Movie: Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Sri Sathya Sai Arts
Cast: Naveen Chandra, Shruti Sodhi, Saloni, Prudhvi, Jayaprakash Reddy, Posani and others
Music: D J Vasanth
Cinematography: Balreddy
Editing: Gowtham Raju
Producer: KK Radhamohan
Direction: E Sattibabu
Release date: December 16, 2016
Producer K K Radhamohan who made "Bengal Tiger" last year has produced a comedy movie called "Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu" starring Naveen Chandra as the hero. But the movie has been advertised as a comedy movie with Prudhvi being in the central role. Hence it has generated some attention.
Let's see if the comedy has worked out:
Story:
Prashanth (Naveen Chandra) meets Priya (Shruti Sodhi) on road when she is in an inebriated condition and he drops her home safely. Soon love develops between them, but her rich businessman father (Murali Sharma) disapproves their love, as Prasanth is a poor guy. If you lose something you will know the true value of happiness, tells Prashanth to this businessman and he immediately decides to invest in a loss-incurring business. He decides to make a film that would lose.
Enter Variation Star (Prudhvi) and Samantha (Saloni). How would this film-making make Priya's father realize his mistake?
Artistes’ Performances:
Although the film's hero is Naveen Chandra, it is Prudhvi who dominates the show. He plays a movie star in the film and Prudhvi has come up with best spoofs and he pulled them off perfectly. Entire second half is driven by his act.
Posani too provides good comedy. Naveen Chandra has nothing much to do. Both heroines are there only for glam show. Raghu Babu, Murali Sharma, Jayaprakash Reddy and others put in decent performances.
Technical Excellence:
It has decent technical values as Balreddy's cinematography serves what is required. Music is just about okay. Production values are pretty good.
Highlights:
Prudhvi's comedy show
Posani mark scenes
Drawbacks:
Love story of the lead pair
Hero being just a dummy
No story in second half
Analysis:
The basic idea of "Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu" is actually funny. It has the potential to make a good spoof on the functioning of Telugu film industry. There are some real sparks in the movie too on this aspect. But director E Sattibabu has failed to capitalize on them fully.
There are two stories here - one love track is between Naveen Chandra and Shruti and the other story is love between Posani and Saloni.
The love story of Posani and Saloni is a film within a film. This spoof love story should ideally have been put as a sidetrack, but the director entirely focuses on this in the second half, leaving the main lead pair to appear occasionally on the screen. And the spoof love story is also extended beyond a point that doesn't make us laugh at all.
The movie turns interesting when Murali Sharma decides to make a movie to lose money. The comedy in this episode is hilarious. But post interval, the comedy is not effective. If the same laughs were continued, it would have become a good comedy movie. So it turns out be an uneven story.
Prudhvi appearing as Mahesh Babu and Saloni as Samantha to act in a movie called ‘Tamalapaku’ definitely brings a smile to our lips. But as these episodes are stretched, they become bore fest. Also Prudhvi's constant imitation of Balakrishna is not digestible.
All in all, this movie is more about Prudhvi and his spoofs than Naveen Chandra and his love story, though the movie starts with that thread. Hence the comedy generates laughs, but the movie doesn't entertain as a whole.
Bottom-line: Spoof Story!
