Rating: 5/10 (Emotional yet Unconvincing)

Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna, Suhas, Charuhasan, Sruthi Ramachandran, Raj Arjun, Anand 

Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction: Bharat Kamma

Music: Justin Prabhakaran

Producers: Naveen Yalamanchili, Y Ravi Shankar, CVM Mohan, Yash Rangineni

Banner: Mythri Movie Makers, Big Ben Cinemas

Vijay Deverakonda is finally back with his latest movie, Dear Comrade. The film has been in news so it was launched and was touted to be a game changer for the actor. Due to Arjun Reddy and Geetha Govindam, the expectations had risen to a new level due to the success of latter as it also starts Rashmika Mandanna. Directed by debutante Bharat Kamma, does the movie live upto the hype? Let's find out in today's review.

Plot: Dear Comrade tells the story of two family friends Chaitanya aka Bobby (Vijay Deverakonda and Aparna Devi aka Lilly (Rashmika) and their relationship and what ensues.

Performances: After Arjun Reddy, Vijay Deverakonda gets another chance to play an angry young man with anger management issues. He does a good job of bring out the various emotions whether it be pain, sadness, anger, happiness and plays his role to perfection. It's not the best performance but he does what's expected of him.

Rashmika Mandanna is decent as the female lead. Her acting is def good and her deglam look works well for the plot, but the crying and emotional scenes could have been much better. The chemistry between Vijay and Rashmika isn't as seamless as it was in Geetha Govindam and feels a bit off.

The rest of the actors in the movie make no impact. Suhas as Vijay's friend, Shruthi Ramachandran as Rashmika's sister, Charuhasan as Vijay's grandpa and Anand as Vijays father are all wasted.

Secret Superstar fame Raj Arjun gets another negative role and makes the most of it despite limited screen time.

Direction: This is Bharat Kamma's first film. Debutantes either go two ways. They either score a blockbuster or go the completely wrong way. Unfortunately, Dear Comrade falls into the latter category. The script on paper is adequate at best. But it has too many lags and fluff for it to be engaging and definitely should have been cleaned up. The problem with the film is that it tries to balance two simultaneous issues at hand, one being anger management and other being sexual harassment. But one feels the film tackles neither properly and tries really hard at the end to satisfy both and fails miserably. The main problem is Bharat's execution. The film lacks any memorable scenes or any wow moments in the script that stand out. The film just continues to move on a plain graph and never elevates. The narrative style is quite bland and boring. He tries to incorporate some commercial elements by adding fights in addition to the college politics angle. But even that feels artificial. Another big problem is that the film doesn't have a clear cut identity which its biggest undoing. There are one too many things going on and the pace and length are major issues which should have been corrected. This inability and uneven narrative gives you the feeling that you are watching two different films on one ticket. If Bharat had come to the point quicker in the 2nd half, then the film would have been much better in my opinion. In the name of honesty and realism, it undoes whatever potential it has. Overall, Bharat Kamma squanders a great concept with his execution and Dear Comrade ends up being a disappointment in the end.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Justin Prabhakaran is fabulous. Most of the songs are montage songs and the violin BGM that comes at times is really heart touching and emotional. He does a fantastic job of elevating somes scenes in the end. Cinematography by Sujith Sarang is outstanding and incredible. The visuals of the movie are amazing and beautifully complement the story with the various color palettes throughout. Product Design by Ramanajaneyulu is excellent. The house sets and locations give the movie a very natural and realistic look. Editing by Sreejith Sarang is bad. I really don't like to bash editors because it's the directors call but this movie is way too long. All of the scenes of Vijay going north and a solid 30 mins in the 2nd half should have been cut to make the movie have a much better moviegoing experience. Dialogues by Bharat Kamma are alright. Fights by G. Murali are useless. That's mainly due to narrative and execution. Costumes are alright. Production Values by Mythri Movie Makers and Big Ben Cinemas are extravagant. The movie looks rich from start to finish.

Positives:

+ Vijay Deverakonda

+ Rashmika Mandanna 

+ Cinematography and Music 

Negatives: 

- Direction

- Length

- Execution

- Editing 

- Fights

- Pace 

Analysis and Final Verdict: When Dear Comrade was announced it was somewhere in between Pellichoopulu and Arjun Reddy. Naturally after the success of Pellichoopulu, fans were excited to see more of Vjiay Deverakonda. Then Arjun Reddy happened and suddenly he had this new found popularity among the movie going audience. Then Geetha Govindam happened and cemented his position as a star and slowly climbing his way to reach the industry's elite stars.

Naturally, the Vijay Deverakonda when Dear Comrade was first announced and the one now are two very different people. With that comes bigger expectations and needs and wants from people. Unfortunately, Dear Comrade doesn't meet the expectations.

To put it simply, the film is a disappointment and a huge missed opportunity by Deverakonda and team. The film's biggest problem is the direction. Director Bharat Kamma had a great concept but it's wasted due to his lethargic and flat execution.

The premise and the message of the film is very good, but in the end it just doesn't feel convincing due to the artificiality of the direction. The film starts off with Bobby craving for Lilly and takes them to their flashback. The romantic track between Lilly and Bobby is not established well at all and feels very superficial once again. Yes it could be termed as mutual attraction, but it's just not developed that well at all. The first half is passable despite some boring scenes.

