Animal - Movie Review

 

Sandeep reddy vanga, after creating enough stir with Arjun Reddy in Telugu and its remake Kabir Singh in Hindi, is coming up with another alpha male centric character portrayed by Ranbir in “Animal”. Expectations are sky high considering the impressive teaser and trailer. 

Story :-  Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir) loves his father Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor) than anything else in the world. He wants to spend time with his father, show his love to him, be like him. Balbir is busy in running his family business Swastik ans taking it to new heights, due to which he couldn’t spare time for kids. Vijay’s obsession towards his father grows more and more with his age. However, due to his aggressive nature and unnatural approach in dealing things, father and son relation gets strained and Vijay is asked to leave the house. Vijay marries his childhood crush Geetanjali (Rashmika) against the wish of both families and leaves to US. After few years, Balbir Singh gets attacked by gun and he survives the same. Vijay returns with wife and kids to see his father. He feels there is some conspiracy being planned against his father and he decides to find it. Stays with his father, builds a private army, traces the attackers and kills them one by one. In the process, how his health, marital life, his family, father-son relation gets effected forms rest of the story.

Performances :-  Ranbir is there from 1st frame to last frame in various get ups, hairstyles, age. He does a terrific job in all the roles. This is one of his finest performances, though it seems monotonous at some point in 2nd half. Body language, attitude and costumes in 1st half of Ranbir is striking. Rashmika does a good job as his love interest, with some bold scenes and even bolder conversations. She feels overboard in few scenes in 2nd half. Anil Kapoor is decent and dashing as a father. Ranbir’s elder sister, bro in law, brother, grandfather, cousins from village all were well casted and they have lived up to the expectations. Pruthvi has a small role in action sequence and he’s fine. Bobby Deol has a very small role who comes in the later portion of 2nd half. He looks menacing and did a spectacular job. Wouldn’t mind had he was given more screen-time and established his character even earlier. 

Technicians :-  Background score is good in parts, but not as effective as Arjun Reddy. Action sequences are well made, especially the interval block, which is one of the best action scenes made in India. The punjabi song which comes along with it also gives a different picture. Songs are okay, Papa song haunts you for a while as it’s very soothing and effective. Costumes and art work is very classy, showcasing the richness all along. Photography is decent. Dialogues are bold, bolder, boldest. 

Sandeep did a terrific job in 1st half, but falters in 2nd half and agin picks up during climax. He could’ve trimmed at least 20-30 mins in 2nd half where Ranbir recovers his health, the affair part etc. Had he introduced Bobby Deol and continued till climax, it would have been crispier and mind blowing. Few scenes are very well conceived and multi layered screenplay helped it elevate more in 1st half. The first attack in hotel to kill bro in law. The background score where his cousins come to Balbir Singh protection is superb. Unnecessary discussion on shaving of hair, analysis on the sex he had during an affair are awkward and unwanted. 

Positives :-

Ranbir’s acting 

1st half of movie

Action scenes

Negatives :-

2nd half

Dragged narration

Unnecessary adult content 

Analysis :- Animal created all the hype it needed to become a blockbuster, however the end product is not overwhelming. Arjun Reddy characterisation was well established since start and his anger looked real and justifiable. In Animal, the anger looked forced. It could’ve been a far better product had the editing was done crispier. 

Rating :- 2.75/5 (One time watch. Violent adult film, don’t go with kids)

Jailer - Movie Review

Superstar Rajinikanth and Director Nelson join hands for the first time with Jailer. Nelson's last flick Beast with Vijay didn't live up to the expectations of trade. On the other side, Rajni is waiting for a proper hit of his calibre for long time. 

Story :- Mutthu (Rajni) is a retired Jailer who is very composed and leads a peaceful family man life. His son Arjun (Vasanth Ravi) who is an ACP is very sincere in his duty and is tracking a gang who are smuggling idols and jewellery of God. The Gand leader Varma (Vinayakan) wants to eliminate Arjun from his way. One day Arjun disappears suddenly and even the police department couldn't track. Mutthu is forced to bring out his old lifestyle to track about his son. Will he be able to find about his son? How does he handle Varma? Forms rest of the story. 

Performances :- Rajni is back. He is stylish, fierce, funny, and Uber cool. This plot is tailor made for him and he has nailed it. Right from costumes to his antics, he looked perfect. Though it's a mass film, there is scope for great acting and Rajni was spot on. He didn't overdo anywhere, nor he underplayed. He just delivered what's required. Vinayakan as main villain is very good. His acting, dialogues and costumes, were well designed. Vasanth Ravi, Ramya Krishna had limited roles and they did well. Yogi Babu & VTV Ganesh brings good laughs in 1st half. Cameos by Sivanna, Jackied Shroff and Mohanlal clicked well, especially during climax it took to next level. Sunil is okay. 

Technicians :- Anirudh was phenomenal. His background score took an good scene to mind boggling scene. Especially, the Hukum background score whenever and wherever it's placed, it worked superbly. He is the biggest asset. Any mass hero deserves such background score from Anirudh. Cinematography is very good keeping color tone very subtle yet effective. Costumes of All the cast was very well done. Nelson made a terrific comeback. He delivered what a Rajni fan has been asking for ages. At the same time, he pleased family audience equally, barring the violence scenes. 1st half of the movie is one of the best halves I've seen recently. It had all the elements, character establishment, conflict point, submissive and elevation. I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a 1st half of a movie so well. In terms of engaging and entertaining, 1st half is like an Rajamouli film or a KGF, and for sure it will attract repeat audiences. 2nd half of the move is dragged a bit, which is a let down considering a great 1st half. However, the climax is a relief again. 

Positives :-

Rajnikanth

Terrific 1st half

Mind blowing background score

Elevation scenes

Negatives :-

Dragged 2nd half

Summary :- Jailer is a Paisa vasool film that has to be watched in big screens. You would love Rajni in this and it's been ages since one experiences such kind of euphoria in a theatre. 

Rating :- 3.5/5 (Would strongly recommend to watch it in theatres)

Bhola Shankar - Movie Review

Chiru is riding high after the stupendous success of Waltair Veerayya which was kind of a comeback movie after Acharya. However, he chose a 2015 Tamil movie movie Vedalam for remake and he chose Meher Ramesh as director, who was famous for giving stupendous duds to star heroes like Shadow, Shakti, Etc.,

Story :- Shankar (Chiranjeevi) and Mahalakshmi (Keerthy Suresh) are brother and sister who shift to Kolkata for joining Mahalakshmi in college. Shankar takes up taxi driver job for livelihood. A notorious gang is kidnapping young girls and selling them to foreign buyers and there is a big network out there. Police seek assistance of the taxi and auto unions to track this network and Shankar gets a chance to do so. However, he doesn't inform the police and starts eliminating them on his own. Why does he take up the task on himself? What's his & Mahalakshmi 's past? Forms rest of the story.

Performances :- Chiranjeevi looked very stylish, his costumes were good, his comic timing is still intact. The grace in his dance is still the same, phenomenal. There is not even a dip in his energy in dances, Action sequences, comedy scenes. He gave his 100% and there's no doubt about that. Keerthy Suresh gets the meatier role after Chiru and she did good job. Tamannah looked great. There is huge casting in the movie, with almost a dozen of comedians. They were fine. Vennela Kishore was good, Annie master was most irritating. Villains set-up and cringe dialogues looked this was of 90's film. 

