Movie: Oopiri
Rating: 3.5/5
Banner: PVP Cinema
Cast: Nagarjuna, Karthi, Tamannah, Jayasudha, Prakash Raj, Kalpana, Ali, Nora,
Adivi Sesh, Anushka, Shriya and others
Banner: PVP Cinema
Dialogues: Abburi Ravi
Music: Gopi Sundar
Cinematography: P S Vinod
Producers: Param V Potluri & Kevin Anne
Direction: Vamsi Paidipally
Release Date: 25 March 2016
One of the most awaited movies of this year is Nagarjuna and Karthi’s multi-starrer movie 'Oopiri'. With nearly Rs 60 Cr budget, this bilingual was shot lavishly in Paris and Belgrade and the trailer was a hit. Since Nagarjuna has delivered two blockbusters in a row, this movie has become hotter in the trade circles and created huge expectations.
How does the film fare?
Story:
Vikram Aditya (Nagarjuna) is a billionaire who is paralyzed down the naval in an accident. He runs a big business and is assisted by able managers and a secretary (Tammanah) but he is looking for a caregiver. He wants a caregiver who shouldn’t be a mere physical help but someone who can cheer him up.
Sreenu (Karthi) who is out of jail applies for this job. Surprising his own staff, Vikram Aditya picks up Sreenu among all the applicants who come for the interview. What quality does Vikram Aditya see in Sreenu? How does Sreenu change Vikram Aditya’s life?
Artistes’ Performances:
Nagarjuna is pillar of the movie. He has acted in highly challenging role of a person who is handicapped and can’t move his legs. Nagarjuna has given most matured performance.
But the real surprise and soul of the movie is Karthi. Karthi is perfect as street- smart guy. This is his first movie in Telugu; his dialogue delivery is commendable.
Tamannah is beautiful and her chemistry with Karthi is perfect. Jayasudha, Kalpana, Prakash Raj and host of other seniors have done their justice to their roles.
Technical Excellence:
Stunning view of Paris and beautiful visuals throughout the movie are the major feature of “Oopiri”. P S Vinod who also did the camerawork for Nagarjuna’s “Manam” and “Soggade Chinni Nayana” has filmed the movie perfectly. His camerawork is the main highlight.
Other noteworthy work in the technical department is Gopi Sundar’s music. Songs are neat but his recording is the best. Runtime of the movie has exceeded two and half hours.
PVP Cinema has invested huge money to make a high quality movie. This is one of best directed movies in the recent times and all the credit goes to Director Vamsi Paidipalliy.
Highlights:
- Story and Screenplay
- Nagarjuna and Karthi
- Terrific direction
- Rich cinematography
- Many touching moments
- Quality production values
- Perfect music
Drawback:
- Too lengthy
- Drags on towards the end
Analysis:
The film is official remake of a French film called “The Intouchables”. When most of the Indian filmmakers are copying international movies, director Vamshi Paidipally and PVP Cinema have bought the official rights and adapted it, which is commendable.
The French movie was a blockbuster. Vamsi Paidipally has been faithful to the original story though he has done some changes which are superb to the say the least.
He has not changed the structure of the original movie. Two unlikely people meeting and forging a friendship is told in the most humorous way possible here. There are fun moments, there are daring acts, and there are sentiment scenes.
The first half of the movie is narrated in a fun way while the second half has more drama. Given the storyline, the film could have been a sentimental tearjerker but it is not. Director Vamshi Paidipally has balanced that on rightly.
When Karthi is helpless in his sister’s marriage issues, he pouring out to his emotions to Nagarjuna and the subsequent episode touches the heart. Very classy way of telling a scene by the director and writers. In the second half, when Nagarjuna feels the pain when Karthi leaves him, the scene also stands out.
The movie is filled with many emotional moments all the while keeping humor intact. This is the director’s movie. And Karthi’s show all the way. Despite length, “Oopiri” is one of the best made heart-touching movies in Tollywood. It is seeped with classiness.
Bottom-line: Classy Feel-good Drama
(Venkat can be reached [email protected] or Twitter)
