Production: Amma Creations
Direction: Venkat Prabhu
Starring: Shiva, 'Mirchi' Siva, SPB Charan, Premji Amaren, Valibav, Prakash Raj, Jayaraman, Nikita and Kajal Aggarwal.
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

If Venkat Prabhu's Chennai 600028 was filled with fun and light moments, his latest flick Saroja offers something serious. The movie, narrated in two parallel tracks, deals with a kidnap drama and how a set of friends save the girl without actually intending to do so.

The journey of four friends with different natures - Ajay (Shiva), Ganesh Kumar (Premji Amaran), Jagapathi Babu (SPB Charan) and Ram Babu (Vaibhav Reddy) - to Hyderabad gets stuck due to an accident and hence they seek to find a different route to Hyderabad. The effort turns out to be a nightmare of sorts and the friends get caught in serious danger. In the process, they get to see a girl in deep trouble and try to save her. How they save themselves and the girl with their presence of mind and luck form the rest of the story.



Venkat Prabhu, with able support from music director Yuvan Shankar Raja, editors Praveen K. L and Srikanth N. B, and cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan, tells you the story in a different manner. The first hour of the movie is narrated in two parallel lines - one telling the fun filled journey and the other dealing with the kidnapping of a school girl Saroja (new comer Vega) - is quite different and refreshing. While the first half deals with tensed scenes revolving around the kidnap drama and the funny journey of the friends, the second half narrates the dangerous sequences involving the hunt and escape. Venkat Prabhu has amazing hold on the proceedings through out the movie.

The movie, which is serious in its content, is not short of fun elements altogether. The divergent natures of the friends provide a lot of scope for fun and the director utilizes the opportunity to make us laugh amidst some tensed kidnap drama.

The weak point of the movie is that while it is highly unpredictable in the first half, it becomes quite predictable in the second half. The twists too are not that convincing. The way the villain group behaves looks funny at times, while the escape of the friends lacks credibility. A little more care in to the second half would have made the movie an outstanding experience.

Despite these flaws, 'Saroja', boasts of a fast and stylish narrative and breathtaking and youthful background score. The smart editing and amazing cinematography add value to the pace.

Shiva, enacting the role of a TV serial star, Premji Amaran, as a funny guy who falls in love with every passing girl, SPB Charan, portraying the married man's role and Vaibhav Reddy as Jagapathi Babu's brother has done their respective parts well.

Sampath as the head of kidnapping gang is quite impressive. Nikitha (companion of Sampath) provides glamour with ease. Kajal Agarwal in a cameo is impressive.

The new girl Vega fits the bill perfectly. She has nothing to do in the first half other than dancing for a song. But the cute looking girl makes her presence felt in the second half, where she gets lot of scope to act. The performances of Prakash Raj and Jayaram in limited roles are quite competent.

'Saroja' is as a fun filled thriller that provides a good entertains despite some flaws.

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