Movie Review - Julayi (Telugu) - Writing RULES, Execution FALTERS!!

Life ante HIGHWAY
Gelupu ONE-WAY
Short-cuts ki NO-WAY!!

From the word GO, “Maatala Maantrikudu” Trivikram makes a thumping impact in his latest offering Julayi. Fasten your seatbelts and join Inside the Celluloid in the journey to disinter few more gems from this Trivikram’s celluloid!!

Let’s start the innings with relating our experiences during online shopping, esp. when we book railway tickets, with that of watching this movie.

1. You wait all these days and finally breathe a sigh of relief when you are in front of the computer/laptop/iPad (based on the riches you possess) at 7:55 AM a day before your journey and wait for the TATKAL booking to begin.

You wait for two years for a Trivikram’s film (the last one was Khaleja in 2010) that’s packed with loads of surprises and you are longing to watch them unleash on screen.

2. You traverse through the site with some hiccups and umpteen REFRESHES of the page and finally you hit the payment gateway screen.

During the course of your cinematic journey, at times you touch the valley of death and at times you summit the peak and garner some outlandish, hitherto unseen experiences. You will learn that Trivikram is not just for the auditory, and the touch of genius proves its mettle in gluing your eyeballs to the screen with his detail for aesthetics and visual panache.

3. Finally, you feel that you’ve struck gold. But Alas! Online railway ticket booking is not that easy and now it’s time for the moribund moment of your shopping experience. There comes in a flash, an excruciating message – TRANSACTION FAILED!!

What starts as an enthralling movie takes the course of an entertaining one in the middle and again it tries to take the enthralling route to the end, but fails miserably hitting the abyss. After the magnanimous second half with some convolutions, the movie suddenly drops you in quick sand. There you battle for air and finally get buried with the climax. With some loose ends still left after THE END, the movie goes awry.

Trivikram has always been “Expect the unexpected,” and in Julayi he sticks to his patented style of film-making. In the act that follows the opening scene and hero’s introduction, he tries to present the story with a "Christopher Nolan meets Guy Ritchie" perspective. The way he executed the plan (no spoilers here) is very Nolanish (with allusions to The Dark Knight) and the deductive logic used by Allu Arjun’s character to nab criminals is very much Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. The audience gets aghast with the uncanny narration in the first 20 minutes of the film (AIR and Bhairava Kona will linger on your mind for long). It tickles your mind and you pose a question to yourself – Am I watching a Tollywood flick or a Hollywood one, or a cross-over of Holly and Tollywood??!!

Allu Arjun delivers an awesome performance. He’s funny, witty, and emotional and has got everything required for a Telugu hero. Thanks to Trivikram for etching his character so well. Ileana plays the role of a “behenji turned model,” and when she appears on screen it’s evident that’s a song is imminent. After ages, Rajendra Prasad is seen in a full-length comedy role. The supporting cast takes the laugh riot forward with Brahmanadam at the helm of affairs.

The music is already on top of the charts. The background score complements the movie and Devi Sri Prasad leaves no stone unturned in the music department. The beautifully shot "Oh Madhu, Oh Madhu" and “Osey Osey” makes you groove and "Mee Intiki Mundho Gate" overflows with energy and creativity. But the black sheep in the movie is the song “Pakado Pakado.” The much touted one falls prey to improper placement and poor execution.  

There’s a mention about writer’s block in the film in a funny scene, and now it’s time for us to learn about DIRECTOR’S BLOCK that’s a menace for most of the film-makers.

Why everyone has got the material only for a power-packed first half and runs out of steam in the second.

Why always we appreciate the writer Trivikram and pay less attention to director Trivkram.

When you intentionally want to save something for the later half then why should that be shown as a fallacy in the pre-interval scene.

Why can’t we have movies that are enthralling and entertaining? Is it a death knell for seamless entertainers?

Try to find answers for these questions after you watch the film. Trivikram rules our hearts as a great writer but his directional prowess is still debatable.

Bottom-line: Julayi is a mélange of power packed performances, happy-go-lucky characters, sumptuous dialogues, rib-tickling comedy, colorful and creative songs, and a MESSAGE. But all that glitters is not gold; the movie watching experience is akin to driving an Audi A8 at 100 KMPH on a road with intermittent speed bumps and potholes. If you are a fan of Trivikram, with every new film you want to take your adoration to high skies, but with Julayi your FLIGHT gets restricted only to certain heights!!

My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 7/10