Predictable Fare

Sridhar, the seasoned dance choreographer and the lead dancer seen in many films, now  makes his debut as a hero in Pokkiri Mannan. And it is to his credit that he confidently essays the character of Marudhu, a wastrel who gets a chance to redeem himself. And in the routine fight-action-emotion scenario, Sridhar passes muster. It is only that he at times is so like the boy-next -door, that one has a rather tough time trying to identify the hero from the rest of his friends.

The film has a lazy screenplay with nothing fresh or exciting either in its scripting or in its narrative style. It revolves around Marudhu who leads a carefree lifestyle whiling away his time with like-minded friends. There are the routine boozing binges, and the irritation caused to the family and the neighbours. Marudhu encounters Archana ( Spoorthi) and it’s love at first sight for the hero. Marudhu’s way of wooing her is by pretending to be pushed by a friend in a mock fight, and falling all over her. His ploy seems to have worked, for the girl thaws towards him soon enough. Enters the Dubai- returned Kali (Singampuli going overboard with his act) who aspires to be the next councilor. With the election round the corner, Marudhu and his friends make plans to squeeze him dry. Post -interval it is action-time for the hero. There is the new entrant to the plot, Teja the villain of the piece (Reddy, the film’s producer). With average marks in every department, the film neither excites, nor disappoints.