Hey Pillagada

Hey Pillagada Story: Siddarth (Dulquer) has massive anger issues and he keeps letting them get the better of him. Anjali (Sai Pallavi), who married him against her parents’ wishes is the only one who can seem to make him see reason. But what happens when Siddarth’s rage puts his beloved in a life-threatening situation?

Hey Pillagada Review: Remake of the hit Malayalam film ‘Kali’, the film has been dubbed in Telugu due to the Sai Pallavi craze that is hung-over from her last outing ‘Fidaa’. So much so, that the film is even named after a song from the same movie! But we digress.

The slightest of provocation is enough to set off Siddarth, who would give a run for the moniker of ‘angry young man’ on any given day. The first half of the film takes its time setting pace, and showcasing his journey from an angry child to an equally, if not more, angry adult. Though he is aware of his shortcomings, there’s really not much he can do to control the situation when he loses his temper.

Anjali is quick to forgive and Siddarth is quick to apologise, balancing their marriage carefully on the fact that they love each other. Despite his anger, the first half remains light-hearted and it is only in the second half that things take for a darker turn. The shift to chaotic after the interval has been handled well, with the duo stuck in the middle of nowhere and situations that worsen with time just because he cannot keep calm.

Dulquer Salmaan and Sai Pallavi are beautiful together on-screen, playing the much-in-love married couple with an ease that’s hard to describe. The treatment of the subject and the nail-biting second half are major plus points that deserve a mention too. Chemban Vinod, Soubin Sahir and Vinayakan are great in their roles, keeping up impressively well performance-wise with the lead duo.

What the film lacks though is a proper storyline to tie it all together. The film just seems to cruise through, and a tighter screenplay would’ve probably made it all much better.

Kudos to the filmmaker though; for steering clear of clichés and not bringing a transformation in Siddarth by the end of the movie. It is seldom that aggressive people are bound to change so soon in real life, and Dulquer’s Siddarth is the same, if only a little humbler than before by his harrowing experience.

Go watch this film this weekend for all the characters’ stupendous performances, you will not regret it!