Actor Arya's latest comedy movie, "Settai," an adaptation of Bollywood film, "Delhi Belly," has recieved mixed reviews from film critics.
Director R Kannan of "Kanden Kadhalai" fame has tweaked the storyline slightly to suit the taste of audience in South India. The original movie starring Imran Khan was a huge hit. Expectations were high for the Tamil version but critics feel that the film entertains the audience only in parts.
"Settai" is about three friends - Arya, Santhanam and Premgi Amaren - who are chased by gangsters when a package of stolen diamonds get mixed-up with another packet of a stool sample. The three friends work for an upcoming Tamil daily.
Arya-Santhanam combination had worked wonders in the past. Their last outing "Boss Engira Baskaran" was a big laugh riot. This time, the actors have teamed up with another popular comedian - Premgi Amaren. But they succeeded in evoking laughter only in parts.
Hansika Motawni and Anjali play the female leads. Hansika once again plays an air hostess after her successful film, "Oru Kal Oru Kannadi." Anjali, who has done deglamorised roles in her previous outings, appears as a Mumbai-based journalist working for an English daily.
The rest of the cast include Nassar, Ali and Neetu Chandra.
Here is what the critics have to say about the movie
Talking about the film's script, S Saarawathi of rediff.com said, "The director has ruined a perfectly good script and has given an absolutely boring version of the exciting and racy Delhi Belly. From beginning to end, the film follows the same pace and all the scenes are so boring and slow, you could actually sleep through the entire movie."
Saraswathi also pointed out how none of the three lead actors, who are known for their comic sense, have failed to evoke laughter among moviegoers
"After the huge success of Boss Engira Baskaran, in which the Arya-Santhanam combination became the talk of the town, the two come together again for Settai. Unfortunately, they are unable to recreate the same magic. Even Premgi fails to evoke any laughter. Though none of them are new to the concept of comedy or friendship, all three disappoint with their lacklustre performances," wrote Saraswathi.
Behindwoods Review Board said, "The flavor and the main essence of the original was its heavy adult content which worked for the film big time. But it is evident that Kannan's intentions are to present the film with Tamil sensibilities in a much diluted form which works against Settai."
"Toilet humour is one segment that has not been tried in Tamil cinema and hence the director has treaded the path with a lot of caution, resulting in it becoming a spoke in the wheel. The humour component is there in Settai but not a rollicking one."
According to M Suganth of Times of India, "Settai, a remake of Delhi Belly, more or less manages to duplicate the glorious scatological humour of its source, though only this remains its chief success."
"For the Tamil version ("adaptation", as the makers prefer to term it), director Kannan has replaced the edginess of the original, characterized by its irreverence, presentation of modern-day relationships, grubby visual aesthetic and yes, even the swear words, with broad humour and a very much conventional approach to characterization and storytelling. Not that this is necessarily bad but it definitely makes the film commonplace," Suganth said.
According to Indo-Asian News Service, "All the actors were just ordinary and there is nothing noteworthy to be brought to the fore for appreciation. Thaman's music leaves no effect and only makes us wonder at the placement of songs that breaks the flow of narrative not once, but multiple times. Even though 'Settai' is visually appealing, that doesn't make much of a difference to the output.
