Leader Movie Review:
Vanity. A few years back, business magnate Saravanan decided to be the face of his multi-million-dollar empire. He was plastered across TV ads, in newspapers, and on YouTube. The next ideal step was to take up the political route or don the greasepaint. Saravanan decided to become an actor. And then… he rechristened himself as Legend Saravanan, and made his acting debut with… wait for it… Legend. It was heavily trolled for its content, his performance, and everything else in between. Four years later, Legend Saravanan has come back to collect his dues with Leader, under the aegis of director RS Durai Senthilkumar. He embarks on a path to redemption courtesy a clever director, a compelling script, a convincing ensemble, carefree masala-cinema sensibilities, and, of course, good ol’ money.
Director: RS Durai Senthilkumar
Cast: Legend Saravanan, Payal Rajput, Shaam, Andrea Jeremiah, Santhosh Prathap
Durai Senthilkumar, who seems to have a knack for reinventing his leads, does it for Saravanan, too. Leader doesn’t treat Saravanan as a demi-god or a larger-than-life star. In fact, for the first time, we see him as an actor playing a character, and his Sakthivel gets a rather sober introduction. He is awoken by his chirpy young daughter, who is the world to him. There is some forced comedy courtesy VTV Ganesh and ‘Adithya’ Kathir, which should have been axed, for sure. It isn’t that these scenes aren’t funny, but they take precious time away from an action drama that is infinitely more entertaining. The film poses so many questions. What would Sakthivel do if someone threatened to bump off his daughter? What connects the cops Bakthavatchalam (Shaam) and Indira (Andrea Jeremiah) to Sakthivel? What nefarious global domination plans does the Devil (Santhosh Prathap) have? Why are there so many twists in the narration? What happened to Sakthivel’s wife, Meera (Payal Rajput)? And yet, the writer in Durai Senthilkumar shines bright as each of these questions always finds an answer within the narrative. Again, you might be convinced of the same or not… but the filmmaker doesn’t leave any thread loose.
That is why, despite the random and unnecessary detours, Leader gets its basics right. A father is searching for his daughter. He is portrayed as a mean killing machine with a past. And yet, Durai Senthilkumar doesn’t give him any outlandish stunt sequences. He delivers on the scene elevations, and that keeps us deeply engaged with the narrative, even as the mind is either figuring out which trolls to make or which jokes to write. But unlike Legend, you don’t have time for any of this in Leader. There is a clock ticking, and the writing drives home this urgency. Despite the narrative transcending timelines and continents, Leader never allows you time to put on your logic-tinted glasses. Instead, it asks you to recall films like Leo, Jailer, Vikram, and Vivegam, and juxtapose Saravanan with them. However, despite the premise being the stuff of superstardom dreams, the film never oversells its ambition and hardly deviates from the rather straightforward narrative. Of course, there are the Baasha and Theri templates, too, especially the interval banger that reveals the past of a surly but sweet father. But this assemblage of many films is still entertaining simply because Durai Senthilkumar handles it with campy gloves. When Leader suddenly talks about the demolition of an entire port, or a group of assassins who watch the watchdogs of the country, and even stitches together an extended action sequence inside a Vande Bharat train, the film never stops to explain or wait for you to buy into the logic.
There are enough, and more, questions to ask on this front. Is Salt the only name you can give to a Thoothukudi gangster? How is Sakthivel’s face without a single drop of blood after the villain uses it as a punching bag for a whole minute? Why do global spies behave as if they are straight out of the Scooby Doo universe? Why is the daughter of Sakthivel and Meera called… Irene? But if you pause to ask these questions, you’d miss out on Sakthivel walking away from a fiery explosion with the swag of a seasoned superstar. You might also miss a beautiful montage featuring Payal and Saravanan falling in love, indulging in fisticuffs, and even exchanging bullets like wedding rings. Have a spinoff titled Mr and Mrs Sakthivel. Sign me up.
While the film is a recalibration of the concept of Legend Saravanan, Leader is also filled with competent actors in well-written roles. Shaam has a lot of fun as a cop with a lineage, and the way it is used in the film is one of the many smart choices. The same holds good with Andrea’s character, who is sidelined for a while, but returns to kick ass. There is Lal, the narrator, who knows the entire story but acts as if he is an NPC in the film. Payal gets a role with limited screen time, but packs a punch and delivers a solid turn as someone whose life is never in her control. Saravanan has made commendable strides as an actor, and Durai Senthilkumar does a brilliant job of showcasing the actor’s strengths and never lets his weaknesses bog down the film. What if action isn’t Saravanan’s strongest suit? The camera angles and edits can do the trick. The same applies to certain sentimental scenes. On the other hand, the scenes where Saravanan comes to terms with his own medical condition are emotional, and the actor is surprisingly effective. But the actor who steals the show at least three times is Santosh Prathap, who dials up the kitsch, and his performance perfectly suits the outlandish nature of Leader, much like Arjun Das in Good Bad Ugly.
Durai Senthilkumar largely keeps Saravanan reined in as Sakthivel. Even when the screenplay leaves room for a random love song, it is used as a montage number to further the narrative. Even when the screenplay leaves room for multiple action blocks, Sakthivel prefers to exercise his brain rather than his brawn. Even when the screenplay leaves room for an emotional outburst, the film tamps it down with a smart scene. Basically, despite having similar beats to Legend, Leader proves that writing flourishes and a strong conviction to say ‘NO’ when required can make a film out of anything and an actor out of anyone. Basically, Leader makes you come to terms with the fact that he isn’t going anywhere, and this time, all did not go in vain.