List by "Reviews"
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Pelliroju
Cast: Dinesh Ravi, Mia George, Nivetha Pethuraj, Riythvika, Ramesh Thilak and others
Dialogues: Venkat Malluri
Music: Justin Prabhakaran
Cinematography: Gokul Benoy
Editing: Sabu Joseph
Producers: Mrudula Mangisetty, Saraswathi Mangisetty
Director: Nelson Venkatesan
Banner: Cineyog Motion Pictures
Release Date: 08 December 2018

Tamil film 'Oru Naal Koothu' is been dubbed in Telugu as 'Pelliroju'. This movie takes up a topic that is very poignant in this day and age. The movie revolves around a few characters who are all connected by one thing — marriage. The main subject being marriages and the enormous pressures faced by the fairer sex each with their own set of problems, try to tackle the question of marriage that hangs over their lives.

STORY:
Three young women, face unique challenges in their process of getting married, which can be very related to, and typical of the South Indian society. Rajkumar (Dinesh Ravi), who is in love with his colleague Kavya (Nivetha Pethuraj), is reluctant to marry her, owing to her superior economic background. He deliberately delays talks of marriage, asking more time from Kavya to "settle" himself in a well-off position.

Lakshmi (Mia George) is visited by several suitors through the course of many years, and every one of them is rejected by her proud, conservative father (Nagineedu), whose greediness makes him wait every time for a better suitor who is par the family's status.

While Bhaskar agrees to marry Susheela (Riythvika), a radio jockey from a middle-class family, he suddenly gets cold feet and calls off the marriage, insulting Susheela every time she demands an explanation.

This is the premise of 'Pelliroju' and the delight is to be found in the way in which these obvious issues were tackled. The story unfolds, telling how each of the protagonists attempts to fight the dogma of arranged-marriage culture, so deep-rooted in the Indian society. The story is based on the experiences of the director himself.

The film is engagingly narrated in flashbacks that move seamlessly from one character to another. Interestingly, all the characters remain unconnected until the climax, when fate throws them together.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Dinesh has a significant role, but the spotlight is on the female characters and all three have given fabulous performances. Slim and pretty newcomer Nivetha effortlessly glides through her role. Mia has been perfectly cast and she has done total justice to her role, Ritwika is a natural performer and has given an awesome feat. Bala Saravanan, who plays Dinesh’s friend, continues his good comic act and tickles our funny bones with his timely one-liners. Ramesh Thilak, Karunakaran, Charlie, Nagineedu play small yet significant characters and lend their huge support.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
With his quirky plot, which has been narrated in an appealing manner, Director Nelson Venkatesan undoubtedly proves that he is a filmmaker with a substance. Though all the characters remain unconnected till the climax, Nelson infuses a twist and fate interlinks all of them. Justin Prabhakar’s music is topnotch and his songs elevate the situations. Gokul’s cinematography is a big plus to the movie and Sabu Joseph’s crisp and neat editing warrants mention.

The only negative would be the climax, which seems like an attempt to deliberately steer clear away from the anticipated and create some drama.

VERDICT:
On the whole, Overall, with an engaging screenplay, powerful dialogues backed by intense performances by the entire cast, alluring music, 'Pelliroju' is a film with a message and not to be missed.

RATING: 3.5/5
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: ‘The Daughters of Virtue’ Horror Short
Cast: Melanie Cruz as Janet, Maria Olsen as Betty, Sylvia Panacione as Alice, Brittany Samson as Rhonda and Milly Sanders as Cynthia
Writer and Director: Michael Escobedo
Release Date: October 6, 2017
Release Format: Film Festival
Genre: Short, Drama, Horror

Official synopsis of the short is.. A lonely housewife fears for her life when a women’s prayer group meeting turns into a fanatical intervention to rid her soul of evil. 'The Daughters of Virtue' screened at the Nightmares Film Festival where it won the Best Horror Short Award. The film produced by Rock & Hammer Films.

STORY:
'The Daughters Of Virtue' center a group of religious women..Betty, Janet, Rhonda, and Cynthia who have gathered for a group prayer session. When Rhonda confesses that she believes her husband is having an affair, Alice acts out of character. Alice has a dark moment of faith and travels down a path of sin. This makes the women believe she’s possessed. Adultery is a grave mistake among these women. They spare no expense to make it known. This is an excruciating time for Alice when she becomes victim to their backlash in response to her bad judgment of character and wrongdoing. Their ways are brutal as they try to rid her soul of the evil presence. Betty takes the lead in attempting to rid Alice’s soul of evil.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
The acting is excellent. Especially, Maria Olsen puts on an intimidating performance. One of the best portrayals of an exorcist that anyone seen in a long time. She’s not an exorcist, but she puts the matters of getting the job done into her own hands. Her demeanor ruthless and cruel. Her ways are unconventional. A strong no-nonsense character, and it is invigorating to see a woman portray.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
With a run-time just over 12 minutes, The Daughters of Virtue delivers a promising horror story with a creepy atmosphere from beginning to end. The setting and tone of the film is dark as it should be. This accompanied by a dramatic theatrical score. This is effective in amplifying the scare factor. The costumes and makeup are parallel to the plot. The end includes some crazy awesome special effects that are effective enough to create a rush of adrenaline. It was beautifully shot and wickedly creepy.

Director Michael Escobebo creates a slow, quiet demon possession film with a simple setting, cinematography, score, and practical visual effects. The Daughters Of Virtue is a prime example of simplicity being innovative.

VERDICT:
'The Daughters of Virtue' is surely a solid horror short and has a strong scope to extend this for a feature film. And, yes..the director is working on a feature version of the short. Make sure you wont miss to watch it!

Official still from the short
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Fidaa
Cast: Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi, Sai Chand, Raja, Satyam Rajesh, Sharanya Pradeep and others
Music: Shakthikanth Karthick
Cinematography: Vijay C Kumar
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Producers: Raju, Sirish
Writer and Director: Sekhar Kammula
Banner: Sri Venkateshwara Creations
Release Date: 21 July 2017

Known for his sensitive film making techniques with strong emotional brilliance, Sekhar Kammula, the director of classic hits such as "Anand" and "Happy Days" has, in fact, lost his touch for a while. After delivering two flops with 'Life is Beautiful' and 'Anaamika', Sekhar Kammula has returned to the genre of love stories after a long gap. Let us see, how far this film will bring Sekhar’s Midas touch back on screen.

