Autonagar Surya is not
just an underdog’s struggle to build an egalitarian society; it’s a striking
enunciation to motivate people to shun their mold and thrive for a Utopian land that’s buried in the dark underbelly of crime and injustice.
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The first few minutes of the film paints a grisly picture with its
serious tone in both writing and execution. The writer–director makes a pronounced
statement and throws open the premise and the climax. Yes, the climax. You know
the protagonist and the antagonist and the ultimate battle between good and
evil. Deva Katta follows up this opening section with a description of the
savage society. He sets up the concept of ‘Survival of the fittest’ and fleshes
out his characters around it. The true grave nature of the film is augmented
again from around the half way mark and this time the hero paves a new path
after a rain-soaked brawl.
Autonagar Surya is a
film in one-man-against-the-system genre, which inevitably takes the shape of a
revenge drama where the hero is required to grow in his endeavor alongside
pulling the curtains over the evil stakeholders who cross his path. The
storyline is routine and as old as mountains. So to avoid any complaints for
its vintage feel the story is comfortably set in the 80s. A small of group of
people helmed by the hero gets on a journey to innovate and flourish. However,
these inventions couldn't win laurels because of a mafia, which casts an evil eye on their intellectual properties.
As the gritty Surya, Naga Chaitanya picks yet another role that’s
brooding with anger. The audience will root for his intelligence and rugged
approach to fight the evil elements. His character gets a boost from Deva Katta’s
writing which presents Chaitu with some ‘mass’ moments. The dialogues rendered
by him make him a definitive force to reckon with.
The film provides ample scope for its supporting cast members as they shine as bright spots in every act. Samantha’s role has some moments that fill the air with romance, but it lacked the depth to complement the script. The fact that Samantha is approached for such a role is disappointing. Another sore thumb is Brahmanadam, who couldn’t manage to tickle even after getting a share of a song and dance number.
The film provides ample scope for its supporting cast members as they shine as bright spots in every act. Samantha’s role has some moments that fill the air with romance, but it lacked the depth to complement the script. The fact that Samantha is approached for such a role is disappointing. Another sore thumb is Brahmanadam, who couldn’t manage to tickle even after getting a share of a song and dance number.
Deva Katta’s screenplay is mostly well
intended as he successfully draws the audience into Surya’s world and outlines
the map for a gripping drama in the second half. But, as the film passes the
interval, it fizzles out with a cliched flow of events, which’s not this
director’s material. He also designates few characters for a definite purpose, like one is placed to add fuel to the already burning problem of caste consciousness. At times, these blow out of proportion and fail to bring out the true intent of the storyteller.
There aren't any big twists in the tale, so it opens the gates of prediction. And few sub-plots feel like force fit plug-ins, which the story could have survived without. In addition to adding to the run time, the stretched romantic track, comic scenes and high dose of action sequences take away some of the film’s grip. The songs suffer because of bad placements and the violence quotient is also quite high. The film also culminates into a weak climax that spoils the fun.
There aren't any big twists in the tale, so it opens the gates of prediction. And few sub-plots feel like force fit plug-ins, which the story could have survived without. In addition to adding to the run time, the stretched romantic track, comic scenes and high dose of action sequences take away some of the film’s grip. The songs suffer because of bad placements and the violence quotient is also quite high. The film also culminates into a weak climax that spoils the fun.
Autonagar Surya is a
thoughtful exploration of the world we live in. Albeit many film-makers have
discussed such concepts at length on celluloid, Deva Katta’s true grit and
true-to-life narrative style draws a clear distinction to set the momentum for the
film that lingers on your mind for a long time. The dialogues and instigating
questions – asked in the film – are a clarion call for the system to mend its
ways before the ultimate damage is done.
The film is quite resolute in its objective, is moderately detailed, is engrossing for its most part and is charmingly acted as well. This gripping portrayal of guts and gumption may not go down too well with certain folks for its philosophical nature and preaching mode of the narration. However, it pulls through as a pretty tense drama.
The film is quite resolute in its objective, is moderately detailed, is engrossing for its most part and is charmingly acted as well. This gripping portrayal of guts and gumption may not go down too well with certain folks for its philosophical nature and preaching mode of the narration. However, it pulls through as a pretty tense drama.
My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 6/10
This review was originally written for Metro India newspaper.
An edited version of this piece can be found here.
An edited version of this piece can be found here.
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