Why a film for two hours and forty
minutes with a team full of half and even less actors. Time enough to view a
Ray and Hitchcock film. The film is laborious and constantly aimed at your
sensitivity. Characters are as realistic as cardboard cut outs and loud to a
fault. The script meanders through the formulistic milestones of family
gatherings, huge families, villains from opposite camps lampooned as idiotic
and violent, boy woos girl, fights, dances, interruptive songs and comic
interruptions.
The most blundering feature of the film is to believe that a script of such
proportions can be handled by Aadi who plays the central character. This is
ideally a script for the likes of Ravi Teja who could serve you dollops of the
irrelevant with a sweep that is his signature. Not Aadi. He is inadequate.
Adding to this is a weird editing (Praveen Pudi) who simply puts together all
the scenes shot and places them chronologically aided and abetted by his
understanding of the tale. The Director (G Ashok) decides to pick pieces from
the hackneyed tales of large families revenge and dramatic sentiments built
around a single character – the hero and give you the latest hash of a combo.
It is the story of a highly self-centred Sukumar (Aadi) who frowns at all who
do not contribute to his now and here priorities. He is rude to his staff who
are gathered to celebrate his global success and uses wafer transparent methods
as great business acumen. He is rude to his dad who treats like shit and even
cares not when someone is ill seriously. When he fails to raise funds to start
of on his own he schemes to visit his maternal grandma Vandanamma (Sharada) and
rob her of all her property. He feigns affection for one and all in the huge
mansion which includes uncles, aunts and similar hangers on. The team includes
the likes MS Narayana, Rao Ramesh, Srinivas Avasarala. Also in the village is
Pidugu Raju (Raghu Babu) who is sitting on part of the lands that belong to the
grand parents Vandanamma and her late husband (Krishna in a cameo). There is
Jayaprakash Reddy and his family of imbeciles who seem to have the records of
the family and then the villain Tanikella Bharani. Many years ago Vandanamma’s
daughter eloped with her lover abroad and thus the family disconnect and though
the family is willing to accept the couple at the instance of the local villain
it is perceived as a crime. The love angle has local lass Sankari (Nisha
Agarwal) daughter of Chandramohan who has a huge family that can be canned only
on the big screen. Also in walks the hero’s cousin Devaki (Bhavna Ruparel). How
he avenges the wrong of the years and establishes a model village and how he
himself has a change of heart is the long long story .
While the veterans do their job with ease the lead pair leave too much to be
desired. We are transported to this village in which no one is normal is normal
and there is not even a lucid interval expect the real interval. Aadi dances as
elegantly as a puppet at an amateur’s puppet show. After trying to horn the
guys acting skills, he calls in the stunt man in desperation who aided by
graphics manages to place the hero in the central position. The female lead
does not even add the required or expected glamour quotient to the tale.
Sharada as the central character brings credibility and class to her role. The
ward robe of the veteran actress is a high point in the film as is the final
moment given to MS Narayana. Avoid the movie unless you are an indulgent Aadi
fan.
L. Ravichander.
Stars: 1
+ Points: Sharada and her wardrobe.
– Points: Aplenty including the lead pair.