Sindhooram Review: An honest attempt to explore Naxalism that prevailed in early 2000s

Hyderabad: Starring Popular Kollywood actress Brigida Saga, the Telugu movie ‘Sindhooram’ hit the screens on 27 January. Here’s our review:

Plot

Set in 2003, the film’s story revolves around a village, Srirama Giri, in Khammam district. Ravi (Dharma), an educated youth who works as a tea seller in Srirama Giri, becomes an informant for the Naxals. Singanna (Siva Balaji) is the head of a Naxal dalam. Meanwhile, Sirisha (Brigida Saga), the younger sister of the village head Eshwar Reddy (Ravi Varma), is appointed the mandal MRO. Sirisha, with Ravi’s help, focuses on solving the issues in the village. The twist in the tale occurs when her father dies and Sirisha tries to eradicate Naxalism in the area. Will Sirisha succeed? What’s Dharma’s role in the story? These form the crux of the film.

Performances and technical aspects

Undoubtedly, Brigida Saga is the real hero of the film. Almost the entire story is based around her character and she has given a great performance. Be it her dignified look or her fabulous performance, the actress has nailed the character. Dharma is impressive in his role and his emotional scenes in the second half will attract the audience. Shiva Balaji is apt in his role and other actors are good in their limited yet key roles.

Coming to the technical aspects, director Shyam Tummalapalli deserves special mention as it is not easy to deal with such a story. But, he has done a good job. The production values are great and the cinematography is decent. Editing is good. Background score by Gowra Hari elevates the scenes.

Analysis

In fact, director Shyam Tummalapally has chosen a sensitive story and his way of showcasing the dark side of Naxalism engagingly is good. The dialogues penned by Kishore Sri Krishna are intense and thought-provoking. Brigida Saga gives her best and her role stands as a major plus point of the film. Also, the director’s straight-to-the-point narrative without any deviations deserves applause.

A tight screenplay and a little more editing in both halves could have done wonders for the film.

Verdict

On the whole, ‘Sindhooram’ is an honest attempt to explore Naxalism that prevailed in the early 2000s. Fabulous performances from the lead actors and hard-hitting dialogues blend with the director’s straight-to-the-point narrative, making the film worth a watch.