'They Call Him OG' review: This Pawan Kalyan-starrer behaves like a deadly gun with misfiring bullets

When it comes to gangster flicks in Indian cinema, the commercial format has a typical flow to it, one that we have been seen a million times. Yet, it is a formula that has worked whenever a bona fide superstar has worked with a director who has had conviction in his screenplay and direction. Pawan Kalyan, known fondly as 'Powerstar' to Telugu cinema lovers, is back on the big screen with his latest offering, They call him OG, a gangster action flick directed by Sujeeth. After a long time, there is unprecedented hype around a Kalyan-starrer and it isn't without reason. Having the man himself in an ultra-stylish action zone has the potential for a paisa-vasool theatrical experience. So, does this film succeed in that?

They call him OG is set in Mumbai where there are two major gangs whose modus operandi revolves around their ports. Satya Dada (Prakash Raj) leads one community of people along with his daughter-in-law Geetha (Sriya Reddy), and they are the do-gooders so to speak. The other gang is headed by Mirajkar (Tej Sapru). Satya Dada's main weapon is in his adopted son Ojus Gambhira (Pawan Kalyan) a.k.a 'OG', a powerful man with mystic Japanese connections. Meanwhile, Mirajkar has two sons in Omi (Emraan Hashmi) and Jimmy (Sudev Nair). A major incident at Satya Dada's house forces OG to leave Mumbai. Years pass and he is now happily married to Kanmani (Priyanka Mohan) and the couple also have a daughter.

It's been years since OG left the city but Mirajkar's gang do not dare to cause any problems with Satya Dada and his men, simply because they fear the return of OG some day. It takes the misplacement of a major deal headed by Omi to reopen old wounds, forcing the tale of bloodshed and gore to resurface once again. With no OG to rescue Satya Dada and his men, it is the perfect opportunity for Mirajkar and his men to take control of the entire city. Will their plans succeed? Will OG return to save his loved ones? Why did he leave Mumbai and Satya Dada in the first place? For all this and a little more, you need to watch They call him OG.

For a film of this genre, it is extremely difficult for a director to crack the code in a commercial format, because there is bound to be a feeling of deja vu in many of the sequences. You need to either have a racy screenplay that has enough thrills irrespective of the predictability or have enough high moments to make up for the lack of creativity in the storyline. Unfortunately, They call him OG does neither and ends up as a film that fails to create any solid impact. Sujeeth's writing lacks the spark and most of the major plot points in the film are just mundane. There is no adrenaline rush and the emotional depth is also sorely missing, something that is critical if you want the audience to resonate with the characters.

There is only one person who has the scope to do anything of note in this film and that's Pawan Kalyan. It is meant to be a one-man show from the outset and to be fair, Kalyan does hold things together to some extent, especially in the action sequences. His tall frame, effortless screen presence and proficiency in hand-to-hand combat sequences are the pluses that prevent the film from falling over. However, after a point, even his antics seem tiresome as the screenplay lacks the punch to keep viewers interested. The film does show signs of building momentum towards the pre-interval sequences and the interval block is neat, setting things up for a riveting second half.

Post-interval, the starting sequences are also decent with some whistle-worthy moments but soon, the film hits the self-destruct button. A strong antagonist who fights toe-to-toe with the protagonist is what the film required. Emraan Hashmi, though, gets a role that is nowhere as meaty as it should be. Clearly, the film wants to celebrate Kalyan to the fullest and while there isn't any problem in doing so, what is fails to do is to give genuine moments of entertainment or thrills. Some of the major plot twists end up being downright silly and test the intelligence of viewers.

The only departments that have done their job in They call him OG are the music and action. SS Thaman's background score is a major factor in elevating some of the sequences while the action blocks have also come out well. However, the fights could have created a much bigger impact if the screenplay had a soul to it. Sujeeth is guilty of cooking up a screenplay that takes the safe route and yet, fails to take its film to safety. He is over-dependent on Kalyan's stardom to save the day but there is only so much that a superstar can do when the product isn't efficient enough.

On the whole, They call him OG is another of those cliched gangster flicks that fails to live up to its hype. It may have been made with a sole aim of catering to Pawan Kalyan's fans but even the most hardcore of them might find this film a tiresome watch.

Film: They call him OG

Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Emraan Hashmi, Arjun Das, Prakash Raj, Priyanka Mohan, Sriya Reddy, Sudev Nair

Director: Sujeeth

Rating: 2/5