Gulte

Did the debutant director come up with an engaging film?

A bit more care in writing and executing the second half would have truly made the film memorable.

Overall, Kattalan, is a mess of a film which was poorly written and directed. Apart from the breathtaking cinematography and slick action choreography, it offers nothing. The desperation to replicate the success of ‘Pushpa’, is to be seen throughout the film. At just around two hours in runtime, the film tests the patience and it gets very difficult to sit through after a point. There was a hint of a part two with Lokesh Kanagaraj as the antagonist. All we can say to the director and his team is ‘No. Thanks. We have seen Pushpa 2 already. We don’t need a part two for Kattalan. Bottomline – Poor Man’s ‘Pushpa’

Performances: Samantha in the role of Jhansi/Swarna did a superb job with her performance.

It is no exaggeration to say, Chiranjeevi, delivered his best performance in ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’, after making a comeback into films in 2017. It is his one-man show to say the list. His dialogue delivery, subtle expressions, comedy timing and ability to perform in a balanced way during emotional sequences without going overboard, are a treat to watch on screen. It looked like he really enjoyed playing the ‘Vara Prasad’ character and that joy, fully translated onto the screen.

As long as the proceedings were around the investigative drama, the film was watchable. The twist during the pre-interval sequence was also fairly interesting. But, in the second half, the film completely turned into a cat-and-mouse drama between the protagonist and antagonist. It is where the film lost its track completely. All we get to see in the second half are the predictable mind games and excessive slow-motion shots of the hero and villain. The team tried their best to excite the audience by using Kaala Bhairava’s background score but it did not work. Background score can enhance the viewing experience when a film is made in a compelling manner but it alone cannot pull off a film that is not so well written and executed. Overall, the makers of Mrithyunjay, should be appreciated for their intent to give a unique viewing experience to the audience but that is about it. Unexciting writing, very few thrilling moments and unnecessary commercial elements, worked against the film.

The story writer, Bhanu Bogavarapu, the dialogue writer, Nandu Savirigana and the screenplay writer & the director, Ram Abbaraju, earlier worked together for a hilarious entertaining film, Samajavaragamana. Just like their first time together, for ‘Nari Nari Naduma Murari’ too, they worked perfectly in sync and yet again came up with a good entertaining film. Throughout the film, it looked like the three of them knew their strengths and weaknesses and complemented each other to come up with a film that has ample doses of fun moments throughout. Quite a few blocks in the film in both halves of the film, along with well-written and relatable one-liners and comic dialogues, generated many laugh-out-loud moments in the theatre. Is ‘Nari Nari Naduma Murari’, a madcap entertainer without any story? The answer is a ‘No’.

The writing is weak, and the screenplay is even worse.

Positives: 1.⁠ ⁠Decent Music2.⁠ ⁠Pleasant Visuals⁠ Negatives: 1.⁠ ⁠Excessive Melodrama2.⁠ ⁠Not So Effective Twists3.⁠ ⁠Sluggish Pace Analysis: Ramani Kalyanam, the title itself has a poetic touch.

He is sure to get a lot of accolades for his excellent performance in Rao Bahadur.

SingGeetham is one of the most unique attempts in recent Telugu cinema. It blends mystery, fantasy and a meaningful social message, with Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’s signature touch all over it. The premise itself is refreshingly original. At a time when most of the filmmakers using social media and pop culture references to engage the audience, the idea of ‘conversations through songs’, felt very novel and refreshing. The legendary, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, deserves every bit of respect and appreciation for thinking of such an innovative idea. The biggest strength of the film is Devi Sri Prasad. From the songs and background score to the innovative dialogue-song format, DSP is the driving force behind the entire experience. It is not easy to make a film where a majority of the conversations happen through songs, but DSP’s work makes the experiment land more often than not.

The second half turns into a whodunnit drama about the missing TV. This is where the director faltered. The Pain of the Hero and Heroines is not deeply explored. The Proceedings take a Template approach – creating doubts on many but finally locking on someone unexpected. Usually, that’s how whodunnit works and that is the Formula. But it is for the filmmakers to make sure that it is not so obvious to the audience. Thimmarajupalli TV second half does exactly the same. The climax twist is landed artificially. That said, it is not a film like something we can brush it off. We can feel there is intent and honest attempt all over it. The TV Portions and the Village Setup are definitely a novel experience. You can try it once even with these issues to experience the Premise and attempt.

The best part of the film is that the hero is not showcased as an all-powerful figure. Instead, he is portrayed as a man under pressure trying to deliver justice, and this aspect has been handled reasonably well. However, the family bonding in the film fails to evoke proper emotions. The relationships are weak, and this creates a dull viewing experience. There were a few logical flaws as well, especially the special song, which feels silly. Right from the start, there is nothing novel that has been showcased. A majority of the scenes are dull and create a sense of déjà vu.

Gabbar Singh is still being considered as one of the textbook references for any film director who would like to make a commercial film. It is a typical commercial entertainer but what worked in its favour is the protagonist’s characterisation. Gabbar Singh’s character may have a few resemblances to Pawan Kalyan’s real-life personality traits but a majority of its characterisation looked original and fresh. The story and premises of that film were familiar to the audience back then but it worked because of its originality in characterisation and in screenplay. This is where the director failed in Ustaad Bhagat Singh. What we get to see here is the characterisation of the protagonist that is quite similar to real-life Pawan Kalyan, his social conscience and political ideologies. And then, the writer and the director, used multiple references from other movies in the name of ‘bringing back the vintage Pawan Kalyan’.

The entire drama around China’s military, virus, and antidote is laughable to say the least. We know we should not think about logic to enjoy Boyapati’s movies and even if you step into the theatre with an open mind, the movie still baffles you with gravity-defying action sequences where NBK fights with goons, soldiers, evils, robots and whatnot. There’s no story whatsoever in the film. It is an out-and-out attempt to cash in on the success of the brand ‘Akhanda’. It is shocking to see not even a single sequence throughout the film which has emotional depth.

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