STORY:
NRI Varun(Varun Tej) comes down to a rural village in Telangana to attend the wedding ceremony of his brother (Raja) and meets Bhanumathi (Sai Pallavi), the bride's sister. They get attracted to each other and start finding out about themselves. As time passes by, love blossoms between the couple but they both do not disclose their love for each other. After going back to the US, Varun finally comes forward and proposes to Bhanu who in turn reject’s Varun’s proposal.

Why did Bhanu reject Varun’s proposal? What is the family drama behind this? and how does the pair end up marrying each other? That forms the rest of the story.

The first half of the film is so good that one is bound to expect the fun and romance to continue which sadly does not. Even though there is good drama, the pace of the film goes down a bit. The climax looks a bit hurried up as Varun’s change of mind could have been showcased in a more effective manner. The entire story is quite predictable so do not expect major twists and turns.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Varun Tej looks super dashing in the film. Even though his role will look as if the heroine dominates him but Varun’s calmness and the ease with his emotions make the film quite heart warming. This is the kind of film that an actor of his age should be doing and Varun is bang on this time.

Though it is a love story, as expected, it is the heroine who gets complete dominance. The story is more about Bhanumathi, played by Sai Pallavi, than Varun. And in the role of Bhanumathi, debutante Sai Pallavi (who played the role of a lecturer in Malayalam's Premam) steals the show. It is her show from the start to finish. Right from the first frame, she mesmerizes you completely. Be it her screen presence, Telangana accent and the way she carries the emotional scenes, she is a show stealer. She is not what can term a conventional beauty (she has pimples on her face), but the girl-next-door looks and performance win over. Post-Fidaa, Sai Pallavi will be an even bigger rage all over.

Veteran actor Sai Chand as heroine’s father is quite memorable and gives an honest performance. Satyam Rajesh evokes good laughs. Sharanya Pradeep as Sai Pallavi's sister and Raja has done a decent job as well. All the supporting cast do well in their respective roles.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Director Shekhar Kammula, he makes a comeback with a bang. The way he sets a simple story and narrates it with some good entertainment will be loved by the family audience big time. Shekar is at peaks when it comes to romance and his stamp is all over Sai Pallavi’s character as she is shown in a super strong manner who cares for her family and ambitions. Direction wise, Sekhar adopted a commercial touch to the second half though movie turns a bit slower in both the halves.

Music by Shaktikanth is a major asset for the film. All the songs are set perfectly into the narration. Vijay C Kumar’s camera work captured Telangana natural beauty and USA locations so beautifully. Marthand K Venkatesh’s editing is also rational portraying the emotion poignantly. Shakthi Kanth’s re-recording is pleasant enhancing the depth in the narrative. Production standards from Dil Raju are just satisfactory.

VERDICT:
On the whole, 'Fidaa' is one of the best love stories made in the recent times. The film will be loved by the audience who seek realistic love stories and can bear slow pace. This is not for all. At the box-office, the film is bound to do well in the overseas and A-centers.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Baahubali 2 : The Conclusion
Cast: Prabhas, Rana, Anushka, Ramya Krishna, Tamanna, Sathya Raj and others
Story: V Vijayendra Prasad
Dialogues: C H Vijay Kumar, Ajay Kumar
Music: M M Keeravani
Cinematography: K K Senthil Kumar
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao
Production Design: Sabu Cyril
VFX Supervision: Kamal Kannan
Producers: Prasad Devineni, Shobu Yarlagadda
Screenplay and Direction:  S S Rajamouli
Banner: Arka Media Works
Release Date: 27 April 2017

Finally, Rajamouli’s biggest budget adventure, 'Baahubali 2: The Conclusion', comes alive in its colossal and ambitious imagination to complete the unfinished story of 'Baahubali'. This magnum opus has released in over 8000 screens all over the world. Off late, where ever you go, there is only topic and that is how 'Baahubali 2' is going to be. Let’s see whether the film reaches the expectations or not.

STORY:
The movie begins seamlessly just where it left in the first movie with Kattappa narrating the story of Mahishmati. Rajamata Sivagami (Ramya Krishna) asks Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas) to tour entire country before swearing in as emperor. In this process, Baahubali visits a small kingdom called Kuntala and falls in love with its princess Devasena (Anushka). He woos Devasena with his charm and brings her to Mahishmati. Due to some incidents, Sivagami makes Bhallala the emperor and Baahubali as chief of army staff. Why did Shivagami suddenly announce Bhallaladeva as the king? What is the back story behind her decision? and why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? To know answers to these questions, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Prabhas unleashes his beastly side in the second part and takes away your senses with his striking performance. From the first scene, his screen presence is top notch and the way he takes Bhallaladeva head on is just terrific. Anushka does her bit well, but she was far better in the first part, where she would be the only one hissing at Bhallaladeva. Rana Daggubati as the scheming villain is a perfect foil to Prabhas.

The moments of levity that one experiences invariably have Sathyaraj in them as Kattappa, the trusted commander of both Baahubalis. While the suspense of why Kattappa betrayed Baahubali might have been a cop out, Sathyaraj's intense tumult in the whole sequence is brilliant. Ramya Krishna showcases superb emotions and brings a lot of depth to the film. Tamannah has nothing much to do except to flash in few shots in climax war episode. Nasser as kind of Sakuni is excellent. He steals the show actually. In other roles, Subbaraju gets noticed.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
'Baahubali 2' is one of the most technically efficient films made in India. If part one surprised you with its scale, then second part will leave you speechless with excellent visual effects and emotions. The kingdoms are shown and set created look top notch on screen. The imaginary city of Mahishmati now comes across richer and more fantastic with a new waterside view. There is a lot more in this fairytale world: A new city where Baahubali meets his future wife Devsena, splendid views of a moonlit war there where cattle with fire in their horns fight the enemy, eagles carry messages and Disneyesque palatial ships that fly. There is an anthem for Mahishmati as well.

Except for the VFX supervisor, the same team has worked for "Baahubali: The Conclusion", hence the technical standards are exceptionally good in all terms. Senthil's cinematography is beyond words to describe. He has achieved command in handling such massive movies. What takes 'Baahubali 2' to its peak is the stunning background score of M M Keeravani. Even though his songs are not that effective as the first part, the way he elevates the proceedings with his score is impressive. Dialogues are decent and so were the lyrics. Costumes done for every character looks top class. Editing is sharp. The action stunts are of international standards, the film has many fights including a lengthy climax episode.

