where it wasn’t. It is an interesting overarching theme to have for a spy thriller.

Of course, the film does pander to the suspicions that India at large has about China’s intention politically. However, it does work out in favour of the narrative. After the initial hiccup in the first act, there are certain unexpected edits and cutaways that do seem like an attempt by an amateur. In an otherwise tight screenplay that also does great at giving life to its supporting characters, these moments are irksome. The one who distracts you from such irksome moments in the film is this child — Timmy. Unlike other child actors that are forced to act cutesy, or way more mature for their age, this little guy is spot-on with his role. The role portrayed by Rithvik travels partially with Vijay before he partners up with Sardar. I say partner up because he does more to help the old man complete his three-decade-old mission. Vijay, at one point, becomes a spectator in his father’s life, and then he becomes a supporter.

It is Timmy who is aware of all of Sardar’s plans until the very end. Similarly, his mother Sameera Thomas (Laila) gets a brilliant arc of her own despite the short screen time. In fact, she serves as a turning point in both Vijay and Sardar’s life. In times when spy thrillers have one-dimensional female characters, Sardar has done better. That is not to say that there is no room for improvement. One of the characters that I was personally a tad bit disappointed with is that of Rajisha Vijayan’s. Raashi Khanna, on the other hand, gets comparatively more screen time, but she is also the love interest who exists solely for the male character’s growth.

A spy film has to be stylish, sharp and slick if it is set in the present. Since Sardar is partly set in the 80s, the stunts in the film are more brutal and physically intimate. The ways in which Sardar infiltrates enemy outposts is ingenious, yet simple. As an undercover agent, his acceptance of his role — no glory, no honour, or a nod to services provided — and the consequences that comes with it is what drives the film to the finish line. Speaking of stunt sequences, there is one that is quite inspired, where Sardar uses electricity and steam. The background score here, the editing, and visuals all come together beautifully. In fact, the high points of the film feature Sardar . The villain in this film — portrayed by Chunky Panday — is set up to perform a very popular trope in the espionage genre. While he is not the most impressive villains we have had in recent times, the film only sees him as a figure of corruption. The villain in this tale is something else entirely, and this is addressed through the film’s overarching topic.

In a film that captures the journey of a father and son in parallel, one where their fights are shows with intercuts, and their struggles overlap each other to brilliant background score, the absence of a grand reunion scene is interesting. What we see instead is Timmy act as a bridge between this father and son. It is similar to how the writers do not want to make a grandstand with their message. They make their point, show you their side of the argument and leave it to you to decide which side of history you want to place yourself at. Overall, the film comes together after its initial hiccup, and it forms a cohesive and effective narrative.

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with special focus on identity and gender politics.

Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

Find us on YouTube

Related Stories

Yodha: How Karan Johar and Sidharth Malhotra created history by unveiling the trailer mid-air at 37,000 feet

Netflix’s The Indrani Mukerjea Story – Buried Truth Review: A very mature approach to the Sheena Bora case

Here's looking at how Anant Ambani lost 108 kilos in mere 18 months ahead of his wedding with Radhika Merchant

Actress-politician Jaya Prada declared ‘absconding’ by court, arrest warrant issued for this reason

Gulte Telugu news

Sardar Movie Review

Article by Nanda Gopal Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 9:55 am, 22 October 2022 | Updated on 11:34 am, 26 October 2022

2h 46m   |   Action and Spy   |   21 Oct 2022

Cast - Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Laila, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Pandey

Director - Mithran PS

Producer - S. Lakshman Kumar

Banner - Prince Pictures

Music - G V Prakash Kumar

Karthi is known for picking up interesting scripts and challenging roles. He has teamed up with director PS Mithran, of Abhimanyudu fame for a spy thriller. For the first time in his career spanning 15 years, he has done a father-son dual role. The film raises curiosity with its content, thanks to the lead actor’s look. Here is the review.

Vijay Prakash (Karthi) is a publicity-hungry cop who is chasing high-profile cases. He gets the national-importance case of a missing file that is connected to an espionage spy Sardar (Karthi) who is prisoned in Bangladesh and branded a national traitor. The file has the interest of the owner of the water project. The water company wants to control the water supply across the country through ‘One Country One Pipeline’. It is also the cause for the deaths of 1000s of children every year. Who is Sardar and what is his story? How does he stop this dubious water project?

Performances:

Karthi delivered a praise-worthy performance as Sardar. He got under the skin of the character so well. In fact, he reminds us of versatile actors Kamal Haasan and Vikram in donning such myriad roles. He delivered a topnotch show in the action episodes. He also impresses with his role Vijay Prakash where he scores points in fun and emotional scenes. His comic persona was too good.

