6/10 (It's Entertaining)

Cast: Naga Shourya, Rashmika Mandanna, Naresh, Vennela Kihore, Pragathi, Satya, Raghubabu, Posani Krishna Murali, Maim Gopi, Praveen, Viva Harsha, Venu Gopal Rao, Motta Rajendran, Pragathi, Swapni, Sudarshan, Jeeva

Story-Screenplay-Dialogues- Direction: Venky Kudumula

Producer: Usha Mulpuri

Banner: Ira Creations

Actor Naga Shourya has been going through a rough path lately with his last few films being unsuccessful at the box office. He's now back with this latest entertainer titled Chalo and he introduced new director Venky Kudumula, a protege of Trivikram Srinivas. Can Kudumula score a hit and bring Shourya a much needed hit? Let's find out in this weeks review

Plot: An aggressive natured boy who likes altercations named Hari (Naga Shourya) is sent away by his father (Naresh) to Tirupuram to free himself from his son's obsession of fighting. Tiruppuram is set on the Andhra-Tamil Nadu border where one sides belongs to Telugu people and the other side Tamil people and they've been at war for years. Unexpectedly, Hari finds himself in a cross-hairs situations with the respective village elders and what happens next forms the rest of Chalo.

Performances: Naga Shourya is good in his role with a new hairstyle and performs well. However he has put on some weight and it shows in the movie.

One can see why Rashmika Mandanna was very popular in Kannada and why people loved her in Kirik Party. She is adorable and a good performer and is very pretty. She's excellent in her role.

It's Vennela Kishore that steals the show and brings the house down as Revenge Param and is absolutely hilarious in his role. His dialogue delivery and constant nagging to Hari's character are a treat to watch.

Naresh and Pragathi are fine as the hero's parents. Sathya and Viva Harsha provide some good entertainment as the leaders of rival gangs at the college.

Motta Rajendran, who is a very popular face in tamil movies gets a hilarious cameo in the climax of the film. The rest of the film is filled with Tamil actor who we are probably not familiar with.

Direction: Debutante Venky Kudumula previously worked as an assistant director to Trivikram. And the influence of the latter clearly shows. His ability to create entertainment out of nothing and create an entertaining narrative. The comedy in the film is hilarious at times and it makes for a breezy first half with good music and comedy. In the 2nd half, the film struggles but then Vennela Kishore comes in and carries the movie in the 2nd half. The story of the film is quite old and there aren't too many well developed characters in the film. The protagonist's affection towards confrontation and violence offers some variety but Kudumula isn't looking to make something innovative and play's it to the galleries. If he can continue to make entertaining movies despite age-old stories or create new one and keep his directorial style in-tact, he could eventually replace his guru in the long run. Overall, it's a good debut for Venky Kudumula who gets most of the film right and results in Chalo being a entertaining one time watch.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Sagar Mahati who is the son of Mani SHarma is surprisingly good. The music in this film is catchy and the songs are well shot. Cinematography by Sai Sriram is vibrant and rich. Dialogues by Venky Kudumula are very good and the one's for Vennela Kishore's character are the best of the lot. Art direction is good especially for the border fence in the village. Fights are ok. Editing is alright. Production Values by Naga Shourya's home banner Ira Creations are excellent and grand.

Positives: 

+ Comedy

+ Music 

+ Vennela Kishore 

+ Direction

Negatives: 

- Story 

- Lag in 2nd half 

Final Take and Analysis: Chalo to put it simply is a brainless/mindless popcorn entertainer. You're not looking for novelty or creative film making. You're looking for something that will entertain you and not test your patience for 2.5 hours. And Chalo does just that.

Despite a routine story and premise and an age old conflict we have seen umpteen times in so many movies, Chalo works due to it's comedy that works more often than not.

The film starts off in a hilarious way establishing Shourya's character and his personality. The fun starts when he comes to Tirupuram to study and the romantic track is routine and pretty boring.

The interval offers a nice twist and Vennela Kishore arrives in the 2nd half to ensure smooth sailing despite the lag you may experience at times.

Overall, Chalo makes for an entertaining watch due to some hilarious comedy at times. It's the perfect time pass entertainer if you're looking to kill time and remember the name Revenge Param.