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Super Zindagi movie review: Remember Maarimuthu’s (Sudheer Sukumaran) dialogue in Kochi Rajavu (2005), which later became iconic and found a place in Malayalam pop culture: “Enda enne tension pannuren? Enga paathalum nee! (Why are you making me angry? You’re there wherever I turn!)”? Well, it’s hard to think of a better way to describe actor Dhyan Sreenivasan now. Just a week after the release of the ‘atom bomb’ Secret, Dhyan is back with his eighth film of 2024 (ninth if you count his cameo in Nadikar) — director Vintesh’s Super Zindagi.
Super Zindagi follows the story of two men, Sidharthan (Dhyan Sreenivasan) and Mujeeb (Mukesh). While Sidhu is a loafer whose only goal is to become extremely rich without any struggle and hence dreams up grand schemes for a business that will fetch him crores, Mujeeb is a successful “businessman” who occasionally earns big bucks through shady deals, thanks to his “well-placed connections”. When Sidhu learns that a man named Rudra, living in a remote village in Karnataka, whom he once met by chance, has unearthed some pure gold believed to be part of a hidden treasure, the duo heads to the neighbouring state. As Rudra has asked for Sidhu’s help in selling the gold to make some money, Sidhu and Mujeeb jump at the chance and strike a deal with him in their greed to earn quick money. However, the path to the treasure is far more bumpy than they anticipated, with obstacles that test their limits. The remainder of the film unfolds as they struggle to overcome these challenges and seize the fortune.
Revolving around the theme of a treasure scam, Super Zindagi is one of those films that leaves you with the impression that the makers were super intrigued by the premise but had no idea how to turn it into a full-fledged feature film script. The story starts with the introduction of Raja Gowda, a local don who rules the village where Rudra lives. Gowda is powerful and ruthless, even willing to kidnap little girls without a second thought. Next, we meet Sidhu, who leads an irresponsible life driven by a lust for money. Despite being portrayed as a “cute, ambitious” guy, Sidhu is clearly a freeloading jerk who lives off the money of his mother and girlfriend Vidhya (Parvati Nair). Once Sidhu’s story begins, we’re stuck in a loop of watching him being lazy and dreaming up grand business schemes until Mujeeb enters the picture. Not that it changes anything, but now, instead of one person trying to get rich quickly, there are two.
The script of Super Zindagi, penned by Prajith Raj EKR and Vintesh, is so hollow that we are forced to watch a significant part of the duo’s journey from their hometown of Kannur to rural Karnataka by road and nothing interesting happens en route. In an attempt to fill this void with nostalgia, the screenwriters and dialogue writer Abhilash Sreedharan insert references to old films like Vandanam (1989) and Sandesham (1991); however, these attempts backfire big time due to their forced inclusion and the overall lacklustre writing.
Watch Super Zindagi trailer here:
It is important to mention here that the film’s depiction of tribals is extremely problematic, as it reinforces the harmful stereotype that they are inherently inclined to criminal behaviour and are willing to resort to violence to achieve their goals.
Despite its efforts to capitalise on the Mukesh-ness (his knack for turning even simple lines into humorous ones) and the Dhyan-ness (his ability to give the hero a boy-next-door appeal), Super Zindagi falters throughout due to shoddy writing. Amidst all the dull elements, the movie further introduces additional characters, like the free-spirited middle-aged playboy Naji (Johny Antony) and the former Bengaluru-based don Da Vinci (Suresh Krishna), whose roles lack depth and contribute nothing meaningful, only adding to the film’s problems.
At the same time, even with numerous obstacles that would raise doubts in anyone about the deal, the film’s depiction of Sidhu and Mujeeb pursuing the risky venture too is unconvincing, as their motives aren’t properly justified. The movie also features two “suspicious” characters at the outset who disappear until the last act. Although they become instrumental towards the end, since they were given initial buildup, the characters deserved better treatment, especially considering the excessive screentime given to Sidhu and Mujeeb who contribute nothing of value most of the time.
The most frustrating aspect of Super Zindagi, however, is the lack of effort Dhyan has put into his role and performance. Shockingly, there is no noticeable difference between his portrayal of Sidhu here and Midhun in Secret and both performances are similar to many of his previous roles as well. It’s disappointing that an actor who is paid to act doesn’t put any labour into his work. Regardless of whether he views acting as merely a job, he should show some respect for his remuneration and deliver something, anything.
Though Mukesh attempts to evoke his signature “Mukesh charm,” it falls flat everywhere, often appearing contrived. Johny Antony, Suresh Krishna and Parvati Nair too fail to bring anything substantial to their poorly written roles.
While Eldho Issac’s cinematography falls short throughout, it’s unfortunate that editor Lijo Paul approved this version of the film. However, he can’t be entirely blamed, as a tighter edit of Super Zindagi might have reduced it to less than an hour. Although Sooraj S Kurup’s background score is interesting at certain points, none of the songs are memorable.
Super Zindagi movie cast: Dhyan Sreenivasan, Mukesh, Parvati Nair, Johny Antony, Suresh Krishna
Super Zindagi movie director: Vintesh
Super Zindagi movie rating: 1 star
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