Rashi Khanna as Shalini is decent. She doesn’t get enough screen time to shine. After Liger, Chunky Pandey is seen as a baddie Maharaja Rathore. He does his part well. Rajisha Vijayan as Sardar’s wife is impressive. Laila as Sameera gets noticed.

Child actor Rithvik shines in the role of a smart and intelligent kid Timmy. He is a treat to watch till the end where he aids Sardar and refers to him as ‘Partner’. Timmy’s role is crucial and drives the story forward. The film has an ensemble cast and all the cast is a game on and does their best.

Technicalities

Sardar is a familiar espionage spy story on paper involving father and son. But Mithran has written an impressive screenplay that made it better, bigger and engaging. Gorge C William’s visuals and GV Prakash’s background score are appealing. Production values are lavish depicting the grandeur of the film. 

Thumbs Up Karthi’s Performance Terrific First Half Twists & Elevation Scenes Action Episodes

Thumbs Down Dragged Second Half Water Bottle Conspiracy

Director Mithran had made an impressive debut with Abhimanyudu which was an action techno thriller based on hacking. His second film was Hero (2019) based on the education system that was even more lecturish. His third directorial is an espionage spy thriller touching upon the commercialisation of water and its packaging. The scale gets bigger. Karthi makes it even more engaging with his powerful performance. The film’s first half is terrific. The way the film mounts and the way the story is unravelled makes it thoroughly engrossing till the interval.

Sardar has some brilliant episodes which give edge-of-seat experience. Be it the flashback scene how he manages to enter into Pakistan’s base camp or the Chittagong jail scene where Sardar fights other inmates or the Sardar’s escaping sequence from the prison were all shot well. The climax episodes were a bit draggy yet it would appeal to action lovers. 

The problem with Sardar lies in its preachiness on packaged water and its disadvantages. It gets repetitive at portions. Director jumps to a conspiracy around plastic water bottles and it’s overdone at times in the film. The hero and heroine lack chemistry. Their love track is pretty weak and it looked forced. Heroine Shalini (Rashi) is a lawyer whose client is Sameera (Laila), barring this her role hasn’t had much substance.

Sardar caters to both aficionados of spy films and action genre. It is an action-packed spy thriller that hits the right chords to the genre lovers. It is watchable for the big screen experience. 

Verdict: Solid Spy Thriller

Tags Recommended Sardar Movie Review Sardar Review

Click Here for Recommended Movies on OTT (List Updates Daily)

• Andhra Pradesh
• Arunachal Pradesh
• Himachal Pradesh
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Madhya Pradesh
• Maharashtra
• Uttar Pradesh
• Uttarakhand
• West Bengal
• Movie Reviews
• DC Comments
• Sunday Chronicle
• Hyderabad Chronicle
• Editor Pick
• Special Story

Sardar movie review: A long-winding over-the-top movie

The world is shrinking both in terms of time and space. Only Tollywood, while it could take advantage of the latter, is not willing to recognise the former.

Resultantly a major Tamil film gets dubbed to a reasonable footfall at the theatres, the time it takes to tell the story of a mafia planning to rob the world of drinking water takes all of nearly three hours. Film makers just cannot get over the idea that you do not need three hours to tell a gripping story and there is nothing more important than telling a story in a crisp and compelling manner.

While song and dance are indeed an integral part of our cinema and thus romance an imperative, our filmmakers have yet to learn the fine art of coming up with a balancing act.

This outing is a fine example of how you fail may not even set out to achieve this goal. The lead romantic pair sing songs wholly irrelevant to the main story for the first half hour in typical Telugu-Tamil style and then there is not a whisper of romance till the Director decides to punctuate the narrative with the presence of the heroine at odd moments. There has also been a constant parallel narrative in our cinema that only the extra brave courageous and maltodextrins character that can win battles and the ordinary are so distant in the background that life is mocking them.

Director Mitran PS takes away 165 minutes of your life in exchange for the ticket price and believes in giving you your money's worth-quantitatively. There not only lies the problem but there it starts.

Juxtaposition this long duration with the lack of talent to spread a story thin and even and you get into a film that has bouts of needless violence , spells of high voltage drama and hours of meandering.

Inspector Vijay Prakash (Karthi) is that Inspector who we find only in our cinema and rarely in our police stations. Efficient, duty conscious and proactive. Brought up by his constable uncle (Munishkant) he has to overcome a huge social barrier as he is perceived by many as the son of a traitor – his father Bose (Karthi- in the other role too). For romance he has a lawyer in Shalini (Raashi Khanna) while Pappa Bose has Rajisha Vijayan.