The 2nd half is the where the real problem starts. By the time they get to the point, they've already wasted so much of your time and you start to wonder what film you're exactly watching. As mentioned in the direction part, it's like watching two different movies one ticket due to the non existent identity of the film. The film would have much had more impact if it had released during at the height of the MeToo movement in India. And at this point the movie becomes like an unwanted chore.

The fights and student politics is rendered useless. While the promos and posters gave Shiva vibes, the film is nothing like that classic. The fights are just there and they have 0 impact. This is Vijay's first attempt at action and he fails mightily, but that's more dye to the execution than him.

The interval fight had potential to be a firecracker. Instead it doesn't even get to take off. Think of it in terms of a lion roaring but instead you get a cat meowing. I should mention Vijay also gets the living daylights kicked out of him in almost every fight.

Despite Vijay and Rashmika's solid performances, even chemistry isn't enough to save this movie. The film is highly emotional but you only feel it in parts instead of throughout the movie.

Overall, Dear Comrade is an emotional yet very unconvincing film due to the bland execution by director Bharat Kamma. Despite Vijay and Rashmika trying their best, it's hard to like this movie due to the aritificality throughout the narrative. In all, it's a film that makes you wanting so much more in the end because you know it could have been so much better. A massive missed opportunity for sure. Watch it if you're a Vijay Deverakonda fan or really want to watch something this weekend. 

Rating: 7.5/10 (Ustaad iSmart Shankar Kiraak Mass)

Cast: Ram Pothineni, Nabha Natesh, Niddhi Agerwal, Satyadev, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sayaji Shinde, Getup Srinu

Story- Screenplay- Dialogues-Direction: Puri Jagannadh

Music: Mani Sharma

Producers: Puri Jagannadh & Charmme Kaur

Banner: Puri Jagannadh Touring Talkies & Puri Connects

Director Puri Jagannadh has been going through a rough streak for the last 4.5 years and has not tasted even a decent success within this time. He's back with his latest movie iSmart Shankar starring Ram Pothineni in the lead. Also with Nabha Natesh and Niddhi Agerwal as the female leads, does the film give both Puri and Ram the much needed comeback? Let's find out in today's review.

Plot: A small time criminal named Shankar (Ram) gets involved in a murder case featuring a big politician. A cop (Satyadev) is trying to find out the killer behind the murder. How Shankar and the cops paths cross and how they intertwine forms the rest of iSmart Shankar with a little sci-fi twist

Performances: This movie is about one man. Ram, Ram, and Ram. He is simply world class. The way he has surrendered himself and transformed himself into Shankar is simply spectacular. From the outrageous look to the Telangana dialect and accent, he simply kills it in the lead role. His dances throughout the movie make you question why he isn't in the discussion among the industries best dancers. This movie is a feast if you're a Ram fan and he carries the movie and delivers his career best performance. Lastly, his dialogue delivery make the dialogues stand out.

In her second film. Nabha Natesh is incredible with her performance. The mass and swagger that she brings to the role along with her glamour in the film complement Ram really well. Her accent is also spot on and she makes the most of her and leaves a standing impression on the view.

Niddhi Agerwal finally gets a decent role with some nice screen presence and takes center stage in the 2nd half. She does well within her limitations.

Getup Srinu provides some extra comic relief as Shankar's auto driving friend. The villain is played by a new guy and he is ok.

Longtime Puri movie mainstays Ashish Vidyarthi and Sayaji Shinde are adequate in their roles as well.

Lastly, Satyadev gets another solid role after Broche and does well as his role is crucial to the plot.

Direction: There is probably only one director in the world who can pull off an entire film without caring about the story and the other 23 crafts of filmmaking. He is Puri Jagannadh. The cult director, best known for classic movies like Pokiri, Bhadri, Businessman, Golimaar, Temper, and Bujjigadu is finally back with a bang. Puri's direction is simply superb. The character of Shankar is what carries the movie and he extracts a superb performance from Ram who literally powers the movie from the start all the way till the end with his hilarious antics and relentless energy. Storywise, there's nothing new. The sci-fi twist at the interval is cool and makes for a nice end to the 1st half. However, the 2nd half becomes too predictable and the climax feels dragged despite Ram's 6 pack appearance. besides that, the screenplay is extremely racy and you never feel bored. Puri Jagan knows his strengths very well and once again he creates a film that purely runs on the hero characterization which results in iSmart Shankar to be a highly engaging mass entertainer after a long gap and return to form for the star director.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Mani Sharma is outstanding. The songs are well done on screen and the background score is simply phenomenal. Cinematography by Raj Thota is excellent. Puri Jagan movies always have a distinct style of chases and visuals and Raj captures them beautifully well. Editing is fine as there are really no complaints throughout the movie. Dialogues by Puri Jagan are too good. There are loads of curses throughout the movie and they're increasingly funny with the way Ram and Nabha deliver them with their Telangana slang. Fights by Real Satish are amazing. There are 6-7 fight sequences and Puri places them at the right intervals which results in a feast for action and mass movie lovers. Production Design especially for Dhimaak Kharab song and the lab set is fantastic. Costumes are fine. Lastly, Production values by Puri and Charmee are grand and top notch.

Positives: 

+ RAM, RAM, AND RAM 

+ Nabha 

+ Direction

+ Screenplay 

+ Music and BGM

Negatives: 

- Predictable Story in 2nd half 

- Dragged Climax 

Analysis and Final Verdict: From the promos, iSmart Shankar seemed like a disaster. Over the top acting, loud dialogues, and unusual Telangana accent all made the film seem like the nail in the coffin for Puri Jagannadh. But the film paints a completely different picture.

