BOTTOM LINE
Pakka Disappointment
OUR RATING
2/5
CENSOR
UA
What Is the Film About?
Sathyaraj, a judge, regrets a verdict he gave related to a case leading to the suicide of the victim. He quits the profession as a result. His son Gopichand becomes a lawyer putting aside his values and morals. He is Pakka Commercial and only cares about winning the case by hook or crook.
What happens when history repeats and the son has to defend the very person who made his father quit the profession? The clash of ideologies between the father and son and the courtroom drama surrounding it form the movie’s basic plot.
Performances
Gopichand is seen in a sleek and stylish avatar after a gap. Well, at least the attempt has been in that vein. The dressing and body language are designed that way. Additionally, Maruthi also incorporates the scope for comedy and dances for the actor. Gopichand does well with all sincerity, and that’s the best thing about it.
Rashi Khanna has a good role on paper. She does well as long as the writing supports the cause. It is critical to the narrative in the first half as the entertainment rests on it. However, and expectedly, she goes missing in the second half as the focus shifts entirely to the main story.
Analysis
After making a brief detour with a small film, Maruthi returns to his over-the-top commercial space with Pakka Commercial. Unfortunately, he fails to come up with a fresh outing even though he gets the proper setup.
The opening segment involving Rao Ramesh and Sathyaraj is enough to guess where the movie is headed and how it will end. That said, it is not an issue, at least as far as commercial Telugu cinema is concerned. We have seen many films work despite such utter predictability. The reason is entertainment.
Maruthi, too, realises the same, which is clear from his narrative choices and characterisations. The entire Raashi Khanna track is an example of the same. It is meant to take care of the entertainment by providing laughs aplenty. It is Maruthi’s strength to make it work as a writer. Unfortunately, Pakka Commercial falters in that department.
The comedy doesn’t work as one anticipated. It is flat mostly and only a few moments click. The silly and over-the-top blocks are expected, and it’s how the whole thing has been designed, but it has to work, nonetheless. We have a scenario where we can feel the director trying hard to make it work. Or alternatively, he is too confident that it would work.
The story takes a predictable turn at the interval mark, offering no surprises. The same formula of entertainment continues in the second half to mask the routineness, but as the comedy gets weaker, the predictability and boredom get stronger.
The lack of effort to build a father-son emotional track also impacts the narrative severely. After all that happens, the final portions related to emotions look forced. So we have basically a story where neither the entertainment nor the emotions work thoroughly.
The climax comes with a twist in the tale, but it is a decade too late. The ending with some satirical dialogues is fine, but the interest is lost entirely by that time.
Overall, Pakka Commercial comes with a highly routine plot. The idea to make it work with comedy falls flat due to ordinary writing. We eventually end up with a typical entertainer with some entertaining bits here and there. If you don’t mind the utter routineness, give it a try.
Performances by Others Actors
Once again, Rao Ramesh and Sathyaraj play crucial roles in a Maruthi film. They are the main characters besides the lead pair and do the heavy-lifting along with them.
Rao Ramesh playing a womaniser is good and elevates a few moments with his act. A couple of satirical dialogues are timed perfectly. It is par for the course for him, but he is eventually let down by the routineness of the whole thing. Sathyaraj plays the principled, righteous guy who goes into depression as he is bound by the laws. It is an underplayed role without much hyperactivity. He has done it adequately as one expects from him.
Among the rest, Praveen is not utilised well. He is there, but the comedy doesn’t work as well as expected. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar appears in a brief role that is forgettable. Ajay Ghosh is alright playing a typical Maruthi over-the-top role. The rest of the actors are decent, but none have anything worthwhile to do.
Music and Other Departments?
Jakes Bejoy provides the music for Pakka Commercial. Barring the title track, none has worked commercially, though. The background score is on expected lines and forgettable. Karm Chawla’s cinematography is alright at best. The movie looks glossy, but at the same time, there is a dated feel to it. SB Uddhav’s editing is a mixed bag. There is a patchy feel to the whole thing. The writing, usually a strength for Maruthi, is weak here, as mentioned earlier, compared to his last few ‘commercial’ outings.
Highlights?
Entertainment In Parts
Key Casting
Drawbacks?
Routine Story
Writing
Flat Comedy
Last Hour
Alternative Take
While the idea of having a commercial entertainer in the court backdrop is right, it needed a lot of fresh moments from Maruthi. It also includes reinvigorating the womaniser angle and the hero’s commercial behaviour. A change according to current trends would have elevated the routine stuff.
Did I Enjoy It?
Very few parts
Will You Recommend It?
No
Pakka Commercial Movie Review by M9News
Final Report:
Pakka Commercial is a Pakka Routine entertainer that works in parts due to comedy (over the top and silly). The story is utterly predictable and offers nothing new, making it a below-par affair. Watch out for our review.
— Andhra three capitals idea is used for a satirical comedy block in a court scene.
— Pakka Commercial second half started. Non-commercial Father (Satyaraj) fighting a case against his Pakka commercial son.
First Half Report:
Pakka Commercial first half has over the top and silly comedy like Jathi Ratnalu (via Rashi Khanna track) working only in parts. The main story is predictable and takes off at the interval mark on expected lines. A lot depends on the second half to see where it ends.
— Rashi makes enters the show with an over the top court scene. She later joins Lucky (Gopichand) as a Jr lawyer.
— The show begins with a court judgment scene. Satyaraj fails as a judge and his son Gooichand becomes a Pakka Commercial lawyer.
— Pakka Commercial U.S. premiere started, digital with Netflix and Aha video.
Pakka Commercial show will begin shortly. Stay tuned for the first half report and final report from USA Premiere.
Pakka Commercial pre-release talk:
Pakka Commercial, in the combination of Gopichand and director Maruthi, is all set to hit the big screens. It is the first time the two are joining hands, and that too under the joint production of top banners UV Creations and GA2 Pictures.
Gopichand has been struggling for true success for a long time. During the same period, director Maruthi has grown tremendously into a bankable name at the box office. Now, he is hoping to repeat the magic with Gopichand.
Pakka Commercial, as the title suggests, is an out-and-out commercial entertainer. The mass audience has recently been starved of proper commercial entertainment from local Telugu stars. If Maruthi manages to give an entertaining outing, the movie is sure to be lapped up by the masses.
The casting of Pakka Commercial is decent, with Rashi Khanna playing the heroine. Rao Ramesh and Satyaraj, the winning duo from Prathi Roju Pandage, also play critical roles here. These supporting artists, along with Gopichand, will do the heavy lifting in Pakka Commercial.
A positive word of mouth is a must for Pakka Commercial, though. It is keeping in view the recent failures of medium-budget films with average talks.
As always, M9News will bring you the ‘First-On-Net’ Pakka Commercial review genuinely and honestly. Watch this space for more updates.
