Movie: Katamarayudu
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Northstar Entertainment Pvt Ltd
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan, Ali, Prudhvi, Nasser, Siva Balaji, Ajay, Chaitanya Krishna, Rao Ramesh
Cinematographer: Prasad Murella
Art: Brahma Kadali
Fights: Ram Lakshman
Music: Anup Rubens
Producers: Sharrath Marar
Director: Kishore Kumar Pardsani
Release date: March 24, 2017
Whatever movie Pawan Kalyan does generates huge hype. "Katamarayudu" is remake of Tamil hit "Veeram" that also got dubbed into Telugu as "Veerudokkade". Yet, the Pawan Kalyan starrer has been making waves with so great buzz.
The trailers are pretty decent too. How has the remake fared? Let's find out?
Story:
In a Rayalaseema village, Katamarayudu (Pawan Kalyan) is a sort of demigod to the villagers and he uses violence to settle disputes.
He hates the idea of marriage and remains bachelor, while his four brothers are having girlfriends. They hatch a plan to make his brother fall in love with Avanthi (Shruti Haasan). He indeed falls for her beauty.
The trouble is her father (Nasser) doesn't like any person who indulges in violence. To win her love, Katamarayudu renounces violence for few days but he soon comes to know that a revenge-seeking convict (Tarun Arora) is hatching a plan to kill Avanthi's father who is a retired judge.
How Katamarayudu who came to Avanthi's village to win her love becomes savior of their family is rest of the drama.
Artistes’ Performances:
Pawan Kalyan is in terrific form - right from his attire to exhibiting histrionics, he gets it right. He has showcased two shades - a violent village leader and a loveable person. In both shades of the character, he has given his best but he is best in the getup of the village leader.
Shruti Haasan has totally got it wrong, her look and dresses are not at all good. She should also take care of her face that is losing lustre.
Rao Ramesh has once again come up with the best performance in the role of Narsappa. Though his role is serious one, his characterization provides good laughs and his rayalaseema slang is appreciable.
Ali's comedy is stale and Prudhvi has limited role. Chaitanya Krishna, Kamal Kamaraju, Ajay and Siva Balaji as brothers of Pawan Kalyan are okay.
Tarun Arora as the main villain is not that apt. Nasser as Shruti's father is in his regular style.
Technical Excellence:
The film has competent technical and production values. Prasad Murella who filmed "Attharintiki Daaredi" beautifully has captured the locations well. His filming of rustic green visuals as well as barren land of Rayalaseema deserves special mention.
Ram - Lakshman's fights are good but they are lengthy. A fight in particularly is excellent when Pawan Kalyan is asked by his villagers to show off his fighting skills and he does in his inimitable style wearing panche.
Anup Ruben's music is very weak. Except the title song 'Mira Mira Meesam' rest don't cut the ice. Artwork, editing and production values are decent. Dialogues are good in parts.
Highlights:
Pawan Kalyan
First half
Fights
Drawbacks:
Lack of novelty
Lengthy second half
Not so catchy songs
Shruti's appearance
Analysis:
Pawan Kalyan got his hands burnt by writing a silly script called "Sardaar Gabbar Singh" last year. To play the safe game, he has chosen a Tamil hit movie called Ajith starrer "Veeram" and has handed over the reins to Kishore Kumar Pardasani aka Dolly to remake it. Thus "Katamarayudu" has made.
The story has no novelty but has enough elements to turn it into an entertaining masala drama. But the director seems to have changed the story a bit and also screenplay of the original movie to suit the image of Pawan Kalyan.
The screenplay in the first half is decent but the grip is lost post interval. Before the interval, the focus is on establishing Pawan Kalyan in different manner and projecting him in manly way in his rather new avatar.
The stress is also on the aspect of how a person who hates the idea of marriage gets melted with the arrival of a beautiful woman. The love proposal scene is hilarious. Though the scenes go on predictable path, they don't bore us.
There isn't much problem before interval but the trouble begins from thereafter. Right from the first scene in the second half, the story and narrative drive have taken wrong path. A tough guy like Katamarayudu coming to the heroine's village and trying to impress her father is nice idea on paper. But what happens from there is told in rather clichéd way that we have seen in many earlier movies.
A villain trying to take revenge on a judge for declaring his father guilty in a case is such a 70's idea. Nasser fighting for a school building in a small village is also ridiculous plot point.
The climax episode of Pawan Kalyan revealing why he stood behind the family of Shruti and Nasser is narrated in beaten to death way.
The movie is far better than "Sardaar Gabbar Singh" with hero Pawan Kalyan looking damn good and giving better performance but the drive is quite predictable.
Where the director Kishore has succeeded is in bringing out the best from Pawan Kalyan and his rich taking style. Where he has failed is in not adding any novelty to the second half.
A mass-hero movie should have better music, interesting second half and a glamorous heroine. In “Katamarayudu”, all these three elements are lacking in.
Anup Rubens has completely failed to understand what one expects from a big star movie like Pawan Kalyan's. Also Shruti Haasan seems to have not taken much care about her looks and her attire.
All in all, “Katamarayudu” has fairly interesting first half and Pawan Kalyan in better form but the story and narration are too clichéd.
Bottom-line: Clichéd Rayudu!
