After much-anticipation, Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor starrer 'Saaho' has finally hit the theaters on Friday, August 30. The film which has been pegged as the 'biggest action thriller of all times' is packed with breathtaking sequences, but still, it miserably fails to create an impact owing to the poor screenplay.   

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Director: Sujeeth

Cast: Prabhas, Shraddha Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vennela Kishore, Murali Sharma, Arun Vijay, Prakash Belavadi, Evelyn Sharma, Supreeth, Chunky Pandey, Lal, Mandira Bedi, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Tinnu Anand. 

Genre: Action-thriller

Date released: August 30

IBFC Rating: UA

Duration: 2h 30m

Reviewer rating: 2/5 

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Setting the Scene

'Saaho' starts with delineating Indian gangster Roy's dominion over the Waaji City. The international mafia, who is the owner of a huge estate- Roy's group of companies, can be seen planning to extend his business to India. He kidnaps a central minister and his family to extract permission for the same.

Plot

Prabhas who apparently is an undercover cop- Ashok Chakravarthy, takes up the charge to investigate an outbreak of pattered robbery in Mumbai. He brings in Shraddha Kapoor, a sincere police officer in his team as they plot to arrest the smart thief red-handed. Neil Nitin Mukesh, who appears to be the mastermind behind the crime, leaves no clue for the police to track him down. 

On the other hand, the scenario at the Waaji City dooms down to chaos after Roy's unexpected demise. With many aspirants to reconcile the vacuum, the power struggle touches the peak, when suddenly an heir turns up from nowhere to claim the throne. While one might find no connection between the two scenarios, in the beginning, the upcoming twists in the plot eventually connect the dots. 

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Verdict

After Prabhas' majestic performance in the 'Baahubali' franchise, fans were expecting something at par in 'Saaho'. However, the film disappointed fans big time owing to its weak and confusing storyline and inexplicably poor direction. While 'Saaho' had a grand release in three Indian languages, Prabhas' discomfort with Hindi was evident throughout. The first half of the film was unforgivingly slow, however, it somehow picks up pace post interval. 

The breathtaking action scenes involving cars, choppers, and cranes are definitely worth the praise. Prabhas' strunt scenes were remarkable, but his dialogue delivery was disappointing. On the other hand, despite having a significant screen-presence, Shraddha's loosely knitted character fails to create an impact. While her role had potential, it just went out of track for its shallowness and ended up just being Saaho's love-interest. Neil Nitin Mukesh, however, delivered a praiseworthy performance. His on-screen presence was eye-grabbing indeed. 

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Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor's on-screen chemistry was top notch. The scene where the two fight hand-in-hand is definitely one of the high-points of the films. 

What works: Action sequences, Prabhas & Shraddha Kapoor's chemistry.

What doesn't work: Music, storyline, the film is inexplicably long.