Eenadu (2009)

I was quite excited to watch this (no I haven't seen A Wednesday, and now I probably never will), because of Venkatesh and his proficiency in thriller movies. It's kind of amazing how the two genres he excels at are comedies and thrillers- an appropriate reflection of his range, methinks. Here too, he is in his element as the duty-bound cop caught in a high-stakes situation over which he seemingly has no control. The way Venky manages to convey his frustrations with the job along with his unceasing admiration for the same is a sight to behold- unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of the movie.

My biggest problem with the movie is its confused politics, which verges on straight-up Islamophobia. I was quite fed up by the film's self-righteous and didactic tone, and I really could not figure out what point it was trying to make, except the glorification of police brutality and encounter killings. The line "if terrorism is instant, then justice should be instant as well" cracked me up- I won't be surprised if Kamal saar chose this film as an attempt to propagate his political leanings or something. Also the bit in the beginning where domestic violence suffered by men was used as a "joke" put me off early, warning me of what was to come ahead. Another thing that annoyed me was Kamal saar's overacting- "hammy", as the critics call it. The movie was just 1 hour and 37 minutes long, but felt way longer, and not in a good way at all. 

In conclusion, the only saving grace was to be found in the *chef's kiss* exchanges between Venkatesh and Lakshmi. Those moments carried the entire movie, and I would have been content if the entire run time was devoted to their conversations only. 

PS- fun fact: Venky and Lakshmi share the same birthday, December 13.