The sudden disappearance of Sameera (Laila) a social activist whose writ petition against a pipeline project kick starts the proceedings we have peeps into the past. Leaking here and there in the tale is how Sardar is a Intelligence Officer who is doomed to obscurity and notoriety leaves a son who would walk an extra mile for popularity and fame. Dad has been declared a traitor and missing while the entire family commits suicide. This haunts the son (a la Zanjeer to Ghost). There is Maharaja Rathore (Chunkey Pandey) who is an ex-army officer who has resigned and is now the villain in chief who promises the world that India would have a single pipeline for drinking water but is actually robbing the innocent of their lawful share and making them dependent on bottled water which also has disastrous side effects as seen in a little boy Timmy (Rithvik).

Hours and hours of cinema and finally through the prisons of Bangladesh the beach sands of the Bay of Bengal and the streets of Tamil Nādu Papa and Son fight the evil and in the midst of debris and bodies dead and ears deafened you come to a climax which shows the complete lack of control that the film maker has on his product.

The saving grace in the film is the performance from Karthi in a dual role. We are saved of similar mannerisms to establish the relationship. We are also saved of dramatic reunions and the like. We could well have been saved of a lot more. Simply reiterated, the fight of an international mafia eyeing water as the critical factor with the armed forces either conniving or turning a blind eye to the prospective tragedy simply does not require three hours, much less a contrived romance between the fighting protagonists – a police officer and an activist lawyer. Sardar is over the top and for those who order for just that from the menu card this satiates.

Latest News

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

• தமிழ் சினிமா செய்திகள்
• தமிழ் விமர்சனம்
• சினிமா ஸ்பெஷல்ஸ்
• நட்சத்திரங்களின் நேர்காணல்
• Galatta Features
• Galatta Daily
• Baradwaj Rangan Movie Reviews
• Upcoming Movies
• Corridos Of Power
• Celebrity Fashions
• Short Films
• Galatta Awards
• Tamil Telugu Kannada Malayalam English Hindi

Sardar Movie Review (2022)

Ps mithran's 'sardar', with karthi and raashi khanna, is an engaging spy thriller that sticks close to the genre.

Sardar Movie Cast & Crew

PS Mithran may have developed a new genre: ShankarWood. Like the director Shankar, he takes an issue and makes it the basis for a Hollywood-style, hero-centric action movie. In Irumbu Thirai , the issue was cybercrime. In Hero , the issue was education / intellectual theft. In his new Karthi-starrer, Sardar , the issue is that of putting a price on water. The villain wants to control all the drinking-water supply in India, by bottling the water and selling it. But the real danger may be from the plastic bottles. The second half of "ShankarWood" comes from Hollywood. Unlike Shankar, whose sensibility is quite Indian, Mithran seems to be like Lokesh Kanagaraj: a lover of Hollywood genre cinema. Sardar is not without Indian-isms – say, a couple of needless duets. But Mithran is smart enough to intercut them with other actions. So the songs don't exactly become speed breakers. 

And speaking of speed… After a bumpy start that underlines the issue (this portion includes a badly cast Laila), Sardar moves like a jet plane. The screenplay (credited to five writers, including Mithran) and Ruben's editing make us feel like we are watching a film at 2x speed. This is a very important element in a story that is both predictable and derivative. Karthi plays Vijay Prakash, a cop whose missing father (also Karthi) is branded a traitor. Now, of course, we know – even if the younger Karthi doesn't – that the man is actually a patriot. The derivative nature comes from both Shankar and numerous Hollywood spy thrillers. But Mithran's hold on the material is solid, and with George C Williams's beautifully toned cinematography, the film is quite engaging. (I wish it had been shorter, though.)

The story begins with Vijay Prakash and a no-nonsense lawyer, played by a not-bad Raashi Khanna. They are both committed more to their jobs than to romance, and it's refreshing to see a heroine not easily falling for a hero's charms. The one wish I had was that they'd added more weight to Vijay Prakash. He is a cop who likes to call attention to himself, and at first, this comes across like a narcissistic trait. But soon, we see that it's his constant need to reassure people that he is a good cop, and not someone like his father. This aspect is alluded to, but it's not stressed on – and the film misses an opportunity to elevate the emotional stakes.

But that's probably excusable, because Sardar is more interested in the action. After a point, the narrative keeps cross-cutting between father and son, not just sequentially but also parallely, during two action scenes. Like the two Karthis, many aspects play out in echoes. One child with a stigmatised parent finds a kinship with another. One shot where a gun is placed at the back of the neck is tied to another, later on. I liked the touch that even a commoner, like a boy who makes tea, can be a spy. There are other nice touches, too – like the fact that the senior Karthi is a folk-theatre performer, a koothadi , and he wears a number of disguises in the roles he plays as a spy. (This Karthi is paired with Rajisha Vijayan.) And where does this Karthi character do his spy-work? Inside a well, a source of water – and water is the film's big concern.