Simply put, the film is a pleasant surprise. Not only is the film massively entertaining, it's also well made from the standpoint of the other crafts and results in a comeback for Puri Jagan and much needed break for Ram in his career as well.

The film starts off with a pulsating action episode and Ram is in full swing with his accent and dialogues. To be honest within the first 15 mins, Ram literally sucks you into the film and makes you watch in awe of his performance. He simply otherworldly in this movie.

The entire credit goes to Puri for writing such an entertaining character and bringing back those memories we enjoyed during the early. The film has a simple story but the screenplay makes up for the loopholes and you never feel bored. As mentioned before the interval twist is nice and sets up the 2nd half nicely. But the story turns too predictable and a dragged climax doesn't help.

But that's the least of the films concerns because you will probably be so entertained it won't even matter. iSmart Shankar knows what type of movie it wants to be and succeeds mightlity at that.

Overall, iSmart Shankar is a pulsating mass action entertainer after a long time that results in a Kiraak viewing experience. Ram's spellbinding performance and Puri's direction will keep you engaged for the entirety of the runtime and the rest is bonus. If you like Puri Jagan or want to watch a good action movie, then def check this movie out. You won't be disappointed. 

Rating: 6.5/10 (Adequate Crime Thriller)

Cast: Sree Vishnu, Rahul Ramakrishna, Priyadarshi, Nivetha Thomas, Saytadev, Nivetha Pethuraj, Ajay Ghose, Harshavardhan, Sivaji Raja

Written and Directed by: Vivek Athreya

Producer: Vijay Kumar Manyam

Banner: Manyam Productions

After Mental Madhilo, director Vivek Athreya is back with his latest Brochevarevurara. A crime comedy, this film reunites him with his Mental Madhilo lead actor Sree Vishnu and has Nivetha Thomas, Priyadarshi, and Rahul Ramakrishna in supporting roles. The movie had an excellent teaser so does the entire thing meet the right expectations? Let's find out

Plot: The parallel stories of an aspiring director (Satayadev) and his preferred actress (Nivetha Pethuraj), 3 useless friends (Sree Vishnu, Rahul Ramakrishna, and Priyadarshi), and freshman student who aspires to be a dancer (Nivetha Thomas) all become interconnected due to one incident. How each character arc gets resolved forms the rest of this comic crime caper.

Performances: The casting in this film are perfect. Sree Vishnu is excellent as the useless college student and leader of the pack. His natural acting and dialogue delivery are a huge asset to his role and he delivers another solid performances. Rahul Ramakrishna and Priyadarshi are hilarious in parts with their typical Telangana accents.

Nivetha Thomas gives another good performance but it doesn't have the scope like her roles did in Gentleman and Ninnu Kori. Satyadev is good and Nivetha Pethuraj in a cameo is adequate as well.

Sivaji Raja is funny in his cameo as Sree Vishunu's father.

Ajay Ghose gets another negative character and makes the most of it while Harshavardhan entertains as a cop trying to solve the case.

Direction: This is Vivek Athreya's 2nd film after Mental Madhilo. I haven't had the chance to finish Mental Madhilo so this movie is the first time that I really get to experience something that he's made. From whatever I watched in Mental Madhilo, this is definitely an improvement. You can clearly see the narrative style of Vivek Athreya and the creativity that he brings to the table in the first 20 minutes. The script is ok but features a lot of twists and turns which keeps the film engaging. But one feels that it runs out of steam after all the twists are over and kind of drags on. He generates superb fun from the 3 main leads and some thier dialogues and situations are quite funny. Another good thing is that the film is well written and all the characters are important to the story. Many times in Telugu movies we see unnecessary characters or useless roles put into the script and wasteful cameos from time to time. Thankfully, this film doesn't do that. The interval twist is very nice and forms the basis for the entire movie. Each and every character has a motive and this results in an entertaining watch for the majority. Overall, Vivek Athreya's execution for this unique script is decent and he delivers an adequate movie overall.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Vivek Sagar is very good but the background score is unusually loud during the interval. The songs are mostly montage songs and nicely blended into the narrative. Cinematography by Sai Sriram is fine. Editing by Raviteja Girijala is alright. The movie could be a tad shorter in my opinion. Dialogues b Vivek Athreya are excellent. Some of them are very funny at times. Art is decent. Costumes chosen are wacky but fit nicely into the mood of the film. Production Values by Manyam Productions are adequate.

Positives:

+ Performances

+ Direction 

+ Story 

+ 1st half 

Negatives: 

- Lag in Places 

- Length

Analysis and Final Verdict: These days Telugu cinema fans are craving films that have different content but still manage to be entertaining. Last week Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya was able to strike a chord with the audience and this week Brochevarevarura does the same.

The film is a comedic crime thriller that's decently made and is partially engaging. The reason I say partially is because the teaser makes it seem if the movie is going to be a full on entertainer but it's anything but. It's a crime thriller that has comedic undertones. So don't be expecting a laugh riot from start to finish.

The movie starts off in an interesting way and once the story of Satyadev's wannabe director comes in, you start to wonder in the 3 friends and Mithra are all part of a film within film. That's the feel the movie gives at first. As it progresses, the comedy works and the interval really shifts the mood of things.

The problems start post the interval when all the twists have been revealed and the pace starts to lag a little bit. The script is decent but Athreya's direction makes it engaging more often than not.

