A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man – Joseph Campbell

Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s ‘Sahasam’ pretty much sticks to Joseph Campbell’s ‘The journey of a hero’. The hero (Gopichand) in Sahasam, is a ordinary security guard, who sets out on an unknown journey to retrieve his long lost inheritance. His quest takes him to danger infested areas in Pakistan and the adventure begins.

Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s screenplay allows enough time for Gopichand to build credibility for his character. The song during titles and the elaborate first fight add to Gopichand’s heroism without deviating too much from the main plot.

Technically, ‘Sahasam’ is pretty decent effort with VFX topping the honors. Specially in the second half,  Chandrasekhar Yeleti, uses VFX well to create the ambiance and thrills. He , brings back fond memories of Telugu old films directed by the likes of Vithalayacharya, K.V.Reddy and also that of  Indiana Jones series. Overall, a good watch for the discerning movie lovers who enjoy a good combination of experimentation and entertainment.

Sri picks quite a many cues from John Williams musical score for Indiana Jones trilogy, including a literal copy of the John William’s ‘The Map room’ score from “The Raiders of the Last Ark’

Raiders of the Lost Ark – The Map Room / Dawn

Just a few hours of screen time isn’t enough to portray an ordinary man’s life, leave alone a living legend like ‘Milkha Singh’. So, it is upto the filmmakers to decide which passages to make it to the final cut, to bring in their perspective.

In the case of ‘Bhaag Milkha Baag’ Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra-Prasoon Joshi choose to  dwell more on why he ‘bhaag’s rather than what happens when he does ‘bhaag’.

While there are a few very well conceived sprinting scenes, it is the portrayal of the inner turmoil of Milkha that takes most of the screen time, or rather it appears that way. The world within of Milkha dominates throughout the movie while you crave for his external battles and triumphs. And, at every opportunity to do so, the film makers decide to abruptly shift the scene, leaving those moments half cooked. Yes, one would love to know how a hero reconciled with his horrific past, but one definitely like to see more of this hero as himself and that too in action. With a 3hours plus movie length, it would not have been an impossible feat.

What works in favor of the film is the lead actor. Right from the very first minute of his appearance on the screen, Farhan Akhtar holds your attention. His transformation from a gawky wannabe to an elegant professional, is remarkable. Everyone in the theatre would have gasped when he runs for the first time without shoes and cheered when he makes it to the Indian team. Finally, when he walks into his sister’s house in the Indian team’s jacket, you are looking at Milkha Singh and not Farhan Akhtar. Even as the movie meanders with flash backs and tests your patience, it is the expectation of Farhan’s return that holds you to the seat.

The movie is a must watch for Farhan Akhtar and him alone. But one has to be prepared for the several pit stops aka flash backs, and wait patiently for the writer-director to put Milkha back on track.

‘Soodhu Kavvum’ is a low budget Tamil Comedy thriller. All the characters are interestingly etched and their middle class roots make it easy for the audience to connect. The movie is about four young people who meet accidentally and embark on a seemingly innocuous mission that turns deadly for all of them.

The creative team behind the project does a neat job and the cast deliver to their expectations. Special mention for editing and background score that infuse the desired tempo into the proceedings and elevate the movie beyond the budget. Overall, the movie is a good watch and one can enjoy it even with sub-titles.

The psycho police character reminded me of the killer character in ‘Kahaani’ and his violence that of Quentin Tarantino’s films. What if the honest minister were indeed corrupt like that of  the minister in the ‘Clean Sweep Ignatius’, a shorty story by Jeffery Archer.