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Last Updated : 31 Dec, 2022 08:05 AM

Published : 31 Dec 2022 08:05 AM Last Updated : 31 Dec 2022 08:05 AM

செம்பி: திரை விமர்சனம்

தனது பத்து வயது பேத்தி செம்பியுடன் (நிலா), கொடைக்கானல் மலைக்கிராமம் ஒன்றில் வசித்து வருகிறார் வீரத்தாய் (கோவை சரளா). காட்டுக்கு வரும் 3 வாலிபர்களால் செம்பி, கூட்டுப் பாலியல் தாக்குதலுக்கு உள்ளாக, இந்தச் சம்பவம் தேர்தல் அரசியலிலும் எதிரொலிக்கிறது. விசாரணை செய்யும் போலீஸ் அதிகாரி, பாலியல் குற்றவாளிகளைக் கண்டுபிடிக்கிறார். அரசியல் புள்ளியின் மகனும் அவன் நண்பர்களும் இந்தக் கொடூரத்தைச் செய்தவர்கள் என்பது தெரியவருகிறது. அவர்களிடம் பணம் வாங்கிக்கொண்டு வழக்கை வாபஸ் வாங்கச் சொல்கிறார், வீரத்தாயிடம். போலீஸ் அதிகாரியைத் தாக்கிவிட்டு பேத்தியுடன் தப்பிக்கும் அவர், குற்றவாளிகளுக்குத் தண்டனை வாங்கிக் கொடுத்தாரா, இல்லையா என்பதுதான் படம்.

செல்வாக்குமிக்கக் குற்றவாளிகள் என்றாலும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களின் நியாயங்களுக்கு உதவ, ஓராயிரம் கைகள் ஓடோடி வரும் என்ற நம்பிக்கையையும் கேள்விக் கேட்க வேண்டிய நேரத்தில் அமைதி காப்பது ஆபத்தானது என்பதையும் ‘செம்பி’யின் மூலம் ஆழமாகச் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார் இயக்குநர் பிரபு சாலமன்.

கேள்விபட்ட, தெரிந்த கதைதான் என்றாலும் காட்சி அமைப்பிலும் கதாபாத்திர வடிவமைப்பிலும் உருவாக்கத்திலும் ‘செம்பி’ கவனம் ஈர்க்கிறாள். அதற்கு, கொடைக்கானலின் குளிர்ச்சியை, மலைகளுக்கு நடுவே, நமக்கும் கடத்தி விடுகிற ஜீவனின் ஒளிப்பதிவும் கதையின் படபடப்போடு அழைத்துச் செல்லும் நிவாஸ் கே பிரசன்னாவின் பின்னணி இசையும் பலமாக உதவி இருக்கின்றன.

கோவை சரளாவுக்கு இது வாழ்நாள் படம். ஒரு நகைச்சுவை நடிகையை அசலான மலைகிராம பாட்டியாக மாற்றியிருக்கிறது, படக்குழுவின் உழைப்பு. அந்த கதாபாத்திரத்துக்குள் கச்சிதமாகத் தன்னைப் பொருத்திக் கொண்ட அவரின் உடல்மொழியையும் விருதுக்குத் தகுதியான நடிப்பையும் பாராட்டாமல் இருக்க முடியாது. பாலியல் வன்கொடுமைக்கு உள்ளாக்கப்பட்ட பேத்தியின் நிலை அறிந்து மருத்துவமனையில் அங்கும் இங்குமாக அவர் நடந்து கதறுவது, ஒரு சோறு பத காட்சி. ஒரு சிறந்த நடிகையை காமெடிக்குள் அடைத்து தமிழ் சினிமா குறுக்கிவிட்டதோ என்ற கேள்வியும் எழாமல் இல்லை.