Karthi is fine in both roles, and if I had to choose, I'd go with the father. Apart from a few scenes with his wife, there's a standoffish quality to him, befitting a spy. You feel you will never really read this man by watching his face. The ending makes sense, too. Mithran doesn't opt for a tearful reunion. He stays true to character. The cute kid, and the extra-long stretches of explanation are things that could have been tweaked – but my only real issue with Sardar is the lack of tension. For a spy thriller, the film doesn't ever bring you to the edge of your seat. Still, Sardar is a solid addition to Hollywood-derived films like Maanadu and Vikram . It sticks closely to its genre, and that's its biggest plus.

About Author

Baradwaj Rangan

National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, former deputy editor of The Hindu and senior editor of Film Companion, has carved a niche for himself over the years as a powerful voice in cinema, especially the Tamil film industry, with his reviews of films. While he was pursuing his chemical engineering degree, he was fascinated with the writing and analysis of world cinema by American critics. Baradwaj completed his Master’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations through scholarship. His first review was for the Hindi film Dum, published on January 30, 2003, in the Madras Plus supplement of The Economic Times. He then started critiquing Tamil films in 2014 and did a review on the film Subramaniapuram, while also debuting as a writer in the unreleased rom-com Kadhal 2 Kalyanam. Furthermore, Baradwaj has authored two books - Conversations with Mani Ratnam, 2012, and A Journey Through Indian Cinema, 2014. In 2017, he joined Film Companion South and continued to show his prowess in critiquing for the next five years garnering a wide viewership and a fan following of his own before announcing to be a part of Galatta Media in March 2022.

Sardar Movie News

Latest Movie Reviews

Thanks for visiting GALATTA.

Please turn off your ad blocker in order to continue.

Without ads, we can't offer free content to our users.

Thanks again!

• Movie Reviews

Sardar Review

What's Behind

Kollywood actor Karthi is known for his high-octane intense films. He recently entertained Ponniyin Selan and is now getting ready to thrill movie lovers with Sardar. Sardar OTT streaming rights have been bagged by Aha Tamil and will be done after it finishes its theatrical run. The film is directed by Mithran of Abimanyudu (Irumbu Thirai) fame. The film is releasing today October 21 and let us find out how Karthi thrilled movie lovers.

Story Review

Story of Sardar is all about a sincere spy who sacrifices everything putting the nation above all. Inspector Vijay Prakash (Karthi) is media savvy and ensures that whatever he does gets public attention. While preventing a group of people from protesting against a company, Vijay finds out that vital security information has been stolen. During the investigation, he learns about shocking developments related to his past. To unravel the mystery behind Vijay's penchant for public image, his relationship with his girlfriend, lawyer Shalini (Raashi Khanna), Sameera (Laila), and their connection to Sardar alias Chandrabose (Karthi), enjoy Sardar on screen.

Artists, Technicians Review

The story of Sardar penned by PS. Mithran is all about a spy whose credentials are suspicious. Mithran despite coming up with a familiar story arc, emerged successful most of the time with a racy screenplay and direction. The screenplay and narration are racy in the first half which after a few hilarious and entertaining elements picks up the pace and then continues in the same vein with an interesting interval bang. The way he narrated and highlighted the water mafia connecting the dots with international and national politics thrills and excites all. While he showed Karthi in the role of Vijay Prakash as jovial, naughty, and at the same times intelligent in the investigation, he highlighted the Sardar role played by Karthi throughout the second half with intense and high-octane action elements. But for all the positives, the second half is marred by routine elements while the first half is marred by romantic and hilarious elements which dragged the pace of the film. Even the flashback episode in the second half affected the tempo and the Tamil flavor got the viewers disassociated with the Telugu movie lovers. The antagonist role though shown as the most powerful, the conflict between antagonist and protagonist is not taken to another level. For all the highs in action elements and interesting twists and thrills, the narration is low on emotions and though few are there, they fail to connect chords with the viewers.

Karthi known for his versatile acting slipped into the role effortlessly. He performed well as a media-savvy police officer and looked mischievous while flirting with his girlfriend. At the same time, he showed variations in his expressions while getting frustrated when remembered his past and while investing the case in a serious mode. As Sardar, Karthi surprises with his makeover and image transformation. He enacted deadly stunts to surprise all his fans. Raashi Khanna got a limited role and she performed well in the role of a lawyer. Rajisha Vijayan is ok as the second heroine. Laila played an important role and made her presence felt. Chunkey Pandey as the villain looked stylish and made an impact. Others performed according to their roles.