Technicians :- There are only very few good things about the film. Costumes, Action sequence in ship, a few good comedy dialogues. Songs are way way below Chiru's standards. It looks as if it's low budget movie songs. Even the background score is a letdown. Mahati Swara Sagar wasted a golden opportunity to move to the big league. Editing should have been crisper and should have chopped at least few fights or reduce the length of them. Same goes with age old comedy scenes of hero elevations and unnecessary build ups. We are in 2023, not in Indra days. Now coming to the famous Meher Ramesh, everyone knew what we are going to witness, the day when this film was announced. We were anticipating a Shakti or Shadow, and he has delivered better than that for sure, but it's of no use. It's still a damp squib. The story, narration, emotions and elevations, all are at least a couple of decades older. You can't expect to pull audience to theatres in OTT days, with such content. I guess Meher Ramesh has ruined his last chance as a director. 

Positives :-

Chiranjeevi

Negatives :-

Meher Ramesh

Poor story selection

Age old drama, comedy, action

Summary :- Considering the age and efforts Chiru puts in, he deserved a way better film. Meher Ramesh lived upto his expectations of delivering a sub-par film. This is the 2nd film after Komaram Puli, which I'm well prepared before getting into the theatre that it would be pathetic, considering the director's track record. This film won't pull audience had it been a 90's movie re-release.

Rating :- 2/5 (Boring to the core. Avoid it)

Whenever a Chiru movie fails, lot of comments start pouring that he is done, dusted or they would advise he should stop doing remakes. He proved everyone wrong everytime and for sure he will do it again and again. He scored blockbusters with remakes like Tagore, Shankar Dada MBBS, Khaidi No. 150. Due to the OTT platforms, people have better access to other language movies and the remakes are not an unknown territory now. That's the difference. If the content is good and modified as per current trend, for sure movie will click. Pointing at Vikram and Jailer, people have started advising Chiru to roles suitable to his age. Jailer is a hit after more than a decade for Rajni and same goes with Kamal's Vikram. Just because they scored 1 hit, people start advising Chiru to follow it. His core strength is dances, comedy and fights, so as long he has the ability and energy to do it, he better so such kind of movies only. Rajni's strength is style and dialogues, he is sticking to it. Kamal's strength is versatility and he is keeping up to it. Chiru is a megastar and you don't need to advise him what he has to do or how to do. At 68, he is doing 2 films a year consistently and is doing promotions with enthusiasm. There are lot of vultures who wait for Chiru and his family to fail since ages and they grab the opportunity everytime available. It's not vengeance or anything, it's just sadistic pleasure. The more you cry, the higher he grows. 

Bro - Movie Review

Power star Pawan Kalyan teamed up with Saidharam Tej for the remake of Tamil film "Vinodaya Sitham", in the direction of Samutrakani, who directed the original. Trivikram pennes the dialogues and wrote screenplay. Sai Tej is on a high after the success of Virupaksha and Pawan gave 2 hits with remakes - Vakeel Saab and Bheemla Nayak. 

Story :- Markandeyulu/Mark (Sai Tej) leads life as a machine without having time for anything, family, love, colleagues etc., stating he doesn't have time. His responsibilities, his ambition are the things that drive him. All of a sudden, he meets with car accident and dies. Before going to heaven, he meets "Time God' (Pawan Kalyan). Mark requests to give him another chance to fulfill all his duties on earth. Time allows him 90 days to lead life again. What does Mark do in those 90 days? Was he able to survive the inevitable? Forms rest of the story.

Performances :-  Sai Tej did an okay job. His acting in majority of the scenes looked artificial and unnatural. He did well in few emotional scenes. All the character artists had very minimal roles and they were fine, be it Ketika, Priya Warrier, Rohini, Vennela Kishore, Tanikella Bharani, etc., Bro is an out and out Pawan Kalyan movie. Not sure if it was a guest character in original, but here he is there for 90% of the film. Time character is funny, quirky, at the same time preaching. There are no limits for the characterization as it's Time God and director & writer used it to the maximum. PSPK was terrific in the nostalgic references of his old songs. He conveys the essence of life in lighter vein pretty well. 

Technicians :-  The basic plot of the story is pretty serious and important. If it's conveyed in serious tone, it would be complete preaching and nobody would turn up to theatres. If it's completely diluted and made completely as an commercial film, the basic essence of it's gone. Both these elements has to be blended perfectly to make it a good recipe. The writer and director have succeeded 50% in doing so. To satisfy the fans of PSPK, they covered old songs of his film every now and then. Gave divine look wherever wanted, some one liners here and there. However, they should have given some more time initially for the emotions between various characters with Tej are well established. Also, the struggles and ideology of Tej should have been well conveyed. Due to half cooked emotions here, we don't connect well with them in the fag end of the film. Dialogues were decent, if not good. Costumes of PSPK was very good. VFX are decent. Songs and background score was nice. 

Positives :-

Pawan Kalyan

Old movie songs of PSPK

Crisp runtime

Dialogues

Negatives :-

Lack of emotional depth

Dilution of core plot

Summary :-  Bro could have been great had there was more emotional depth. It ended up as a commercial version of Aa Naluguru, with an extended time of 90 days life. 

Rating :- 2.5/5 (Feast for fans and average one time watch for normal audience)

Oppenheimer - Movie Review

Christopher Nolan, the master storyteller, who blends science and drama to the highest level, has come up with the bipoic of father of atom bomb "Robert Oppenheimer". He chose brilliant actor Cillian Murphy to play the lead. Though Cillian has been part of Nolan's movies before, they were either supporting characters or cameo, but not as a lead. 

Story :- The movie starts at a time with 4 narrations. AEC hearing of Oppenheimer (Cillian) to revoke his security clearance, Senate questioning the links between Oppenheimer and Lewis Stauss (Robert Downey Jr.), Oppenheimer's initial days as a student, Strauss and Oppenheimer's interactions. Nolan preferred such kind of screenplay, to generate interest in an otherwise normal drama. It would take around 10 minutes to settle down and understand this. The entire story revolves around how Oppenheimer along with his team at Los Alamos built and tested atom bomb, what we're the hurdles, how it is used and what was the aftermath, politics surrounding him, egos of the scientists, spies within the team, his personal life, his stand on war and usage of bombs, his fight to prove his loyalty etc.

Performances :- All the actors lived their characters. However, Robert Downey Jr and Cillian Murphy stole the limelight with their top notch performances. This is kind of revelation for Robert, with subtle yet effective portrayal. His character needs to be looked composed though it has lot of other emotions inside, he just nailed it. Matt Damon as Leslie Groves had a decent supporting character, which he handled well. Casey Affleck did a small cameo. Rami Malek also did a cameo, which turned out to be the turning point in the entire plot, which is revealed during the climax. The Einstein character was a perfect replica of what we would have seen in the photos till date. Florence pugh as Oppenheimer's love interest also had a peculiar character and she was apt. Emily Blunt as Mrs. Oppenheimer also had good scope to show lot of emotions and she is pretty good. When Oppenheimer is down or confused, she motivates him. Cillian was fabulous, to say the least. This film should be able to bag him and Robert an Oscar. As an enthusiastic student, a visionary scientist, a goral oriented leader, a partial communist, a guilty atomic bomb creator, he had many shades and lot of struggle within, which he emoted really well. 

