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January 12, 2020

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo Review – Classy Family Entertainer

BOTTOM LINE
Classy Family Entertainer

OUR RATING
3/5

CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 45 mins

What Is the Film About?
Valmiki (Murali Sharma) is frustrated with his life of an average guy whereas his friend becomes super-rich by marrying a right girl. When both their wives deliver on the same day, Valmiki exchanges kids.

Bantu (Allu Arjun) is brought up in a middle-class family whereas Raj (Sushanth) is the rich heir. How their lives get intertwined and fate gives them what they truly deserve is what the movie is all about?

How Is Allu Arjun’s Performance?
Allu Arjun is one actor who is consciously trying to do something new each time. There is an attempt to show variation. Once again, he succeeds in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say this is his career-best act.

Right from the start until the end, Allu Arjun is scene-chewing terrific. He stands out in all the key moments and even when there is nothing happening, there is plenty on this score, Allu Arjun manages to do something to hold attention.

The best part of the role is the proper mixture it contains to showcase various gamut of expressions like comedy, serious, drama and romance to name a few. He excels in all of them.

Direction by Trivikram?
Trivikram Srinivas is one of the biggest brands in Telugu cinema. After going for a change with his last outing, he is back to his forte (family drama and emotions) with Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. There is nothing new in the story, but it’s the narrative magic that grabs our attention. Well, Ala Vaikunthapurramulo might not reach that magical levels, but there is enough to engage.

The tone is set right at the start when core conflict is established through the character of Murali Sharma. His character Valmiki acts as a literal narrator to the audience.

And once Allu Arjun’s ‘Bantu’ is introduced, the connection is instantly strengthened. His performance makes the bond firm. The entertainment in the narrative is provided through his character. There are no special tracks for it.

The predictable narrative never gets into the boring zone thanks to the acting of the leads and slow but crispy scenes that have sharp writing. To give an example, the conversation between Allu Arjun and Rahul Ramakrishna when he first comes for the interview. In the larger scheme of things, it could be forgotten but at those moments, it works enough to hold the attention and even provide simple smiles.

The ‘smiles’ is also a problem with the movie. Despite ample scope, Ala Vaikunthapurramulo never goes beyond the feeble smiles. It doesn’t get into hysterical ( in a good way) space. The rousing emotions are missing. It makes the narrative look flat, especially in the first half. The pre-interval and interval show us a glimpse of what could be when the right emotional depth is achieved.

The second comparatively is better for the same reason mentioned above. The depth which is missing in the first half can be felt here, albeit in parts. Similarly, the entertainment aspect is also well blended into the narrative.

The climax is neatly wrapped up with a decent emotional wrap-up. The actors make it look far deeper than it actually is, though. The very end following it is sure to bring a grin to the faces.

Overall, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is a decent one time watch for Allu Arjun alone. That he is present throughout should seal the deal in its favour.

Pooja Hegde and Others?
Pooja Hegde plays the typical heroine role who is used for glamorous purposes. For the most part, she doesn’t fall for the hero is a minor relief. Tabu has a small role, but all her scenes are carefully placed and acted. They are gripping and credit must be given for the actress.

Sushanth is mostly silent but he gets his moment and registers along with the large ensemble cast.

Among the other supporting artists, Murali Sharma is undoubtedly the best. He is given another author-backed part. Murali Sharma nails it perfectly. Jayaram does his role with great intensity. His presence is welcome. Sachin Khedekar is excellent as well.

There are many more actors doing bit parts. Sunil being one among them is a disappointment. Harsha Vardhan is okay. Samuthirakani’s mannerism stands out in his predictable villain role. Rohini is dependable. Rajendra Prasad is hilarious in the three scenes that he arrives. Vennela Kishore is underutilized.

Music and Other Departments?
Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo will stand out as one of the top five works in the career of S Thaman. The songs are chartbusters. The background score is brilliant too. Technically, the movie is super slick. The cinematography is excellent. The editing is a bit off in parts but is neat otherwise. The writing is largely surface level from Trivikram barring few parts. The action choreography is done in a different way. It might not appeal to a few. The songs are beautifully mounted.

