Director Hari's Saamy Square has a hero who lives in an agraharam but mocks a man who asks him what his caste is with "Are you people still talking about caste?" This should give one an inkling about just how much thought has gone into writing the film. Simply said, Saamy Square is pure mayhem.
The film opens with cop Aarusamy (Vikram of the first film) sending a few people to space because they were threatening violence over an inter-caste couple's elopement. Then he sends the young woman back to her family, after advising them to get her married to the man of her choice. Of course, considering the film's "anti-caste" heart, Aarusamy tells the goons that when upper caste people who had oppressed them had changed (I was clearly on Pluto when this happened), why were they still holding on to caste? Yes, it's after this that we're introduced to the heartthrob of the agraharam, Arusamy's son, Ramsamy (Vikram again).
Ramsamy's mission is to kill a man conveniently named Ravana (Ram Vs Ravanan, geddit?) and his brothers. Because these are the men who killed his parents and they're the sons of Perumal Pitchai, the man Aarusamy killed in the first film. Bobby Simha has often been criticised for his deadpan expressions. As Ravana Pitchai, he has scowled enough for a lifetime. The entire film is an assault on the senses, as these two men scream, frown, kill and throw people in the air. If one were to consider only the time characters spend flying in space, Saamy Square and not Tik Tik Tik should hold the distinction of being India's first space film.
Congratulations to Trisha for having the courage and good sense to walk out of this film over "creative differences". As suspected, her character Bhuvana (Aishwarya Rajesh) from the first film meets a bloody death after a few scenes in the sequel. The role of such heroines lasts only till they're impregnated by the hero and give birth to a baby who grows up to become the hero again. Trisha can certainly do better than that.
The real heroine is Keerthy Suresh whose job it is to study in London, come back to India and think only about marrying a man who slaps her twice in the film. Prabhu plays her father, a central government minister, who also slaps his wife (Aishwarya), so perhaps all she wanted in life was a man just like her daddy? Soori's loud comedy grates on the nerves, especially his extended rape joke about a couple making out in a car. Since there is no plot to speak of - I mean, this is just two men who want to kill each other but can't immediately because the film has to go on for over 2.5 hours - the comedy and romance keep intruding, making the film more tiresome than it already is. The less said about the love scenes between Keerthy and Vikram, the better. This is a man who advises her never to fall in love because it would hurt her father. Maybe Hari himself felt the "love" just wasn't happening, because he also takes them to the Taj Mahal for a completely unnecessary scene. The first time they meet, she speaks to him in an insulting manner because she thinks he's the driver. And then apologises when she realises that he's not. Exactly why is it all right to insult a driver, we shall never know.
From the over-the-top characters (Ravanan's mom seems to be straight out of a Hindi mega serial) to the camera angles, choppy editing and loud music, there is nothing subtle about Saamy Square. There's a lot of violence on screen, from a screwdriver pushed through a man's cheeks to Ravanan threatening to kill a baby, and it's quite disturbing that this film has been cleared with a 'U' certificate. Hari has done some decent thrillers in his career, especially the first Singam, so it's mind-boggling why he'd write such a juvenile script. For instance, Ramsamy sends the President of India emails from his Gmail account and the latter immediately swings into action though he has no idea who Ramsamy is. That too, within five minutes. Maybe I was on Pluto once again when India became such a vallarasu.
Vikram looks handsome and he fills the screen with his presence. But even his acting skills cannot save this mess. The screenplay for Saamy Square probably reads as an endless series of slaps. You may need to slap yourself a few times to stay awake through it.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.