The cinematography of George C Williams is neat and gave a rich feel to the proceedings. The visuals are realistic and captivating. Songs tuned by GV. Prakash Kumar is situational but they acted as speed breakers and are full of Tamil flavor. He elevated the scenes with his superb background music. Editing of Ruben could have been better as there are many routine elements in the narration. Dialogues are good and stunt choreography thrilled the viewers. Production values are good.

• Karthi's performance
• Cinematography

Disadvantages

• Routine elements
• Missing emotional connection

Rating Analysis

Altogether,  Karthi and Mithran's combination increased expectations among movie lovers. Karthi is known for his impactful performances while Mithran is known for his thrilling message-oriented films. With Sardar, the duo doesn't disappoint anyone. Mithran beautifully balanced the thrilling twists and messages he is popular along with Karthi's mass heroism. However, after the interesting first half where the conflict is established in a perfect manner highlighting the major problem the world is facing and how India could be endangered, the second half slows down with the flashback episodes. The moment Mithran tries to highlight the emotions, the narration deviated it affected the film in a big way. After some time, people get a feeling that Mithran is getting too predictable, and the same with Karthi. Had Mithran highlighted the emotions successfully as he did in Irumbu Thirai (Abhimanyudu), the impact of Sardar could have been even more. Mithran's story has some familiar shades of a spy being branded as a traitor and his flashback and how he is vindicated. But he with his screenplay and direction generated interest balancing with Karthi's impactful performance. A little bit of fine-tuning of the screenplay could have helped the film in a big way. Altogether Sardar turns out to be an interesting spy thriller. Considering all these aspects, Cinejosh goes with a 2.75 rating for Sardar.

Cinejosh - A One Vision Technologies initiative, was founded in 2009 as a website for news, reviews and much more content for OTT, TV, Cinema for the Telugu population and later emerged as a one-stop destination with 24/7 updates.

Contact us     Privacy     © 2009-2023 CineJosh All right reserved.    

• Movie Schedules
• OTT and TV News

Most Viewed Articles

• Job Opening : Wanted English Content Writers
• OTT Review: Baahubali: Crown of Blood – Telugu dubbed series on Hotstar
• Review : Miral – A tedious watch
• Star hero asked to cut down his fee by 70%
• Karan Johar gives a special gift to NTR and Prashanth Neel’s film
• Buzz: Malayalam star hero in talks for Mahesh Babu and Rajamouli’s film
• Kamal Haasan gives clarity on Indian 2’s release; Spills beans about Indian 3
• Kiara Advani – Jaragandi song from Game Changer has back-breaking steps

Recent Posts

• New Photos : Aakanksha Singh
• Video : Fear Song – Devara (Jr NTR)
• New Photos : Disha Patani
• పవర్ఫుల్ గా “దేవర” మొదటి సాంగ్.!
• Official: Kamal Haasan & Shankar’s Indian 2 to hit the big screens on this date
• Release Date Posters : Bhaarateeyudu 2 (Kamal Haasan)

Release Date : October 21, 2022

123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5

Starring: Karthi, Raashi Khanna and Rajisha Vijayan

Director: P.S Mithran

Producer: S.Lakshman Kumar

Music Director : GV Prakash Kumar

Cinematography : George C Williams

Editor : Ruben

Related Links : Trailer

Karthi is flying high with the success of his latest film Ponniyin Selvan. He is back with a new action drama called Sardaar which has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Vijay(Karthi) is a sincere cop who always gives his best and his department is also quite happy with his efforts. He loves lawyer Shalini(Raashi Khanna) and is looking for bigger goals in life. This is also the time when a massive project named One Line One Pipe is being planned in the country. A few RAW agents want this project to be stopped at any cost. Left with no choice, they bring Sardaar into the action to deal with this situation. Who is this Sardaar? What is the connection between Vijay and Sardaar? What is this whole project about? To know the answers, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

Plus Points:

Karthi is becoming better with each film. He plays a double role in this film and aces it. The difference he showcases in two characters was super cool. He will be seen in different getups in this film and the body language he uses for each one of them is stunning. Karthi is one of the major assets and showcases himself in a new avatar in this film.

Raashi Khann gets a good role and she gives ample support to Karthi and looks good on screen. Yesteryear actress Laila was seen in a key role and it was so good to see her after a long gap. Chunkey Pandey played an important character and he is doing quite good with each film and was lethal in Sardaar.

The other heroine, Rajisha has also done a good job in her role. The fight sequences are slick and evoke interest for the audience. The manner in which the thrills are showcased in a stylish manner reveal how good the technical values of the film are.