Highlights?
Allu Arjun
Songs
Second Half

Drawbacks?
Predictable Story
Length
Parts That Are Extremely Flat

Alternative Take
For the core concept that is taken, it would have been sensational if the start to end graph of the character arrived organically with proper depth in writing. It’s the talent and confidence that matters not the background.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes

Will You Recommend It?
Yes, for Allu Arjun alone

Ala Vaikunthapurramloo Review by Siddartha Toleti

Live Updates

Final Report:

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo has a decent first half. But is there drag in the second half? Did the all-important sentiment work out? The songs have been shot well and are a highlight of the movie. Watch out for our honest review coming soon.

– After some heavy dose of sentiment Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo comes to an end. Final report shortly.

– Allu Arjun imitating Mahesh Babu, NTR and Pawan Kalyan songs (medley) missing the magic. It was just okay.

– Stylish Star Allu Arjun is doing a terrific job with simple expressions. He is elivating many scenes with his body language alone.

– So-far, Sushanth has a brief role in the film. He appears in several scenes but has very less dialogues.

– The second half started. Allu Arjun shines in the emotional scene on the flyover with Murali Sharma.

First Half Report:

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo has a decent first half. The predictable story has been presented in a clean and classy manner without ever losing track. The interval bang is neat, rising expectations on the second half. If it matches up to the first half with a bit of emotional depth, we have a winner here.

Allu Arjun dominates the proceedings with his style, attitude and comedy. He is everywhere. Pooja Hegde is presented glamorously. The chartbuster songs have been stylishly shot. There is nothing fancy or great, though.

– Bantu gets to know his birth secret. Interval. First half report shortly.

– Tabu has a brief role in the first half.

– Butta Bomma has nice style and swag from Allu Arjun with beautiful choreography.

– Trivikram repeats Attarintiki Daredi office stunt scene when Brahmaji wants to take over Pooja’s company.

– The chartbuster number “Samajavaragamana” shot with simple choreography. It’s simple and neat, if not great.

– Bantu finds a job reports to Pooja Hegde. Sushanth makes entry as a rich kid.

– A simple but neat intro for Stylish Star Allu Arjun. Bantu is dealing with his middle class struggles in day to day life.

– Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo show started with an infant swapping scene in a hospital. Middle class father Murali Sharma swaps his newborn son with a baby born to a wealthy family, names him Bantu (Allu Arjun).

Ala Vaikunthapurramloo US Premier live updates will begin at 11 AM EST (9.30 pm IST).

Preview: Ala Vaikumthapurramloo

Trivikram is a name to reckon with when it comes to good cinema and with good family values for most of the time. His Sankranthi release ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo‘ (AVPL) has got all the positivity because it has got the director’s previous films vibes written all over it.

We know Trivikram as a writer and his strong asset is the way he tends to show deep philosophy in the simplest of words with a comedy touch. That seems to be the selling point of AVPL, as well. The director repealed in the recent interviews that AVPL is a potential story with strong emotions.

Coming to Allu Arjun, he is coming with this promising movie after a gap of more than a year and his fans are expecting nothing less than a blockbuster from Trivikram-Bunny combo. The stylish star seems to be in all the right elements in this movie and can’t wait to watch his energetic role on the big screen.

Music director Thaman has delivered a memorable music album for the film and half the work is done because of his chartbuster songs. Most of the publicity happened because of ‘Samajavaragamana’ and ‘Ramuloo Ramula’ songs.

The rest of the cast including Pooja Hegde seems to have gotten the author-backed roles in the movie. Talented Tabu might be an added attraction in the movie as senior actress Nadhiya was in ‘Atharintiki Daredi’ and ‘A…Aa’, Trivikram’s previous movies.

With good music, right promotional material creating very positive buzz, the combo of Trivikram-Bunny leading to expectations; what we expect from the movie is pure entertainment in the form of an emotionally charged family story.

Will there be a bang? Will Trivikram-Bunny combo deliver the festival feast for the hungry fans? It’s time for mirchi9 genuine ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’ review. Keep watching this space, folks!

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