Vishal Menon
Hidden deep beneath the loud and inane surface of Raffi’s Voice Of Sathyanathan is a killer idea that could have become either a hilarious dark comedy or a darker human drama about redemption. One feels the need to underline the word ‘either’ to explain the film’s issues because it tries to be both.
It is about an oddball character named Sathyanathan (Dileep) who gets himself into trouble because he cannot speak a single sentence without offending someone, forcing him into situations that are bigger than he is.
He hilariously gets himself added to a list of criminals monitored by the CBI. The agencies believe Sathyanathan wants to kill THE president of India. Imagine how funny it would be to see the loose-tongued Sathyanathan survive in a sub-jail full of serious criminals. But instead of milking this odd situation for its comedy, Raffi chooses to sandwich two major sub-plots.
The result is a complex mess of half-decent ideas that never go anywhere. Neither funny nor emotional, Voice Of Sathyanathan compromises on its core strengths, ending up as another forgettable film that belongs in another decade.