Brochevaruevera is not a bad movie. But due to some issues in the 2nd half, it remains average because sometimes it feels boring and at other times it's engaging. I would say have the right expectations in mind when watching the film and don't expect a movie that is outright funny from first frame to the last.

Overall, Brochevarevarura is an adequate crime thriller from Vivek Athreya and co that is well made technically speaking but partially engaging entertainment wise. Solid performances, a decent script, and some good comedy are the highlights of this crime caper. It's def worth a watch for the attempt and fresh content. But just don't expect anything mind blowing and keep your expectations in check. 

Here's the trailer just in case: 

Rating: 7/10 (Engaging Detective Movie)

Cast: Naveen Polishetty, Shruti Sharma, Darbha Appaji Ambarisha, Suhas

Story, Dialogues, and Direction: Swaroop RSJ

Screenplay: Naveen Polishetty and Swaroop RSJ

Producer: Rahul Yadav Nakka 

Banner: Swadharm Entertainment

After stints in Life is Beautiful, 1 Nenokkadine, and All India Bakchod, actor Naveen Polishetty finally makes his debut as a leading man in Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya. Directed by debutante Swaroop RSJ and co starring Chaibisket Suhas, does this movie live upto the hype after it's impressive trailer? Let's find out in this review

Plot: A small time detective named Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya (Naveen Polishetty) and his assistant Sneha (Shruthi Sharma) attempt to solve a murder mystery in Nellore.

Performances: Naveen Polishetty is an absolute firecracker of a performer. This dude is so talented and really energetic which makes you wonder where he was all these years. Naveen is simply amazing as Athreya and he will keep you entertained for the entire film. His dialogue delivery, expressions, and natural acting are all very good and in the future, he can easily become a big star with his talent.

Shruthi Sharma as Sneha is good and works well as Athreya's assistant. Chaibisket Suhas who most recently played Naga Chaitanya's friend in Majili gets another hilarious cameo and entertains in the last 20 minutes of the film.

There are many new actors in the movie who we haven't really seen before so I apologize for not being able to list them.

Direction: This is Swaroop KSJ debut and he along with Naveen wrote the script. It's very entertaining to say the least. The characterization of the detective is what makes the film stand out. It generates a ton of comedy and entertainment and hilarious situations. Usually detective movies such as Sherlock Holmes which the film pays homage to on Athreya's wall, often are one step ahead of everyone and just have some miraculous ability to solve things. In other words, he's got eyes everywhere 24/7 and he's literally a walking satellite and knows everything just by the slightest things. We can't really connect with that level of intelligence. In Athreya however, the writers have made him relatable in that he's not perfect and that he makes mistakes and he gets into trouble most of the time. The script also features the opportunity for mystery. Usually in detective movies, the suspense is revealed very early on and it's a cat and mouse game between the protagonist and antagonist to the finish line. Swaroop cleverly saves the twists for the last 20 mins of the film which is where everything unfolds and takes up a unique concept that isn't routine. Overall, Swaroop does a great job in his debut by crafting a film that's the perfect blend of comedy and mystery and generates really good entertainment from his lead actor.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Mark K robin is very good. He's able to elevate some regular scenes with a riveting background score. There aren't too many songs which is a relief as well considering the genre. Cinematography by Sunny Kurapati is decent. Most of the film is shot during the night considering the investigative part of the narrative so there's nothing to really take home here. Dialogues by Swaroop KSJ are witty and entertaining. Editing by Amit Tripathi should have been better. The film feels lengthy at 148 minutes. Production Values by Swadharam Entertainment are adequate given the limited budget

Positives: 

+ Naveen Polishetty 

+ Script

+ Direction 

+ Last 20 mins 

Negatives: 

- Length 

- Pace lag here and there

Analysis and Final Verdict: Most of the reviews you read probably said that this movie is similar to Chantabbai. Well I'm not gonna say the same thing because I haven't seen that movie nor was I alive when it came out. What I will say is that Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya works and it's mainly due to Naveen Polishetty's performance.

The initial setup is hilarious with Sherlock Holmes being his devudu and him establishing the FBI which has a really funny name. The fact that it's set in Nellore and not Hyderabad gives it a fresh feel. Once the interval hits, there's a huge twist and what ensues forms the rest of the narrative. If I said anymore, it would be a spoiler but the twists and turns presented in the script are very good.

The only problem is that you might feel that the film takes a little too long to come to the conclusion and the pace dips here and there until the suspense is revealed, but keeping in mind the genre, a detective film needs to flesh out all the details before cracking a case so I guess in this case it's justified. Chaibisket's Suhas provides some nice laughs towards the end and the case that Athreya solves is quite unorthodox and quite creepy to be honest.

Nevertheless, those craving for fresh and engaging content don't have to look any further. And you might find yourself a new favorite upcoming actor in Naveen Polishetty. He carries the movie and delivers a brilliant performance.

Overall, Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya makes for an engaging entry in the detective genre in Telugu cinema. Naveen Polishetty's performance and a solid script filled with twists which generates lot of entertainment and suspense are the highlights of the this film. Definitely give this one a try. You won't regret it. 