அவருக்கு ஒப்பனை செய்த எம்.கே.ராஜூ காஷ்ட்யூம் டிசைனர் பிரியா ஆகியோரும் பாராட்டப்பட வேண்டியவர்கள். பேத்தியாக வரும் நிலாவும் நடிப்பில் ஆச்சரியப்படுத்துகிறார்.

அஸ்வின் குமாருக்கு, செம்பிக்கு உதவும் வழக்கறிஞர் பாத்திரம். கேரக்டரில் கொஞ்சம் மிகை நாயகத் தன்மை இருந்தாலும் இயல்பான நடிப்பையே வழங்கி இருக்கிறார். பேருந்து நடத்துநர் தம்பி ராமையா, அரசியல்வாதிகள் நாஞ்சில் சம்பத், பழ.கருப்பையா, நீதிபதிஞானசம்பந்தம், போலீஸ் இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் உள்ளிட்ட துணை கதாபாத்திரங்கள் கதைக்கு வலு சேர்க்கின்றன. ‘உண்மையை புரிய வைக்க மொழி தேவையில்லை, வலி போதும்’ என்பது போன்றவசனங்கள் கவனிக்க வைக்கின்றன.

முதல் பாதியில் இழுத்துப் பிடித்துஅமர வைக்கிற திரைக்கதை இரண்டாம் பாதியில் கொஞ்சம் செயற்கையாகவே கடக்கிறது. வீரத்தாய் மற்றும்பேத்தியின் பின்னணி பற்றி ஏதுமில்லாமல் இருப்பது, பரபரப்பாக நடக்க வேண்டிய நீதிமன்ற காட்சிகள் அழுத்தமில்லாமல் முடிந்துபோவது போன்ற திரையாக்கக் குறைபாடுகள் பளிச்சென்று தெரிகின்றன. அன்பைப் போதிக்கும் படத்தில், அது பெரும்பானை சோற்றுக்குள் கிடக்கிற சிறு கல் போன்றதுதான் என்றாலும் அதைச் சரி செய்திருந்தால் ‘செம்பி’ இன்னும் உயர்ந்திருப்பாள்.

அன்பு வாசகர்களே....

இந்த ஊரடங்கு காலத்தில் வீட்டை விட்டு வெளியே வராமல் நமக்கு நாமே சமூக விலகல் ( Social Distancing) செய்து கொள்வோம். செய்தி ஊடகங்களின் வழியே உலகுடன் தொடர்பில் இருப்போம். பொதுவெளியில் இருந்து தனிமைப்படுத்திக் கொண்டு கரோனா பரவலைத் தடுப்பதில் நம் பங்கை முழுமையாக இந்த சமூகத்துக்கு அளிப்போம்.

CoVid-19 கரோனா தடுப்பு / விழிப்புணர்வு கையேடு - இலவசமாக டவுன்லோடு செய்து பயன்பெறுங்கள்!

- வாசகர்கள் நலனில் அக்கறையுடன் இந்து தமிழ் திசை

தவறவிடாதீர்!

•   இளையராஜாவுடன் இசையிரவு 23 | ‘இளமை இதோ இதோ...’ - ஊர் போற்றவே பேர் வாங்கும் பாடல்!
•   அஜித்தின் ‘துணிவு’ ட்ரெய்லர் சனிக்கிழமை இரவு 7 மணிக்கு ரிலீஸ்
•   “மகனிடம் எதையும் எதிர்பார்க்காத தாய்” - பிரதமர் மோடியின் தாயாருக்கு இளையராஜா புகழஞ்சலி
•   “காவி நிறத்தை நீக்க மத்திய அரசு அழுத்தம் கொடுத்திருக்கலாம்” - ‘பதான்’ குறித்து சென்சார் வாரிய முன்னாள் தலைவர்

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Sembi (2022)

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'Sembi' Movie Review: Inested performances save this tried and tested story

Prabu Solomon is a filmmaker who has a solid signature for himself, and by now, we all know the list of things to expect in his films. His latest, Sembi, features scenic hilltop locations, a duo on the run from the police, a bus full of people with contrasting lives and the most constant one on the list: Thambi Ramaiah. Probably, composer D Imman is the only Prabu Solomon regular who misses the bus. Sticking to such constants in every project is a two-way sword, they either work out big or end up being torpid rehashes.