Technicians :- Sound designing of the film is terrific. The scene where Oppenheimer gives speech after the atomic bomb test was prime example, capturing the foot tapping and silence in his brain at at time. Current story was narrated in black & white and past versions in colour. Cinematography, colour tone and costumes were perfectly maintained for the mood. Unlike Inception, Interstellar, Tenet, in this move Nolan didn't bring complicated science theories into execution and confused us. Being a biopic, he stuck to the narration from 2 individuals perspective. He extracted fabulous performances from all the characters. The atomic bomb testing scene was of utter brilliance perfectly setting up the premise, with excellent visuals and sound, natural reactions. He didn't go for cinematic high moments, but just kept it natural and original. This is not an action adventure or political drama, it's a complete dialogue based drama. 

Positives :-

Engaging screenplay 

Solid performances

Great sound designing

Negatives :-

Not a nolan-esque science adventure

No cinematic high moments

Could be termed slow, dull

Summary :- Worth a watch for brilliant performances and screenplay. It's drama at its best. You just have to be patient enough.

Rating :- 3.5/5 

Adpurush - Movie Review

Om Raut scored a hit with "Tanhaji" which had a good blending of visual effects and real life characters. Om and T series have signed Prabhas for the Magnum Opus "Adupurush", the graphical extravaganza of Ramayanam. Prabhad couldn't meet the expectations with Saaho and Radhey Shyam, though he got humongous openings, better than bollywood top heroes. Adipurush success should be able to fill that gap.

Story :- Direct chose the part from where Sita Devi gets kidnapped by Ravanasura and how Rama along with his army defeats Ravana and brings her back, from the entire Ramayanam. Pre and post this part was narrated during titles and end credits for better understanding, to those who are unaware of. Names of the characters were not exactly the same, instead they used alternate names, Rama-Raghava, Sita-Janaki, Lakshmana-Seshu, Hanuman-Bhajrang, etc.

Performances :- Kriti Sanon as Sita was decent. Didn't had much scope for performance but she did her best in the limited scope. Devdatta Nage as Hanuman was apt and he was good. Saif Ali Khan as Ravana (Trendy Ravanasura) was menacing. He did a terrific job with his expressions, antics and action episodes. Prabhas as Rama was good in parts only. In action episodes, obviously he was the man to go for. Looked as if really Lord Rama is using the bow and arrow. In the scene with Sabari, he emoted well. The sadness that Sita was kidnapped, was not well captured and not well acted by him. Also, we remember Rama as a pleasant, elegant and divine features. That was missing on Prabhas face. He looked more of an angry Rama throughout. Also, the problem of Radhe Shyam still continues, in terms of Prabhas looks. His face is out of shape sometimes and nose looked very big. The look of Prabhas before going to Vanavasa in looked very odd and funny, due to hairstyle, moustache, attire. Sunny Singh as Lakhshmana was also a very good choice. Infact, in few scenes, I thought he would be looking good as Rama (Not to hurt Prabhas fans, but this feeling I got while watching the movie). However, you wouldn't get the hype and collections, if Prabhas is not the lead character. 

Technicians :- Background score was good. However, there should have been another option of BG apart from Jai Shriram or it should have been saved till end. But, from entrance fight to climax, only this BG was played numerous times, which made it monotonous after some time. Songs are poor. Dialogues were okayish. Mass dialogue from Hanuman didn't sound well and it felt awkward. Should have avoided it. Costumes were fine as far as Rama and his associates are concerned. The main problem with choosing Ramayana as a story is, it's known to everyone. So, there is no surprise element. Also, you cannot change it, as it's a sentimental and spiritual aspect. So, the only thing Director could do to bring audience to theatres is make it a visual spectacle to attract kids and younger generation. He was only 50% successful in doing so. VFX was not upto the mark, especially in the 2ns half it's too dark and greyish which itself was dull. Since, director cannot modify anything with Rama, as it would hurt sentiments, director took too much liberty in designing Ravana and his associates. Trendy hairstyles, tattoos, weapons, army, palace, etc., But it was too much to accept. Ravanasura, his army and his associates reminded us of Lord of the rings, Game of Thrones, Thor, etc. This might be done for kids. Also, though it's a known story, director should have stressed more on emotions which was lacking. Be it Hanuman meeting his idol Rama for 1st time, laying Rama Sethu, Vibhishana praising greatness of Rama etc, should have been better elevation scenes. 

Positives :-

Background score

Some parts of VFX

Saif Ali Khan

Negatives :-

Dull and greyish 2nd half

Too much liberty taken by Director

Prabhas looks in some parts

Not gripping narration

Analysis :- Either you don't touch spiritual subjects or do 100% justice. That's the mantra. Om Raut missed it big time in terms of judgement, VFX and screenplay. Could have been better, but it's not worst. 

Rating :- 2.5/5. (One time watch to introduce Ramayana to next generation). 

Virupaksha - Movie Review

Sai Dharam Tej has teamed up with debutant Karthik Varma, who is an assistant of Sukumar for Virupaksha, under the production of BVSN Prasad and Sukumar. This is Tej's first outing in 2 years after the dreadful accident.

Story :- Surya (Tej) along with his mother comes to his ancestral village Rudravanam for the first time, to give their land for school building. Exactly then the villages local.god festival Jaatara is scheduled and they plan to stay till it's over. During this time he meets Nandini (Samyukta), who is the daughter of village's sarpanch Harishchandra Prasad (Rajeev Kanakala). Just when the Jaatara is about to start, a bad omen happens in temple and the poojari (Sai Chand) tells that the village's to and fro movement has to be restricted to come out of the bad omen. During this time, suspicious deaths start to happen. How these deaths happen? Would Surya be able to resolve it? Who caused the bad omen? Forms the rest of the story. 

Performances :- Tej is decent in the protagonist role, though his natural act and ease was missing. He has become a bit chubby and is visible during action sequences, especially when running. Samyukta had a meatier role and she was good. Almost all the character artists had scope to perform and they did well, be it Sai Chand, Rajeev Kanakala, Brahmaji, Sunil, Shyamala, Ravi Krishna etc.,

Technicians :- Debutant Karthik didn't go for a regular scares of a horror film, which is refreshing. More than a horror film, this is a thriller with lot of surprise elements thrown in the 2nd half of the story. Execution by director is well done, but Sukumar's screenplay gets the major credit. Avoiding songs, comedy scenes, over the board action scenes or graphics is a good choice. Sticking to the story line only and narrating it is a great job. Background score and cinematography are well done.

Positives :-

Screenplay

Surprise elements

Story

Negatives :- 

Climax

Summary :- Virupaksha can be watched for the suspense elements and different story line. 

Rating :- 3/5 (Watchable thriller)

Dasara - Movie Review

Nani has teamed up with debutant Srikant Odela for a village backdrop story of "Dasara". Nani's last outing "Ante Sundaraniki" had mixed response at box office. Despite that, Dasara was a high budget flick when compared to Nani's regular films. That too with a debutant. 

