Tees Maar Khan Movie Review: A masala entertainer

Aadi Sai Kumar's new film Tees Maar Khan tells the story of a young girl and a boy, who breaks free of their families due to domestic violence and mental agony. They cross paths on a fateful night and develop a strong bond with each other. The girl takes good care of the boy and he promises to protect her as a son and swears by his word by thrashing a bunch of goons.

Cast: Aadi Sai Kkumar, Paayal Rajput, Sunil, Poorna

Director: Kalyanji Gogana

The boy -- now called Tees Maar Khan (Aadi Sai Kumar) starts living with a police constable along with his Amma alias Vasu (Poorna). Years later, Vasu is married to Chakri (Sunil) and Tees Maar Khan runs a gym and also becomes the go-to guy in his locality. He falls for Anagha (Paayal Rajput) and even goes head-to-head with a local gangster Jija (Thakur Anoop Singh). How Tees Maar Khan becomes a cop and why he is after Jija is the crux of the film.

Director Kalyanji Gogana gives us a first half that is loose and one that serves little purpose other than to act as a catalyst for the later half. He takes his own sweet time introducing the main players of the story, but thankfully, doesn't let boredom misguide or distract you from the narrative.  

After the initial hiccups, the second hour takes a different turn and the film picks up considerably, giving us some interesting moments of action and genuine tension. In fact, the last 45 minutes of the film are so crisply done that you are even willing to forgive the director for not striking a perfect balance between action and emotion and the routine lapses of logic in the screenplay.

A film like Tees Maar  Khan isn't set up as one with a lot of twists and turns, but still, a couple of them in the second hour serve as effective. To be fair, the film is engaging enough with crowd-pleasing moments that Aadi Sai Kumar performs with ease and subtlety. He sports a new look and is believable as the hero. He shows a lot of promise and his comic timing, mannerisms, and performance in the climax are refreshing. With Tees Maar Khan, it is evident that he can pull off a character with substance and not merely gloss.

The film is lavishly shot and all the supporting actors are good in their places. The canvas is quite colourful and the negative role by Srikanth Iyengar is an asset to the tale, anyone else in his place might not have had the same impact. Poorna has got some scope to act and has seized the opportunity to give a mature performance. Paayal Rajput, on the other hand, fails to impress in yet another mediocre role. Sunil is impressive and his performance brings back the nostalgia of Mangalam Srinu from Pushpa: The Rise (2021).

The cinematography by Baal Reddy is decent and notable, particularly in the dance sequences. Sai Kartheek has churned out average music and the songs are passable. The item song doesn't come naturally and seems insignificant to the story.

With a promising core idea, the film could have been a lot more ambitious, but it settles for less. Nevertheless, Tees Maar Khan largely entertains with twists on familiar tropes and impressive performances. The film may serve well for the audience who like watching high-voltage masala entertainers.