Movie Review - Iddarammayilatho (Telugu) - romantic-action-musical-thriller!!

Verdict - Watch it for chic visuals and sensitive performances that shower loads of entertainment.

Pack your bags. Start on a trek. Reach the top of a cliff. Feel on top of the world. Get your dose of cliffhanging moments. Take a break. And after that when you crave for more, you are dumped into an abyss. You survive and struggle to find a way and reach to the top again. Then it's 'alls well that ends well.' Wait, there's more to it. There is some fuel that may trigger the next series of happenings, may be in a sequel. In a nutshell, this is the movie-watching experience of Iddarammayilatho.  

In his latest offering, director Puri Jagannadh picked a different fork. He took a different route of entertainment for most part of the film. His hero stays the same - like a sphinx, filled with conviction. The comical moments with Brahmanandam are piled on and at times unsolicited. Allu Arjun looked stylish than ever. The heroines looked beautiful than their usual self. Thanks to the magical wand of Puri. Amala Paul is soothing as a traditional Telugu girl and Catherine Tresa is sizzling in her character. Both are near perfect in their roles.

The movie starts with a strong premise and fixes the plot element. Then it takes you to a different terrain. Cut to multiple flashbacks, and riding the crest wave of entertainment, it peels multiple layers to reach the interval. The pre-interval fight sequence is to die for. The way Allu Arjun juggled multiple emotions and the tear drop rolling down his cheek followed by a blood gushing brawl are the crux of the film. Let's make way for the 'stylish star.' He's walked an extra mile showing his acting prowess. The way the lead characters are carved is another reason to cherish. This in turn brought out good performances from them. Post interval, the movie slackens for some time. Forced comedy adds to the injury and you taste boredom. It again picks up momentum and culminates in an enthralling finale. 

It seems Puri Jagannadh has cherry-picked his crew members, so that resulted in a hatke treatment of the film. Amol Rathod's cinematography makes it a visual treat. The film can be called a perfect advertisement for the tourism department of Spain. Apart form the technical aspects of canning the scenes; the frame composition is classy and creative. This coupled with slick editing of S R Shekhar is more welcoming. Brahma Kadali enhanced the visual appeal with some nice set pieces. The stunt coordinator Kecha Khamphakdee fired all cylinders making the action sequences the most sought after ones in the film.   

Among the new breed of composers Devi Sri Prasad is considered an epitome of melodious consonance and this makes him a talent nonpareil. The intoxicating Violin Song has already made its way to become this year’s most enslaving song. Devi strikes gold again with his core competence of churning mass numbers – Top Lechipoddhi – which makes it difficult to ground your feet while watching it on screen. The BGMs are apt and, in recent times, for this genre of films they are one of the finest ones. The seductive violin and the addictive guitar stays with you for sometime, but some songs fail to impress. Had Devi pushed the envelope, this film would have been registered as a 'musical'. There was plenty of scope for music but he couldn't capitalize on this one. 

In terms of entertainment, this movie is satiating. It pinches for a while that most of the story is predictable but the twists and thrills make it a perfect watch. It has a few unflinching moments and few unpretentious ones, which balances out the film. Albeit the movie hovers in the middle road of average and above-average, it deserves nothing short of a thundering applause. Puri Jagannadh brings on surface his fervent and enduring side. 

Bottom-line: Iddarammayilatho will undoubtedly be this year’s most memorable ‘romantic-action-musical-thriller.’ 

My Rating: Expectation – 7/10; Reality – 6/10