Story :- Dharani (Nani), Suri (Deekshit) & Vennela (Keerthy) are childhood friends who live in Veerlapalli village, which is in the midst for coal mine. Dharani shall do anything for Suri and shall not leave if anyone goes against Suri. Majority of the villagers are addicted to alcohol and Silk bar in their village is their hub. Upper caste sit inside the bar and lower caste drink outside. After prohibition imposed by NTR, the bar gets closed. The village sarpanch decides that whoever wins as Sarpanch shall has the right to run the bar. After the death of Sarpanch, his sons Rajanna (Sai Kumar) and Shivanna (Samuthrakani) contest in elections against each other regularly. Shivanna's son Nambi (Shine Tom Chaco), who is evil to the core, ensures his father keeps the bar through which he wins elections easily. As part of these elections strategy, they conduct a cricket tournament and announces a special price for the winner. The result of the match turns the entire story. Dharani & Suri get into loggerheads with Nambi and what happens next is rest? What can Dharani do for Suri? Why Nambi targets Dharani & Suri?

Performances :- Nani lived the in the character of Dharani. This is one of his finest performances. His dialogues, attitude, antics, everything was perfect. Be it emotional scenes, action episodes, elevations, he was spot on.  Keerthy had a crucial role and she portrayed it well. Deekshit was fine in the limited scope. Chaco was menacing as the evil, his performance was subtle yet effective. Sai Kumar has couple of good scenes and he was as usual natural. Samuthrakani was wasted in the role. Not much of scope to do. Hero friends, their families, other villagers all did well. 

Technicians :- Cinematographer needs to be applauded for the colour tone maintained throughout the film. It's in line with the tone and backdrop of the movie, greyish. The night episodes were also well shot. Production design and art work were well captured, taking us to the world of Veerlapalli. Same is the case with costumes also. There 2 major action episodes, one before interval and one during climax. Hero introduction fight went a bit overboard with poor graphics. Climax fight is good. But interval fight is fabulous. It's well conceived. Actors also did a terrific job. Background score of Santosh Narayanan is an asset. It elevated the movie, at the same time it didn't sound regular. Songs were not conventional, but suited the story. Dialogues of pure rural Telangana accent were tough to understand. Director has done a stupendous job as a debutant. Though story wise it's not a fresh idea, the premise, dialogues, execution and standout performances made the film work. He maintained the suspense well till later part of 2nd half, why Nambi is targeting Dharani & Suri. I could relate to Rangasthalam at multiple junctures, in terms of story, some episodes, drama. Being protege of Sukumar, that's bound to happen. 

Positives :-

Nani

Premise

Drama

Interval action episodes

Negatives :-

Run time

Old story

Less emotionally high moments

Analysis :-  Dasara works for major part of the movie, with brilliant acting, good action episodes, background score and conflicts. It transforms you into their world. Crisp runtime and few more charging moments would have made it even better. 

Rating :- 3/5. It's a theatre movie, not an OTT one. 

Waltair Veerayya - Movie Review

Megastar Chiranjeevi's last outing in a mass avatar was Khaidi No.150. Sye Raa, Acharya, God Father, all jad either a serious or decent role. The songs and trailers of Waltair Veerayya promises a vintage Chiru. Bobby's last outing Venky Mama didn't fare well at the box office. Myhtri Movie Makers have teamed up for the 1st time with Chiru and Bobby. 

Story :- Solomon (Bobby Simha) is a dangerous drug smuggler, who was captured by RAW agents in Malaysia to bring him to Indian Jail. On the way to India, the flight gets crash landing in Maredumilli, AP due to heavy rains. Till the back-up team comes, RAW agents have to keep Solomon safely in a local police station for a night. Seethapathi (Rajendra Prasad), the CI for the Maredumilli local police station, leaves to hospital for 3 hrs on a family urgency. By the time he comes back, Solomon's brother Michael (Prakash Raj) sends his people and kill all the constables, raw agents and shift Solomon back to Malaysia. As the department doesn't support him, Seethapathi approaches Waltair Veerayya (Chiranjeevi) to help him in capturing Solomon from Malaysia for an 25L amount. Veerayya needs that amount to hold the long pending case of ACP Vikram (Ravi Teja) he has filed. Was Veerayya able to capture Solomon? What is the case Veerayya filed? Who is ACP Vikram? What is the backstory of Michael? Forms the rest of the story. 

Performances :- Vintage massy Chiru is back with a bang. His comedy timing, dances, antics and dressing, all remind us of Gharana Mogudu, Mutha Mestri, Annayya. He has lived the character of Veerayya and enjoyed playing it, which is very much visible in the output. He was terrific as well in emotional scenes and action episodes. Ravi Teja did his character as a police officer in a rather subtle way. The usual energy and mass of Raviteja was missing. Was it intentionally done to bring a decency to the character or was it designed to not surpass Chiru is unknown. Shruthi Haasan looks pretty both in the scenes and songs. She has an action block also, which is well done. Vennela Kishore brings some laughs in 1st half with his dialogues. Bobby Simha is believable as a drug smuggler and has that swag. Prakash Raj as main villain is fine. Rajendra Prasad, Catherine did justice to their roles. 

Technicians :- Story wise, it's nothing new. An age old story of revenge drama when 2 heroes are there, even as recent as Acharya. But the narration and treatment is what makes Waltair Veerayya watchable. Using Chiru's core strengths of comedy, dance, Bobby made an engaging, entertaining, racy 1st half with an high interval block. However, the graph comes down in 2nd half with a slow dragged narration. Had the 2nd half been more racy, crispy, this would have become an blockbuster of the year. Lack of emotionally high episodes or conflict point that hooks us, the 2nd half becomes average. Background of DSP is a big plus for the elevation scenes. Dance in all the songs was good. Poonakalu loading is a bit of letdown, both in terms of song and dance. Costumes for Chiru especially were well done, be it Jalaripeta get up, classy action episodes in Malaysia or songs in foreign location. Action episodes were impactful, however, climax fight should have been trimmed down a bit. The surprise climax brings a high for the fans.

Positives :-

Chiranjeevi

Entertaining episodes throughout 

Whistle worthy elevations for fans

Negatives :-

Average 2nd half

Predictable story and proceedings 

Summary :- An entertaining 1st half and an average 2nd half makes it a watchable fare overall.

Rating :- 3/5 (Vintage Chiru is back)

Veerasimha Reddy - Movie Review

Balayya is coming with Veerasimha Reddy after the blockbuster "Akhanda" and the stupendous success of "Unstoppable" season 2. Director Gopichand Malineni also is coming after a blockbuster "Krack" with Raviteja. Myhtri Movies associated with NBK for the 1st time.

Story :- Jai (NBK) is a businessman in Istanbul who lives along with his mother Meenakshi (Honey Rose). He once accidentally meets Eesha (Shruti Hassan) and she likes Jai. Eesha's father wants to meet Jai's parents to talk about marriage. Meenakshi decided that it is time to tell Jai about his father, Veerasimha Reddy. He is the protector of Pulicherla in Rayalaseem, whom people see as God. Bhanumati (Varalaxmi) and her husband Pratap Reddy (Duniya Vijay), try to kill Veerasimha Reddy multiple times to take their revenge. What is their enemity ? Were they successful ? Why is Meenakshi staying from Veerasimha Reddy? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances :- Balakrishna as Veerasimha Reddy is a perfect fit and he nails it. Costumes, antics, dialogues, were well designed. As a younger role of Jai, he was misfit, should have been given to some younger hero. Varalaxmi as Bhanumati gets a meatier role and she has a done a good job, though on climax it feels a bit overboard. Shruti Hassan is there only for songs and has very limited role. Honey Rose has a bigger role as a mother and as girlfriend in flashback. She did a decent job. Duniya Vijay is a fresh face as a villain and he gets repetitive after half of the film completes. 

