Patel SIR rides on Jagapathi’s strong shoulders

When we are watching a revenge drama, things go awry sooner or later. Every scene will appear menacing, dark and create irrational fear with a slight air of insanity. Jagapathi Babu-starrer Patel Sir is the latest in the league of revenge dramas and it, too, falls into this category, to an extent. The Vasu Parimi directorial has an edge above others for wonderfully depicting the emotional side of the pivotal characters, such as Patel, a man seething with righteous rage, and a little girl haunted by the visuals of a masked man committing brutal misdeeds. The story is stuffed with loads of action and heart-wrenching emotions.

Cast: Jagapathi Babu, Aamani, Kabir Duhan Singh, Padma Priya
Direction: Vasu Parimi

Deva Raj (Kabir Duhan Singh) operates a mafia that controls a fake drug syndicate. He is shocked to learn about the deaths of his brother and partners. Determined to find out the motive behind their killings, he seeks the help of a corrupted cop Catherine (Tanya Hope).

The best moments of the first hour are definitely the action-packed scenes, and director Vasu focuses more on the attitude and ultra-stylish look of the protagonist in these portions. It's only in the second hour that the actual story unfolds. The director has done a commendable job and goes to great lengths to make the narrative rich with intensity, emotion and engaging till the end. He touches upon the subject of drug mafia without dwelling too much on it. 

The ease with which Patel carries out his revenge plan is most improbable. Keeping the stylistic choices aside, the screenplay sticks to the genre template. For the first time, Jagapathi Babu plays a dual role of father and son, and he's at his best in both the emotional and action scenes. He especially excels in the role of Subhash Patel, and brings out the vulnerability as well as the resilience of the character. Tanya Hope brings her character alive. Kabir Duhan Singh lacks the verve and playes a dispassionate role. 

The film also marks the comeback of Aamani and Padma Priya in brief roles, and both the actors make their presence felt. Subhalekha Sudhakar gets very little to work with as Patel’s friend. The rest of the cast complement the principle characters well.

The restrained performance of Jagapathi Babu elevates Patel S.I.R. from the usual revenge leanings. Despite some short-comings, this revenge drama makes for a one-time watch.