Dr.Saleem Review

After Raghuvaran B.Tech left its imprint on the Telugu BO, there has been a spurt of dubbed movies from Kollywood.  Latest to join weeks after Pisachi and Anekudu is Vijay Anthony-starrer Salim, dubbed as Dr. Salim.  Being a suspenseful thriller, it manages to entertain with some minor hiccups.  The question is, will it be ‘vijay’ for Vijay Anthony in the Telugu States?

First things first.  It’s good to see an experimental attempt, a story that is character-centric, a character that is value-oriented, a plot that stems as a contradiction to the avowed principles espoused by the protagonist.  Imagine a film where the hero abides by values like non-violence as against aggressiveness.  Imagine also a thriller plot emanating from such a character.  Imagine a female lead who is atypical and is self-centered.

The first thing to strike you about the film is its brilliant cinematography. The film opens in a crime scene that remains a mystery till much later. Vijay plays doctor Salim is a Good Samaritan with heart at the right place.  He is an idealist and never a pragmatist in his dealings with an antithetical world. To put an end to his life of loneliness, Salim decides to get married and hence comes Aksha's role as Nisha. Though the two are in love with each other, Nisha's self centered attitude leads to eventual calling off of the wedding. Over and above this break up in his life, Salim is dismissed from his job, as he goes against the hospital rules for money, treating patients plainly on the grounds of humanity. All this happening on the same night, followed and added to by a number of other assaults to his ego, Salim finally takes the call to quit living by rules and start walking the path of instincts. His transformation overnight into a person that he has never been in order to question the wrongdoings around brings in moments of soul searching, and eventually an action thriller.

While the telling is good, the pace is somewhat slow.  It demands patience on the part of the audience.  Yet again, here is a technically sound film from Kollywood.  The first impression falls right with Ganesh Chandra's camera clarity, hues and angles. Editing by Rajesh is a match to the visual treat. Nirmal Kumar writes a screenplay that has its absolute edge-of-the-seat moments.

The best scenes come in the second half. There is a dose of social commentary. Vijay's spontaneity in quite many places is noteworthy. Dialogues in the gripping second half are a big advantage to the movie as a whole.

Many scenes, especially from the latter portions of the movie, leave you pondering over questions on truth, reality, conduct and morale.

The film surely showcases the talent of Vijay Anthony both as a filmmaker and an actor.

Verdict: While technically sound, the film has certain memorable moments.  A slow first half is a letdown, the second half is the saving grace.

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