Movie: Palnadu
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Vishal Film Factory
Cast: Vishal, Lakshmi Menon, Bharathi Raja, Suri, Soma Sunder etc
Music: Iman
Cinematographer: Maadi
Producer: Vishal
Story, Screenplay, Direction: Suseemdran
Release Date: 02/11/2013
Vishal wooed the Telugu audience with his film Paddemkodi. However, unfortunately for him, none of his films did well at the box office. For the elusive success, he turned a producer and made Pandiyanadu in Tamil. Now, the same film has been released as Palnadu in Telugu. Director Suseedran who made Naa Peru Siva has directed this film.
Story:
Siva Kumar (Vishal) runs a cellphone shop. A timid guy by nature, he starts liking Malathi (Lakshmi Menon) who is his tenant. Meanwhile, Siva Kumar’s brother is killed by the local don Katam Ravi for trying to stop illegal mining in the area. So, both Siva and his father (Bharati Raja) decide to take revenge on Ravi, by coming up with two different plots. Will they or won’t they succeed forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Though Vishal has a mass image, he has tried to break the mould and has played the character of a timid guy. It’s good to see him being presented in a different way. In fact, Vishal has also done justice to his character. He even tries comedy in certain sequences.
Heroine Lakshmi Menon too looks apt playing the girl next door. She has put in a natural performance. Director Bharati Raja plays the father to the hero and puts in a good performance. The villain just about manages to play his part.
Technical Aspects:
Music is not something you can write much about. Since it’s a dubbing film, the songs are really bad. The background score is good though. The film’s cinematography is a plus point. As the film has been shot using ample natural light, it gives a good feel. As far as the editing goes, it’s neither great nor bad.
Director Suseendran has tried to make a film similar to Naa Peru Siva. So, the film is a revenge drama with some good action scenes. However, he fails as a writer. Though he makes an attempt at making an ordinary story interesting, he has failed in his effort.
Highlights:
- Natural production design
- Vishal performance
- Hero heroine love track
Minus Points:
- Routine story
- Weak screenplay
Analysis:
How two ordinary people take on a man who has money and power is the crux of the story. If handled well, it is the kind of plot that can be told at any point of time. But one has to be careful in the way each character is chalked out. If an ordinary man goes through pain, then that audience should be able to feel the pain through the characters. Here, character development plays a key role.
And it is here that the director fails. He introduces each character and leaves it at that. He should have focused on the father’s character and put in scenes to establish his character and mannerisms. But nothing much is done. Similarly, though the audience are told that the hero is a timid guy, there are no scenes to register the same.
The main story and the love track of the hero and heroine are on two parallel tracks. So, once the story moves into the revenge mode, the heroine’s character is no where to be seen. A tame attempt is made to include a song and a scene in the second half. But one cannot complain, as the love story provides for some comic relief in the film.
Though the director has failed in developing the characters properly, had he dealt with the revenge drama with more intensity, the film would have been far more interesting. Certain scenes like the ones where the hero takes revenge on the villain and how he plots to kill him haven’t been handled well. So, the plot falters in most places. Where it should have thrilled the audience, it fizzles out. Another flaw is that the film suddenly jumps to the climax. But there are no good scenes leading to the climax and this is wehre Palnadu fails.
Had the director adding some interesting scenes and increased the pace of his story, the film would have been definitely left its mark. Since the film has a story that is bound to look good on paper, one can understand Vishal turning producer for the film. Unfortunately, the story does not look as good on screen.
Bottomline: Palnadu revenge drama that fails to entice!
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
