Odeya' seems like a tribute to Darshan, and to what fans have come to expect of him. It has ‘mass appeal’ dialogues that draw whistles, upbeat songs, and a lot of action.
It remains faithful to the Tamil original Veeram, starring Ajith. Its few good scenes, however, lose their appeal because of the sheer length of the movie.
Gajendra has four younger brothers he has brought up all by himself. He does not trust women, leading to his decision not to marry. His brothers, in relationships of their own, seek to challenge this decision.
Darshan’s character plays into the trope of a tough man with a heart of gold. Sanah Thimmayyah’s role as Darshan’s love interest Sakku has no real purpose, and in many scenes she could just have been replaced by a cardboard cut-out. All that is asked of her is to look at Darshan admiringly.
In fact, she is not the only one who has such a limited role, Gajendra’s four brothers appear as one unit with no character arcs or distinguishing features, and are only present to cast their older brother in a favourable light.
Devaraj, who plays Sakku’s father, adds some soul to the proceedings.
Chikkana and Sadhu Kokila bring much-needed humour to the storyline.
Most of the screen time is spent on action—featuring Darshan almost single-handedly defeating dozens of hoodlums. The scenes are well-shot but end up melting into one another because of a weak storyline.
If you are willing to brave some predictability and then some more, and see Darshan in all his glory, then this movie is for you.
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