Rating: 5/10 (Meaningful Dialogues but no Soul)

Cast: Sai Tej, Kalyani Priyadarshani, Nivetha Pethuraj, Sunil, Vennela Kishore, Posani Murali Krishna, Jayaprakash

Director: Kishore Tirumala

Producers: Naveen Yerneni- CVM Mohan- Ravi Shankar

Banner: Mythri Movie Makers

Sai Tej, dropping Dharam from his name has not seen success since Supreme back in 2016. The actor has been in a terrible streak of form with 6 consecutive disasters. he has teamed up with director Kishore Tirumala, best known for Nenu Sailaja for an entertainer called Chitralahari. produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film also features Kalyani Priyadarshani, Nivethu Pethuraj and comedian Sunil in pivotal roles. Can the film break Tej's bad form and give him some life? Let's find out

Plot: Vijay Krishna (Sai Tej) is a talented developer looking for a break for his entrepreneurial idea. But success has eluded him his whole career. His father Posani believes in him when no one else does. Along the way, he falls in love with Lahari (Kalyani Priyadarshani) and also crosses paths with Swecha (Nivetha Pethuraj). Whether or not Vijay finally finds success forms the rest of Chitralahari

Performances: Sai Tej delivers a solid performance and is at ease in a subtle role. It's refreshing and a perfect fit for the actor after monotonous, energetic mass masala performances in his recent films.

Kalyani Priyadarshani is wasted as Lahari and the character has poor judgement skills. Nivetha Pethuraj as Swecha is impressive and does well.

Sunil as a "glassmate" for Sai Tej is ok. Some of the comedy works, but most of it is really hit or miss depending in your sense of humor.

Vennela Kishore is hilarious once again as a Tamil speaking employee in Mumbai in the 2nd half. Posani is entertaining as Vijay's father and gets some good dialogues as well.

Direction: Kishore Tirumala's last film was Vunnadi Okkate Zindagi. He has written Chitlahari and it's the simple story of an underdog who is smart but unsuccessful in his career. The character of Vijay Krishna is the lifeline of the movie. Sai Tej plays the role to perfection and carries the movie. But besides this, the movie really has no substance and plot whatsoever. The character of Lahari is poorly written and is a waste of time for the narrative. On paper, the story is good but the execution is subpar. Chitlahari also has a great message but in the end feels unconvincing due to the uneven narrative and philosophical wordplay throughout the film. Sunil's character is supposed to be funny but it gets irritating to hear the word Glassmate about 50 odd times throughout the movie. It reminds you of how much Vijay Deverakonda says Madam in Geetha Govindam. The film also feels too preachy with the dialogues, and even though they are well written, some are them are drawn out beyond belief. Overall, the concept of the film is good but the execution makes it very unconvincing and you wonder what the point of the film is in the end.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Devi Sri Prasad is ok. The songs are good to listen to but only Prema Vennela works on screen. The background score is adequate. Cinematography by Karthik Ghattamaneni is alright. Lots of scenes in the movie take place during the night so there's nothing much to remember about the visuals with all the darkness around. Dialogues by Kishore Tirumala are a double edged sword. Double edged because some of them are very good, but on the other hand some of them are too preachy and philosophical. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is subpar. Even at 131 minutes, Chitralahari feels drawn out. Production Design by AS Prakash is good. Lastly, Production Vakues by Mythri Movie Makers are grand as usual.

Positives: 

+ Sai Tej

+ Music 

+ Concept

Negatives:

- Direction

- Shallow Plot 

- Length

Final Take and Analysis: Chitralahari was supposed to be the comeback for Sai Tej after as series of flops. Unfortunately one can't say that this film breaks the duck. The film has a good concept, but the inept execution is what spoils the movie.

The film starts off in a nice manner and proceeds to showcase the story of Vijay Krishna and why success is eluding him. The romantic track with Lahari is a waste of time and is quite silly. The film starts to come into its own during the interval break. The 2nd half features Vijay trying to get his idea to work and a Mumbai episode featruing Vennela Kishire.

These sequences help the film stay afloat but the graph comes back down again during the climax portions. In the end you are left confused by the film and it feels unconvincing and you wonder what Kishore Tirumala was trying to convey in the film.

Chitralahari works in parts but doesn't have enough content to engage you for the 131 minute run-time. That's most likely due to the shallow plot. With an underdog story, there's only so much you can do. And frankly, the same could be said for Sai Tej as well.

Overall, Chitralahari is a film filled with meaningful dialogues but no soul in the end. Despite Sai Tej's mature and improved performance, this film simply doesn't have enough content to be a convincing movie in the end due to inept execution by Kishore Tirumala. 

Rating: 5/10 (Realistic Emotions but a drag)

Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Akkineni, Divyanka Kaushik, Rao Ramesh, Subbaraju, Posnai Murali Krishna, Chaibisket Suhas, Atul Kulkarni, Ravi Prakash

Story-Screenplay-Dialogues-Direction: Shiva Nirvana

Producer: Sahu Garupati and Harish Peddi

Banner: Shine Screens

After two back to back debacles in Sailaja Reddy Alludu and Savyasachi, Naga Chaitanya is back with his latest film Majili. Directed by Ninnu Kori fame Shiva Nirvana, the movie costars his real life spouse Samantha and ironically the two plays husband and wife in the film. Does the film live up-to the expectations? Let's find out

Plot: Poorna (Naga Chaitanya) is a middle aged man who wanted to be an aspiring cricketer and is still in shock over a past love failure over a girl named Anshu (Divyanka Kaushik). In classic Telugu movie fashion, Anshu's father disapproves of their relationship. Poorna then gets married to Shravani (Samantha) who loves him unconditionally but Poorna cannot reciprocate the same level of affection. The rest of Majili film deals with what actually happened with Anshu and the relationship between Poorna and Shravani

Performances: Naga Chaitanya delivers his career best performance and he is very good in emotional scenes. He also has that youthful look and he looks the part as a young cricketer during the flashback and fits the bill.

