BOTTOM LINE
Walkouts All Over
OUR RATING
1/5
CENSOR
UA
What Is the Film About?
Seenu, a hardcore Pawan Kalyan fan, promises his girlfriend to take her to the First Day First Show of Kushi. The many challenges faced by Seenu to get those tickets in the final days leading to Kushi’s release is the movie’s plot.
Performances
Srikanth Reddy playing the lead, looks the part of an ordinary guy. The problem here is that irrespective of looks, the script requires the actor to be at their extraordinary best to pull off the whole thing. Unfortunately, Srikanth Reddy fails spectacularly on that count. It is also amplified by poor direction.
Sanchita Bashu has a thankless role. It is not a typical heroine role, although the story is about her. It is her wish to get the tickets. However, she is relegated to the background after a point, and only appears in parts. 
Apart from the leads, a set of known faces appear in a scene or two like Tanikella Bharani, Vennela Kishore, Srinivas Reddy, Prabhas Sreenu, Mahesh etc. The way they are introduced and then disappear makes leaves one scratching the head.
And finally, another set of lesser-known people doing the same as above – bits and pieces roles. They fail to register as a similar problem of disappearances persists.
Analysis
Vamshidhar Gaud and Lakshminarayana Puttamchetty jointly direct First Day First Show. It is a nostalgia story taking us back to the cinema-obsessed fans and culture around the release of a biggie.
The idea of recreating the hungama from the past and showcasing how things lead to the release involving a biggie is nice. But it’s a very niche concept, to begin with. Additionally, an extraordinary amount of timing, writing, screenplay and above all, the direction is required. First Day First Show spectacularly fails on all those counts.
Right from the beginning, the narrative gives a messy feel. It is as if a headless chicken is running around. We move from one interaction to another, and there is a binding emotion behind it. Still, the whole thing comes across as random scenes being stitched together.
The actual scenes themselves are very over the top, loud and overdone. The funeral sequence is the biggest example in this case. That it is only one among the many should underscore the severity here.
There is no respite in either the first half or in the second. It constantly hammers the audience with a one-dimensional focus on the ticket issue. There is no character development or proper setting of the space. Everything looks so random.
The climax takes the cake as the whole thing occurs within the theatre compound. The way things happen, it is not the hero; instead, the audience would prefer running out of the screening.
There are identifiable moments in parts, especially for movie fanatics who live and breathe cinema and are seen around the single screens all the time. But, how the whole thing is executed makes one shake head in disbelief.
Overall, the way it is, First Day First Show is hardly short film material; forget a theatrical experience. Even die-hard fans of Pawan Kalyan will find it impossible to sit through until the end.
Music and Other Departments?
Radhan provides music for the music. He does a decent job with a single, but it fails to register theatrically. The rest of the technical team is terrible. From the casting to cinematography and editing, everything looks low grade and gives a short film impression. The writing by Anudeep has overconfidence written all over it. In parts, it also reminds us of his directorial debut, Pittagoda.
Highlights?
None
Drawbacks?
Everything
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
First Day First Show Movie Review by M9News
