Pataki

ACP Surya is the quintessential massy cop who plays to the gallery be it through his not-so-honest dealings or his love story. He's the exact polar opposite to his father, the ideal cop. But what happens when he faces a personal tragedy and has to take the sincere route?

Manju Swaraj has chosen to make the remake of the Telugu hit Pataas with this film. The original was a massy entertainer, which was high on commercial tropes and won audience acclaim. Pataki, too, is a film that does exactly that. It is no realistic tale that wants to deliver a message, instead it unabashedly offers all that one wants in a fun, commercial film.

The film is about a corrupt police officer ACP Suriya, who is hailed by his peers and subordinates for being anything but honest or sincere. His father, who he hates, is a role model cop. Add to this a paternal uncle who is a cold-hearted politician and you have the perfect ingredients for a masala caper that should entertain the gallery. There's sister sentiment and a cutesy love story. What deters it from being perfect is the slow pace at moments. But these can be forgiven because the actors do a good job.

Ganesh, as the Dabanggesque cop, is in top form and delivers as a massy character, something that's different from his usual lover boy roles. Saikumar is back as Agni, his most remembered role and entertains. Ashish Vidhyarthi is the right choice for the antagonist and matches Ganesh and Saikumar. The rest of the characters have small but significant bits to play. While Sadhu Kokila does a good job as the transgender Basanti, one wishes it wasn't as crude and distasteful.

The film, in totality, makes for a decent watch with a good mix of action, comedy and romance. If you like your masala films with that extra tadka, this can entice you. The bonus is that Ganesh entertains as the new massy hero in town.