Coming to the director Rajamouli, he has surely done India and the film fraternity proud with 'Baahubali'. He has dreamt of something out of the box and has also succeeded in bringing life to India’s biggest motion picture. The way he has continued the story in the second part and made the drama even more intense is superb. There is more depth in the proceedings and every character has been given complete justification. At times, you just wonder how did he perceive all this in his mind and execute it in such a convincing manner. Telugu folks should be proud that our own director has gone ahead and proved that nothing is impossible.

VERDICT:
On the whole, 'Baahubali 2' is a delight for all those who enjoy cinema as a visual medium, there is not much else, though. Just ignore the simple story line and do yourself a favor by taking your entire family to watch this magnum opus called 'Baahubali', as wonders like these only happen very rarely.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Mister
Cast: Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi, Hebbah Patel, Satyam Rajesh, Nasser, Nitin Dar, Raghu Babu, Tejaswi and others
Story: Gopi Mohan
Music: Mickey J Meyer
Cinematography:  K. V. Guhan
Editor: M. R. Varma
Art: A. S. Prakash
Producers: Tagore Madhu and Nallamalupu Bujji
Screenplay and Direction:  Sreenu Vaitla
Banner: Lakshmi Narasimha Productions
Release Date: April 14, 2017

As Sreenu Vaitla delivered two biggest disasters 'Aagadu' and 'Bruce Lee' in the recent past, there were not many hopes on his "Mister" but it created buzz as the Director claimed that he is reinventing his style of narration with this film and also due to the pleasant teaser. Let’s see whether Sreenu Vaitla makes a comeback or not.

STORY:
Chai (Varun) is an NRI settled in Spain who falls in love with Meera (Hebah Patel). But to his bad luck, Meera likes someone else and leaves back to India for her wedding. One fine day, she calls up Chai and says that she is in a lot of trouble and requests him to save her. Left with no choice, Chai lands in India but gets engrossed in an even bigger mess from Chandramukhi (Lavanya) and her family. Rest of the story is as to how Chai deals with the problems of these girls all alone and ends up marrying one of them.

For a downcast story of this sorts penned by Gopi Mohan, no one in the world could able to write a screenplay. But, here is Srinu Vytla both scripted and directed a terribly awful film touching the lowest of low in his career. No wonder, ‘Bruce Lee’ and ‘Aagadu’ are worth 5-star rating films if gauged relatively with ‘Mister.’ Except for Spain episodes, rest is a complete crap.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Varun Tej performs to the best of his capabilities and tries to shoulder the film till the end. His comic timing comes as a surprise winner looked manly in both love tracks and action blocks. Both heroines have looked bad, as their styling is utterly muddled. Their characterizations are also lacking any novelty. Hebbah Patel is a wrong choice, neither gorgeous nor the role is meaty. Lavanya Tripathi’s painful Chandramukhi character is dominated by colorful costumes.

Raghu Babu as Nagarjuna ('Oopiri' spoof) and Srinivas Reddy have provided some comedy but Prithvi's track has failed to evoke any laughs. Nasser, villain Nitin Dhar, Murali Sharma and Surekha Vani are okay. Rest like Prince and others may not need any mention. There are too many actors in the movie but only a few make an impression.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
The only saving grace is the Cinematography by KV Guhan. In fact, the visuals are extraordinary. The movie is shot in some beautiful locations in Spain, France, Switzerland, and Karnataka. KV Guhan has made it look visually beautiful. Music by Mickey J Mayer is average. Editing is pathetic as at least 15 minutes of the film could have been easily edited out. Varun Tej’s styling is unimpressive as he looks quite disoriented as an NRI. The film looks quite grand as the production values and the village set up look realistic.

Coming to the director Sreenu Vaitla, even after giving continuous flops, he has not taken the script seriously and made actors suffer in some horribly executed roles. Things become even tougher as the story gets aimless and it goes into another zone without any meaning. The way Sreenu Vaitla makes unnecessary characters enter at every juncture is the biggest drawback of the film. Unable to hold the attention on every subplot, ‘Mister’ broke into pieces moving here and there with disorientation. It is like watching different films in a single movie. Except for inducing some decent fun during the first half, Sreenu Vaitla’s work is below average.

VERDICT:
On the whole, except for a few laughs here and there, the film has nothing much to offer. The audience, either from class or mass, may not like "Mister". A total waste effort and one more disaster for Tollywood, but this time from Sreenu Vaitla.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Rogue
Cast: Ishaan, Angela, Mannara Chopra, Anup Singh, Ali, Posani, Azad Khan, Satyadev and others
Music: Sunil Kashyap
Cinematography: Mukesh G
Editing: Junaid Shaik
Art: Johnny
Producers: C R Manohar, CR Gopi
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues and Direction: Puri Jagannadh
Banner: Tanvi Films
Release Date: March 31, 2017

Writing a review for this crap is a shameful thing. But it's been done to save the film goers who rely on the reviews before watching movies. This 'Rogue' easily beats the worst film of the year so far by a huge margin. Writer and Director Puri Jagannadh showed the viewers what's the word 'torture' really means. It is unbearable right from the beginning with the most senseless plot. Apart from the lead actor who looks good and does his best even under the bizarre circumstances, the film has all the right ingredients to torture the audience to the maximum level. The worst part is that it does not even allow the audience to take a nap, for all that constant mindless sound effects.

STORY:
The storyless story is set in Kolkata. Chanti (Ishaan) is a reckless youth who hates women because his girlfriend (Anjela) cheats him big time. Upset with this, he gets into a tussle with one of the cops and breaks his legs. Seeing the cop’s family situation, he himself decides to help the family which also consists of a beautiful girl called Anjali (Mannara Chopra).

When things seem to be going fine, a psycho (Anoop Singh) who is on the run targets Anjali and starts following her. Rest of the story is as to how Chanti helps Anjali and falls in love with her during the course of time.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
'Rogue' introduces us to newcomer Ishan, who has an ease in front of the camera. His tall frame is suitable to action roles and best apt for villain roles. He is an actor who has complete faith in his director! How else would you describe the seriousness with which Ishan takes his role in the film? He just followed what the director asks... like this one - "Ishan, keep a poker face. Don't show any expressions. And scream till your lungs hurt. Leave the rest to me. Don't ask any questions."

