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Farcical fare
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER?: Srikanth and Laya in a film marred by a poor subject.
Dongaramudu and Party (TELUGU)
Cast: Srikanth, Laya, Bhuvaneswari, Jayaprakash Reddy, Suhasini
Dir: Vamsee
Music: Chakri
SLAPSTICK AND River Godavari seem to be Vamsee's all-time favourites. In this second venture after his comeback, the director attempts to catch the scenic beauty of the Godavari belt as well as play up native humour. However, a poor subject mars the film. The dialogue part too does not generate humour that his films are known for. The story content as such has limited scope to weave situations to capture humour in its natural way.
The film opens with Ramakrishna a.k.a. Dongaramudu (Srikanth) and his three assistants (played by Bhuvaneswari, Lakshmana Rao and Krishna Bhagavan) visiting a peculiar village, filled with curious characters called Kotaiahvari Palem. In the journey across theriver Godavari, the group meets journalist Vasantha Lakshmi (Laya), working for a Telugu weekly, also going to the same village, to find out who Kotaiah was and why the village continues its tradition of leaving its safety to the presiding deity, Durgamma. The belief is that any person who tries to harm others within the village will invite the wrath of the deity.
`Kotaiah' is a legendary figure whose name is held in high esteem by the entire village. Kotaiah left his property behind willing it to the progeny of his daughter (played by Suhasini) as he realises his mistake in not allowing her to marry the man she loved. Whoever approaches Somayajulu (Jayaprakash Reddy), an Ayurvedic doctor and trustee of Kotaiah's property, to know about Kotaiah gets thrashed.
Dongaramudu and party settle down in the village and start encountering people in different situations at different places and levels, like a Circle Inspector (played by Tanikella Bharani) who is shocked to see Ramakrishna's visiting card that has "Ramakrishna - Donga (thief)" on it. Frequent encounters between Ramakrishna and Vasantha make them fall in love.
Now Ramakrishna starts bluffing that he is Kotaiah's grandson. The narrative mood turns serious towards the end, when the CI exposes him by producing a tape-recorded discussion about Ramakrishna's plans. At this point, the real heir, Kotaiah's daughter, arrives. Understanding the prevailing situation, Kotaiah's daughter declares that she has no children and will adopt Ramakrishna. How Ramakrishna evades the villagers' wrath is kept for the ending. It is more a farce bordering on crudity at times.
There is nothing much in the film for lead artistes Srikanth and Laya. Tanikella as CI and Jayaprakash as Somayajulu are the only character artistes who make some impact. Suhasini, playing almost a guest role, gets a chance to turn the events in the story. Hence, she gains significance. Chakri's music is sensible both in songs and background. Photographic work of Loki is laudable.
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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