Rating: 3/5
Banner: U V Creations
Cast: Prabhas, Anushka, Richa, Sathyaraj, Brahmanandam, Nagineedu, Subbaraju, Sampath, Adithya Menon, Nadhiya and others
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematographer: Madhi
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Story, screenplay, dialogues, direction: Koratala Siva
Producers: Vamsi Krishna Reddy, Uppalapati Pramod
Release date: 08/02/2013
After the debacle of ‘Rebel’, Prabhas is back and this time he has teamed up with debutante director Koratala Siva the noted writer. Let us see how this team has fared.
Story
Jai (Prabhas) is a cool dude living in Milan and there he comes across Manasa (Richa). She likes him but her family in India is from Palnadu which is ridden with faction fights.
Her elders (Nagineedu, Sampath, Subbaraju) are always seeking vengeance on Deva (Sathyaraj) the head of a neighbouring village.
But Deva believes in peace. Meanwhile, Jai comes to Hyderabad and through his tact he enters into the household of Manasa. Why does he come there? Who is Jai? All this forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Prabhas is the hunk with impeccable sense of style and fashion. Though his character didn’t have much energy levels he was soft but intense. His presence made all the difference.
Anushka was bubbly and cute in many scenes. She offered her glamour quotient wherever required and contributed effectively. But she must take care of the baby fat growing around her face.
Richa Gangopadhyay was there to fill the screen and songs. As such there was not much in her role in terms of performance but as long as she was there she made her presence felt.
Sathyaraj was dignified and elegant, he deserves more roles. Sampath is yet another talent to be exploited. Brahmanandam was the only relief in terms of comedy and light moments but he is going monotonous and at times failing to generate laughs.
Good to see Nadhiya back, she has not lost her charms. Subbaraju was good. Aditya Menon was apt. Nagineedu was usual. Sathyam Rajesh brought few smiles.
Others did their bit as required and added value.
Highlights:
- Prabhas
- Second half
- Songs & BG score
Drawbacks:
- Routine predictable plot
- First Half
- Less entertainment
Analysis
There is a big gap between writing a story and executing the story as a director. This is something Koratala Siva must have learned by now.
Handling a star like Prabhas, meeting expectations and including all ingredients for a commercial entertainer is truly a challenge as a debutante. However, as a director it can be said that Siva has come out with pass marks. Without experimenting too much or getting hyper, he maintained a cautious path and tried to get a balance on all elements. Of course, it has its own setbacks.
Prabhas is a personality who creates massive adrenalin rush and hysteria among the crowds. His role should not just be about style and smoothness but there should be strength in his dialogues and punch in his intensity. This could not happen due to the formula storyline.
Also, the element of drama was not sufficient to give that cinematic feel. There are instances where the audience gets Déjà vu feeling like they have seen something like this before.
Despite all this, Siva was successful in keeping the audience engaged and they didn’t have much to grumble. The film takes off on a usual note with some songs, action and romance but it is not till the interval bang that the momentum picks up.
The second half has the plot and the required melodrama with some interesting moments. Watch out for the action sequence during Prabhas’s wedding scene. Another strength to the film has been the background score but it was sore feeling to see the title song cut short.
Cinematography was decent. Editing was alright. Full marks go to costumes and art department.
Overall, the film might suffice Prabhas fans and the routine audience but to those who go with expectations it may not satisfy. At the box office, the openings will be very strong. Had the comedy part was strong, it would have scored much better.
Bottomline: Watch it for Prabhas
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
