BOTTOM LINE
Boring Movie For Sabhya Samajam
OUR RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’, 2 hrs 40 mins.
What is the film Duvvada Jagannadham about?
DJ (Allu Arjun) is a hit man cleaning society of criminals by virtue and a cook by profession. How the two personalities meet courtesy Royyala Naidu (Rao Ramesh) and Pooja (Pooja Hegde) and what happens, in the end, is what the film is all about?
How is Allu Arjun’s performance?
Allu Arjun must be appreciated for taking up a different role once. The difference here is characterization rather than doing something out of the box. It’s the same action hero role but with a slight twist. The problem, however, is Allu Arjun tries very hard to be a character and at the same time make it a one man show. The director also puts him under the spotlight understanding Bunny’s vision, what we get in the end is Allu Arjun trying hard to do a “star” act with a different character and thereby exposing his hard work. The thumb rule of one man show or effortless performance is the hard work must not be visible. In DJ what we get is every frame filled with “visible” hard work on screen.
Direction By Harish Shankar?
By now it is clear that in the mass format Harish Shankar is trying to be like a modern version of EVV Satyanarayana. The making style and character designs make it visible. But the problem is despite the best writing efforts from Harish Shankar he lacks the punch of the late director.
A movie like Duvvada Jagannadham is less about logics or story and more about entertainment and emotions packaged freshly. The “Brahmin” part is supposed to be that new aspect, and in fact, in the movie, it is the new element. Apart from that, there is nothing in the film to hold attention. Few well-timed double entendres punctuate the comedy via the Brahmin set up, and that’s about it. The problem is the lack of well-oiled writing. The focus is solely on Allu Arjun, and that is where the boredom sets in.
By the time we enter the second half even the novelty aspect is over, and all we are left with is the debris of annoying commercial cinema. It goes through the motions without offering any respite. It does come in the climax, but it is too late and is also overstretched to provide any comfort. On the whole, DJ is a below average product.
Pooja Hegde and others?
Pooja Hegde has nothing to do in the movie, performance wise and yet she is a major highlight. It is because of the captivating way she has been shown. She is a magnet whenever she is onscreen despite the lack of acting or dancing. Concerning action, it is Rao Ramesh who shines again in a role that is clear take off from his illustrious father memorable character. Murali Sharma is adequate and Subbaraju even with less screen time makes a mark. Senior actors like Tanikella Bharani and Chandra Mohan are fine, especially the latter. There are some known faces like Posani Krishna Murali, and Vennela Kishore but they are wasted.
Music and other departments?
Music and background score by Devi Sri Prasad feels recycled and lack any freshness. The cinematography is good. Editing is alright. The choreography is songs are colorful and trendy. Action scenes are routine and overdone.
Highlights?
Few comedy punches
Grand making
Rao Ramesh
Pooja Hegde Glamour
Drawbacks?
Routine story
Second Half
Flat Narration
Alternative Take
With routine movies like these, the only thing that can be expected to improve is entertainment blocks. A big entertaining segment in the second half with right songs at the right time would be the alternative take.
Did I enjoy it?
No
Will you recommend it?
No
Duvvada Jagannadham Review by Siddartha Toleti
Final Report: Second half is a letdown. Basic issue with DJ is the weak and routine story which comes with no twists and turns. Watch out for our full review shortly.
– Though Allu Arjun is decent in Brahmin role, he couldn’t go near NTR’s performance in Adurs.
– Allu Arjun completely changes his style towards pre-climax, wears a funky hair style and dressing.
– Subbaraju talking to his dead mother idea totally derails the film.
– Surprisingly a big star like Allu Arjun mouths few double meaning dialogues but they are just fun.
– Devi Sri Prasad (DSP) does not add much value to the film in terms of background music.
– Seeti Maar song is full of Bunny energy with stylish choreography.
– Posani does a routine role. Though it’s a short role senior actor Chandra Mohan does his usual best. Tanikella as Duvvada father too has brief role.
– Pooja Hegde does not have crucial role in the plot to play yet her charisma and glamour is enough to attract the audience.
First Half Report: Story switches between entertainment and violence. Entertainment is good but DJ’s under cover operations aren’t convincing. Though nothing extraordinary Allu Arjun does justice to both the roles. Interval too comes without any twist or powerful bang. Overall an average first half.
– Third song Madilo Odilo choreographed well with simple dance moves.
– DJ deals with biggest land scam ‘Agri Diamond’.
– Vennela Kishore who is in high form gets a normal comedy track.
– Second song Mechuko choreographed well.
– Pooja Hegde’s Bikini scene shot well, reminds previous best of Anushka Shetty from Billa. Pooja Hegde’s oomph quotient mixed with few spice dialogues.
– Anchor Jhansi gets to do single scene in Duvvada Jagannadham.
– Caste dialogue ‘Bezawada antene paina amma vaaru, kindha Kamma vaaru’ sure to go viral. Though it is intended only for fun it has significance in the wake of new capital Amaravati.
– Allu Arjun showing two different variations as Brahmin and stylish under cover cop who kills bad people in society.
– Cop Murali Sharma grooms fearless kid Duvvada as under cover unofficial cop.
– Show started with the flash back episode of kid Duvvada in Vijayawada.
Note: Duvvada Jagannadham follows the latest trend in US. Premiers numbers will not be revealed. Thursday premiers and Friday collection total together will be out on Saturday.
Duvvada Jagannadham Live Updates begin at 12 AM IST. Duvvada Jagannadham Review will follow the live updates.
Preview: Duvvada Jagannadham
If another blockbuster follows after a blockbuster movie like ‘Sarrainodu’, we can confidently say that Allu Arjun has arrived as the top star among the mega heroes. Domestically, ‘Sarrainodu’ took Allu Arjun’s star power to the next level.
‘Duvvada Jagannadham‘ is coming at a juncture when Allu Arjun is winning accolades for his performances (Rudramadevi) and also for the choice of his films giving importance to mass appeal (Sarrainodu) and entertainment but not forgetting the family audiences (S/o Satyamurty).
Coming to DJ, it is critical not because Allu Arjun is in need of a blockbuster but the director of the film, Harish Shankar who faced a setback after the debacle of NTR’s ‘Ramayya Vastavayya’, needs one, desperately. It’s a big film for him after the failure and the sword is hanging on him to deliver.
When we look at the promotional material of DJ, it has all those mass entertaining elements like comedy, action and glamour written all over it. Music by Devisri Prasad is impressive and the MD is popular for his foot-tapping music for mega heroes. He lived up to the expectations when it came to the album.
Pooja Hegde added the much-needed glamour quotient which could be one of the attractions of the film to bring youngsters to theatres apart from mega fans provided, the concept of the movie turns out to be engaging combined by a tight narration.
One can see all the right ingredients added to this dish called ‘DJ’ and what is left to see if these ingredients were added in proper proportions to make it a delicious one.
Producer Dil Raju left no stone upturned in the name of promotions and he is popular for the strategies he plans for promoting his films and thus winning half the match before the play begins.
Will DJ make the track record of Allu Arjun solid turning a massive hit? Will it become the next stepping stone for the stylish star regarding his stardom? Can it mesmerise both the domestic and overseas audiences alike and emerge a winner in both the markets? The stage is all set and let’s wait for the full review, coming soon.