Technicians :- Action episodes for father character were well designed and executed. The length of the fights could have been reduced. Songs by Thaman are fine, background score is good. Dialogues were good in some parts. Screenplay could have been more effective with lesser runtime. Director should have taken care of the same. 

Positives:-

Balakrishna in father role

Varalaxmi performance

Action episodes

Couple of songs

Negatives :-

Too lengthy

Too many fights

Slow narration

Repetitive villain attacks

Summary :- 

Story has all the elements for a commercial success, however too many fights, lengthy dramatic scenes hamper the proceedings. 

Rating - 2.75/5. Exclusively for Balayya fans. 

Godfather - Movie Review

After the colossal disaster of Acharya, Megastar Chiranjeevi is coming with Godfather , which is a remake of Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer. RB Chowdary, NV Prasad and Ram Charan producers. Director Mohan Raja who is well known for delivering blockbusters in Tamil with remakes of Telugu films like Jayam, Bommarillu, Amma Nanna O Tamilammai, etc is directing this film. His last direct Telugu film was Hanuman Junction. However, Mohan proved his mettle with an original script Thanioruvan which was a blockbuster then and it was remade in Telugu as Dhruva. 

Story :-  Chief minister of the state dies and political games start for the CM chair. Home minister Varma (Murli Sharma), CM's son in law Jaidev (Satya Dev) are the contenders for it. However, knowing of their cruel intentions and corrupt nature, party treasurer and CM's close aide Brahma (Chiranjeevi) creates obstacles for them. CM's daughter Sathya Priya (Nayanatara) doesn't want to see even Brahma's face and she also supports her husband Jaidev to become CM. Jaidev tries to grab power by all means and tries to win over Brahma, but with his political mastermind and his network, Brahma doesn't let it happen. Who wins this political game? Why Sathya Priya hates Brahma so much? These questions are answered in the story. 

Performances :-  All the actors did a terrific job in this political thriller. Murli Sharma, Nayanatara, Samuthrakani, Shafi, Sunil, Shayaji Shinde, Anasuya, Bharath Reddy, Divi, etc. Satyadev was stupendous, the variation in his expressions, dialogue delivery was superb. Chiranjeevi is flawless. This is infact a challenging role because this character doesn't have his usual comedy timing, masala dialogues, massy warning, no dances at all. However, Chiru managed very well with subtle expressions and smile. Infact his eyes did the major part of acting. Salman Khan's role is very limited and he was fine. Majority of his scenes had graphics and they were not upto the mark. Didn't connect much to Salman's entry or climax. Had it been done by Pawan Kalyan movie would have gone to next level. 

Technicians :-  Mohan Raja's screenplay is racy, crisp and on the spot. The movie doesn't feel bored or slow at any point of time except for last 5-10 mins. There is an elevation scene or dialogue for every 10-15 mins. Director succeeded in maintaining the high at regular intervals and he should be appreciated for that. Chiru's movie without any dance number or songs is itself a challenge, that too a serious & class role, narrating only story for 2 and half hours is herculean task, but Mohan Raja has passed it with distinction. Editing is very neat and made the movie jam packed. Fights were okay. Thaman's background score is terrific. The heroic elevation scenes were boosted with his score. Almost all the songs come as montage in the movie and they were apt to the situation, especially Naja bhaja jajara. Costumes were relatable to the political concept. Dialogues were simple but striking. 

Positives :-

Story and racy screenplay

Terrific cast and their performances

Elevation scenes

Negatives :-

Dragged Climax portion

Salman episode graphics

Summary :-  I haven't seen Lucifer since Chiru is doing it. Having said that I'm sure the changes done in Godfather would surely make it a better entertainer than Lucifer. The reason is, I felt the same after watching Bheemla Nayak and Ayyappanum Koshiyum one after another. Direct Malayalam movies are OTT watchable but not commercial films for our taste. So this story is new to me and I loved it. It has great premise, perfect goosebumps moments, elevation scenes powered by terrific acting and background score. It's a perfect commercial film. 

Rating :- 3.25/5. It's a classy mass film. Must watch it if you haven't seen Lucifer. 

Ponniyin Selvan (PS) - 1 : Movie Review

The genius Mani Ratnam has come up with his dream project after 4 years of his last release Nawab (Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in Tamil). Ponniyin Selvan has been his dream project and Mani Ratnam wanted to bring it to big screen since many years and finally it materialised. With an ensemble cast and crew, PS-1 released finally after multiple breaks  in shooting since 2020 due to the pandemic.

Story :- Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj), who is the king of Chola dynasty falls ill and it is time to announce the next king in Tanjavur. His eldest son Aditha Karikaludu (Vikram) is the heir to the throne. He doesn't want to come to Tanjavur and is waging war after war on multiple kingdoms with his army. Hearing that some coup is happening in the kingdom, Aditha sends his friend cum warrior Vanthiyadevudu (Karthi) to secretly knew what was happening and inform the same to his father and his sister Kundavai about the same. Vanthiyadevudu begins his journey and finds that, Pedda Paluvettarayudu (Sarath Kumar) who is the treasurer of Chola kingdom is planning a coup in the kingdom with the help of other Samantharayulu to announce Madhurantaka (Rahman) as the next king, since  Madhurantaka's father was king before Sundara Chola and he shifted to spiritual ways and gave kingdom to Sundara Chola as Madhurantaka was too young then. In this journey, Karthi also meets Paluvettarayudu's wife Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) who is planning the coup from behind as she has an hidden past to do so. Kundavai asks Vanthiyadevudu to inform about the coup to her younger brother Arunmozhi Varma (Jayam Ravi) who is fighting a war in Lanka and bring him back to Tanjavur. Also, Sundara Chola sends Kundavai to bring Aditha to Tanjavur. If both the brothers join together in Tanjavur it is tough to announce Madhurantaka as king. To stop the brothers from coming together, Paluvettarayudu and Nandini sketches a plan. Were they successful in doing so? Why Aditha doesn't want to come to Tanjavur? What is the relation between Aditha and Nandini? What is Nandini's past and why she is planning the coup? Who is Ponniyin Selvan and how did that name came? These form the rest of the story. 

Performances:- Karthi gets a meatier role compared to others and we see the story mostly through his version. He did a commendable job and he brings the lighter mood to an otherwise serious drama. Jayam Ravi only enters in 2nd half and he suits to the prince role. Trisha as the princess is gorgeous and she did a good job. Aishwarya Rai has the most toughest role and she nailed it with both beauty and performance. I personally felt Vikram is a misfit for the role. He looked old and overboard in some instances. The only reason to choose him could be to match Aishwarya's age and to bring back memories of their previous outing Villain. There is a huge cast and they all excelled in their space.

