80s Buildup - Falls short despite having comical ideas because of clumsy narration.
Santhanam is back with yet another comedy entertainer which is set in the 80s this time. The film produced by Studio Green was written and directed by N Kalyan of 'Gulebaghavali' and 'Jackpot' fame. The star cast is filled with prominent comedy actors of different eras from the industry and was expected to be a treat for the fans. Whether the film was able to entertain the audience?
80s Buildup is all about a cat-and-mouse game between the siblings of a wealthy Zamin family, Kathir (Santhanam) and Manjakili (Sangeetha). The two's grandfather Naathamuni (Sunder Rajan) dies after swallowing the diamonds of a smuggling group who tried to steal a Zamin sword with a treasure map. The siblings have a bet about whether Kathir will make his distant cousin (Radhika Preethi) fall in love with him before the final rites of their grandfather. While Kathir and Manjakili are battling to win the challenge, the smuggling group (Mansoor Ali Khan, Manobala, and Mottai Rajendran) is trying to recover the diamonds and the treasure map. Did Kathir succeed in the bet and what happened to the smugglers?
Santhanam has done a great job in carrying this mediocre film with his one-liners. He looks dashing in the scenes where he imitates Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth of the 80s. Sangeetha and Radhika Preethi had delivered what was required of them. Among the long list of comedians in this film, it is Aadukalam Naren and Anand Raj, who were fully effective in their roles. They never failed to provoke laughter whenever they appeared on the screen. Sunder Rajan was hilarious at a few points.
On the positive side, 80s Buildup had a handful of laugh-worthy ideas but they weren't properly utilised in the screenplay. The film had an enjoyable premise similar to vintage comedy films and could've been a comedy galatta if a proper effort had been made in the writing. Also, there were too many comedy tracks and most of them went pointless and ineffective. For example, the Rajini-Kamal fan conflict, and the Yama Dharmaraja fantasy element would have resulted in interesting twists and turns but they went to waste.
What worked was Santhanam's love arc, the smugglers disguising as Manjakili track and the interval wrestling sequence. The film ended with a cool cliffhanger and it had a few super funny closures in the final act. However, they weren't enough to save the movie. Ghibran's songs and background score were good in a few places. The 'Otti Vaarene' song in SP Charan's voice was especially beautiful. The other technical aspects didn't gain much attention.
Verdict: Despite offering a few laughs and having potential elements, 80s Buildup fails to give a fulfilling comedy experience.