Well, the result of Sembi is a mix of both. Kovai Sarala’s Veerayi is a relentless giver who has dedicated her life to her granddaughter Sembi (a brilliant Nila), a gold-hearted 10-yearold. More or less, they carry the souls of Suruli and Mynaa, the lead characters of Prabu’s breakout film Mynaa. Of course, the relationship angles are completely different here, but it is hard to not notice the similarities.

However, we keep rooting for the protagonists in Sembi as their nobility never falters even in the face of crushing cruelties. On the flip side, we begin to lose interest whenever the film takes the tone of a talk show. I understand that the director aims to present the corrupt and herd mentality of society, which projects the victims as the perpetrators.

This is brought out through the conversations that happen on the bus that Veerayi boards. But it all gets a bit too redundant soon. Considering Prabu Solomon is mounting the film as an entertainer, these conversations only come as roadblocks. For instance, there is a shocking mention of a rape survivor’s grave injuries and her inability to give birth.

Before we can digest the heaviness of this scene, we have Thambi Ramaiah ‘comically’ kicking the groin of a person, pledging to ruin his fertility. Placing these two scenes in the same film, especially in quick succession, is in bad taste and it waters down the very mes sage di rector professes. Amidst this tonal confusion, the film does manage to talk about the POCSO act.

Sembi might probably be the nth film to feature a rape survivor as one of its protagonists this year, but it stands out by focussing enough on the laws and the system. Nila, who plays the titular role, delivers a stunning performance. She sells both innocence and pain brilliantly and I am sure she will be bagging tons of awards for her debut. Kovai Sarala leaves no stones unturned for her first fullfledged serious role.

The sequence where she breaks down in the hospital out of helplessness reminds us of the powerhouse of a performer she is. I also liked Ashwin Kumar’s portrayal of the nameless saviour, and the inherent charm he adds to the role. Nivas Prasanna fills in the shoes of Prabu’s regular composer Imman and he delivers a remarkable background score that almost compensates for the forgettable songs.

Though I found certain re-recording portions to be extremely over the top and suggestive, Nivas manages to elevate the crucial emotional scenes. A major portion of Sembi happens inside a bus named Anbu (Love) and after a particular point, the bus takes a detour and roams around directionlessly. The film, which professes love, also falls into the same trap and loses our attention. How I wish films that are filled with noble intentions had unwavering focus.

Director: Prabu Solomon Cast: Kovai Sarala, Nila, Ashwin Kumar, Thambi Ramaiah Rating: 2.5/5

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SEMBI MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Sembi is an emotional survival drama written and directed by Prabu Solomon, and produced by Ravindran, Ajmal Khan and Reyaa under the banner Trident Arts. The film has Kovai Sarala, Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanth, Thambi Ramaiah, Nanjil Sampath, Pala Karuppiah, and others as its star cast, including a 10-year-old girl playing the titular character. The music is composed by Nivas K Prasanna and the cinematography is by Jeevan.

Sembi is a 10-year-old girl, whose world revolves around her grandmother Veerayi (played by Kovai Sarala), and vice versa. Veerayi teaches her how to extract honey from a honeycomb without disturbing the bees, and asks Sembi to sell the honey in the marketplace. Within a few minutes, she gets molested by 3 people, and the rest of the film is a fight for justice for Sembi and Veerayi.

Although the film starts on a middling note, with characters being painted black and white, what the climax hints at - answers a lot of questions. The entire second half is filled with sequences where Veerayi and her granddaughter face one obstacle after another. And they escape from each one of them quite easily. There are plenty of cinematic liberties taken, but the film seems to be self-aware of this.

