Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Manchu Entertainment
Cast: Aadhi Pinisetty, Lakshmi Manchu, Sundeep, Taapsee, Ravi Babu and others
Music: Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematographer: Palani Kumar
Editor: M R Varmaa
Story, screenplay, direction: Kumar Nagendra
Producer: Lakshmi Manchu
Release date: 08/03/2013
Lakshmi Manchu who has been venturing bravely with various genres of movies has now arrived with yet another different subject. Whether it is good enough or not let us see
Story
Set on the backdrop of the Godavari floods which happened in 1986, the story begins with Malli (Aadhi) and Chitra (Lakshmi) who get married. Just as the floodwater begins to pour in, everyone goes around to save their lives including these two.
This brings them to know about each other’s past as Sarala (Taapsee) a big man’s daughter comes and gives a gold ring to Malli whereas Dora Babu (Ravi Babu) comes and gifts gold chain to Chitra.
While Malli reveals his connection with Sarala, Chitra reveals about her link with Dora Babu and Suri (Sundeep) the person she loved. What happens in that forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Aadhi has intensity in him which cannot be missed and he is a good fit to the role of a fisherman. With the right kind of choices, he has the potential to become a tough mass/action hero.
Lakshmi Manchu has done a committed job and her efforts to get the Godavari slang are appreciable. She has a good smile which she could use more often to spread a good charm.
Sundeep Kishan was good. He got into the character with ease and performed as per the requirement. He is a promising lad.
Taapsee was wild, rustic and natively sexy. Her role might come across as a shocker and she has carried with effectiveness. She has also cut down her weight making her look different.
Ravi Babu was apt, Ramesh was upto the mark, Annapurna was standard, Suja Varunee was raunchy, good to see Mumaith back, the others didn’t have much.
Highlights
- Cinematography
- Visual effects
- First half
Drawbacks
- Weak emotional quotient
- Second Half
- Poor intensity
Analysis
The film had its share of hiccups and delays before it has released and at one point not many remembered it. Now that it has come the primary theme that it is based on the backdrop of Godavari floods caught the interest.
The backdrop as it may be, the primary plot focuses more on the tales of two people and their relationships. Within the first thirty minutes of the film, one gets a feeling that there is a good bit of Tamil flavor in the director. The characters are truly native, their traits are somewhat realistic and sometimes unacceptable to the general viewer. For instance, Taapsee’s character would strike unusual but fact remains that there are many girls like that in society.
But on a celluloid format and that too for the entertainment seeking Telugu audience it could be a tough pill to digest. The film takes off with a good visualization and the efforts taken by the graphics team to show the flood situation is impressive.
As it gets into the story there is a realism attached to it. That way, the director has shown that he has good material and presentation skills in him. But he should have also sharpened his narrative by bringing in more emotional juice and energy.
There were many instances which had good scope for that. Overall, this is a film which has been well made technically but not content wise. It may engage the people of age groups 30s and 40s to some extent due to 1986 backdrop story and Ilayaraja factor, but not to the present day youth audience.
Bottomline: Tamil flavored Telugu film
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
