Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: Bhavya Creations
Cast: Prince, Nanditha, Chowdary, Suman Shetty and others
Music: Yeshwant Nag
Background score: Anup Rubens
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Cinematographer: Rasool Ellore
Story, Narration, Direction: Teja
Producer: Anand Prasad
Release date: 13/04/2012
Director Teja is back after a hiatus of four years and yet again he has brought in a team of fresh faces for his venture. Slated to be a romantic treat with thriller elements let us see how this is
Story
Siva (Prince) is a honest young man who doesn’t like lying at all. However, due to a loan taken by his friend and Siva giving surety, he is compelled to discontinue his studies and go to Hyderabad to take up a job. This is at the illegal liquor manufacturing unit of the dreaded Bapineedu (Chowdary).
A lot of young men and women are working and it is here that Siva chances upon Gayathri (Nandita) a rather bubbly but bold girl. Few incidents occur which make Gayathri fall in love with Siva and after some time even Siva also reciprocates. The illegal liquor mafia runs on fear and anyone who does a mistake or opposes gets killed. A small misunderstanding results in the death of Siva’s co-worker. Unable to take that guilt, Siva decides to redeem his sin. Meanwhile, the affair of Siva- Gayatri gets leaked and things go worse. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Prince looks decent and he has given an underplayed performance. Though it is not an impact creating act, he suited the character perfectly and did full justice to it.
Nandita looks naturally seductive and she has that domestic beauty which would appeal to many native audiences. She has shown good potential and has the ability to rise as a promising actress.
Chowdary has given an apt performance as the villain. Though he was loud at few instance, his expressions and body language were adequate. The dubbing part was good for his role.
Banerjee was strong and intense again. For some reason, he is one actor who has not got his due recognition. Given his effective screen presence and the toughness, he deserves more meaty roles.
Theertha has shown her natural performance and she is a good package of wildness and raw beauty. Her boldness and rustic act has given an effective contribution to her role.
Suman Shetty gave a good performance and made his presence felt. Venu was impressive. Paruchuri Venkateshwara Rao was perfect. Bhasha was regular. The others didn’t have much to offer except fill the screen.
Highlights
- Narration
- Cinematography
- Background score
- Interval bang
Drawbacks
- First thirty minutes
- Irrelevant/silly comedy sequences
- Eccentricity in few scenes
- Fluctuation in second half
Analysis
When a film from director Teja is coming, there are few things that can be expected for sure- intensity, eccentricity, rawness, immature comedy and racy sequences.
When this film was arriving, many were skeptical whether Teja is still having that creative juice in him or has he gone out of form. Well, it appears that he has not lost his touch yet. Equipped with a good set of technicians and the grip over screenplay, Teja has given a film that will keep the audience engaged for the two plus hours duration.
Subject and content wise, there is nothing new or innovative, the first half hour reminds many of the dubbed film ‘Shopping Mall’ and the only difference is the backdrop. However, though the film takes off on a mild note, it starts picking up the heat as it progresses and gets into some serious stuff, especially during the interval bang.
The second half begins with the same momentum but here comes the Teja mark. There are those shades of ‘Paithyam’ he shows and suddenly amidst a serious scene, a comedy sequence comes in place or the lead pair break into a romantic song in flower gardens when they are chased by hardcore goons. Also, the song denoting the love between the lead pair is more like an act of lust and desire without any sensitivity. This has been the hiccup with Teja films. There is a certain flavour in it and only a selected set of audience can understand these variations.
Overall, given the budget involved and the way the film has been made, the film will easily strike profits at the box office. Since there is not much threat of other releases, this should have a smooth run.
Bottomline: Passable and ‘Dash Dash’ entertainer!!
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected])
