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Director: Chimbudeven
Cast:Vijay, Shruti Haasan, Sridevi, Hansika Motwani, Sudeep
Ratinngs: (0.5/5)
The shadow of Telugu blockbuster Baahubali hangs heavily on Tamil fantasy film Puli. The latter also starts off with a baby found floating in a river and then proceeds for the next 2 hours and 28 minutes trying too hard to match up to the SS Rajamouli epic action-drama and falling desperately short. Be it the visual grandeur, the special effects, the action sequences, the songs, a striking hero or a menacing nemesis and most importantly a dramatic, engrossing story, there is nothing about Puli, which in Tamil means Tiger, that roars. It’s a formulaic work that just doesn’t work.
Puli review: Vijay's fantasy film tries hard to roar but ends up squeaking
The eponymous hero here is often found turning his body sideways to strike an action pose and look intensely, trying too hard to showcase his bravado. There are heroines (Shruti Haasan and Hansika Motwani) who strut about in garish, often preposterous outfits, which are made to pass given the fantastical setting, and perform thumping moves with the hero. There are a few CGI-created characters including a talking bird and a tortoise, and a one-eyed giant of a creature whose appearance contributes little to the narrative. There are sidekicks who don’t make you laugh. In fact everything that does is unintentional and it just can’t be blamed on poor translation from Tamil to Hindi. There are redundant songs with far too much belly dancing and hip hop. Puli fails to wow viewers even with its fight sequences which become repetitive after a while with far too many airborne and screaming men.
The dubbed Hindi version follows Magdheera (as if to remind audiences yet again of the influence of Rajamouli) played by Vijay, who spends the first half trying to pass off as a valiant hero when in reality he appears to be a buffoon with only a few stunt moves. It takes him roughly two songs and a staged fight sequence to get married to his childhood sweetheart (Shruti Haasan). But after she is kidnapped, Magdheera is forced to head to the castle of Vetal, which is a race comprising of blue-eyed people with canine teeth whose men scream every now and then, just to remind you that they are the bad guys. Their leader is Jal Tarang/Dalpati (Sudeep) who wears rings which look like they are picked up from a flea market in Goa. Giving him tough competition in the over accessorizing department is the kingdom’s reigning queen Yaman Rani (Sridevi), who has magical powers which include elongating her arms and moving at the speed of light. Sridevi’s entry, only in the second half, does bring some desperately needed kick to the proceedings, and it can be partially attributed to her face being covered in make-up fitting for four leading ladies and costumes so loud that they can be seen from kilometres away.
ALSO READ: Vijay has been partially evading tax for the past five years
Vijay neither has the physique nor the charisma which makes him a hero worth rooting for. Much like Baahubali, in Puli too it’s a woman which makes the hero discover himself. Magdheera here is Ram who embarks on a journey to rescue his wife. On his way to the kingdom of vetal, he has his own Gulliver’s Travels episode with tiny humans who are dressed in outfits made of bugs and flowers kidnapping him. After rescuing the princess (Motwani) from a black cheetah, Magdheera gets access to the otherwise impenetrable palatial complex. If you think he is worried about his wife’s well-being, then you are mistaken because he is happy to sing and dance with the princess even as the missus lies in shackles. Out of the blue appears a random old man who narrates a hastily rendered, totally hackneyed and wildly creative flashback through which Magdheera learns about his family history and his magical powers.
It’s not that Puli is lacking in imagination and ambition. It’s just that a lot of it adds little context to the proceedings
Puli review: The Vijay-starrer is so boring it will make viewers revisit Baahubali : Reviews, News - India Today
Cast:Vijay, Shruti Haasan, Sridevi, Hansika Motwani, Sudeep
Ratinngs: (0.5/5)
The shadow of Telugu blockbuster Baahubali hangs heavily on Tamil fantasy film Puli. The latter also starts off with a baby found floating in a river and then proceeds for the next 2 hours and 28 minutes trying too hard to match up to the SS Rajamouli epic action-drama and falling desperately short. Be it the visual grandeur, the special effects, the action sequences, the songs, a striking hero or a menacing nemesis and most importantly a dramatic, engrossing story, there is nothing about Puli, which in Tamil means Tiger, that roars. It’s a formulaic work that just doesn’t work.
Puli review: Vijay's fantasy film tries hard to roar but ends up squeaking
The eponymous hero here is often found turning his body sideways to strike an action pose and look intensely, trying too hard to showcase his bravado. There are heroines (Shruti Haasan and Hansika Motwani) who strut about in garish, often preposterous outfits, which are made to pass given the fantastical setting, and perform thumping moves with the hero. There are a few CGI-created characters including a talking bird and a tortoise, and a one-eyed giant of a creature whose appearance contributes little to the narrative. There are sidekicks who don’t make you laugh. In fact everything that does is unintentional and it just can’t be blamed on poor translation from Tamil to Hindi. There are redundant songs with far too much belly dancing and hip hop. Puli fails to wow viewers even with its fight sequences which become repetitive after a while with far too many airborne and screaming men.
The dubbed Hindi version follows Magdheera (as if to remind audiences yet again of the influence of Rajamouli) played by Vijay, who spends the first half trying to pass off as a valiant hero when in reality he appears to be a buffoon with only a few stunt moves. It takes him roughly two songs and a staged fight sequence to get married to his childhood sweetheart (Shruti Haasan). But after she is kidnapped, Magdheera is forced to head to the castle of Vetal, which is a race comprising of blue-eyed people with canine teeth whose men scream every now and then, just to remind you that they are the bad guys. Their leader is Jal Tarang/Dalpati (Sudeep) who wears rings which look like they are picked up from a flea market in Goa. Giving him tough competition in the over accessorizing department is the kingdom’s reigning queen Yaman Rani (Sridevi), who has magical powers which include elongating her arms and moving at the speed of light. Sridevi’s entry, only in the second half, does bring some desperately needed kick to the proceedings, and it can be partially attributed to her face being covered in make-up fitting for four leading ladies and costumes so loud that they can be seen from kilometres away.
ALSO READ: Vijay has been partially evading tax for the past five years
Vijay neither has the physique nor the charisma which makes him a hero worth rooting for. Much like Baahubali, in Puli too it’s a woman which makes the hero discover himself. Magdheera here is Ram who embarks on a journey to rescue his wife. On his way to the kingdom of vetal, he has his own Gulliver’s Travels episode with tiny humans who are dressed in outfits made of bugs and flowers kidnapping him. After rescuing the princess (Motwani) from a black cheetah, Magdheera gets access to the otherwise impenetrable palatial complex. If you think he is worried about his wife’s well-being, then you are mistaken because he is happy to sing and dance with the princess even as the missus lies in shackles. Out of the blue appears a random old man who narrates a hastily rendered, totally hackneyed and wildly creative flashback through which Magdheera learns about his family history and his magical powers.
It’s not that Puli is lacking in imagination and ambition. It’s just that a lot of it adds little context to the proceedings
Puli review: The Vijay-starrer is so boring it will make viewers revisit Baahubali : Reviews, News - India Today