Samantha as Shravani is excellent as always. The various emotions she portrays as a wife longing for her husband's love is superb. She only enters during the interval and pretty much carries the 2nd half. Debutante Divyanka Kaushik has good looks but does a terrible job with the lip sync in an adequate performance.

Subbaraju plays a negative role he's done a million times by now. Rao Ramesh and Posani are excellent as the fathers of Poorna and Shravani respectively. Atul Kulkarni does well and it;s nice to see him back in a Telugu film after a long gap.

Chaibisket Suhas is awesome as the friends sidekick and Ravi Prakash is adequate as Poorna's cricket coach.

Direction: Ninnu Kori was the first film by Shiva Nirvana and featured the theme of a man struggling to get over a failed relationship in his past. In Majili, the theme is exactly the same. The only difference between the two films is that the hero is married now instead of the girl he liked. Majili deals with the character of Poorna and his struggle to overcome the pain of his lover some 13 years ago. While certain emotions work, others don't. Some people will say that the emotions are realistic and so if the film, but those are remarks are simply false. The slow pace is another minus for the film. Usually if a film is gripping and has slow pace, the audience will excuse it. But Majili is like watching paint dry despite some excellent performances. It's unrealistic to expect entertainment in a film like this with this genre and theme. While Shiva had Nani who has impeccable comic timing in Ninnu Kori, here the story and emotions are all very serious which results in a serious film. In serious movies, the content must be gripping throughout for the audience to be hooked for the entirety. And in that case, Majili fails to deliver that. Overall, Shiva Nirvana tries his best to make an emotional and hard hitting story in which he partially succeeds but cannot hold the audiences interest for the entirety of the films' narrative.

Technicalities: Songs by Gopi Sundar and BGM by Thaman are good. The songs are good to listen to and a distraction on screen. Background Music somewhat makes up for it as it is soothing in places. Cinematography by Vishnu Sharma is alright. Nothing great or magnificent about the shots in the film. Dialogues by Shiva Nirvana are very good. Editing by Prawin Pudi is ok. At 154 minutes, Majili feels way too long for it's own good. Production Design by Sahi Suresh is good. Fights are well taken and realistic. Production Values by Shine Screens are grand.

Positives: 

+ Naga Chaitanya 

+ Samantha

+ Realistic Emotions

Negatives:

- Pace

- Characters

- Direction at parts

Final Take and Analysis: Majili garnered hype as it was both the first film of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha as a couple and the 2nd film of Shiva Nirvana after the huge success of Ninnu Kori. Shiva takes the basic love triangle and love failure of his film and tries to incorporate it here as well. But the result is an underwhelming love story with realistic emotions at times and not throughout the whole film.

The film starts off with Poorna and shows why he's essentially become Devadas. The flashback is crucial to the films plot but there are numerous times where the film will test your patience. Particularly with the twist of Subbaraju's character lusting for Anshu and the excessive 3 times that Poorna gets beaten up trying to protect Anshu. To be honest, no character in the film has any clarity or is practical in any way shape or form.

There's a scene where Anshu tries to convince Poorna to elope with her and he says I can't do that because I have cricket tomorrow.

And this girl questions him and says what's more important? Me or your career? The correct response would be bitch, I have my whole life and career ahead of me and I don't have time to sit here and think about it right now. And the fact that Poorna cannot forget Anshu despite 13 years passing (yes apparently they tell us it's been 13 years at some point in the film) is just ridiculous.

Realistically, most breakups and heartbreaks last a year or more and you get on with your life. But this guy is unable to forget after 13 years. Poorna isn't a character that makes you root for him or sympathize with him. Rather you'll probably be annoyed by him. Sharvani is much more likable character and she makes the film watchable to an extent. But as mentioned earlier, serious films needs gripping content throughout to engage the audience. And since Majili can only do this in parts, it falls apart as one cohesive narrative despite the realistic emotions.

Overall, Majili makes for an adequate watch with realistic emotions but has a painfully slow narrative. Watch it only if you like Naga Chaitanya or Samantha. But don't be surprised if you feel restless or your patience being tested at any point throughout the film. 

Rating: 6/10 (Friendship and Farmers)

Cast: Mahesh Babu, Pooja Hegde, Allari Naresh, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Rajeev Kanakala, Vennela Kishore, Kamal Kamaraju, Rao Ramesh, Jhansi, Meenakshi Dixit, Brahmaji, Vidyulekha Raman

Director: Vamshi Paidipally

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Producer: Aswini Dutt- Dil Raju- Pearl V. Potluri & Param V Potluri

Banner: Vjayanthi Movies- Sri Venkateswara Creations- PVP Cinemas

After a gap of 1 year, Superstar Mahesh Babu is back with his prestigious 25h film in his career, Maharshi. Directed by Vamshi Paidipally and produced by three producers in Aswini Dutt, Dil Raju, and PVP, the movie is carrying huge expectations from the audience. Does it live up-to the hype? Let's find out in this week's review

Plot: Maharshi tells the story of K. Rishi Kumar (Mahesh Babu) and his journey of how he became a successful businessman starting with how he was an ambitious young man in college to the CEO of a Multi National Corporation called Origin. Along the way, Ravi (Allari Naresh) and Pooja (Pooja Hegde) play a crucial part in Rishi's journey. How Rishi fully discovers himself and how his journey concludes forms the rest of Maharshi

Performances: In his 25th film, Mahesh Babu gets to play 3 different shades. One as a CEO, one as a college student, and one as a common man aiming for social change. Mahesh Babu is excellent in all 3 roles. However it's the college student role which is an absolute feast for fans. From his look to his dialogues to his mannerisms, college student Rishi is easily the pick of the lot and you can see how much fun he's having on screen.

