Early social media reactions to PS Mithran's spy thriller sequel praise Karthi's action scenes and a strong interval block while flagging a thin core plot.
Sardar 2 hit screens worldwide on September 10, and within hours of the morning shows in overseas markets and neighbouring towns, X was flooded with verdicts that refused to agree with each other.
Directed by PS Mithran, the film reunites him with Karthi for a spy-thriller follow-up to 2022's Sardar, which released for Deepavali and gave Karthi one of his better-received outings. Sardar 2 is reportedly mounted on a bigger budget, with SJ Suryah, Malavika Mohanan, Rajisha Vijayan and Yogi Babu rounding out the cast, according to Filmibeat Tamil.
Mithran has spoken in a recent interview, cited by Filmibeat Tamil, about how no hero called him after Hero underperformed. Karthi, he said, was the one who backed him again anyway. That backstory has hung over the film's build-up, and the early reactions suggest the bet has paid off in patches rather than across the board.
The good, according to netizens
Multiple X reviewers, per Filmibeat Tamil, singled out the action choreography as festival-grade, calling Karthi's stunt work a powerhouse turn. Malavika Mohanan reportedly gets her most physical role yet, with several posts noting she holds her own in the action portions in a way she hasn't before on screen. One user wrote that if the second half matches what's already on screen, the film is a cracker.
The interval block drew separate praise, with fans describing it as a banger moment strong enough, in their view, to mark a comeback for Karthi. Mithran's detailing in these stretches also came in for specific mention, with reviewers saying he's taken his craft up a notch from his earlier films.
The pushback
Not everyone was convinced. A section of reviewers called the film's central espionage mission underwritten, using the word cringe-worthy for parts of the plotting, even while conceding the film avoids the padding of unnecessary songs and detours that sink a lot of Tamil action films. Karthi's mass-hero stretch as the senior Sardar landed well with this group too, but they maintained the film doesn't fully come together as a whole.
An America-based online critic, Christopher Kanakaraj, previously known for panning Toxic in terms strong enough to draw a legal notice, was more cautious. Per Filmibeat Tamil, he held off judgement after the first half and simply said the second half needs to be bigger.
Whether that bigger second half lands is now the only question that matters. Full reviews and day-one collection numbers should start settling the argument by Thursday evening, and Karthi's long chase for a clean solo hit hangs on which side of this X debate wins out.
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.