"SIDDHU FROM SEEKAKULAM" Movie Review
Sidhu from Srikakulam has to be one of the Silliest Flicks of the season. It stars Allari Naresh and others, and is produced by Welfare Group of companies. This is what happens when you produce movies without any idea about filmmaking or was it that they wanted to shell out a sure-flop for “tax reasons”? Whatever the reasons, lot of people escaped during the break. Probably in therapy now.
Plot Sidhu woes Shailu with his ‘reverse' techniques. Then he finds out she is the daughter of a Rayalaseema factionist. The local SI gets her father and his rival together and somehow convinces them to get their children married to end the rivalry. Sidhu's friends are ready to help them elope, but Sidhu has other plans. He wants to break up because it's all too dangerous, and Shailu tries to woo him for a good part of the movie. Whether he changes his mind about her and how they finally get together is the rest of the plot.Story, Screenplay and Direction The screenplay has a non-linear narrative, and some of the ideas incorporated in the screenplay could have actually made it tolerable. But with childish dialogue, shoddy direction and hamming all the way, that doesn't seem like an option. We might agree or disagree with the story as such, or conclude that the girl is a bimbette for falling for him and then trying to win him later; but that's not the point. The point of view of perspective of the director counts for less than the vision of the direction. Here, the vision is obviously rusted.
The comedy is forced and has absolutely no spontainity. The lone star of the show is Ahuthi Prasad, who after a really good character in Chandamama, has come back with another character that suits him and he performs with élan. He plays the role of Shailu's unbelievably lazy uncle, and his character, in any other movie, would have made a difference. In this, it is the thin silver lining of a very dark cloud.
Performances Shailu's sister has a svelte figure, and sizzles in an unnecessary number. Some of those scenes with her and Sidhu border on vulgarity, more so because of the silliness rather than the sexuality in it. The content of her exposing is not new today and doesn't shock, but the context-an NRI who has come for her cousin's wedding in good ol' AP-is totally out of place.Last WordThe pace is really slow, the movie has little to offer and music or performances are nothing to write home about. A waste of time, Sidhu from Srikakulam has none of the comedy or vigor expected out of the catchy title and the presence of Naresh. The real damper? It has a 5 minute introduction to the makers, the producers, the company profile, patting of backs and anticipation of success before even the titles begin. Yawn!
End Credits :
Starring : Naresh, Manjari, Shraddha Das, Dharmavarapu, Chandra Mohan, Kondavalasa, Venu Madhav and Others.
Cinematography: Dasaradhi Shivendra.
Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswararao.
Music: KM Radha Krishnann.
Story, Screenplay & Direction : Eswar
Producer: Malla Vijay Prasad.
Banner: Wellfare Creations.
Release Date: 14th August, 2008.
Labels: Chandra Mohan, Dharmavarapu, Kondavalasa, Manjari, naresh, Shraddha Das, tollywood, Venu Madhav
Plot Chanti lives in a joint family where his uncle Rama Krishna is the head. His widower father Purushotham always nags Chanti and is admittedly embarrassed by his ways. Meanwhile Chanti lives only to serve his family and keep up their honor and name and is closest to his uncle. His uncle's business rivals (Pradeep Rawat and Co) have been nursing old enmities and do everything in their power to harm their family but all their plans backfire. Chanti saves his sister-in-law's honor and due to misunderstandings, gets thrown out of the house. Still he takes care of them like a shadow, never letting them know. How he does it and whether or not it leads to a reunion and a happy ending forms the rest of the plot.
Performances And there's Ravi Teja himself. His Jim Carrey like antics entertain and keep everyone alert, and the script and dialogues totally side with him in the pursuit of entertainment. There are some gags too, at the right time and place, carefully merged into the script. Brahmanandam is the owner of the shed where our Baladoor sometimes helps out-no idea why though, that's not established. He and his coconut-breaking sentiment is Paisa Vasool. Anushka mistakenly keeps gulping down liquor instead of water (talk about dumb) but those antics provide a smirk or two from the sportive audience. He saves his father from getting stabbed but his father is unaware of even being targeted. That scene has been conceptualized well.
Plot Balakrishna a.k.a. Balu has a rickety little saloon with a chair that's about to break and no prospects. His competitor across the road has cut-throat business techniques, and Balu's business is bad. The sleepy village has a surprise-super star Ashok Kumar's movie is going to be shot there, with top level security and the whole village thirsty for a glimpse of the icon. Balu's wife reveals that he and the star were classmates in school and college, but the mild-mannered barber cannot manage to contact the star and the village and his own children lose faith in him. Will the star recognize him after all these years or is Balu lying-is what the rest of the plot deals with.
Performances It's not just about style for Rajni this time. He cries, he complains, he laughs-not the Shivaji-bookish laugh, a real laugh for now. That way it's refreshing, and though his Chandramukhi part 2 and Narasimha part 2 are passable in the humor department, it just goes to show that the actor can still laugh at his histrionics and doesn't take himself too seriously. Jagapathi Babu is a severely underrated actor who stands his own in a movie dominated by Rajni's multi-lingual presence. Meena is suitable as his wife; his kids do a good job. Sunil is LOUD. Nayanatara sizzles in one song. The whole village crowd, even the seasoned actors, perform like they are in the middle of a local stage play.