Minus Points:

The stakes are quite high in the second half and there was scope for more drama and thrill but the director Mithran does not make proper use of it and shows some scenes in a very predictable manner. More crisp narration would have made matters even better.

The climax is good but this is not effective as one expects after seeing the entire film. A more solid bang in the end would have been quite good. The film starts on a slow note and runtime should have been edited a bit to make matters crisp.

Technical Aspects:

As said earlier, Sardaar is high on technical aspects. GV Prakash scores the music for this film. His music is average but the BGM composed is just amazing. The camerawork by Goerge Williams is stunning and showcases the film in a solid manner. The Telugu dubbing is also very good.

Coming to the director Mithran, he has done a good job with the film. He has written an action packed story and narrated it in a good manner. Had he made the film crisp, the output would have been a lot better. He has showcased Karthi in a solid manner and his fans will love him in a new role.

On the whole, Sardaar is an emotional spy drama which is stylish, and action packed. The film is a bit lengthy and has a few issues in the second half. But Karthi’s solid performance, strong content with good thrills erases all the issues and make this film a good watch this festive season. Go for it.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

Articles that might interest you:

• This hero was the first choice for Ghajini’s Hindi version
• Poll: How is Fear Song from NTR’s Devara?
• Fear Song from Devara: Anirudh gives solid elevations to NTR
• Surprise: Ajith’s first look poster from Good Bad Ugly unveiled
• Interesting buzz on Kamal Haasan’s role in Kalki 2898 AD
• Report: Prasanth Varma to announce his film with Ranveer Singh in style
• Geethanjali Malli Vachindi clocks 75 million streaming minutes on OTT

Ad : Teluguruchi - Learn.. Cook.. Enjoy the Tasty food

Sardar Movie Review: Karthi shines in a massy spy thriller with a compelling message

Rating: ( 3.5 / 5).

PS Mithran is a committed filmmaker. In his three films so far, the heroes have changed, the heroines have changed, the setting has changed, the look and feel of the films have changed, and the producer has changed, but one thing remains unchanged — the villain. Be it in  Irumbuthirai  or  Hero , or his latest,  Sardar , the villain might seem like one person, but it is actually the concept of commercialisation. What’s fascinating about this constant commentary on commercialisation is how the focus, more often than not, is always on people’s choices. Of course, Mithran’s films always have an overarching conflict and an underlying message. However, the resolution of it all isn’t just the responsibility of the protagonist, but is thrown open for the audience to engage and take home a message. More importantly, it makes the audience think of their next move with respect to the theme dealt with in his films.  Sardar  does that with consummate flair and strikes a balance between being a mass masala entertainer, and a message film with its heart in the right place.