Surprisingly, Manara Chopra looks very good when compared to her previous films. She too has been showcased in a decent manner and Manara does well in whatever scope she had. Angela is strictly limited to a couple of scenes. Anup Singh Thakur's performance is over the top as the psycho. Ali's comedy track is outdated. Posani, Satyadev and Azad Khan have nothing much to do.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
It's the worst comeback for Puri Jagganadh. The story, script and the making deserve some award under the category of how not to make a film and should also be included in the syllabus for students learning the art of 'worst film making'. To give a sample... there's a scene in the film, where the hero and the heroine jump into a pool of water, next to a waterfall. The hero, who at this point is quite horny, asks the girl, "Ee roju intha anthanga unnav ente? (How come you're looking so hot today?)." And the girl says, "Thadisthe Pandhi Kooda Andhangane untundhi. (Even a pig will look hot when it is wet)." That is the most romantic scene of 'Rogue'!! Director's perversion at its peak. Enough said.

The only positive strength of this movie is its Cinematography. Mukesh has shown Kolkata and Bangkok in a different and beautiful way. There is nothing much to talk about rest of the technicians' work. As the director... so the technicians.

VERDICT:
On the whole... if you do not like someone and eagerly waiting to return their ill-favours, then buy tickets for them and make sure they watch 'Rogue'. Puri will take care of the rest. Being a terrible waste of time, money and energy, this movie would exhaust even the diehard fans of him with its astoundingly silly second half. Watch it at your own risk.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Guru
Cast: Venkatesh, Ritika Singh, Tanikella, Nasser, Raghu Babu, Zakir Hussain and others
Dialogues: Harsha Vardhan
Music: Santosh Narayan
Cinematography: K.A. Shaktivel
Editing: Satish Suriya
Stunts: “Stunner” Sam, "Real" Satish
Producer: S. Sashikanth
Story and Direction: Sudha Kongara
Banner: Y Not Studios
Release Date: March 31, 2017

Victory Venkatesh, who has been breaking barriers by opting some different roles off late, is back with a gripping sports drama called 'Guru'. This movie is the remake of Tamil 'Irudhi Suttru' and Hindi 'Saala Khadoos' starring Madhavan in the lead role. The film did well in both versions and was liked by the critics. Venkatesh too liked the script very much that he decided to remake it in Telugu. 'Guru' is a faithful remake of the original without any notable changes and directed by Sudha Kongara who directed the original. Venky's towering performance as the determined coach is a treat to watch.

STORY:
Aditya (Venkatesh) is an aggressive boxing coach who always has problems with the sports federation and unable to tolerate small mistakes and unnecessary politics in boxing academy. With this attitude, He transfers to Visakhapatnam as the coach for Visakhapatnam boxing academy to scout young women boxers. Left with no choice, Aditya heads to Vizag and spots a local slum girl called Ramudu(Ritika Singh). After seeing her careless attitude and raw fighting spirit, Aditya lures her into boxing by paying her salary. Ramudu is a natural talent but equally arrogant and stubborn. It takes a lot of time for Aditya to convince Ritika and make her a boxing champion.The twist in the tale arises when the aimless Ramudu starts going against Aditya and his goal. The rest of the story is as to how Aditya molds the local girl and makes her the Indian women’s boxing champion.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Undoubtedly, 'Guru' belongs to Venkatesh. He has given his career best performance with this film. He gives away unnecessary heroism and lets Ritika Singh take center stage. Venkatesh’s emotions and the way he puts up a fight with his subtle yet intense emotions till the last scene shows what an actor like him can pull off if given a good subject.

The extremely impressive newbie Ritika Singh steals the show with a knockout performance. This is the third time that she is cast in the same character, but Ritika shows no signs of disinterest and is as good as in the original. Mumtaz Sorcar as Ritika's sister has once again come up with a commendable performance. Nasser is too good and Tanikella Bharani is effective.Zakir Hussain, Anitha Choudhary, and Raghubabu have performed their roles.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Although it was made with low budget, 'Guru' is technically a very strong film. Credit should go to director Sudha Kongara for sticking to the story and presenting the film in a realistic manner. Sshe has done a brilliant job with the film. Be it her narration or the way she has showcased Venkatesh in a completely new way, everything looks amazing.

Film's Cinematography is rich and the scenes inside boxing ring are filmed in a professional way. The artwork is decent. Music by Santosh Narayanan is just average, but the background score is top notch as it builds tension and elevates emotions in key scenes. The editing in the second half is taut as it does not waste much time and finishes the film in a crisp manner. Dialogues by Harsha Vardhan should get thumbs up. There are some colloquial phrases in the film that our heroes normally don't dare of using them.

VERDICT:
On the whole, 'Guru' is not a perfect film, but it is one of the finest sports dramas that are made on Indian screen. Raw appeal and keeping it grounded is what separates it from other sports dramas. People who haven't seen the original, will like 'Guru' and those who have seen it will be satisfied with one of Venky's finest performance to date. Commercially, 'Guru' will surely be liked by the overseas audience for its class taking but we need to see how the masses embrace it.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Katamarayudu
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan, Ali, Prudhvi, Nasser, Siva Balaji, Ajay, Chaitanya Krishna, Rao Ramesh
Music: Anup Rubens
Cinematographer: Prasad Murella
Art: Brahma Kadali
Fights: Ram Lakshman
Producer: Sharrath Marar
Director: Kishore Kumar Pardasani (Dolly)
Banner: Northstar Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Release Date: March 24, 2017

After delivering a flop last year with 'Sardaar Gabbar Singh', Pawan seems to be very determined to redeem himself at the box office this time as he has played very safe in making his latest film 'Katamarayudu', which is a remake of Tamil hit 'Veeram' that also got dubbed into Telugu as 'Veerudokkade'. Director of Telugu version, Kishore Kumar Pardasani aka Dolly, has tried to remain honest to the original film and has, in fact, borrowed a few heroic shots from the Tamil version. Yet, 'Katamarayudu' has been making waves with so great buzz.

