Movie: Govindudu Andari Vaadele
Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: Parameswara Art Productions
Cast: Ram Charan, Srikanth, Kajal Aggarwal, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Rahman, Kota and Others
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Editor: Naveen Nuli
Cinematography: Sameer Reddy
Producer: Bandla Ganesh
Story, Direction: Krishna Vamsi
Release date: 1st October 2014
Krishna Vamsi has been out of reckoning for a very long time and when people were almost about to forget him, he gets this chance to direct Ram Charan in his career’s first family entertainer. Well, let’s see how the film has come up or rather how Krishna Vamsi has directed the film…
Story:
The very first scene opens with Ram Charan with his now popular pony-tail telling us about how keeping a clean house and keeping the family together matters most to him just like his father. Then, the scene shifts to Dr Chandra Sekhara Rao’s (Rehman or Raghu) house in London where he is being congratulated for being chosen as the dean of his college. Then we are told Abhiram or Abhi (Ram Charan) is his son. And as Chandra Sekhara Rao celebrates his appointment, he gets the shock of his life. That’s when he remembers his past and his family he left to pursue his dollar dreams. So, as is the norm in all quintessential family entertainers, Abhi takes it upon himself to go to their native village and unite his family headed by his stubborn but good Samaritan grandfather Balaraju (Prakash Raj).
Artistes’ Performances:
The film is to showcase Ram Charan in a family entertainer. So, you get an extremely lean Ram Charan taking up each and every frame. But one cannot complain as he is the only actor apart from Prakash Raj who makes the film tolerable.
Kajal is definitely not at her best. She seriously needs to get a toned body and should look into her wardrobe ASAP.
As for the rest of the ensemble cast, they do their best to fit into the jamboree. Srikant as Bangari, Jayasudha as Baby, an ageing Kamalini Mukherjee as Chitra, Rao Ramesh in an inconsequential role, Kota Srinivasa Rao as the paralytic relative of Prakash Raj all do their best to play their parts.
Technical Excellence:
The art director makes a candy house in pink, yes pink, sprinkling around as many colours as possible all over the set. One is left wondering if he had access to a colour factory by the end of the film.
Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is in keeping with the film’s theme, but by the end of the film you don’t remember any of the tunes.
Cinematography and editing are alright given the scope they had. Finally, coming to director Krishna Vamsi, he totally springs a surprise by proving that a film reminiscent of the ’80s can still be made in 2014. Well, he does manage to make a concoction of many, many hit films and some of his own films like Chandamama.
Highlights:
- Ram Charan
- Prakash Raj
Drawbacks:
- Story
- Screenplay
- Villains
Analysis:
The film has been hyped a lot ever since production began. It has been touted as the ideal family entertainer that would catapult Charan into the Rs 50 crore club. While his craving to win over the family audiences can be understood, one is left wondering if the script would have suited senior artistes like Nagarjuna or Venkatesh better.
To be fair to Krishna Vamsi, the film starts off in London and you get to see Great Britain’s capital city in all its glory. You also get to see a rubgy playing, cheerful Abhi in the opening scenes and you feel the film’s going to be a visual delight throughout. Even before you begin to enjoy the film, the scene shifts to a candy pink house. Here, you are treated to various scenes that were a staple in almost all the films made during the ’80s.
The drama and emotions are recreated with ease and you get to see why Krishna Vamsi has been hand-picked by Charan to direct the film.
Ram Charan has maintained all along that he wanted to do a family entertainer to break the monotony of doing back-to-back masala entertainers.
After watching Krishna Vamsi’s GAV, one gets to see a mature Charan who proves that he can handle masala films and emotional dramas with equal ease.
But the film has one major flaw. Krishna Vamsi repeats the rape scene concept from the 1980s, which might not go too well with the audiences of today. Bangari character actually tells Chitra that if he rapes her, his father would get them married. And coming from an award-winning director, this is quite surprising even if he intended to establish the love Bangari had for Chitra.
It’s nice to see Krishna Vamsi making a comeback after a long time. When he made Ninne Pelladuta during the ’90s, it won over the audiences of the time. Now, it remains to be seen how the audiences will receive his family entertainer in 2014.
Bottomline: Family Film
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
