Telugu Film ‘Saindhav’ Review: Venkatesh Daggubati Shines in Desi John Wick

‘SaiKo is back’, different characters keep stating with fear in their eyes, in the first hour of the Telugu film Saindhav, written and directed by Sailesh Kolanu. SaiKo refers to the protagonist Saindhav Koneru, portrayed by Venkatesh Daggubati. Sailesh is in no rush to explain the myth behind SaiKo and what makes him a terror. He trusts the audience to believe in the myth and wait with patience…

First, the brighter aspects of the film and its characters. Saindhav is leading a normal life, doing nothing out of the ordinary…

A sense of restlessness and foreboding pervades the narrative even when it focuses on Saindhav and his family, given the sinister happenings in the port city — ammunitions, trading of drugs and power play…

Saindhav belongs to Venkatesh who shoulders the film through all its highs and weaker portions…

Considerable effort has gone into presenting the fictional port city of Chandraprastha with its circuit of flyovers and upscale constructions…

Despite all this, Saindhav does not soar. It falls short of being a riveting emotional action drama…