The second half loses steam. The film tries to turn preachy, and the tonal shift from fun caper to serious drama feels abrupt. The supporting cast (including Anu Emmanuel) is underutilized. At nearly 2 hours 40 minutes, the runtime tests your patience.
A decent one-time watch for crime thriller fans. Don’t expect a Maharaja or Vikram Vedha . 5. Singapore Saloon (Starring RJ Balaji) Verdict: Heartfelt but flawed.
RJ Balaji continues his streak of social-comedies, this time about a young man who dreams of opening a high-end unisex salon despite his family’s disdain for “women’s work.”
The second half derails into a series of melodramatic conflicts. The villain is cartoonishly evil. The film doesn’t know when to end, stretching a simple premise too thin.
Everything. The film doesn’t exploit the trauma but rather sits with it. Siddharth delivers a career-best performance—vulnerable, angry, and helpless all at once. The child artist Sahasra Shree will break your heart. The writing is taut, never melodramatic. The climax is one of the most mature and healing resolutions seen in Indian cinema recently. The music by Santhosh Narayanan is haunting.