Starring: Aadi Saikumar, Riya Suman, Brahmaji
Director: Shashikanth
Producer: K.V Sridhar Reddy
Music: Harshavardhan Rameswar
Cinematography: Sai Sriram
Editor: Prawin Pudi
Release date: Dec 30, 2022
Box office success is eluding actor Aadi Saikumar. Having made wain attempts at the box office with tried-and-tested formulae, the young actor was exuberant with his new action thriller ‘Top Gear’. Has it dampen his hopes or it is a chance to celebrate the new year bash for Aadi. Let’s check it the autopsy.
Plot
The story begins with a dreadful criminal named Siddharth (played by Mime Gopi) running a drug mafia based out of Mumbai. He strikes a deal worth crores of rupees and the banned dug consignment gets stuck in Hyderabad. ACP Vikram (played by Shatru) is known for keeping drug peddlers at bay. The swift moves of ACP Vikram (played by Shatru) puts Siddharth on defensive. Vikram keeps a close watch on the business deals that are going in the city. He nearly cracks the drug syndicate operating elsewhere in the city. The story takes a new turn when cabbie Arjun (played by Aadi Saikumar) unknowingly gets embroiled in the case. Staring at the lurking danger of getting caught from the police, Arjun finds a way out to wriggle himself out of the situation. After saving his wife Aadhya (played by Riya Suman) from the situation, is there a way out for him? How the police cracks whip on drug mafia is the story to be watched on the big screen.
Performances: Aadi looks perfectly gets into the character of a cabbie. Portraying the emotions aptly required for the film, the actor strikes a perfect chord with viewers when it comes to pulling off action sequences and romance. Leading lady Riya Suman gets her slice of appreciation for her subtle performance. Shatru seems to have had a great year impressing audiences with his attire as a police inspector. The baddie in the film Mime Gopi, who played the role kingpin Siddharth, did reasonably well with whatever the character offered him.
What’s good
‘Top Gear’ may look any run-of-the-mill action thriller, but the way it has been handled and executed is not so bad. Director Shashikanth went into good detailing where it actually needed in the first half, but missed to tie the loose ends. One can find a lot of maturity in Aadi’s performance when compared with his earlier flicks.
What’s bad
The story looks engaging in parts although it begins with good premise how drug mafia operating from Mumbai and lay sway on other parts of the country. Characterisation of Aadi should have been a bit taut. You might feel that the pre-climax was rushed and ended abruptly without giving much thought on the narrative.
Analysis
Director Shashikanth has done a decent work. Although ‘Top Gear’ is mired with a few dull sequences, the manipulative characters and the mind games that they play was showcased perfectly in sync. Another laudable element is that the director doesn’t deviate from the central idea. The crisp runtime is another advantage for the film to sail through. But nevertheless, a pinch of drama would have been very impactful in the end. The music rendered by Harshavardhan is commendable. The background score in the second half has nearly put audiences to the edge of their seats.
Bottom line
Makes audiences connect with the action blocks and crime drama, if not for uninteresting thrills and frills.
