Oh Em Gee... Arjun Reddy! If not for the commercially popular Bahubali, this actor Vijay Deverakonda would win the best performance of the year, for sure. Actually, his role as Arjun Reddy, is one of the best ever performances, ever, in any form of cinema.
A revelation... A must-watch... A brilliant film for the most part, it is a love-story between a Reddy boy and a Shetty girl, set in college. It has superb music and direction, too. This is a modern-day Devdas, and most of the film gets to international standards.
Also, watch this movie for one more reason. How not to screw-up the ending.
The film is a little over 3 hours, but one may not mind the duration, thanks to some excellent method-acting and very good direction. However, the last fifteen minutes took the film straight from terrific to terrible. I suddenly thought the director took a cue from Orange (2010) and for want of commercial success, took the 'safer route'. Yet, the film is a must-watch and a case study of sorts: right from how to get into a character to a titillating soundtrack to learning how to keep the audiences engaged throughout a long film such as this. And to muster up the balls to take the unusual route and make bold films, which is a pretty difficult thing to do, especially in mass-cinema driven Tollywood.
Just when you get overtly thrilled that here is a man - in our money-and-fame struck film-industry - trying to do something different, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who does a commendable job for the most part, slaps you in the face. He could have atleast done something uncliched, for lack of a better word, all the more so for making us wait for over three hours (which you don't feel otherwise, but for the ending that does no justice at all...) before it ends.
Radhan's OST is uniquely remarkable and is more than worth an addition to your audio collection.
Rahul Ramakrishna is a joy to watch, too, and holds his own, without getting in awe of Vijay...
The film does have its flaws - like a surgeon treating patients in an inebriated condition, flouting rules left, right and centre, in a supposedly reputed hospital; or women effortlessly falling for the lead character (will that ever change!?) in slave-like fashion... and oh, not to mention, sidekicks (read hero's best friends) sacrificing their entire lives just for our hero's sake, 24x7! But most noticeably, perhaps, is that it is largely derogatory towards women.
I am planning to watch it again with a close friend, just for Vijay's acting. Makes me wonder, what's up with the Vijays - one a Sethupathi and the other - this Deverakonda - for picking up hatke scripts! Time Ilayathalapathy learnt from his namesakes!
My verdict: 3 out of 5. The ending takes away one whole star - yes!
A revelation... A must-watch... A brilliant film for the most part, it is a love-story between a Reddy boy and a Shetty girl, set in college. It has superb music and direction, too. This is a modern-day Devdas, and most of the film gets to international standards.
Also, watch this movie for one more reason. How not to screw-up the ending.
The film is a little over 3 hours, but one may not mind the duration, thanks to some excellent method-acting and very good direction. However, the last fifteen minutes took the film straight from terrific to terrible. I suddenly thought the director took a cue from Orange (2010) and for want of commercial success, took the 'safer route'. Yet, the film is a must-watch and a case study of sorts: right from how to get into a character to a titillating soundtrack to learning how to keep the audiences engaged throughout a long film such as this. And to muster up the balls to take the unusual route and make bold films, which is a pretty difficult thing to do, especially in mass-cinema driven Tollywood.
Just when you get overtly thrilled that here is a man - in our money-and-fame struck film-industry - trying to do something different, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who does a commendable job for the most part, slaps you in the face. He could have atleast done something uncliched, for lack of a better word, all the more so for making us wait for over three hours (which you don't feel otherwise, but for the ending that does no justice at all...) before it ends.
Radhan's OST is uniquely remarkable and is more than worth an addition to your audio collection.
Rahul Ramakrishna is a joy to watch, too, and holds his own, without getting in awe of Vijay...
The film does have its flaws - like a surgeon treating patients in an inebriated condition, flouting rules left, right and centre, in a supposedly reputed hospital; or women effortlessly falling for the lead character (will that ever change!?) in slave-like fashion... and oh, not to mention, sidekicks (read hero's best friends) sacrificing their entire lives just for our hero's sake, 24x7! But most noticeably, perhaps, is that it is largely derogatory towards women.
I am planning to watch it again with a close friend, just for Vijay's acting. Makes me wonder, what's up with the Vijays - one a Sethupathi and the other - this Deverakonda - for picking up hatke scripts! Time Ilayathalapathy learnt from his namesakes!
My verdict: 3 out of 5. The ending takes away one whole star - yes!
Comments