Irudhi Suttru Movie Review

Saala Khadoos, for all the storm that it seeks to whip up in the ring and outside it, does not string together enough points to be declared an outright winner. It has enough heart. It's the heat that is missing.

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The beauty of Saala Khadoos is that it's building to a finale that you can see from light years: a grand international match with a badass Russian boxer who, we all know, will be biting the dust by the end of it.

The movie deserves praise for sticking to the sports underdog-movie formula and offering us a decent watch.

Saala Khadoos works because of the performances by its cast. Maybe the scene would have been a bit different had Omung Kumar's Mary Kom not been released just a year-and-a-half ago. Watch Saala Khadoos for its lead actors.

The film does have its share of endearing moments. One of them is a poster saying 'Harty Welcome' when Adi arrives in Chennai. One wishes the film had other such insights that made it different from the rest.

Saala Khadoos could have been a decent sports drama, if it had the touch of a master storyteller like Shimit Amin. Sadly, it turns out to be neither as memorable as Chak De India, nor as inspiring as Priyanka Chopra's Mary Kom.

The story arc is very dull and in parts, meaningless, despite borrowing parts from many sports and boxing films we have seen.

Saala Khadoos sticks to familiar ground as far as a sports film goes, although the climatic bout is genuinely thrilling. Amidst all the faux sentimentality, we still get a protagonist that we can't help rooting for.

Every sportsman has a driving force that takes him to victory and for the reluctant Mathee it is her love for the older man which is convincingly told.

Sivakumar Vijayan and Satish Suriya have taken care of cinematography and editing departments in a manner which work well with the story.

...is nowhere in the league of a good sports film, but considering the release it is lined up against this week, it is definitely worth a watch.

The drama though limited, is very typical to that of any film which wants a grand finale. This unfortunately, makes the film even more predictable than it already is.

"Saala Khadoos" has all the 'givens' in a sports film—it has the usual story of the triumph of the underdog thanks to an impassioned coach, spotlights sports politics, defeat, humiliation, demoralization and finally the triumph…

...a well made sports drama with exceptional performances especially from the lead starcast, a good and gripping storyline and also good music.