STORY:
In a Rayalaseema village, Katamarayudu (Pawan Kalyan) and his four brothers (Shiva Balaji, Chaitanya Krishna, Ajay and Kamal Kamaraju) live a happy life. A strict and serious Rayudu does not marry as he feels that if a girl enters his family, there would be problems between him and his brothers. So, he keeps his house away from the reach of girls. As all the brothers are secretly in love with their girlfriends, they sketch a plan to make bachelor Rayudu fall in love. By chance, they run into Avanthika (Shruti Haasan) and she becomes their target. So eventually Avanthika falls in love with Katamarayudu. Soon Katamarayudu finds out that she and her family are in danger. What does he have to do with Avantika’s family? How does Rayudu save everyone? That forms the rest of the story.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Pawan Kalyan is a delight to watch in the title role. He has showcased two shades - a violent Katamrayudu and a loveable person. In both shades of the character, he has given his best but he is in better in the getup of a violent person. Right from Pawan’s traditional look to his dialogues, the star hero does full justice and impresses in an author backed role. Shruti Hassan carries off her village belle avatar decently. She should also take care of her face that is lacking sheen. Rao Ramesh as the quirky and sadistic Narsappa is engaging to watch, especially his dialogues with Pradeep Rawat. Shiva Balaji, Chaitanya Krishna, Ajay, Kamal Kamaraju and Ali are fine while Prudhvi failed. Nassar is upright as a retired judge and father of the heroine along with Pavithra Lokesh. Villains Pradeep Rawat and Tarun Arora are wasted. Rest may not need big mention as they don’t make a mark.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
The story of the movie has no novelty but has enough elements to make it into an entertaining masala drama. But the director seems to have changed the story a bit and also screenplay of the original movie to suit the image of Pawan Kalyan. After filling the first half with some very entertaining moments, he disappoints during the second half. His screenplay takes a beating during this time as the proceedings are filled with only stylish action sequences. Had he brought a bit more depth in the family emotions, things would have been even better.

A mass-hero movie should have better music, interesting second half, and glamorous heroine. In 'Katamarayudu', all these three are lacking in. Anup Ruben’s music is the biggest disappointment for the film as none of his songs impress one bit and even come as speed breakers in the second half. The camerawork is top notch as the village visuals and Pawan Kalyan are showcased supremely well. Editing is below average as at least two fights in the second half could have been trimmed down. Dialogues are good and suit Pawan’s body language quite well. Although the fight sequences continue to elevate Pawan, the special effects are a bit tardy in a few places, especially in the train fight sequence. The climax too is predictable but Pawan manages to gloss over the few imperfections by his sheer screen presence. Production values of the film are pretty good as Sharad Marar has spent decent money which shows on screen.

VERDICT:
On the whole, ‘Katamarayudu’ is one man show with a routine storyline and age-old treatment. But this is a far better movie than Pawan’s last outing ‘Sardaar Gabbar Singh’ and is definitely a treat for Pawan Kalyan fans. Commercially, there is no opposition for ‘Katamarayudu’ in the first week while it's long run is sure a doubt.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Nagaram
Cast: Sundeep Kishan, Regina Cassandra, Sri, Charlie, Madhu Sudhan and others
Music: Javed Riaz
Cinematography: Selva Kumar
Editing: Philomin Raj
Producer: Ashwani Kumar Sahadev
Writer and Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Banner: AKS Entertainment, Potential Studios
Release Date: March 10, 2017

Young hero Sundeep Kishan who is in his rough phase of acting career seems much determined to test his luck for another time. Losing no hope, he is back with a crime thriller called 'Nagaram' which is a Telugu dubbed version of Tamil flick 'Maanagaram' directed by debutante Lokesh Kanagaraj starring Regina as heroine.

STORY:
the film is based on four parallel stories and how everyone including Sundeep Kishan... a reckless youth, Sri... a new migrant to the City and Regina Cassandra... a soft-spoken hi-tech professional working in an IT company get engrossed in a kidnap drama involving a deadly goon’s son. Rest of the story is as to how these stories unfold during the course of time and what happens to each of them in the end.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Since this is an ensemble cast movie, Sundeep Kishan is just one of the players doing his bit. He is good as the tough guy. His looks and performance are very effective. Heroine Regina though hasn’t got much much to do in the film yet her presence is pleasing. Sri, who did the role of a software engineer is pretty decent. Sympathizing with Charlie is so easy because of pity face. Muniskanth's comic style totally lacks nativity. It's difficult to watch him in so many scenes for the reason that his reactions seem over the board.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Director Lokesh tries to offer something new like many of the young directors from Tamil cinema industry. The movie's biggest strength is the screenplay technique. The hyperlink narrative style is not only a technique but also a tactic that can conceal the ordinariness of events by keeping the audience guessing about how the different tracks will meet at a junction. Before one can realize that it's a routine track, the film abruptly shifts to one of the other tracks. But, on the dark side, too much time has been taken to establish the characters from the start. Even though the film is quite interesting, at times you feel that the narration is getting repetitive.

Selvakumar's cinematography is beyond words and has been so pleasing to watch on screen, helped also by Philomin's editing. Javed Riaz's background score is another asset which takes a usual thriller to the next level. The art design needs a special mention. But, the dialogues lack Telugu nativity. The production values are top notch and were apparent on screen.

VERDICT:
On the whole, While 'Nagaram' looks convincing in parts, you are likely to feel that the whole is not as thrilling. If you ignore the slightly slow pace at times, lack of nativity and lack of basic entertainment which you expect with regular Telugu films, 'Nagaram' ends up as a decent watch. Films like these have limited appeal which may affect its prospects at the box office.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: 16 - Every Detail Counts
Cast: Rahman, Prakash Vijay Raghavan, Pradeep, Santosh Krishna, Praveen, and others
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Cinematography: Sujith Sarang
Editing: Sreejith Sarang
Producer: Chadalavada Padmavathi
Writer and Director: Karthick Naren
Banner: Sri Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Films
Release Date: March 10, 2017

The Tamil film 'Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru' aka 'D-16' has been making a lot of noise. Off late, Indian filmmakers are trying out some very different films and one among them is “Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru”. The film's Tamil version that released on December 29, continues to hit the headlines still. The film won critical acclaim as well as commercial success. 'D-16' was dubbed into Telugu as '16'. The movie is presented by Chadalavada Brothers, expecting the same success for its Telugu version.

STORY:
The film starts in an apartment with a murder scene of a couple. The murder case is automatically handed over to a sincere inspector called Deepak (Rahman) who starts the investigation right away. Things are not as simple as they look for Deepak because the case keeps getting way too confusing for him with every passing hour. On the other side, there are several crimes are linked up with each other that makes things hard to solve the mystery case. What are those things link up with the murder case? How Deepak solved the mystery case forms the rest of the story.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
The performances are terrific and they take center stage. Rahman is superb as the investigating cop and gives his career best performance. His performance during the climax is very good and the way he holds the entire film speaks volumes of his talent. Prakash Raghavan and all other cast have delivered fine acting.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Technically, this is Director's movie and credit should go to young director Karthick Naren who has written a fab story and executed it in an even better manner.Crime thrillers always click because of the taut screenplay and racy narration. The same happens with '16' too as the film is narrated with some brilliant screenplay. Karthick Naren induces layers of suspenseful moments which keeps you guessing until the very end. It is for sure an impressive way of story telling. One could see that editor Sreejith Sarang and director Karthick Naren have worked on the same page.

