Vakeel Saab
Introduction
Oh what a heavy week it has been! With a rise in the number of Covid cases and also suffering a personal loss, this week was nothing short of a nightmare. But as they say, the show must go on. And so we are here with another set of reviews of new releases this weekend. But before that, please stay safe, stay home and if you are venturing out then please wear a mask and keep washing your hands, it is for your own safety. So back to the review and I have just finished watching Vakeel Saab on Prime Video. It is seen that Bollywood has been remaking a lot of content from down South. But there are very few original films in Bollywood that are being remade in South. From the recent crop it is only Andhadhun and Pink. Pink was first remade in Tamil and now it has found its way in Telugu as well. Vakeel Saab, its official remake opened to a thunderous response but found its way on Prime sooner than expected due to Covid forcing theatres to shut down. Is it as impactful as Pink, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Vakeel Saab follows the same story as Pink. I won’t dwell on it as most of you would have watched Pink already. But yes the story is still relevant and needs to be told. The screenplay here is not half as good as it was for Pink. The thing is when you take a reigning superstar, the story begins to revolve around him. Which is exactly why it was refreshing to watch Mr Bachchan in Pink. It was never his story, instead the girls involved who were the main protagonists. Instead here, the story revolves around Vakeel Saab. And so there is a flashback that doesn’t quite add up in the larger scheme of things. This remains the single low point and a downer in the screenplay. But, the makers have not hidden this fact – neither in the trailer not in the name of the film. This made me realise that this is a masala entertainer veiled under the premise of Pink. Once I was able to digest this fact, I began to enjoy the film a little more. The second half is similar to Pink but for some over the top sequences that again dilutes the drama. But again there is much to appreciate here. The courtroom scenes are nicely done. The cinematography and editing contribute well to making this screenplay watchable.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues ought to have been subtle and hard hitting, while that is present too, it is also massy and whistle and clap worthy that would cater to front benchers. Music is pretty good, so is the BGM. Director Sriram Venu has done a good job here though the steadiness of the drama in a subject like this was missing. But this was laid as a commercial film and so within that space his direction was good.
Performances
The performances are the strong point here. Shruti Haasan shines in a cameo. Vamsi Krishna as Vamshi is decent though I missed the towering presence of Angad Bedi in the original. Prakash Raj as Nanda Gopal was excellent and the perfect nemesis to our protagonist. Ananya Nagella as Divya exudes of simplicity and has done a good job. Anjali as Zareena delivers a powerful performance especially in the second half court scene. Nivetha Thomas as Pallavi is excellent with a towering screen presence. Pawan Kalyan as Vakeel Saab on his return to the silverscreen after 3 years makes an impact from his opening scene. I really enjoyed his performance and his towering persona onscreen.
Conclusion
Vakeel Saab is no Pink, if you can look through that then it is an impactful and entertaining watch that reiterates the fact that ‘No Means No’. Available on Amazon Prime.