MASALA PADAM MOVIE REVIEW

The Bobby Simha - Shiva starrer Masala Padam, has generated a good word of mouth, thanks to its super cool unique trailer. Some new talents coming together with a new age concept, sounded pretty interesting. But does it have enough spice?

The film neither sticks to one particular genre nor does it stand true to its title (Masala Padam). First half  has some bright moments and it is as short as a half taken breath, running for just about 45 minutes.

Masala Padam could give most people a great degree of satisfaction at its interval point which could leave them to expect something similar or an even better second half. But what people get to watch is a contrastingly different product post interval. The first half is fresh and just when you feel, yeah, this is not a run-of-the-mill stuff, you’re offered a more clichéd, over exposed, dramatic second half with some logical loopholes.

The second half mostly revolves around the lead heroine Lakshmi Devy, who gets in touch with three different personalities Bobby Simha, Shiva and Gaurav. While one handles comedy, the other two take care of romance and action.

Shiva does a beautiful job and his humor is subtle and enjoyable. One feels adding a little more of him to the context could have given a more pleasing taste to the dish. Even then, his jokes are the high points of Masala Padam.

Bobby Simha adorns the don’s hat again after Jigarthanda, and you could find some hangovers of his previous villainous performances. He looks a little too stiff to be a don. His characterization is a little filmy and confuses at some places. More importance could have been given to his looks as well.

Supporting actors do a very neat job, especially the guys who are aspiring to bring in a change to the film industry. Their segments which kick start the film are interestingly made, but deviate totally from the core concept midway and feed on something out of the context. This is when the problem starts.

Masala Padam also has a positive side. It shows the harsh reality on how the film industry works today and what people actually expect from a film. It is nice to see that there is some effort that has gone behind the product which, however gets lost in due course.

Technical department has done a decent work. Music by debutante Karthik Acharya, is different, the title track stands out majorly because of its well edited visuals.  The director,  who also happens to take care of the cinematography of the film, sees to that all the three main characters are treated differently in terms of visuals as well. Richard Kevin’s editing adds flavor to the proceedings, especially in the first half.

Masala Padam aspires to break all the clichés of film making but eventually ends up being one.