'Bhavani IPS' (Tamil, Action)
Director: G Kicha
Cast: Sneha, Vivek and others
In this story of a valorous policewoman and a town gone haywire, Sneha takes on a different role — one that’s far from the demure, homely ones that she has played in the past.
She has carved a niche for herself in the hearts of Tamil audiences with her soft looks and homely roles. And now Sneha steps into action mode in ‘Bhavani’, a rehash of the Telugu film ‘Kartavya’ (dubbed in Tamil as ‘Vyjayanthi IPS’). Vijayashanti’s power-packed performance as the feisty cop in the earlier version had catapulted the actress to superstar status in Andhra Pradesh; a tough role for any heroine to reprise.
Sneha may not have touched the energy level that her senior had infused into the role, but there’s no denying that she has put in great effort, particularly in the stunt-chase scenes. The film opens with Bhavani on her new posting as the ACP of Thirunelveli. Having a stronghold in this town is the unscrupulous politician Sivalingam (Kota, obviously revelling in his baddie act), his wayward son (Aryan) and his bunch of goons.
The man is behind every illegal racket that goes on here. The cops are either bought off, or are too scared to bring him to book — all this, till the gutsy, relentless Bhavani enters the scene and takes him on.
She has to pay for it dearly though, when her near ones are targeted, and she’s publicly humiliated and physically abused. Going by the rules, Bhavani soon realizes that she would have to change her methods in order to achieve her goal. Commendably, the film steers clear of a romantic angle and dreamy songs.
There is Vivek’s futile attempt at comedy though, the actor disappearing from the scene after a while. The film has a worn-out jaded look. The director could have tried to infuse some novelty in the script, and some style and finesse in his presentation.