This also turns out to be the film's biggest drawback. In case the audience doesn't understand what the climax is, then Sembi could very well end up as a disappointing watch. The film has a biblical theme throughout and it is reflected even in Nivas K Prasanna's soul-stirring music. Initially, the music is loud and on the face but as the film progresses it blends in beautifully with the narrative.

The pillar of the film is Kovai Sarala who not only impresses in the emotional scenes but also the action sequences. She gets a meaty, 'Agent Tina' like sequence in the first half, and she gobbles it up to showcase what an extraordinary performer she is. She is supported well by the 10-year-old girl, and Ashwin Kumar comes up with a mature and restrained performance.

The screenplay could have been better in the second half as all the plot points get resolved without much tension in quick succession. The editing by Buvan is fantastic, and you don't realize the passing of time. His cuts make the film more engaging than it should have been, and are aided superbly by cinematographer Jeevan's frames. Barring the CGI work, the film is technically solid.

Overall, there are plenty of downfalls in Sembi, but the film has a heart that is as tender as that of the 10-year-old girl. The story has a natural innocence, and that drives the film forward. It has a positive message that instills hope and will work with family audiences too. Can definitely be watched and Sembi won't disappoint you.

SEMBI VIDEO REVIEW

BEHINDWOODS REVIEW BOARD RATING

PUBLIC REVIEW BOARD RATING

REVIEW RATING EXPLANATION

பிரேக்கிங் சினிமா செய்திகள், திரை விமர்சனம், பாடல் விமர்சனம், ஃபோட்டோ கேலரி, பாக்ஸ் ஆபிஸ் செய்திகள், ஸ்லைடு ஷோ, போன்ற பல்வேறு சுவாரஸியமான தகவல்களை தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கு கிளிக் செய்யவும்      

SEMBI NEWS STORIES

"என்னை சுத்தி சர்ச்சைகள் வந்ததும்.. இந்த இடத்துக்கு நான் வர".. CWC அஸ்வின் Open டாக்!!.. Exclusive

Prabhu Solomon and Cook with Comali fame Ashwin's movie gets an interesting title - first look here!

பிரபு சாலமன் & CWC அஸ்வின் கூட்டணியில் புதிய படம்… வித்தியாசமான title & ஃபர்ஸ்ட்லுக் ரிலீஸ்!

Sembi related news stories.

• CWC Ashwin about his learning in cinema exclusive
• Prabhu Solomon and Cook with Comali fame Ashwin's next movie title announced
• Prabhu Solomon ashwin next movie title announced

SEMBI MOVIE REVIEW | SEMBI PUBLIC REVIEW | KOVAI SARALA, ASHWIN KUMAR, PRABHU SOLOMON VIDEOS

Kovai sarala sembi movie review | kovai sarala, ashwin, prabhu solomon | celebrity review videos, other movie reviews.

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'Sembi' review: Kovai Sarala delivers career-best performance in Tamil legal-drama

Those who know Tamil cinema know that Kovai Sarala is more than a comic relief. The veteran actor was only used to crack jokes in between important scenes all these years. But we know she is more than a slapstick. Tamil movie Sembi directed by Prabhu Solomon proves the point. Released on Friday, Sarala shoulders a huge message in the movie. Here's our review.

What is 'Sembi' all about?

Sarala plays Veerathaayi, a tribal woman from Kodaikanal. She lives a happy peaceful life with her 10-year-old granddaughter Sembi (Nila). Their happy life gets disturbed when Sembi is sexually assaulted by three travelers. Veerathayi fights for justice and has a long battle ahead. Whether she wins the battle and brings criminals to justice makes up for the rest of the film.

Sarala stands out with her performance as a determined woman

For this role, Sarala has gone through a body transformation and it convinces us. One can even say that this role is her best performance by far. The one scene where she is crying in anger, which slowly fades into an expression of helplessness is one for the ages- a quick movement of her eyes emotes a million things.

