Kick review: Santhanam and a bevy of veteran comedians are wasted in this terrible comic caper

1.5/5

Story: An ad filmmaker resorts to deceptive ways to continue his winning streak in the industry. However, his over-smartness lands him in trouble. He creates a fake identity to outsmart his rival in the industry, but little did he know that he would be in legal trouble. The repentance of breaking a girl's heart rubs salt into the wound. How is he going to rectify his mistakes and uplift his career?

Review: Sandalwood director Prashant Raj's debut Tamil film Kick, starring Santhanam in the lead, is a classic example of how a shoddy script could test the patience of viewers despite having talented comedians playing key roles in it. The character designs, the hero introduction scene, the hero-heroine romance, songs, supposedly comic sequences, and conflicts end on an underwhelming note.

It revolves around Santhosh (Santhanam), an ambitious ad filmmaker, who has a few enemies in the industry. He realizes that Shivani (Tanya Hope), a creative person in the advertisement industry, is making smart moves that are likely to be detrimental to his career.

He fakes his identity and makes her fall in love with him. The latter, who gets to know the truth, initiates legal proceedings, landing Santhosh in soup. How is he going to revive his career and goodwill?

The wafer-thin story which has nothing new to offer makes for an awful experience, thanks to badly written characters, ineffective performances, and horrible double-entendres. The likes of Brahmanandam, Senthil, Kovai Sarala, Manobala, Thambi Ramaiah, and Mansoor Ali Khan are wasted as none of their dialogues or histrionics entertain you. Santhanam repeats the antics he resorts to in most of his movies and doesn't look convincing in romantic and emotional scenes.

Tanya's character, too, is underwritten in a story that lacks cohesiveness. The songs composed by Arjun Janya are neatly shot, but are badly placed, leaving no impact. The background score is all over the place. The dialogues hardly generate jokes and the one-liners that are meant to evoke laughter are appalling.  

Verdict: Kick turns out as a tedious watch. Even hardcore fans of Santhanam would be thoroughly disappointed with this outing, despite the actor putting up earnest efforts in dance and action scenes.