Story with gripping screenplay sans comedy (Rating: 2.5 / 5)

Eswar Reddy became famous after ‘Mee Sreyobhilashi’. In fact, he proved himself one step ahead in penning gripping screenplay with his debut film itself. Zee Motion Pictures, which had decided to venture into Telugu films chose him by noticing his talent. He penned a story which had different elements like terrorism, love, sentiment, concern, friendship and what not. More than the story, the movement of the film is different from routine. Despite interesting narration, the director ignored the basic element that was needed for a Telugu film, comedy. The common man who goes to a theatre for entertainment would miss the same and can’t understand the movie unless he watches it with complete attention.

Gitanjali a.k.a. Gili (Charmme) reaches Hyderabad to spend time with her friends. She had a passion or hobby to watch people in long distance through binoculars and she is an expert in lip reading. Her friend and her husband work in the same company and get married after loving each other. Gili, as usual looks at a telephone booth, where a boy called Vasu talks to her lover Lakshmi over phone saying that he could not live without her and threatens to commit suicide. However, Lakshmi could not meet him as her elders restrict her from meeting him. As Gili noticed the telephone number while Vasu dialling, she calls her up and questions whether she too is in love with Vasu.

Then Gili learns that Lakshmi’s brothers had been to Manorama café to kill Vasu, and Lakshmi pleads with Gili to save him. Gili, who wants to kill time, till evening wants to utilise her time to find and save Vasu. On the other side, a boy, wanted to plant a bomb in a crowded place and selects ‘Manorama’ café as target. He sets the time at 1 pm and leaves a bag in the café. Incidentally, Gili notices him while observing Vasu in the telephone booth. While searching for Vasu, Gili wants to take the help of that person. That person loses his heart in the first sight to Gili, and tries his best to save Gili from the blast. Luckily, the bomb did not explode at the time it was set. Gili and the killer spend a whole lot of time till evening, where they share lot of things which are philosophical in nature too. Finally, that killer finds Vasu and calls up and inform Gili who went in search of him to Manorama.

While criticising him for threatening to commit suicide, Gili comes out in open that one had to learn the value of life and she knows how best it is as she was going to die very soon. Gili too starts loving that killer but the latter did not say yes or no to her. But the killer’s heart starts beating further for her, However, he doesn’t want to see her death before her natural death and takes away the bag from the café. He gives her an SMS that he would meet her very soon. Soon he dies in the blast. The film ends with Gili crying for his sacrifice and compliments his act for saving thousands of lives.

PLUS:

The gripping screenplay and the director’s hold on running the entire film with the help of the screenplay in a tight manner is laudable. Those who watch the film seriously would definitely appreciate the director’s efforts. But for Charmme, none of the artistes give good performance. Especially, the hero (killer) Nishaan, being a first timer, could not show any kind of talent and he needs to improve his body language a lot. He appeared very stiff and was not flexible either in acting or in dialogue modulation. Though appeared in a couple of scenes, Radio Mirchi RJ Pradeep appeared okay to some extent. The girl, who played his lover, is okay to some extent. Comedy by Ali and MS Narayana is good in parts. The song on the lines of ‘Maha…’ in ‘Mantra’ is good to listen and the choreography of that song on Charmme too is good to watch.

MINUS:

Though the film had several elements like love, sentiment, friendship, it lacked the basic ingredient of a film called entertainment. People go to theatres to relax and enjoy with family for a couple of hours. If you make them to sit and watch a film without the comedy, it fails to serve the purpose. Moreover, there are no duets and Charmme remained one and only artiste who appears on the screen all through the film without missing any frame. Editing by Marthand should have been a little sharper further. Camera work by Jagan JRJ is average.

REMARKS:

Those who like films with suspense, thriller and serious genre, would enjoy watching this film. But for those who watch the film exclusively for entertainment, this is a strict no-no movie. Those who seriously watch films could enjoy the movie but it is not a film for everyone.

Cast: Charmme, Nishan, Pradeep, Ali, MS Narayana and others

Credits: Story and dialogues – Padmasri, Camera – Jagan JRJ, Editing – Marthand K Venkatesh, Music – Koti, Art – Ashok, Action – Ram-Lakshman, Producer – P Goenka, Screenplay and direction – V Eswar Reddy.

Banner: Zee Motion Pictures

Released on: March 27, 2009