Days before the release of Agnyaathavaasi , there was speculation if it has been ‘inspired by’ the French film Largo Winch . I haven’t seen the French film. But it would suffice to say that for this story, of a son living in exile and stepping in at the right moment to save a business empire from sharks and in the process seeking his revenge, one doesn’t have to turn to world cinema for inspiration.
A dialogue in the initial portions loosely translates to ‘when we don’t have a new idea, we can repeat an old one’; that’s writer-director Trivikram making his intention clear. Fair enough. Some of his other recent films, too, didn’t break new ground. But those films at least had coherent narratives, a few well-etched characters and sharp dialogues. Writing is Trivikram Srinivas’s strength, and his legions of fans don’t call him ‘ guruvu garu ’ for nothing.
But his latest outing, Agnyaathavaasi , doesn’t get its act together. There are good actors playing characters that have the potential to be a part of an engaging family drama within the frame of a clap-trap masala film. However, in this, one is left holding on to a stray dialogue/scene that offers a glimpse of Trivikram’s mettle, only to swiftly give way to a limp narrative. The film is beautifully shot (cinematography by Manikandan) and Anirudh Ravichander comes up with refreshing music that gives a classy sheen to this urban masala film. But these aren’t enough to salvage the film.
The story begins with the death of business tycoon Govinda Bharghav or Vinda (Boman Irani in a brief role with measured performance) and his son, and the onus is on his wife Indrani Bharghav (Khushboo) to bring the culprits to book; she reaches out to the prince in exile (Pawan Kalyan), who grows up unaffected by his father’s wealth under the care of his uncle (Tanikella Bharani).
The journey of this unseen prince into his father’s empire with a false identity (Balasubramaniam, stolen from Vennela Kishore), is told through some laugh aloud moments, two inanely written female characters (you can have a contest as to which heroine has the sillier part) and stylishly shot action sequences that actually don’t make much sense. A masala film is fun when it’s well narrated, never mind if it plays to the gallery to please a star’s fan base, but in Agnyaathavaasi , the scenes appear randomly strung together than developing into an organic narrative.
Murali Sharma (as Sharma) and Rao Ramesh (as Varma) add to the humour in the office sequences. Rao Ramesh gets the best lines and is a treat. The analogy he uses about people on a flight and their thought process while talking to his daughter Sukumari (Keerthy Suresh) is a riot. The threat of paralysis and his reference to films showcasing this condition is also fun.
Certain aspects of the story shine — like the bond between the impressive Khushboo and Pawan Kalyan (whose identity as Abhishikth Bharghav is revealed later), Boman Irani’s penchant for plan B, back stories that connect the dots in the murder mystery, the hilarious story arc for Vennela Kishore’s character, or the explanation of Nakula dharmam and ‘agnyaathavaasi’ from Mahabharata.
The rest of it is a letdown as the film drags its feet, moving from one beautiful location to another, in search of its purpose. That’s a pity, considering what Trivikram Srinivas could have done with good actors and technicians at his disposal. Pawan Kalyan has that unmistakable swagger and tries to pull it off as a one-man show, in vain. Aadhi Pinisetty, who has delivered strong performances before, is wasted.
It takes us back to the line in the film about repeating old ideas. An old idea or a story is fine, but is it too much ask for some coherence?
Agnyaathavaasi
Cast : Pawan Kalyan, Anu Emmanuel and Keerthy Suresh
Direction : Trivikram Srinivas
Music : Anirudh Ravichander