But, one of the biggest drawbacks of the film is that it is too complex for a common audience. The audience is forced to keep guessing throughout, and when people walks out of the screen, they will debate on how things happen. The director wins that part. But one feels he must have addressed certain twists that were left abrupt, possibly assuming that those scenes look self-explanatory. The revelations that we get in the climax are something that works better on paper than on screen. That is why the final portions are a little underwhelming from a narrative standpoint; there are logical loopholes and narrative deceptions. The normal audience who loves basic stuff is bound to get confused with the way the case takes twists and turns. Even after watching the movie till its end, a section of the audience will surely have many doubts about the plot. But then, the strength of '16' lies in the filmmaking, which dazzles us enough to make us set these quibbles aside and applaud it. The way certain crime scenes and links are combined proves the genius of the director who is a talent to watch out for.

Jakes Bejoy’s background music elevates the scenes and creates a tense mood during the entire duration of the film. The film's Cinematography is top notch. Visuals, mostly dark and rainy, have been showcased in a very effective manner. Telugu dubbing is very good as Hema Chandra’s voice nicely suits Rahman. Production values are very good.

VERDICT:
On the whole, '16 - Every Detail Counts' is a gripping thriller with an impressive storyline filled with some good suspense right until the end. If you ignore the confusions arisen during the first half, this film is a very engaging watch for all those who love crime and investigative suspense thrillers. But those who look for regular entertainment can keep away from this film which completely sticks to its genre.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Kittu Unnadu Jagratha
Cast: Raj Tarun, Anu Emmanuel, Arbaaz Khan, Naga Babu, Prudhvi, Praveen, Raghubabu, and others
Story: Srikanth Vissa
Dialogues: Sai Madhav Burra
Music: Anup Rubens
Cinematography:  B.Rajashekar
Editing: M R Varma
Producer: Ram Brahmam Sunkara
Director: Vamsi Krishna
Banner: AK Entertainments
Release Date: March 03, 2017

The promos of Raj Tarun’s Kittu Unnadu Jagratha have caught on quite well all over. After a good round of promos, this hilarious entertainer is a comedy caper that sticks to the cliches of the genre. Director Vamsi Krishna, who made a decent debut with 'Dongaata', has once again chosen to do a movie in the same genre. KUJ is routine but it did offer some laughs despite the clumsy second half.

STORY:
Kittu (Raj Tarun) is a happy go lucky car mechanic who falls in love with Janaki (Anu Emanuel). As Kittu faces some small time problems in his love story, he turns into a dog kidnapper and keeps earning money out of it. One fine day, Janaki comes to know about Kittu’s true colors and breaks up with him. In a turn of events, a deadly criminal called AR (Arbaaz Khan) kidnaps Janaki. At the same time, Kittu kidnaps dog of Janaki, without knowing that the puppy belongs to their family. This entire kidnap drama of Janaki and dog has many twists and turns further.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Raj Tarun is at ease in a role that suits him. He has come up with energetic performance. But his character lacks strength. The romantic part shot on Anu Emmanuel and him is very weak. Anu Emmanuel is a big minus to this movie. Prudhvi steals the show once again with his rib-tickling comedy. Probably, this is his best comedy track that has come out in the recent past. His role as a partially blind goon is quite impressive. Arbaaz Khan is pretty impressive as the main villain. He carries out his role sincerely and brings a lot of depth to the proceedings. Naga Babu, Raja Ravindra, and others have done a neat job.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
The story of the movie has nothing new to offer but director succeeded in presenting it with a good screenplay by adding the concept of kidnapping dogs. Known to have been ripped off from a Korean film "How to Steal a Dog (2014)', the way story is adapted to Telugu nativity by writer Shyam is also a good job. Director is in command of things until the intermission point and from then on the film loses steam and goes off track. Kittu kidnapping the dog and heroine getting kidnapped by the villain at the same time makes it a very interesting interval block. But later on, the director couldn't surprise with any such elements.

The second half of the film is pretty weak as it seems like the director is waiting for the climax scene. Care should have been taken care on this part, which really couldn't rise above the average mark. Prithvi's comedy during the climax saves the movie up to some extent, but there are many concerns about the second half.

Music by Anup Rubens is very ordinary. He failed to come up with catchy tunes and also couldn't give a decent background score. Dialogues are good in parts. Film's cinematography is adequate. Editing is good in the first half but gets messy in the latter half. Production values of the movie are very good as the makers have spent a good amount on this limited budget movie.

VERDICT:
On the whole, 'Kittu Unnadu Jagratha' is a fun entertainer which has some hilarious comedy during the last half an hour. All those who are willing to pass the time without stressing much for logic can give it a try.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Gunturodu
Cast: Manchu Manoj, Pragya Jaiswal, Sampath Raj, Rajendra Prasad, Praveen, Kota Srinivasa Rao and others
Action: Venkat
Music: Sri Vasanth
Cinematography: Siddhartha Ramaswamy
Editing: Karthika Srinivas
Producers: Sri Varun Atluri
Story, Dialogues, Screenplay and Direction: S K Satya
Banner: Claps and Whistles
Release Date: March 03, 2017

For the first time in his career, Manchu Manoj has come up with an out and out mass entertainer with 'Gunturodu'. It has been a while since Manchu Manoj scored a box office hit. The Manchu hero is under pressure to deliver the goods after the colossal failure of his previous film 'Shourya'. So he took upon this mass masala film as a safe bet. When he announced 'Gunturodu', the film didn't create any buzz. But with the news that Megastar Chiranjeevi is giving voice over, the film created curiosity about it. Let's see how spicy is this Guntur Mirchi and whether the film turns out as expected.

STORY:
Kanna(Manoj) is a happy go lucky youth in the city of Guntur. One fine day, he gets into a huge fight with a deadly criminal lawyer called Seshu(Sampath) and injures him badly. Things become complicated when a very upset Seshu starts looking for Kanna and targets his father(Rajendra Prasad). The scene becomes even more chaotic when Kanna falls in love with Seshu’s only sister Amrita(Pragya Jaiswal). Rest of the story is as to how a normal middle-class guy like Kanna manages to fight the mighty Seshu and ends up marrying his sister.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Manchu Manoj suits the title role completely and impresses in a mass avatar. He is especially rocking in the high octane fights and mouths some powerful dialogues with a lot of ease. Manoj’s energy lifts the film and all his confrontational scenes with Sampath are very good. Praggya is glamorous and performed well. Sampath Raj's screen presence is one of the assets of the film.After a long time, Kota Srinivasa Rao gets a good role.Rajendra Prasad is impressive as hero's father. Rao Ramesh did a cameo. Praveen is fine as the sidekick of Manoj.


TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Director Satya has done just an okay job with the film. His way of showcasing the hero-villain conflict is pretty good. Satya concentrated more on presenting the movie in a stylish way with high speed shots. But the poor script made 'Gunturodu' a tiresome watch.  As he showcases too much intensity during the initial stages itself, he runs out of steam as the film progresses. Satya may shine with better script on hands.

Production values of the film are very good as the rustic locales of Guntur are nicely showcased by some good camerawork. The action choreography needs a special mention as all the fights are superbly executed. Manoj is showcased in a superb way and it also suits his body language. Vasanth's music is passable. A couple of songs are good on ears. Luckily, the songs do not disturb the flow of the film.  Background score is decent. Cinematography is impressive. Editing is bad. There is so much lag in the film. Especially during the second half as Prudhvi’s comedy track could have been avoided. Dialogues are very ordinary.

VERDICT:
On the whole, 'Gunturodu' is not worth watching except for Manoj's sincere efforts to make it work. But the probability for the film to reach it's target audience in B & C centers is high.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Dwaraka
Cast: Vijay Devarakonda, Pooja Jhaveri, Prakash Raj, Prudhvi, Prabhakar, Surekha Vani, Murali Sharma and others
Dialogues: Lakshmi Bhupal
Music: Sai Karthik
Cinematography: Shyam K Naidu
Editing: Prawin Pudi
Producers: Pradyumna Chandrapati, Ganesh
Screenplay and Direction: Srinivasa Ravindra
Banner: Legend Cinema
Release Date: March 03, 2017

The reason why "Dwaraka" got a huge pre-release buzz is Vijay Devarakonda. His earlier film 'Pelli Choopulu' made him a star to watch out for and this is Vijay Devarakonda’s immediate outing after that film. Directed by debutant MSR and produced on popular banner Super Good Films, let’s see whether the film lived up to the buzz or not and what’s the film is all about.

STORY:
Erra Seenu (Vijay Devarakonda) is a petty thief. While trying to run away from a robbery, he lands in an apartment... 'Dwaraka'. He hits the luck here, as a pujari (Prudhvi) makes him a baba named Sri Krishnananda Swamy. Though he is acting as Baba on the insistence of Pujari, people start believing him. An evil lawyer and police run a Devasthanam Trust on his name and start milking money from the donations that came from followers of Sri Krishnananda Swamy.

In parallel, Erra Seenu falls in love with beautiful girl Vasudha (Pooja Jhaveri). What are the sacrifices Erra Seenu did to win his love, how an atheist, rationalist Chaitanya (Murali Sharma), Chief Minister (Prakash Raj) helped, how Seenu comes out clean from this fake drama he is engulfed in when the entire issue turns into a major issue... forms rest of the movie.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
After the boy next door naturalistic portrayal characters in 'Yevade Subramanyam' and 'Pellichoopulu', this isn’t the cup of tea for Vijay Devarakonda. Though fumbled here are there with diction, he tried to remain sincere throughout. Never again, Vijay should try his hand at mainstream commercial cinema. Pooja Jhaveri is beautiful and indulged in two lip-locks. Murali Sharma is the best bet. Every dialogue spelled by him had loads of valued rationality. Prakash Raj although comes late, his presence is very much justified. Prudhvi as spiritual Guru is an apt selection. Kalakeya Prabhakar is one weak link in antagonism along with police character by Jackie and politician role by Prabhu. From hero’s friends batch Shakalaka Shankar, Sudarshan, and Naveen evoked few laughs. Rest like Uttej and others may not need big mention.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
The storyline is not new... some of the Telugu movies have dealt the same concept. But the new director has told it in slow and documentary style.'Dwaraka' tests the patience with its runtime and shows the hell. The scenes never end and the sequences go on slower pace making us feel that we are watching a 3-hour movie. Editing is bad. Shyam K Naidu’s camera work made the film visually rich looking despite production standards are pretty ordinary. He has given best output for a small movie like this. Music by Sai Karthik is very weak. Except for one song, all make you look for a loo break.

VERDICT:
On the whole, Dwaraka is a straightforward film with exceptional content but missed spark in execution. The only strength of the film is its comic sequences that are clean and smartly written without having to depend on double-meaning dialogues. In addition to its lengthy runtime... it's old school narration and boring scenes made the film a mere time waste to watch.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Yaman
Cast: Vijay Antony, Miya George, Thiagarajan, Arul Jothy, Sangili Murugan, Charle and others
Music: Vijay Antony
Editing: Veera Senthil Raj
Producer: Miryala Ravinder Reddy
Writer, Cinematographer, and Director: Jeeva Shankar
Banner: Lyca Productions
Release Date: February 24, 2017

After 'Bichagadu', Vijay Antony became a household name in Telugu. However, with his immediate psychological thriller film 'Bethaludu', he disappointed. Now, the music director turned hero teamed up with director Jeeva Shankar who had launched him in 2012 and picked a political thriller 'Yaman'.

STORY:
Man of principles Devarakonda Gandhi (Vijay Antony) was assassinated by his friend & political opponent Pandu and gets elected from the same constituency while Gandhi’s widow commits suicide leaving behind their baby son Ashok Chakravarthy (Vijay Antony). Ashok is raised by his grandfather (Sangili Murugan) in Hyderabad... far from the village.

Ashok grows up into a youth. An urgent need for a huge sum of money required for his grandfather forces him to go to jail on behalf of someone else. This pushes himself into a spot as he stuck between two groups - Samba, Narasimha. With the backing of Opposition leader and ex-MLA Karunakar (Thiagarajan), Ashok manages to come out of it. For this help, Karunakar seeks a favour from Ashok and this lands him into a big mess after he meets minister Pandu. In parallel, love blossoms between the movie star Ahalya (Mia George) and marries her. What’s the game of political wits between Ashoka Chakravarthy and Karunakar, Pandu, who won and who lost their lives is the rest of gripping narration.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Vijay Antony once again maintained his brand of surprising script selection and delivers impressive performance. He runs the whole show in this political thriller movie loaded with solid drama. In contrast to his last couple of films, he acted more with a sustained intensity in eyes.But he needs to improve his dances a lot. Mia George is beautiful, authentic and does a neat job in her limited role. Thiagarajan too is okay. But he fails as a villain. Arul Jothy’s character etching is superb and leaves a long lasting impact. All others did justice to their roles.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Director Jeeva Shankar, who himself is a writer and cinematographer, offers good visuals supported with the strong writing. The film has enough twists and turns that are unpredictable and thus makes the film engaging. Background Music works in favour of the film. Songs are passable as nothing great about them. Though the film is supposedly a Tamil-Telugu bilingual, there is a total Tamil influence everywhere right from the mannerisms to the atmosphere, to the actors. Though the director has taken care to camouflage the Tamil signboards etc., the Tamil feel is hard to miss.