Other actors' performances are significant and make a mark

Child actor Nila plays Sembi's character with an earnest performance. The sexual harassment scene and her breathtaking moments in the climax ensure that she has paved a way for herself. Other actors including Ashwin, Thambi Ramaiah, Nanjil Sampath, and others deliver convincing performances.

Lead characters are strong and grow on us easily

Director Solomon walks us through the world of Veerathaayi and Sembi who live in harmony with nature. M Jeevan's cinematography breathes life into the mountains and forests that we see on screen. The relationship depth between Veerathaayi and Sembi and how they stand up for each other makes us empathize with them. So, we understand Veerathaayi's battle and we root for her to win.

'Sembi' deserves a theatrical watch

Scenes deifying Ashwin like the stunt sequence on the bus dilute the film. The courtroom scenes are not as intense as they should've been. The lengthy preachy dialogues damage the film's organic screenplay. Body-shaming and colorist 'jokes' are unnecessarily included. In a nutshell, Sembi 's message against sexual abuse is strong but it has some adulteration. We go with 3.5/5.

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Critics Reviews

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Prabu Solomon

Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan

Kovai Sarala

Thambi Ramaiah

Gnanasambandam Gurunathan

Nanjil Sampath

• ENGLISH HINDI MALAYALAM TAMIL TELUGU KANNADA BENGALI  

Sembi Tamil Movie

Eager to understand what could be going through director Prabhu Solomon's head when he sits down to write a script. Does he always start with the phrase "Atop the hill...." or

"As the clouds pave way for the golden sun rays to pierce through...."? Prabhu Solomon's scripts are majorly terrain-driven and have been invariably set amidst tall cliffs and thick forests, with the main characters embarking on adventurous journeys.

I am sure the hills have so much to narrate. Not a lifetime is enough to understand the people living on the hills, their lives, and their aspirations. Portraying raw emotions on screen and building strong supporting characters around it has been the director's forte. In the recently released 'Sembi' too he has done that.

Veerathai (Kovai Sarala), is an old woman who lives with her granddaughter atop a hill near Kodaikanal. While Sembi is out to sell honey, she becomes a victim of gang rape. The police and the administration turn a blind eye to the incident. They try to cover the incident from snow bowling into a catastrophe. Was Senbi served justice?

As mentioned before, this milieu is the director's home territory. Hills and the haunted hues are alien for an average moviegoer. The cast is another critical aspect that has been addressed well. To see 'Kovai' Sarala portray such a pivotal role that is way different from her on-screen persona to date is commendable. The body language, expression, and emotions that she brings out are outstanding.

Aswin Kumar who was in the news for all the wrong reasons has got a great role to reverse his misfortune. He has risen to the occasion and delivered it handsomely without overdoing things. Thambi Ramaiah, though had a limited presence, has utilized it well. The little girl as 'Sembi' was a great selection. Her emotions and the way she brought the same on-screen begs for laurels!

Overall, the underlying emotion has been well herded by the narrative with the music and background score of Nivas Prasanna and Jeevan's cinematography! The first half connected so well with the audience that we expected a solid second half to seal things off. I was a little disappointed with the way things went by in the second half. Liberties were readily availed to make Sembi escape from the Police.

Also, the crowd cheering for Sembi and the rapid social media multiplier effect, and the resolution of the case by the hacker network were something that the director could have taken time to write about or could have ignored. The bus, the journey, the dynamics between each traveler, and the ultimate accident remind me of Prabhu Solomon's Mynaa'.

This movie had great potential to become a blockbuster. However, the director's over cautiousness on certain commercial aspects does not augur well with the movie. It passes muster and can be classified as a watchable drama!

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Sembi Review - Watchable Emotional Drama

PUBLISHED DATE : 31/Dec/2022

Sembi is an emotional drama starring Kovai Sarala in the female front, Ashwin Kumar plays an important role. The film is directed by Prabhu Solomon.

