BOTTOM LINE
Overstays its welcome.
CENSOR
151 mins, ‘U’ Certified.
OUR RATING
What is “Chandamama Lo Amrutham” about?
It is small screen Amrutham on big screen, with all the characters and its quirks intact along with the topical but subtle humor.
How is Avasarala Srinivas’s performance?
Avasarala Srinivas cast as Amrutham inherits the same characteristics as Amrutham on small screen. Unfortunately the final effect is not the same, while he excels in the poker faced one-liners he lacks the naivety of his predecessor.
Direction by Gunnam Gangaraju?
Gunnam Gangaraju is the creator behind the series Amrutham which gained tremendous popularity across every household of Andhra Pradesh. However as a director it seems he has lost touch with his narrative skills. As a result despite having all the ingredients of the popular series the film comes across lackluster. It feels overly stretched and pointless after a point. The basic plot of the moon travel is fine but the subplot involving the two lovers, their father and their marriage doesn’t gel finely with the basic plot and hence makes for a jarred narration. It’s the characters and some situational humor that keeps us glued for most part.
Suchithra, Dhanya and Other artists performance?
The female characters in the film Suchithra and Dhanya are pretty one dimensional with no real meat to their character. The fun they provide is less and even that feels repetitive and boring after some time. If Srinivas Avasarala as Amrutham was poor, Harish as Anjaneyulu was even worse as he completely lacked the innocence the character had. Once again its Appaji (Sivannarayana) and Sarvam (Vasu Inturi) who manage to hold the audience attention and tickle their funny bones. Both are by far the best thing about this cinematic adaption of the Television series. Aahuti Prasad has a decent character and he is fine once again. Among the rest which includes the likes of Chandra Mohan, Rao Ramesh, Krishna Bhagwan, LB Sriram etc, none manage to leave a real mark although Rao Ramesh is somewhat better.
Music and other departments?
Music by Sri is mostly a rehash of his and others old tunes. Background score is almost nonexistent. Cinematography is alright in parts but the editing is poor. Special credit must be given to the shoot and sequences of space largely because of the neat way they handled it without making it a joke technically.
Highlights?
Subtle humor.
Appaji and Sarvam.
Drawbacks?
Muddled screenplay.
The subplot involving lovers.
Second half.
Climax.
What about the box office performance of the film?
The film on the brand name of Amrutham is likely to see audience especially in multiplexes of cities. But a screenplay that lacks cohesiveness and drags mostly are eventually going to catch up and truncate its run.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, in parts.
Will you recommend it?
Yes but with big reservations.
OUR RATING
Reviewed by Siddhartha