If not for Allari Naresh, the film would not be as good. Allari Naresh completely reinvents himself and is outstanding in the role of Ravi. This is his career best performance as he showcases his classic comic timing and gives a very emotional performance that will tug at your heartstrings throughout the movie. He shares a nice chemistry with Mahesh and the two actors essentially carry the film.

Pooja Hegde plays an important part in the story and does well but the romantic track is not properly written and looks silly at times. Jagapathi Babu as the villain Vivek Mittal is weak and poorly written but looks nice in the various suits that he wears.

The evergreen duo of Prakash Raj and Jayasudha play Mahesh's parents in this film and they are fantastic once again.

Rao Ramesh gets a nice role as a professor in Rishi's college. Kamal Kamraju makes a mark playing a egotistical guy who excels at studies in the college portions.

The rest of the cast in Mukesh Rishi, Meenakshi Dixit, Vennela Kishore, RJ Hemanth, Brahmaji, Vidyulekha Raman, and Rajeev Kanakala are all wasted in miniscule roles.

Direction: Maharshi is Vamshi Paidipally's 5th film in his career and in a span of 12 years he has made just 5 films. Say quality over quantity or what not, but the director is clearly taking his time and going at his pace. One can say the same when watching Maharshi. On paper, Maharshi is the story of a man who succeeds due to his friends sacrifice and how he tries to rectify his mistake due to that. And throughout, there are various themes of motivation, arrogance, jealousy, and innovation all playing a part. Vamshi seems to have written so much in the script and tried to balance so many themes that after a point, the film essentially feels like he's trying to hold it together without having any cracks seep through. The film goes at it's own pace and whether or not the length is justified will be different in each viewers perspective. The character of Rishi is beautifully written and one of the best for Mahesh Babu in recent times as he gets to portray various shades in each role. And Ravi is equally as good. The film is entertaining during the college portions but plays at its own pace for the remainder of the film. One feels that the father-son relationship could have been explored more and the concept of the farmers plight in the 2nd half should have come to the forefront sooner rather than latter as the majority of the first hour on the 2nd half is just filled with fluff and keeps the runtime going. The film has no bad moments but neither is it the best, which results in it being a decent product. But one feels Vamshi's direction and writing could have been a lot better which would have resulted in a much better output for the film. Nonetheless, Vamshi does his best for Maharshi and makes it a watchable film for the most part and utilizes Mahesh's screen presence to full effect throughout the film.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Devi Sri Prasad is adequate. One feels DSP could have done a much better job despite the average album and the background score during fight sequences especially should be much better. Cinematography by KU Mohanan is outstanding. The veteran cinematographers' Telugu debut shows why he's one the best in the business and Maharshi looks stunning and visually rich in each and every frame. Editing by KL Praveen is questionable but more on that later. Dialogues by Vamshi Paidipally are excellent. Some of them will stay with you after you leave the theater. There's the perfect blend of emotional, mass, and motivational dialogues sprinkled throughout the film. Luckily, none of them are really preachy or that philosophical to test our patience. Fights by Ram Lakshman are very good. Special mention to the village fight during the night which is exceptionally taken with the right amount of emotions and intensity. Styling deserves a special mention as Mahesh Babu has never looked so stylish on screen. The costumes chosen are superb throughout the film. Production Design is excellent for the New York portions and the Ramavaram village set. Lastly, Production Values by Dil Raju, Aswini Dutt and PVP are magnificent. The producers left no stone untouched for Mahesh's 25th film and the film is one of the most rich and grand films in recent times. Each and every frame is loaded with richness.

Positives:

+ Mahesh Babu

+ Allari Naresh

+ College Portions 

+ 1st Half 

+ Last 30 mins

Negatives:

- Too Idealistic 

- Questionable Length

Final Take and Analysis: Post Bharat Ane Nanu, Mahesh Babu has become extremely selective with scripts and is essentially at a crossroads in his career. Maharshi is another socially relevant film from the actor and for it works for the majority of the narrative despite a few hiccups along the way. Vamshi Paidipally has written a script which is multi layered with many themes, but the execution seems below par for something like. Simply put, Maharshi should be a much better film, but remains adequate due to the execution.

The film starts off in New York and shows Rishi as a very successful guy and then his past as a college student as to how he got here. The college portion of the film is the most entertaining part as Mahesh Babu and Allari Naresh's comedy timing is on full display here. The subplot with Kamal Kamaraju's character seems a bit silly and forced but I guess Vamshi needed to create some sort of conflict during this period. The interval has a nice twist and the story moves to India again after this.

The second half is riddled with so many themes that Vamshi takes his own time. There are is only one conflict point, which is villagers fighting for their land and how farmers problems are not being showcased by the media. However, in my opinion, the conflict point isn't established till the 2 hr and 20 minute mark.

The first hour of the second half is is just basically filler until Vamshi delves into the real issue at hand. Had he delved into it right away, the film probably would have had a much better feel to it and not feel so lengthy. to be honest, the 2nd half of the film will dictate whether or not you liked the film. And while the issue of farmers is taken up, one feels that it's not that strongly represented in the end because of the filler scenes mentioned earlier.

