Sandakari is a lively commercial entertainer that brings together romance, comedy, family emotions and workplace drama, with the story travelling between London and Tamil Nadu. Written and directed by R. Madhesh, the film uses an interesting premise to create a series of entertaining situations around love, ambition, relationships and misunderstandings.
Vimal, a gold-medal-winning engineering graduate, works as an assistant to Shreya, a senior executive in a London-based company. Though he has developed an app of his own, circumstances force him to take up the assistant’s job. His short temper frequently lands him in trouble and provides some of the film’s lighter moments.
Shreya is an ambitious and strong-willed professional facing a major hurdle when her London visa expires. She has to return to India to apply for a new visa, but her career ambitions make the situation complicated. She comes up with an unusual plan — pretending that she and Vimal are married in an attempt to strengthen her case for staying in London. However, a rival has his own plans to use Vimal against Shreya and derail her professional ambitions.
The story takes a turn when Vimal travels to Tamil Nadu to meet Shreya’s parents and seek their acceptance for her project. The contrast between the corporate world of London and the family environment in Tamil Nadu provides the film with several comic and emotional situations. The question of whether Shreya’s carefully planned strategy will succeed keeps the narrative moving.
Vemal carries the lead role with confidence and maintains a good screen presence in both the London and Tamil Nadu portions. Shriya Saran brings the required attitude to Shreya, portraying her as an ambitious woman who is confident, determined and not easily influenced. Punnagai Poo Gheetha, Sathyan, Prabhu, K.R. Vijaya, Rekha, Dev Gill, Uma Padmanabhan, Crane Manohar and Mahanadi Shankar provide able support.
R.B. Gurudev’s cinematography captures the contrasting landscapes of London and Tamil Nadu attractively. Amrish’s songs and background score complement the film’s commercial mood, while Dinesh Ponraj’s editing keeps the proceedings reasonably smooth.
Produced by Punnagai Poo Gheetha, Sandakari works as a colourful entertainer that mixes romance, comedy, family sentiment and workplace drama. While the story relies on familiar commercial elements, the London-Tamil Nadu setting and the marriage-of-convenience premise give it enough flavour to keep the proceedings engaging.