Sembi , an innocent 10-year-old girl is brutally raped by a gang of youngsters. It becomes a burning political issue and how the poor victim gets her justice forms the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction

Despite the crime being so hard-hitting, the early proceedings are very usual for the cinema format. Also, the treatment is overly dramatic, surprisingly the film slowly starts moving on the promising side. There are sufferable and boring parts, due to good writing at certain stretches, the story and the happenings around it are touching. The screenplay is engaging to an extent, yet manages to create a little amount of tension about the conclusion. The political game is a bit interesting and will easily connect with the general public. The movie happens predominantly inside a bus, the scenes taking place are partially clap-worthy and partly cringe. Most of the stuff is cinematic, and goes illogical at times too, but somehow taps the audience pulse by delivering some relatable moments. Quite an old-school directorial technique and offers nothing innovative in terms of presentation. Dialogues could have been more powerful for the situations to provide a better impact and to tighten the attention of the viewers.

Performances

Neat performance from Kovai Sarala, very focused and her career-best role. Ashwin Kumar does the job given to him, except for his flat dialogue delivery, his character is likable and sure to create a positive vibe on him going forward. The little girl is the central character, she expresses well especially while showcasing fear and anxiety. Thambi Ramaiah in a filler character does a bit too much. Plenty of other artists travel throughout the movie, no one is exceptional but thankfully no big odds too.

Technicalities

It’s a technically poor movie in all aspects. A couple of songs by Nivas K Prasanna are decent, but nothing soulful, the montage tracks are so bad. Background music is overused, there’s never a silent moment, everything is treated with non-stop melodramatic score. Visuals lack consistency, the rich moody shots we saw in Prabhusolomon’s earlier films Mynaa, Kumki, Kayal, etc are absent here, the magic is missing. Editing is absurd with random scene orders and suddenly some places are paused, lags quite a bit.

Convincing story that manages to create an impact despite the familiarity, delivered with a decent screenplay that has its moments. But the weak direction, disappointing input from the technical team tones it down to a passable one-timer.

Rating - 2.75/ 5

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Sembi Movie Review: Invested performances save this tried and tested story

Rating: ( 2.5 / 5).

Prabu Solomon is a filmmaker who has a solid signature for himself, and by now, we all know the list of things to expect in his films. His latest, Sembi, features scenic hilltop locations, a duo on the run from the police, a bus full of people with contrasting lives and the most constant one on the list: Thambi Ramaiah. Probably, composer D Imman is the only Prabu Solomon regular who misses the bus. Sticking to such constants in every project is a two-way sword, they either work out big or end up being torpid rehashes. Well, the result of Sembi is a mix of both.

Kovai Sarala's Veerayi is a relentless giver who has dedicated her life to her granddaughter Sembi (a brilliant Nila), a gold-hearted 10-year-old. More or less, they carry the souls of Suruli and Mynaa, the lead characters of Prabu's breakout film Mynaa. Of course, the relationship angles are completely different here, but it is hard to not notice the similarities. However, we keep rooting for the protagonists in Sembi as their nobility never falters even in the face of crushing cruelties. 

On the flip side, we begin to lose interest whenever the film takes the tone of a talk show. I understand that the director aims to present the corrupt and herd mentality of society, which projects the victims as the perpetrators. This is brought out through the conversations that happen on the bus that Veerayi boards. But it all gets a bit too redundant soon. Considering Prabu Solomon is mounting the film as an entertainer, these conversations only come as roadblocks. For instance, there is a shocking mention of a rape survivor's grave injuries and her inability to give birth. Before we can digest the heaviness of this scene, we have Thambi Ramaiah 'comically' kicking the groin of a person, pledging to ruin his fertility.  Placing these two scenes in the same film, especially in quick succession, is in bad taste and it waters down the very message director professes.

Amidst this tonal confusion, the film does manage to talk about the POCSO act. Sembi might probably be the nth film to feature a rape survivor as one of its protagonists this year, but it stands out by focussing enough on the laws and the system.

