BOTTOM LINE
Brave attempt.
OUR RATING
2.75/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 127 mins.
What is the film about?
Journey of one man Dhoopati Haribabu (Varun Tej) through love and war.
How is Varun Tej’s performance?
Varun Tej has shown slight improvement in diction and emotion in the film. It’s not much but enough to register for the time being. There is also a sense of monotony that creeps in at regular intervals due to certain repetition of expressions which needs to be taken care of.
Direction By Krish?
Unlike the previous films of the director Kanche is more focused narrative wise. The problem here is the actual story which is weakest of the lot he has directed. A weak story can be overcome by strong performances and screenplay and here as a director he has succeeded with the former but failed on the latter.
The war sequences of the film drag without much emotional connect unlike the village episodes that seems full of life. Since it’s more of a war based film the lack of connect is transferred eventually to the film itself.
Praghya Jaiswal and Other artist’s performance?
Pragnya Jaiswal is given a beautiful role and she does good justice to it. The way the character maintains high dignity level is wonderfully done. Following her is Nikitin Dheer who is again given a strong role. It’s the trio of Varun, Pragnya and Dheer that hold the film together. Srinivas Avasarala on the other hand provides comic relief in a way only he can. Others actor’s like Gollapudi Maruti Rao, Posani etc have done well within the character limits.
Music and other departments?
Music by Chirantan Bhatt is good on ears and neatly picturized. Background score and cinematography are major plus for the film. Dialogues are equally impressive by Sai Madhav Burra. Editing should have been tighter especially is the war scenes which drags the proceedings endlessly.
Highlights?
Drama and performances.
Technical brilliance.
Dialogues.
Message.
Drawbacks?
Un-engaging war sequences.
Slow paced narration.
Predictability.
Alternative Take
Better execution of the war sequences shall be enough for an alternative take on the film.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, the village portions.
Will you recommend it?
Yes but with apprehensions
Kanche Review by Siddhartha
