Film: Venkatadri Express
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Anandi Art Creations
Cast: Sundeep Kishan, Rakul Preet Singh, Nagineedu, Tagubothu Ramesh, Brahmaji, Saptagiri, Jayaprakash Reddy, M S Narayana and others
Music: Ramana Gogula
Cinematographer: Chota K Naidu
Editor: Gautham Raju
Director: Merlapaka Gandhi
Producer: Gemini Kiran
Release date: 29/11/2013
Budding hero Sundeep Kishan has been struggling hard to get that much needed hit and this time he has chosen a variety subject. Whether he is successful or not let us see.
Story
Sundeep (Sundeep) is a young man who believes in humanity and never hesitates to help those in need. But this nature of his makes him a bad boy in front of his father (Nagineedu). He gets a warning that one more mistake and he would be sent away from home. Meanwhile, Sundeep’s brother Brahmaji’s (Brahmaji) marriage gets fixed at Tirupathi and the family takes Venkatadri express. But due to a small incident, Sundeep misses the train. From there starts his adventure to catch the train and in between he also meets Prarthana (Rakul). How the journey takes place forms the rest of the story.
Performances
Sundeep Kishan has given a decent performance with a rather straight act. However, he needs to develop more versatility in terms of his expressions and display more energetic body language.
Rakul Preet was bright and bubbly. She is a good mix of beauty and sex appeal. On performance front, she is confident and camera friendly. If she can plan her moves carefully she can grow.
Nagineedu was natural, Tagubothu Ramesh gave those needed smiles, Saptagiri was effective, Jayaprakash Reddy was brief but good, M S Narayana was not used properly, Brahmaji was standard.
Highlights:
- Storyline
- Cinematography
Drawbacks:
- Lack of emotional depth
- Drag in second half
Analysis
A new wave of filmmakers is emerging in Tollywood and it must be said that they are putting a good level of focus on the content and the plot. However, it is also essential that along with subject the sensibility to tap the box office pulse should also be developed. This is something the director of this movie failed to catch.
Due appreciation must be given to him for coming up with a story which belongs to the road movie genre and at the same time he tried to keep things as light as possible without much melodrama. But while dealing with road movies, the pace and screenplay has to be tight. At the same time, the need for few emotional peaks is also there.
There is a good balance in the way he weaved the entire story with reasoning and logic. But in that process, he seems to have sidelined the need for energy and entertainment that hooks the audience. The film takes off on a moderate note but the actual momentum picks up with the train journey.
The interval bang was alright and the second half also continues in a smooth manner. But lack of pace and few scenes getting stretched gives you that ‘something is missing’ feeling. Still, those who walk out of the theatres would not grumble and would feel this is a passable treat.
Bottomline: A feel good film
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
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