Nila, who plays the titular role, delivers a stunning performance. She sells both innocence and pain brilliantly and I am sure she will be bagging tons of awards for her debut. Kovai Sarala leaves no stones unturned for her first full-fledged serious role. The sequence where she breaks down in the hospital out of helplessness reminds us of the powerhouse of a performer she is. I also liked Ashwin Kumar's portrayal of the nameless saviour, and the inherent charm he adds to the role.

Nivas Prasanna fills in the shoes of Prabu's regular composer Imman and he delivers a remarkable background score that almost compensates for the forgettable songs. Though I found certain re-recording portions to be extremely over the top and suggestive, Nivas manages to elevate the crucial emotional scenes.

A major portion of Sembi happens inside a bus named Anbu (Love) and after a particular point, the bus takes a detour and roams around directionlessly. The film, which professes love, also falls into the same trap and loses our attention. How I wish films that are filled with noble intentions had unwavering focus.  

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'Furiosa A Mad Max Saga' Review: Fun, enthralling but not on par with ‘Fury Road’

'furiosa: a mad max saga', directed by george miller, is an adrenaline-pumping action drama. however, the film doesn't match up to 'fury road', says our review..

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• 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' is directed by George Miller
• Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Furiosa, previously played by Charlize Theron
• The film is fun and enthralling, but misses the mark by a bit

Release Date: 24 May, 2024

Director George Miller first thought of ‘Fury Road’ in 1987, and it is almost surreal that the franchise still continues to give you an adrenaline rush. Returning as the director and writer for ‘Furiosa,’ eight years after the fantastically-mounted ‘Fury Road', Miller’s new film focusses on showing the journey of Furiosa (powerfully played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film).

Furiosa [Anya Taylor-Joy] is robbed of her life from the Green Place of Many Mothers when she was young. She is held captive by a biker horde led by the warlord Dementus [Chris Hemsworth] only to become a gigantic and fearsome warrior in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland. But her memories of Green Place and young Furiosa [Alyla Browne] shaped her into becoming the ‘Fury Road’ Furiosa, who leaves a towering impression when we first meet her.

In this prequel, Furiosa chronicles her struggle to make her way home as Dementus goes up against Immortan Joe [Tom Burke] and his Citadel, which still has food and water in abundance.

While this is supposed to be Furiosa’s story, we mostly see it through Dementus’ prism. The young Furiosa hardly speaks but is quite a quick learner, adapting to challenges, and finds a way to survive amongst her captivators. Often, Miller almost ends up treating Furiosa as a more secondary character than others.

The Furiosa that we met in 2015 hardly has anything to do here, except to step up and take charge when strong men around her fail to get the job done. Taylor-Joy commands those scenes with an easy flair, no doubt, but it is also just a stark reminder of how much of an impact her character made in ‘Fury Road’, reigning through the desert landscape, operating, and taking charge with one arm.

Chris, as Dementus, with his caricaturish nose prosthetics, is hilarious and charming. He follows Miller’s vision at best and, together with Taylor-Joy, they deliver a solid performance. Chris' Dementus is ruthless but also someone who exhibits childish behaviour.

While the storyline might seem disjointed at times with several flashbacks, it is the action sequences that really pump you up. No one better than Miller to make us shift on our seats and perhaps lean over a bit to truly absorb the action sequences, particularly a well-crafted chase sequence. Edited by Margaret Sixel and Eliot Knapman, the action scenes, the chase sequences, the overall sound effects and guitar riffs, just make it an experience worth every dime.

Miller promises you a heart-pounding experience with the action compensating for the lack of heart that this prequel has, compared to his previous offering.

‘Furiosa’ is fun, and enthralling at best, but do not expect ‘Fury Road’, because this one misses the mark a tad bit.

3.5 out of 5 stars for 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'. Published By: K Janani Published On: May 24, 2024