Sathiya Sothanai Review: Premgi Amaren's comedy caper is hilarious only in parts

2.5/5

Story: When an honest man hands over the belongings of a dead person that he found in the middle of nowhere to the cops, he lands in trouble

Review: Sathiya Sothanai is a simple, but slow-burn film, which could have worked to the tee, had the makers focussed a tad more on the writing aspect. The film, directed by Suresh Sangaiah of Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu, has an interesting premise, quirky bunch of characters and some hysterical incidents, which could have been packaged into a laugh riot, but the inconsistency in the writing derails the film.

The film begins on a promising note. We meet Pradeep (Premgi Amaren), a do-gooder, who finds a man stabbed to death lying under the scorching sun in the middle of nowhere. He is so good and naive that he drags the corpse, leaves it under the shade of a tree and covers it with tree branches.

Also Read: Sathiya Sothanai release date: When and where to watch this Premgi Amaren comic caper

 But the fact that he dragged the dead man gets the staff at two police stations to be at loggerheads with each other as the jurisdiction where the murder happened changes. Things take yet another turn when the cops accuse Premgi of stealing the jewellery that the dead person was wearing. What follows is a series of funny and not-so funny encounters and an interrogation that takes multiple twists and turns.

Sathiya Sothanai has its moments. For instance, take the scene in the very beginning where Pradeep is mistaken for a senior official, when yet another convict says his name is Vairamuthu, when the cops realise that the CCTV in the station actually works and when Avadiamma reveals that her Rottweilers name is Muniyamma, there are many such  instances that instantly bring a smile to your face.

However, the inconsistency in the writing also brings down the pace of the entire narration. The fact that Premgi does not have any idea about what to do with his life, and says that he is uneducated and jobless, and then delivers dialogues in English, all come across as contradictory. Some scenes are stretched a tad too long and some could have worked with some better one-liners. A crisp editing could have worked to the film's advantage to a great extent.

Sathiya Sothanai also throws light on the ineffective functioning of the police force and how when greed overpowers them, innocent men like Pradeep get caught in the crossfire.

Premgi is quite believable as the naive Pradeep and you actually empathise with him and his plight, but it is Guberan (Mohan), who steals the show, followed by Mahadevan (Selva Murugan). Towards the end, the old woman who plays Avadiamma, too, manages to grab the attention. The court scenes involving her will remind one of the scenes involving veteran farmer Nallandi in Kadaisi Vivasayi.

Sathiya Sothanai heavily relies on its quirky characters and their eccentricities, and a power-packed writing could have elevated the film to a heavy-duty slapstick comedy flick.

Verdict: Sathiya Sothanai has its moments, but doesn't leave a lasting impact. Inconsistent writing relegates the film to a one-time watch.

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