Director: PS Mithran

Cast: Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Panday Sardar   has a fascinating cold open. It is the 80s. A renegade spy kills a high-ranking Intelligence official. Now, this spy is branded a traitor, but since it is played by Karthi, we definitely know who is on the right side. Nevertheless, the film soon shifts to the present where we see his son Vijayaprakash (Karthi again), a social media-savvy cop, who wants to remove the tag of being a 'traitor's son.' It is an interesting character arc that is milked for entertainment just long enough to ensure the gimmick doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, this tact of knowing when to stop a trope is the strength of  Sardar 's writing. While the sudden detours to a couple of songs feel like a deterrent to the otherwise on-point narration, the way Mithran uses these songs as montage sequences to further the plot is a welcome sight. While it is clear that we might have to wait longer for espionage thrillers to do away with songs altogether, this is a good middle ground. Such is the shadow of  Vikram  that even the usual line of calling a spy a ghost reminds us of the Lokesh Kanagaraj film. Anyway,  Sardar  might actually remind us of the criminally underrated  Bhavesh Joshi , and  Velaikkaran . The central conceit is also a hat-tip to the real-life story of a famous Imperial Japanese soldier stationed on an island in the Philippines for three decades. But, make no mistake,  Sardar  is its own beast, and that is very much due to some smart writing and a brilliant Karthi at the centre of it all. In fact, it is one of the best performances from Karthi in what can be considered one of his massiest films to date. While it is Sardar who gets the maximum applause, his Vijayaprakash wonderfully holds fort on the other end. Considering it is a spy thriller, most of the big buildup moments work best in Sardar's story, and it is fascinating how Karthi, with his shaggy beard and gruff voice, almost makes us forget that he is also the uber-cool clean-shaven cop who is on a similar investigation trail, albeit from another direction. Also, full points to the team for relegating the father-son relationship to the background, and not having any grand sequences that might have distracted us from the plot.   Another highlight of  Sardar  is definitely the ensemble cast, which comes together to deliver a compelling film. Be it Chunky Panday as the primary antagonist or Yugi Sethu and Avinash as ex-RAW agents, the functioning of the clandestine agency is neither overtly glorified nor dumbed down. In  Sardar , we don't see spies cracking cases and pulling down global conspiracies in just one day. We see how it is a prolonged process, and this attention to showcase the agency with authenticity is appreciable. Even with the women in the film — Laila, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan — each of them have a distinct purpose in the film and aid in the progression of the plot. While their limited screen time does act as a downer, the pressing nature of the overarching theme comes in handy for the writers to do away with certain plot points. A surprise highlight of  Sardar  is the presence of child actor Rithvik, who plays a precocious kid with a decent arc. It is comforting that this kid manages to say the right things at the right time without sounding unnecessarily older than his age. Sardar  is a technically sound film, especially in the conception and execution of the stunt sequences, which stand testament to the superior talent of stunt choreographer Dhilip Subbarayan, DoP George C Williams, and editor Ruben. Even if the songs don't really leave an impact, especially because we are more invested in the montage sequences rather than the song itself, GV Prakash's strength comes to the fore in the background score, especially in the Sardar portions. These technicians, in tandem with the art department lead by Kathir, give us a fantastic look into the world of  Sardar . Generally, with films like  Sardar , there is the problem of overwriting or spoon-feeding the audience. However, kudos to the writers for managing to walk the thin line without taking a patronising tone for most of its 165-minute runtime. The narrative takes a dip whenever we have a bit of forced humour here, and unnecessary romantic detours there, but it manages to recover just in time thanks to the focus shifting to a pressing issue that definitely warrants introspection even if the route taken to its predictable end is utopian. Sardar  is a true blue action thriller with the spy angle amply explored to justify the hint of a sequel. While we are still not sure if Karthi and Mithran will reunite for a  Sardar 2 , they have convincingly set up the world of cross-border espionage that doubles up as a well-constructed masala entertainer. With both  Irumbuthirai  and  Hero  having open endings, Mithran's propensity for promising us a franchise of sorts is known, and with  Sardar , he has definitely delivered a film with the potential to finally fulfill that promise.

Related Stories

• Daily BO Update
• Daily Breakdown
• Hits & Flops
• All Time Grossers
• Highest Grossers
• Highest Openers
• Highest Weekend
• Best of Overseas
• Hollywood Highest
• Fact-o-meter
• Entertainment News
• Bollywood News
• Television & Web
• Fashion & Lifestyle
• Bigg Boss 17
• Hollywood News
• What To Watch
• Bollywood Movie Reviews
• Hollywood Movie Reviews
• All South Movie Reviews
• Tamil Movie Reviews
• Telugu Movie Reviews
• Kannada Movie Reviews
• Malayalam Movie Reviews
• Marathi Movie Reviews
• Web Series Reviews
• Music Reviews
• Box Office Reviews
• Trailer Reviews
• BO Filmometer
• Stars’ Power Index
• Directors’ Power Index
• 100 Crore Club
• Worldwide 200 Crores+
• Profitable Films
• Recommended Movies
• Upcoming Movies
• Released Movies
• Web Stories
• About Koimoi

Home » Reviews » South Indian Movie Reviews

Sardar Movie Review: Karthi Starrer Is Smart But Is Also Muddled With Multiple Miscalculated Messes/Misses!

Misses the target of entertaining, making a mess in order to serve a multi-course meal on a single plate.

Star Cast: Karthi, Raashi Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Pandey, Laila

Director:  P. S. Mithran

What’s Good: Despite showing Karthi as a larger-than-life hero, this doesn’t do fan service to your face

What’s Bad:  It misses the target of entertaining, making a mess in order to serve a multi-course meal on a single plate!

Loo Break:  It’s 166-minutes long & has no power to stop you from taking a break, yes you’ll miss a lot but it won’t make you clueless about what’s going on

Watch or Not?:  It misses the target of entertaining, making a mess in order to serve a multi-course meal on a single plate!

Language:  Tamil

Available on: Theatrical Release

Runtime: 166 Minutes

It starts following the basic spy-thriller schtick of introducing the almighty lead agent telling you why he’s not as good as you think, but he eventually will be because how else to end such films? By labelling the super-spy Bose aka Sardar (Karthi) a ‘traitor’, the film jumps to the current day where his son Vijayprakash (also Karthi) is trying hard of being so entertaining to everyone that they should forget his father was a ‘gadaar’ agent back in the day.