VERDICT:
On the whole, Yaman is an interesting political thriller. Despite a strong content and formidable artistic excellence, extremely time eating and slow unfurling of story test the audience patience. If you ignore the slow pace of the film, Yaman is good to watch.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Movie: Winner
Cast: Sai Dharam Tej, Rakul Preet Singh, Anasuya, Jagapathi Babu, Mukesh Rishi, Vennela Kishore, Anup Thakur Singh, Prudhvi, Ali and others
Story: Veligonda Srinivas
Dialogues: Abburi Ravi
Music: S S Thaman
Cinematography: Chota K Naidu
Editing: Gowtham Raju
Producers: Nallamalupu Srinivas (Bujji) and Tagore Madhu
Screenplay and Direction: Gopichand Malineni
Banner: Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Productions
Release Date: February 24, 2017

Director Gopichand Malineni who always sticks with the commercial template has yet again treaded the same path with Winner. Apart from presenting Sai Dharam Tej in a stylish way, there's nothing noteworthy about the movie. It is just another mindless masala flick that Telugu cinema audience is already fed up with.

STORY:
Siddharth (Sai Dharam Tej) hates his father (Jagapathi Babu) and horse racing as the latter neglects the former by getting busy with his business. Sid runs away from home and grows up to become a newspaper editor and publisher. He falls in love with Sitara (Rakul), an athlete. While Sitara father forces her to get married against her will, she comes up with a plan where Sid has take up the challenge of turning jockey for the sake of winning his love.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Sai Dharam Tej is presented in a stylish way unlike his previous films. His styling is good and he tries hard to deliver the best for his character. Mega fans will be disappointed as Sai Dharam Tej has not danced to his capability. The choreography is very poor in the songs and they do not excite or entertain you much. Rakul Preeth Singh’s skin show dominated glamour in skimpy costumes and she performs her duties with utmost sincerity. Jagapathi Babu steals the show in his own style in a sober, stylish father role. Mukesh Rushi's villainy is too silly. Thakur looks like an old school villain, all brawn but no brain! Prudhvi, Ali and Vennela Kishore provide a bit of relief with their comedy. Rest of the cast doesn't have much to do except for mouthing the lines written for them.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:
Winner has top notch production values as the film looks quite grand. Right from the locales to the superb camera work by Chota K Naidu, the film has some very good visuals. Thaman is average but his background score is impressive. Dialogues are decent and so was the styling done to the actors.  Editor does a decent job by keeping the run time short and as said earlier choreography is quite bad.

Gopichand Malineni has proved his capabilities of handling a commercial film. He plays it safe yet again without trying anything new. Screenplay is too predictable and there is nothing that is exciting on the direction front. It is just a lazy job from the experienced director in the name of making a commercial entertainer.

VERDICT:
On the whole, There is nothing new that you have not seen before in Winner but Tej’s standout performance and some good comedy make this film an okay watch. For 'A' center audience, this movie is hard to gulp. So, Box Office result totally depends on how 'B' and 'C' centers adore.
Continue reading

on
Latest movie news, gossips, reviews on Tollywood, Kollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood, Bollywood and Hollywood movies you're most interested in seeing.

Kichchha Sudeep's 'Hebbuli' is a big-budget Sandalwood commercial action film. But it deserves brownie points for putting in a “message” about a social issue that you wouldn’t expect to find its way into a film of this genre. That the film picks up on a healthcare issue that is usually drowned in lengthy and complex debates about patents and intellectual property, and manages to make a simple greed versus good battle out of it, is something to be marveled at.

STORY:
This U/A certified film ‘Hebbuli’ takes off with the opening sequence of a cross-border surgical strike carried out by Ram and his team of commandos. The apparent suicide of his brother, IAS officer Sathyamurthy (Ravichandran) – another man who just wants to do his bit to make the lives of the country’s poor a little better – brings him back from the border. The suicide is no suicide, but the heart of a nexus between a corrupt politician and a greedy industrialist. Captain Ram takes on the baddies and how he books the heavy weight criminals is via heavy fight at the climax. The beatings what Captain Ram takes could have been altered to look more logical. Otherwise S Krishna is superb in his work.

ARTISTES PERFORMANCE:
Hebbuli’s strong point is its action sequences featuring a Sudeep tailor-made for the stoic, upright hero role. Over the years, Sudeep has mastered the art of playing the man of few words and lots of action, and he delivers just what fans want in this film too. Kichcha Sudeep has given a right commercial film for his fans. At the same time the emotions through his acting is immaculate. Especially when he console child actor Ritu, we find the controlled emotion in him.  There are quite a few action feasts for front benchers, for family audience Kichccha Sudeep makes you collect tears from his performance. Action is a feast and investigating pattern is what keeps the audience glued to the seats. The new hair style for Sudeep looks very trendy. The dialogues written for his portion, the modulation he has made outshines everyone on the film. Amala Paul has quite a lengthy role in this hero oriented cinema. She is impressive in dancing moments.

TECHINICAL ASPECTS:
S Krishna knows the trick of the trade of a commercial cinema. He has not followed the formula but sets new standards with great support he got from producers, artists and technicians. However, where the film really struggles is outside the action sequences. While the first half sticks closely to the action script, the second half meanders as it tries to flesh out its social message, and establish the tear-jerking love between the hero and his brother. The ensemble of villains featuring Ravi Shankar and Ravi Kishan doesn’t contribute any depth to the story either, as these characters play out as the stock villains without a single shred of humanity in them. The arrangement of songs and, in particular, the very unsuccessful comedy track often puts the breaks on the film’s pace.

VERDICT:
At the end of its runtime, 'Hebbuli' is the kind of big-budget film with enough spectacle and heroism to please the fans, but falling short of that something extra to draw in the rest of the crowd.
Continue reading
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)