'SIR', produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya, will be released in theatres this Friday.
Plot:
The film is set in the late 1990s. Bala Gangadar Thilak aka Balu (Dhanush) is a lower-rank junior lecturer at Tripathi Educational Institute, run by a money-hungry educationist named Tripathi (Samuthirakani). Following a crackdown by the government on private educational institutions that charge a hefty fee from students, Tripathi comes up with the plan of adopting a government college in an attempt to game the new norms. He assigns the underpaid and under-qualified Balu to a government college in a nearby village, assuming that Balu will fail to make the grade. In no time, however, the junior lecturer scripts a turnaround. What are the consequences of this transformational change? Will Tripathi let Balu help the students' dreams get wings?
Post-Mortem:
Director Venky Atluri lets the emotions do the talking right from the word go. He sets up the story in a rather straightforward manner in the beginning. Actor Sumanth is introduced as an IAS officer who narrates the tale of Balu's achievements in the present day. When the scene shifts to the late 1990s, Dhanush's Balu gets a typical masala intro, complete with a fight. Scratch the surface and you see an attempt to build the drama.
Balu is a not-so-idealistic person, actually. He is a typical middle-class professional who wants to buy a ticket out of his low-income status at the first opportunity. His father (Aadukalam Naren) and his 'babai' (Hareesh Peradi) are idealistic compared to him.
Sai Kumar plays a village head who hides unmistakable selfishness behind his animated demeanour. Tanikella Bharani plays that elder who wants the village to find a way out of ignorance and poverty through education.
The cinema hall scene in the second half, where Dhanush's character gets a Rajinikanth-esque touch, is the best scene perhaps. Maybe, this is the scene that made Dhanush want to give 'SIR' a shot. The second half runs purely on emotions/drama. Even when the fights and plot turns are predictable, the film holds onto its strengths. The bond shared by Balu with his students is an emotion the film mines to the hilt.
GV Prakash Kumar's background music is a winner. 'Mastaaru Mastaaru' is where Samyuktha Menon's Meenakshi comes to life. Anurag Kulkarni renders 'Banjara' and 'Sandhya Na Udayiddaam'. J Yuvaraj's cinematography is fine. Editor Naveen Nooli keeps the scenes tight.
Samuthirakani's character is one-dimensional and routine. Had his character been subtle and colourful, a few plot points in the second half would have been better. Thotapalli Madhu and Hyper Aadi are quite routine. The latter's comedy falls flat. Also, characters show change all of a sudden. And even Balu's achievements owe themselves to that one speech that makes in front of the village.
Dhanush's performance is unbelievably effortless. He is more saleable when he looks vulnerable. In his scenes with Samuthirakani, the actor shows remarkable restraint and is a die-hard natural. He shoulders the film through and through. And his lip sync, the effort to give the best for his Telugu-language debut are commendable. The artists cast as the students fit the bill. None of them make it sound too melodramatic.
Closing Remarks:
'SIR' comes with a remarkable performance by Dhanush. The writing by Venky Atluri is satisfying. The emotions work for the most part. A few minus points are there, but the overall impact is positive.