Technicians :- Ponniyin Selvan is a based on Kalki's novel which comprises of 5 books, which is based upon real life incidents during Chola dynasty and some fictional elements. To compress them into 2 part film is a tough task and Mani Ratnam did a good job in doing so. Being a periodic film, the tone and colour of the film are completely different when compared to Mani Ratnam's regular flavour of Grey, Blue, Black. There are too many characters and their names are also of tamilian style, which makes us tough to register and remember. Had they introduced us to the characters with names through posters before release of film like how Rajamouli did with Bahubali it would have been easier. Mani Ratnam didn't concentrate much on graphics or war scenes, thus they aren't not visual extravaganza. However, the climax fight sequence in the sea was well shot. AR Rahman background score elevates the movie well. After a long time, liked few songs of Rahman. Song placements are also good. Ravi Varman cinematography is superb. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is apt as they couldn't delete anything. 

Positives:-

Story & Drama

Leas cast and their performances

Karthi

Negatives:-

No goosebumps stuff

Not a visual extravaganza

Summary:-  PS-1 is a story driven novel based film with lot of drama. Mani Ratnam sticked to the same and didn't take any cinematic routes. People might tend to label it as slow, boring due to the same, but I liked the story and narration. For any 2 part film, the end of the 1st part should leave audience in a suspense so that they shall wait anxiously for the 2nd part and Mani Ratnam did exactly the same. The last shot makes people wait for 2nd part. 

Rating :- 3/5. Definitely watchable on big screen.

Being a periodic drama and war based movie, people compare every frame and war scene with Bahubali and feel this is a lame attempt which is not correct. Rajamouli is known for emotional & elevation scenes, hero centric films and graphical extravaganza, which is his core competency and he is a commercial blockbuster director like Shankar. Well, that's not the case with master storyteller Mani Ratnam. He is into realistic movies, subtle expression, simple stories and more of drama. He sticked to the same even in PS-1. Let's not compare Sachin with Virat.  

Oke Oka Jivitham - Movie Review

Sharwanand has teamed up with debutant director Shree Karthick for Telugu-Tamil bilingual with Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi in crucial roles and Amala Akkineni as the core point of the plot in a time travel based emotional story. 

Story :- Aadi (Sharwanand) is a good singer who is low on confidence and afraid of crowds. He couldn't overcome his fears and perform even after getting good opportunities through his girlfriend Vyshnavi (Ritu Verma) as he is struck in the past. Aadi misses his mother (Amala) a lot. A quantum physicist Paul (Nasser) offers Aadi a chance to go back to past through time machine and get things corrected. His friends Seenu (Vennela Kishore) and Chaitu (Priyadarshi) also wanted to travel back to change their lives as well. Did this time travel succeed and were these 3 able to change their lives forms the rest of the story. 

Performances :-  Sharwanand as a struggling musician who adores his mother has excelled in this role and is very believable. This is one of his best performances. Vennela Kishore and Priyadarshi have full length roles and both were equally good be it comic timing or emotional scenes. Amala Akkineni as Aadi's mother is apt. Her acting, costumes and total presence is simple, warm and refreshing. The kids who played younger version of lead roles were also very good. Nasser as scientist was natural. Ritu Verma has a limited role and she did fine. 

Technicians :-  Director did an excellent job with story by blending time travel with an emotional point that hooks audience to back the lead characters. Plot looks inspired from the popular Netflix series Dark (German). Being debut director, he has handled a complicated storyline very effectively. Especially, a sentiment based movie is a risky venture, considering taste and patience level of current movie going audience. Loved the interval bang, which I didn't see coming. There are few lags in the screenplay during 2nd half but they are ignorable. Casting and costumes are apt for the story. Music by Jakes Bejoy compliments the narration with his background score and montage songs. 

Positives :- 

Story & gripping narration 

Lead characters performances

Negatives :-

Few lag episodes 

Summary :- Oke Oka Jivitham has all the ingredients of a perfect family entertainer.

Rating :- 3.5/5 (Go watch it, you won't get disappointed)

Ante...Sundaraniki - Movie Review

Vivek Athreya proved himself as an intelligent story teller with Mental Madhilo and Brochevarevarura. Nani after his sucessful venture Shyam Singha Roy has joined hands with Vivek Athreya under the production of Mythri Movie Makers. Nazriya debuts tollywood with this flick. 

Story :- Sundar wants to go to US desperately to fulfil his childhood dream for which he pursues with his boss. However, his orthodox brahmin family has too many restrictions for him which he wants to break and move. 

Meanwhile Leela Thomas heads to US to complete course in photography after convincing her parents. Have they both fulfilled their wishes? How the paths of these 2 cross forms the rest of story. 

Performances :-  Nani just bailed it as Sundar. His antics, diction, frustration, comic timing all are pitch perfect. In general, heroor any other character plays an orthodox brahmin role, knowingly or unknowingly they tend to get overboard. However, Nani was able to get the correct wavelength and maintained it decently. His monologues with Naresh and Harsha are superb. Nazriya as Leela was good. Her dialogue delivery, acting, expressions are fresh to Tollywood, but It's not such a great role for which Nazriya had to debut. Childhood characters of Sundar and Leela also have good scope and both children have done well. All the character artists have done exceptionally well in their respective roles, be it Naresh, Rohini, Nadiya, Azhagam Perumal, Anupama, Srikanth Iyengar, Rahul Ramakrishna. My favourite was Harsha Vardhan. His dialogues, timing, antics are too good. I enjoyed his character like anything, though it's small. Despite being a terrific actor he is not getting meatier roles, which he should. This is my favourite character of his, after Anukokunda Oka Roju. 

Technicians :-  Background score of Vivek Sagar is engaging and exciting. Majority of the songs except  are montage and we don't concentrate on the them due to the narration. Cinematography and costumes match with the different timelines in the story. Vivek Athreya proves his intelligence again with his screenplay and story. Layered screenplay with back and forth narration engages us in the plot. In general, 20-25 minutes of a movie gets covered through 5-6 songs. But narrating a 3 hr movie without any songs is a big challenge and Vivek has lived up to it. Barring few boring or slow episodes here and there, remaining part of the movie is entertaining. 

Positives :-

Story & Screenplay

All the performances

Negatives :-

Dragging episodes before interval and during climax

Summary :-  Ante Sundaraniki is an enjoyable watch with whole family. If you can bear through a couple of boring episodes, you will love the remaining part. 

Rating :-  3/5 (Engaging and Entertaining)

Vikram - Movie Review

Lokesh Kanagaraj has created a separate fanbase for himself with Sundeep Kishan's "Maanagaram" and Karthi's "Khaidi". Khadidi especially was a terrific action thriller based on one night. After that he made "Master" with Vijay which was a commercial success, though it didn't completely look like a Lokesh Kanagaraj movie. Now he has joined hands with Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan and terrific performers Vijay Sethupathi and Fahad Faasil for #Vikram. 

