Imagine a baby born out of the marriage of Chandramukhi and Arundhati. You feel it’s got them all and can thrive. Alas!! The tables turn and what they deliver is a baby with congenital deformities. Now that it finds some place on earth, everyone tries to nurture it. The nature also does its part and thus evolves an amateur kid, err, plot. The kid grows into an adult, but his deformities always pull him back. That’s what happens when you are loaded with creative ideas but can’t showcase them to perfection on screen. Like many other films, Oo Kodathaara Ulikki Padathaara also falls prey to such an act of naivety.
The movie starts with a premise borrowed from RGV / Quentin Tarantino / Sergio Leone films. Here our hero Manchu Manoj plays the role of a “Man with no name.” If that rings a bell and if you are taken to the 60s Spaghetti Western classics of Clint Eastwood, please switch off the time machine mode and come back to present. Though the premise shows a lot of promise, for that matter it can be called a promising premise, the story meanders through some uneven terrain and culminates at abyssal depths.
OKUP gives some formulaic lessons in film-making: It does not matter how modern you are in your thoughts and outlook – a socio-fantasy should consist of antiquated paraphernalia; designer wear for men and women; swords and horses; and above all, an obligatory MAHAL!! If the director is not content with them, he will put some blood to give it a fantasy touch.
If you remember, Nagarjuna in Manmadhudu gives a perfect recipe to make Onion Dosa. I wish the makers have made OKUP by taking some cues from that recipe, but now the final product is an oily dosa with lot of onions supplemented with bland chutney. Some creative touches, like the hero’s flashback song that generates laughter despite its gory story-telling, can be applauded but that alone can’t ward off the dark clouds mongering over the movie’s success.
There are some good shades in the film: impressive visuals; a bit of comedy; great camera work; trendy and foot-tapping music; decent performances; and loads of creative elements. But it would have been a memorable watch without certain elements: forcefully induced doses of melodrama at places; graphic violence; heavy downpour of different characters with miniscule roles; chewing gummish finale between good vs. evil.
Nandamuri Balakrishna looks elegant in his role and plays it with aplomb. It’s high time; he should cherry-pick roles that suit him rather than donning a lover boy’s role or pull some gravity-defying stunts. Hope others follow him soon. Manchu Manoj pumps loads of exuberance into the film with his witticism, and his character’s multiple hues shine all through the movie. He’s aggressive in the first half and turns submissive later doing everything to tickle your funny bone. Deeksha Seth, with her lackluster presence, consolidates her dumb-witted damsel’s spot in Tollywood. Finally Manchu Lakshmi speaks proper Telugu. May be she’s attending accent neutralization classes that helped her sail through troubled waters.
Bottom-line: Oo Kodathaara Ulikki Padathaara is an ambitious project from Manchu entertainment but it may turn into a damp squib owing to heavy downpour of unwanted and painfully dragged elements. Watch it for its creative shades and some stupendous moments of film-making, but be ready to pay the price for a predictable plot and a thin story-line that may bore you to death.
My Rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality - 4/10
My Rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality - 4/10
I heard Manchu Lakshmi gave some good performance? What's your take on that? Good review. I'm yet to check out this film
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Yaaa she did a good job. She tried to neutralize her accent, that's a relief. There are many creative touches in the film.
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