Teja's movies are not like fine wine. There is always something raw in the stories and this time the film made against a spurious liquor syndicate actually is bereft of excessive violence and vulgarity. Though the first part of the film reminds you of Shopping Mall and the second half Myna , the characters are so compelling that the audience is willing to forget that they've heard or seen this before. After four years, Teja's back in form and you will definitely find yourself entertained.
Teenagers Siva (Prince) and Gayatri (Nandita) along with their mates clean used empty bottles, fill them up with illicit liquor, label and package them for sale. A brush or two under watchful eyes, they fall in love and she is pregnant.
While escaping from the fortress-like-building is a near impossible task and the last thing on their mind, what drives Siva berserk is the guilt of leading a fellow worker to death and the craving for redemption; it is at this time the mistress Chitti Thalli (Tirrtha) of the boss (Chowdary) thrashes Gayatri when she sees her throwing up and spits at her.
While making the grand escape, the feisty Gayatri spits back at Chitti Thalli and the scorned woman seeks vengeance. Siva steals the booty while on the run and the entire mafia is behind their blood as the pressure from ministers mount. Feisty is too gentle a word to describe Gayatri played by Nandita.
She has a terrific screen presence and shows promise and Prince, a Mahesh Babu lookalike, needs to display more fire. In one scene when he needs to goad the girl to strike back at the mistress, he is painfully passive.
Over all it's a well made film, it's not often we get to see a solid story nowadays. The pace is fast and even, and the story never descends into a melodrama. Yet, you feel like caring for the characters.
What is noteworthy is the genuine and fabulous performances from the supporting characters who hold the reasonably good screenplay; Teertha, a National Award winner for her role in Sontha Vooru excels as a tormentor. Banerjee was never so good and Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao steals the show. It's gratifying to see Chowdary as a villain.Venu and Suman Shetty bring out situational laughs and become a harmonious blend of characters.
The song featuring Suman Shetty is, however, gross but cleverly disguised. With beautiful cinematography, interesting characters and some right moments to pull the audience's heartstrings, this could be a definite option for a weekend entertainment.
