Panjaa

Jai grew up an orphan. While he was living on the street Bhagwan took him in; the man is a gang leader and became the only family Jai had. Years pass and Jai becomes one of the most trusted men in the organisation. Then Bhagwan's son wants to take over and his methods are different. Jai will not accept them. At the same time a woman enters his life and the possibility of leaving comes up for the first time. What happens to those who want out of the organisation is known. Vishnu Varadhan directs. Pawan Kalyan plays Jai; Sarah-Jane Dias and Jackie Shroff are in the cast. It comes from Telugu cinema and the narrative spreads across two cities; some sections take place in Kolkata. The visual work is above the average of the genre; the use of colour and light stands out. The matter the narrative builds is loyalty; Jai feels indebted to the man who raised him and the film questions that debt. Pawan Kalyan had a large audience in Telugu cinema and the film was seen as an attempt to step outside his acting shape. It did not draw the interest expected at the box office, and that is often mentioned in later assessments of it. Its limits are length and pace; the narrative is long and the violent scenes repeat. Who it is for: viewers who like Telugu crime drama and Pawan Kalyan. Who it is not for: the script is loose, the woman's part functional, and the violence heavy.