Story :- A drug consignment of Santhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) worth crores goes missing from Port one night. He starts searching for it and goes on a killing spree whomever he thinks were behind it. The next day, an undercover cop gets killed by few masked men and the video of it will be sent to police department. After the death of this cop, his father Karnan (Kamal Haasan), gets addicted to alcohol, drugs, etc..instead of taking care of his daughter-in-law and grandson. Meanwhile, few more killings happen in the city by the masked men and in that process Karnan also gets killed. To investigate these murders, a special team headed by Amar (Fahad Faasil) is appointed. Through the investigations, Amar unfolds few mysteries about Karnan. Who is Karnan and why is he killed? Who are these masked men and did Santhanam find his consignment? Who is Vikram forms the rest of the story. 

Performances :- Fahad Faasil as a sincere and serious cop is apt. He has more screen space throughout the movie compared to Kamal and Vijay. Vijay Sethupathi as a menacing villain is terrific. His body language, nuances and performance is top notch. Kamal Haasan still has the old charisma and his eyes speak a lot. He's stylish, Uber cool and did well in the action episodes. After the death of SPB, Kamal has done how own Telugu dubbing and it looked original and authentic. Remaining actors did a good job within the space and as per the demand of story. The cameo of Suriya in the end is mind blowing. His get up, dialogue delivery and premise is superb.

Technicians :- Background score and songs are intense and engaging, credit to Anirudh. Costumes are completely in the lines of grey and dull, to suit the mood and interest of the director. Majority part of the movie is either in night or in dark place like basement, closed rooms etc., which is Lokesh Kanagaraj's favourite frame. Cinematography and lighting should be appreciated to still show us the faces within the limitations of night and darkness. Stunts were stylish, sleek and huge. Lokesh Kanagaraj has excelled in all the departments be it the story, screenplay, characterization, action episodes and extracting the performances from a stellar star cast. Had the run-time is a little less and editing had been more crispier, movie had been a masterpiece. 

Positives :-

Story & Action episodes

Stellar casting and splendid performances

Background score

Negatives :-

Slow narration and lengthy

Not edge of the seat thriller like Khaidi

Summary :-

Vintage Kamal Haasan is back with an action thriller in the combination of 2 finest actors Vijay and Fahad. If could bear the slow narration and length, you must give it a try. My favourite episode was "Agent Tina", Background score and the action episode following it is highlight. 

Rating - 3/5. Vikram is for action and Lokesh Kanagaraj movie lovers

Acharya - Movie Review

Megastar's 3rd film in his second innings is with successful and sensible director Koratala Shiva. It has been in shooting stage since 3 yrs owing to postponement of shoots due to Covid, changing release dates due to RRR and finally it arrived. 

Story :- Once well known for justice, truthfulness, Dharmasthali, now becomes place of illegal and criminal activities under the rule of Basava (Sonu Sood). An businessman Rathod (Jisshu Sengupta) eyes on the hills of Dharmasthali and joins hands with Veda to conquer them.  However, Paadaghattam under guidance of Veda (Ajay) still maintain it's sanctity and follows their age told tradition of ayurvedic medicines and keeping an eye on Dharmasthali. When everyone loses hope that Dharmasthali can never be revived, comes an Naxalite leader Acharya (Chiranjeevi) in a carpenter get up. He revolts against the atrocities of Basava and stands in support for Dharmasthali and Paadaghattam. Reason for an naxalite leader Acharya coming to rescue of Dharmasthali is Siddha (Ram Charan). How Acharya and Siddha are connected, what happened to Siddha and how Acharya rescues Dharmasthali forms rest of the story. 

Performances :- Chiru has done justice to the role written for Acharya. Calm, composed and controlled aggression. Dance as usual he has killed it, despite the songs being not so great. Ram Charan tried did a good job as Siddha. Be it his nuances or get up or expressions. Pooja Hegde was okay as a Siddha's love interest in a limited role. Sonu Soddu, Jisshu, Ajay and others were fine. 

Technicians :- Music is a big let down for the movie. Be it background score or songs, both were utter failure and doesn't lift the movie. Art director should be appreciated for the Dharmasthali set. It looked great. Costumes and cinematography were nice. Koratala Shiva failed miserably at the story. It's a run of the mill story which has been used in many films since 90's. Only the premise is changed. Whether the story written by him initially was like this or has it been recooked to make Charan's role lengthier, end result was bad. 1st half of the movie is good with a mix of all commercial elements. Problem lies in the 2nd half. Firstly, story is dragged too. Secondly, emotional connect was not there with the lead characters which causes boredom. Too many fights also create tiredness. Has Siddha character is trimmed and some interesting conflicts were created, result could have been better.

Positivies :-

Chiranjeevi

Ram Charan

Bhale Bhanjara dance

Negatives :-

Story & screenplay

Lack of emotional depth

Music

Summary :- Acharya lacks the heroism and emotional depth one expects from Chiru -Koratala Shiva combination. A golden chance of Chiru & Charan coming together for a movie was wasted. Just don't feel it's the same director who made Mirchi, Janata Garage, Srimanthudu has helmed Acharya

Rating :- 2.5/5. One time watch if you're a Megastar fan. 

RRR - Movie Review

The movie everyone has been waiting for the last 2 years has finally arrived. A proper multi starrer under the magnificent director's vision in the backdrop of British India. The pressure is on Rajamouli to deliver a better and bigger movie than "Bahubali 2" to prove his authority on the Indian box office and to establish that Bahubali 2 is not a one time wonder. However, it's an uphill task to beat 1500 Crores. 

Story :- A tribal girl is taken away from her family by the British officer to their palace. A protector (NTR) of the tribe goes on the mission to Delhi to bring back the girl. A Indian police officer (Ram Charan) under British regime is on another mission to Delhi. Both these people meet in an accident and become good friends. How their paths cross, were they successful in their mission forms the story. 

Performances:- NTR and Ram Charan both have excelled in their respective roles. However, NTR's character has more scope for performance and we feel sympathized and elevated based on the character graph. Komaram Bheemudo song stands out for his performance. Ram Charan character requires calm and suttle performance which he delivers adequately, however one might feel his character graph is undermined till climax portion. NTR's introduction scene, interval flight entry scene, etc are well executed, has good background score, great elevations. Ram Charan introduction scene is not so great. He doesn't have much elevation scenes till climax. Though climax elevation of Charan is good the background score is poor. Except these 2 characters, all other roles are very small and are fine. 

Technicians :- Action sequences stand out in the movie and are well planned, executed and captured. Choreography on Natu Natu song is extraordinary. Costumes, art work are in line with the movie theme and time period. Cinematography is rich. Background score is not so great as compared to other Rajamouli-Keeravani movies. Montage songs are okay. Rajamouli's strength is emotional drama which you get connected and makes you cheer for the characters. Also, he's famous for the goosebumps elevation scenes. These 2 were comparatively less when compared to Rajamouli's previous movies. Part reason could be the poor screenplay, slow paced story and part due to major goosebumps scenes were revealed in the trailers already. Bheem's brutal power and Ram's goal oriented mindset were well carried throughout the movie.

Positives :-

Story

NTR & Ram Charan

Natu Natu Song

NTR entry in interval flight and Ram Charan entry in climax fight

Negatives :-

Slow paced narration and lagging screenplay

Lack of emotional connect

Below average background score

Less number of goosebumps scenes

Summary :- A must watch movie just to see 2 stars coming together for first time. Goosebumps elevation scenes, natu natu song, climax portion, conflict point between the 2 lead characters and the subsequent action episodes, all of these make it worth. Few scenes like Ramaraju get up, lion scene, etc were not revealed in the trailers, they would have created a huge impact when seen for 1st time in the movie. 

