Puli (2015)

Puli (Tiger) is your Indian cinema version of Gulliver and the Lilliput's fairy tale. A lavishly mounted fantasy adventure, at the core it is basically a love-story.

In a faraway land, live a cruel tribe who go by the name of Betals. Blue eyes and Dracula fangs are their distinguishing features. They also have strange powers that can get them to fly like Batman and fight like Gladiators. Their only aim is to commit atrocities on some poor mortals living in the plains close to their kingdom.

Don't grieve just yet. When you think that the meek are doomed for life, baby Magadheera is found floating in the water surrounding this village. He is adopted and becomes a favourite. This place is also home to a pretty lass called Pawanmali (Shruti). The two marry secretly. But their happiness is short-lived because the Jaltarang (Sudeep), the cruel Betal marshal kidnaps Magadheera's loved one. In his quest to find his wife, Magadheera sets off to the Palace where the cruel queen (Sridevi) lives with her daughter Mandakini (Hansika). Of course, his journey is hardly without adventure. Before he can ride off into the sunset with his wife, he has to fight a one-eyed monster, maim a hundred Betals and sing songs with Mandakini.

Puli is a fantasy but its failing is that it is told in an amateur fashion. Coming as it does, after the humongous success of Bahubali that raised the bar as far as fantasy, animation and give-it-all-you-got cinema goes, Puli disappoints. The film works as a visual extravaganza, but it fails to entertain. Even Vijay fans may find it hard to lap up his snazzy song-routine. Sridevi's arched eyebrows are more expressive than the rest of her. Hansika and Shruti only wiggle their backsides and shake their bellies. Aah, even that's disappointing.