Vijay somehow gets involved with the weird subplot of Chunky Panday ‘s Rathore is fooling not only the country but also the entire world with his ‘One Nation One Pipeline’ scheme. With the help of his lawyer childhood crush Shalini ( Raashii Khanna ), Vijay uncovers truths about his life reuniting with his allegedly-rouge father Sardar ultimately getting a clearer picture of what went wrong.

Sardar Movie Review: Script Analysis

In one line, P. S. Mithran’s story boils down to an ‘adarsh’ son reuniting with his dad who he thought was dead (and rouge), only to have a ‘Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan’ Chak De! India’s moment in the end. Amid this ‘image-cleansing’ process of people’s cop, the narrative cojoins with social issues of ‘free’ water turning into a commodity denoting a darker side of capitalism.

I know, it looks all intriguing & intellectual on the outside, but on the inside, it’s muddled with multiple miscalculated messes/misses. Not a single sub-plot supports the strings of the plot, making it hang through a solo strand of Karthi’s performance which, spoiler alert, isn’t enough to attract your attention. Things get too convenient in disguise of ‘building’ the sub-plots like a kid giving away answers in an exchange for ice cream.

Ruben’s editing drags the already hindering narrative making it unbearable to sit through even interesting sequences like the pre-Interval block. He could’ve found a choppy way to pack in all the information without elongating everything. George C. Williams’ camerawork comes to life only in the action sequences, as apart from that he takes a very routine approach to film the already crawling scenes.

Sardar Movie Review: Star Performance

The many shades of Karthi don’t really come across as a diversified approach to taking a character. The only difference between Sardar & Vijayprakash is the aged look achieved through prosthetics, while the treatment remains tiredly similar for every avatar he takes up. While he shines in some scenes, that’s the least you’d accept from someone who’s at this stage of his career.

Raashi Khanna displays an artificial act, also not getting any considerable help from the weak character sketch. Chunky Pandey remains to be a miscast, especially because of how the poor dubbing doesn’t allow you to take him seriously at any juncture. Laila’s character which seems to be interesting at the start is also a victim of getting eclipsed by the heroic elements of the film.

Sardar Movie Review: Direction, Music

P. S. Mithran tries to mash up a spy-thriller layered with emotional drama & a touch of social issues like ‘don’t drink bottled water because it kills’, but ultimately makes ‘khichdi’ of everything which is definitely not palatable. It surely gives a very Vikram-isque vibe by its template but fails at more than one level in achieving even one-tenth of the same.

G. V. Prakash Kumar is that scholar kid in the class who never fails even if the entire class is performing poorly. He continues to drop bangers in the set pieces which aren’t optimally used by the makers, as the visuals don’t really match up to its swag.

Sardar Movie Review: The Last Word

All said and done, Karthi’s Sardar is one of those films which could’ve been a masterpiece only if things would’ve gone as planned.

Sardar Trailer

Sardar releases on 21 October, 2022.

Share with us your experience of watching Sardar.

For more recommendations, read our Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu Movie Review here.

Must Read:   Ammu Movie Review: Aishwarya Lekshmi Demands Your Attention & Proves Her Worth In A Movie With A Haunting Premise

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Telegram

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Related articles.

Aranmanai 4 Box Office Collection (After 16 Days): Tamannaah Bhatia Delivers The Highest-Grossing Tamil Film Of 2024 Destroying Ayalaan – Baahubali Queen For A...

Kartam Bhugtam Movie Review: Simplistic Revenge Drama

The Garfield Movie Review: The Adventures Of Our Favorite Lazy Cat & His Lost Father Make For A Fun Time

Check this out.

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah: Did You Know? Dilip Joshi aka...

Rockstar 2 Ft Ranbir Kapoor Is On The Cards? Imtiaz Ali...

Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan Is 2nd On Netflix’s Global Top 10 Films...

Tom Brady Says Netflix Roast Jokes Were Hard On His Children:...

Guruvayoorambala Nadayil Box Office Collection Day 1: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Film Scores...

Revisiting Shah Rukh Khan Starrer Fan’s Failure: Ambitious Project Eventually Landing...

Don't miss.

When Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock Confessed About His Rivalry With...

Star Box Office Collection Day 5: Kavin’s Film Shines Bright, Recovers...

What To Watch This Weekend: Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Madgaon Express,...

Gullak S4 Trailer Review: Mishra Family Ditches The Nostalgia & Gears Up For The Riskiest Season & Briskiest Transition – Will This Walking On...

Chandu Champion Trailer Review: Kartik Aaryan Grit & Determination Is Impressive In Kabir Khan’s Compelling Sports Drama

IF Movie Review: John Krasinski Gathers A Fascinating Cast Of Actors In One Of The Strangest Movies Of The Summer

• Privacy Policy