The film is not trying to be Kathi or anything other film for that matter and Maharshi tackles the issue of farmers in its own unique way. In fact, it's probably the only movie that makes the attempt to respect farmers and not make people feel bad for them. However, for some the solutions presented to handle the issue in the movie may seem too idealistic for one to believe. This where the issue of the editing comes in. While some will justify the length due to the themes presented in the film, others will say the movie is too long for it's own good. Again each to their own. The romantic track is also not properly written and seems artificial.

Nonetheless, Maharshi still manages to work due to the excellent performances from Mahesh Babu and Allari Naresh who essentially carry the film and make it watchable despite it's flaws and the last 30 mins is also excellent.

Overall, Maharshi is a decent film based on friendship and farmers and makes Mahesh's 25th film a watchable outing. The film has it's fair share of issues and is not perfect which results in an OK experience. Watch the film if you're a die hard fan of Mahesh Babu or like socially relevant movies.  

Rating: 9/10 (Never Give Up) 

Cast: Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Sathyaraj, Praveen, Sanjay Swaroop, Viswant, Sampath Raj, Ronit, Brahmaji,

Written and Directed by: Gowtham Tinnaruri

Music by: Anirudh Ravichander

Producer: Surya Devara Naga Vamsi

Banner: Sithara Entertainments

Natural Star Nani is back with his latest film after a wild 2018 to say the least. The actor faced two flops and was ridiculed at times by the audience for Big Boss 2. His latest release, Jersey tells the story of a cricketer trying to make a comeback at age 26. Directed by Gowtham Tinnaruri of Malli Raava fame, does the film live up to the expectations and bring Nani back into the mix? Let's find out in this week's review

For this review, I'm going to forgo the traditional format and give a review that is structured differently

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In India we have umpteen times the story of an underdog or a washed up athlete trying to make a comeback after a long time and become successful. We have classic sports movies in Lagaan and Chak De India. But you can't really say the same about Telugu movies and so Jersey arrives and how. Not only is the film incredible, the way it's presented is fabulous.

The movie's story is set across 3 decades from 1986 to 1996 and present day 2019. In short the film is about Arjun (Nani), a former cricketer who quit playing 10 years ago for reasons best known to him. This fractures the relationship between him and his wife Sarah (Sraddha Srinath) and he tries to make his son Nani happy in whatever way he can.

The struggle that he endures to buy his son a cricket jersey to the extent of going around town asking for money shows how much Arjun loves his own. He just wishes he could have a better life for him. And the reason behind all of this is beautifully showcased. The internal struggles, the father-son relationship, the coaches, everything seems so natural and realistic. Director Gowtham Tinnaruri has crafted a screenplay similar to his last film Malli Raava and changes time zones. And the director has learned from the mistakes is his debut here and presented the time gap to perfection without any lags. The motorcyles, tv's and apartments are all in tune for the 1996 time period where the majority of the film takes place. In fact, the film rarely has any flaws and it plays out perfectly despite what the slow pace or lag some may feel.

The strength of Jersey is that it plays out differently from a traditional sports film. They have a formula as such that the hero is introduced, somebody convinces him to give himself another shot, he refuses but then realizes he wants it more and he makes a comeback and wins. Jersey takes a different approach and while keeping the sports theme in tact, it portrays the everyday tension between a struggling wife and jobless husband, a dad that will go to any extent to make his son happy, and a father figure who knows the man who would be equal to his son can do better. The extent that Arjun goes to make his son seem like a hero in his eyes is the main crux of the movie. Only in the end will you be able to understand why he did everything that he did. But despite that, the film has so many emotional moments that it moves you in every way possible.

For the first time in a star hero film, the songs are integrated into the narrative and are beautifully blended. The background score by Anirudh also deserves an applause for the riveting score he has composed. Sanu Varughese's cinematography ably supports the movie's mood and is brilliant during the cricket sequences and the tension is incredibly captured and gives you the feeling you are actually watching a real cricket match right in the center of the action. Yet without one person, the film wouldn't be as good as it is

And that's the leading man, Natural Star Nani. Nani always delivers good performances but this is some extraordinary stuff. From the boy who wanted to be a director and found acting by mistake, he has come a long way and delivers his career best performance. The various emotions that he shows from pain, to sadness, to happiness, to arrogance is incredible. Even in the simplest of scenes or the emotional railway track scene which stands out from the rest, Nani is simply otherworldly in this real. All the best Actor awards next year should be given to this man.

Sradhha Srinath in her Telugu debut aptly supports Nani and it's refreshing to see a heroine get an important role playing a realistic housewife that we can connect with and not a regular dumb commercial heroine. Sathyaraj gets another solid role while Sampath Raj is convincing as the coach in the 2nd half.

The writing and dialogue are outstanding and the climax is the icing on the cake. It's highly emotional and you will likely be left with tears leaving the theater. The twist that is presented relates back to the theme of the movie and it truly shines light on what type of person Arjun really was and why he left his career all those years ago. The message is akin to each and every person and leaves a haunting impact in the end.

Overall, Jersey is a classic sports drama resulting in a masterpiece that teaches you to never give it up from Nani and Gowtham Tinnaruri. You will laugh, you will smile, and you will cry. Hatsoff to the entire team for making such an beautiful film. They don't make movies like this anymore. When we think of classic sports movies in India, Jersey will be the first Telugu film that comes to mind. This film and the message will be remembered for a long, long time. A must watch.