Rating :- 3.5/5 (Brace yourself but keep expectations in check). 

Definitely not on par with Bahubali series as far as emotions and elevation scenes are concerned.

Radhe Shyam - Movie Review

Rebel Star Prabhas is back on the silver screen after 3 years of Saaho. UV creations bankrolled the project under the direction of Radhakrishna, who debut movie "Jil" was an average flick. Pooja Hegde is the female lead. 

Story :- Vikramaditya is a world famous Palmist who believes there's no love line in his life and thus doesn't want to commit to any serious relationship. Prerana is a doctor who loves to enjoy every moment of life despite her problem. Destiny makes both of them meet and fall in love. Where does this love story end and what's their destiny forms the rest of the story. 

Performances :- Pooja Hegde as Prerana is a perfect fit. She played it with elan. Prabhas as the Palmist and lover did an okay job. But lookd of Prabhas is terrible to say the least. If he was really looking that bad or it was the graphics done to his face, his eyes popped out, nose was big and looked very pale and stoned. To cut down the cheeks, graphics was used to his face which made him look unnatural and weird. Never have I seen Prabhas look so bad in any movie before this. Sharad Kelkar is good as the uncle of Prerana. Bhagyalakshmi as Aditya mother is overboard and not required at all. Jayaram and Priyadarshi tried to bring some laughs, but didn't work out. Krishnam Raju was unable to utter dialogue or even walk, not sure why he had to be casted. Murli Sharma doesn't have a single dialogue throughout the movie. 

Technicians:- Songs are the soul for a love story and that's an utter failure in Radhe shyam. Except "Nee Rathale" no other song is good or catchy. Background score by Thaman is good. Costumes are done well, syncing with the location and time period chosen. Cinematography is okay. Graphics looked very cheap and bad. Too much graphics used for the outdoor locations, songs, climax ship portions, etc., Production costs are unnecessarily increased by choosing the foreign location, time period and unnecessary graphics just for grandeur. 

Positivies :-

Pooja Hegde

Costumes

Plot

Negatives :-

Prabhas looks

Graphics

Boring narrattlion

Lack of emotional connect

Summary :- A love story with conflict as such could have been made with a medium budget and locally. The premise, grandeur wouldn't make the narration interesting. There is nothing gripping in the story that makes audience connect to.

Jil was not an hit or a classic. Handing over a 200 Cr budget movie to the director is a blunder. Same is the case with Saaho. Sujeet made a terrific debut with Run Raja Run, but he couldn't handle the image of Prabhas in Saaho, that too after. With these kind of movies, Prabhas is going to loose the market share and good name he got in Pan India. He also has to take care of his looks and choice of movies. He is spoiling his career just like how Pawan did after Kushi with too much gap in between movies, not taking care of looks, choosing bad Stories and directors. Hope he gets back on track with Salaar (Prashant Neel of KGF) and Adipurush. 

Rating :- 2/5. Not interesting or engaging, worst than Saaho. Utterly disappointed with Prabhas screen presence. 

Bheemla Nayak - Movie Review

Malayalam blockbuster "Ayyapanum koshium" is remade in Telugu with Pawan Kalyan and Rana in lead roles, with dialogues and screenplay provided by Trivikram Srinivas. 

Story :- One night, Daniel Shekar, an ex-military officer and a highly influenced family background gets arrested by Bheemla Nayak due to a small case. The events of that night makes the small case into a personal ego clash of both of them. How they challenge each other and when is the end for it forms the story. 

Performances :- Pawan Kalyan lives the role of Bheemla Nayak. An arrogant police officer role is not new to Pawan, what's new is playing an realistic officer who has to oblige the demands of influenced and follow orders. But after coming out of duty, the real powerstar comes who challalenges the antagonist and bashes the sidekickse. He was terrific. Rana steals the show with his attitude and performance as Daniel Shekar. He has lot of emotions to portray and he excelled in it. Nitya Menen and Samyukta has good and crucial roles which they have done neatly. Samuthrakani

 Murali Sharma were good.

Technicians :- Contrary to the expectations, Thaman didn't give the adrenaline rush with the background score. That's may be they have revealed the goosebumps stuff in teasers long back and people started expecting more than it. Few elevation scenes could have been provided better background score. Title song and LaLaBheemla both were well shot. Screenplay in 1st half was good, 2nd half could've been better. Dialogues were just okay, not significant as Trivikram's would be. Director did well considering his first big star movie. 

Positivies :-

Pawan Kalyan & Rana scenes

Pre inerval episode

Background score

Negatives :-

Lag or dull portion in 2nd half

Over board elevation in climax

Summary :-

Since I've not watched original version of Malayalam, I'm completely new to the premise and the story was engaging and realistic. Well executed and acted movie with good music. Original would have been more realistic and emotional considering how Malayalam movies were shot. Telugu version was modified matching to Pawan charisma and fanbase. 

Rating - 3/5

Definitely worth a watch if original was not seen. 

Love Story - Movie Review

After scoring blockbuster with Fidaa, Shekar Kammula is coming with Love Story. This is the 1st combo of Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. They were supposed to be in Premam, but Sai Pallavi didn't want to do remake films, even though it would be recreating her character of "Malar Miss" from Premam original version in Malayalam. The same character was later offered to Shruti Hassan. 

Story :-

A selfmade zumba master who comes from downtrodden family and lower caste dreams of opening his own centre. A girl comes from her village to city, to get a job, stand on her own legs and take care of her family, instead of begging her own uncle for livelihood. Despite being from an upper caste, she has a dark past which disturbs her very often. How these 2 meet, fall in love, move ahead in life chasing their dreams and breaking the socio economic barriers forms the story. 

Performances :-

Sai Pallavi just killed it. You can't take eyes off her, be it the dance, emotions, anger, love, pain, she is just too good. Especially in the emotional scenes, you tend to feel her pain. Her dance moves were extraordinary. She's the best dancer I've ever seen on Indian screen till date. This is Naga Chaitanya's career best performance till date. His body language, dialogue delivery in Telangana slang, hai expressions were on par with Sai Pallavi. Though he is not a great dancer and knowing Sai Pallavi is a pro, he improved a lot and gave his best. Rajeev Kanakala as uncle is terrific and menacing. Uttej, Eswari Rao, Devayani were good in their roles. 

Technicians :-

Music is one of the biggest asset of the movie. Audie was a big hit long before it's release and the background score was also apt. Costume designing was very natural and neat. Cinematography was good. Unnecessary graphics of old city area should have been avoided, as it was clearly evident and made it look cheap. Picturization and placement of songs was good. Shekar Kammula dialogues were simple, real and striking. Direction was very well done, involving us in the story from first and makes us connect with lead pair. 2 serious and delicate social problems were addressed through a love story, which was very effectively done and it's not an easy job to do. 100% marks for that. Editing could have been crispier, as some parts felt boring. 

Positives :-

Sai Pallavi & Naga Chaitanya

Music

Basic plot and it's narration

Negatives :-

Slow pace

Editing and run time

Hurried climax 

Analysis :-

Love Story is an intense and emotional story with a strong message. Well perceived and is worth watching. 

Rating - 3/5