When Telugu cinema is witnessing a bunch of concept-oriented stories of late, here comes a film with an agenda to establish its lead artiste Karthikeya as a mass hero. Guna 369 is ridden with violence and could keep a certain section away from viewing it, though it has a decent story with a message.
Arun Jandhyala, a protégé of Boyapati Sreenu, shows a heavy hangover of his mentor’s style of storytelling. Unlike in RX100 where Karthikeya plays the victim, here he takes a weapon and bludgeons them, beheads, dismembers those who hurt his dearest and his family. It is basically about a man who doesn’t get into unnecessary arguments and likes to resolve issues in a peaceful manner. The story shows his transformation as a violent person when the people he trusts the most, victimise his lover and his family.
He is an aspiring B.Tech graduate, a pampered son, works for a granite factory and is portrayed as a do-gooder in the colony he resides. He falls for Gita (Anagha) who runs a mobile store and she reluctantly reciprocates her feelings. When all’s well, he offers to mediate for an acquaintance who is involved in a scuffle with a bigwig and that is when problems unfold. He is framed and sent to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. When he is out of jail, he calls his father and tells him he is going back to punish the people who landed him and the family in this position. A glimpse of Bhagavad Gita in his hands in the prison hints at him following the path of Dharma, getting ready for battle. Strangely, in the immediate scene that follows, he is romancing his lady love (named Gita) in a beach song, wearing an unbuttoned shirt.
A section of the audience might feel that Karthikeya has the best body in film business but it is amusing that he is made to flaunt his carved abs in situations created for it. For example, there is a scantily dressed mentally unstable woman and the heroine is trying to clothe her; Karthikeya takes his shirt off and covers her.
Coming back to the story, it reminds us of Na Peru Siva and a few other films. A social message to be imparted becomes a twist in the last 20 minutes. The reiterating of dialogues by the heroine of how her choice is always the best irks us. Anagha, however, does a good job and has a pleasing screen presence. Aditya Menon plays a menacing character and his death becomes instrumental in taking the story forward. Manju Bhargavi and Hema don’t make an impression.
The film becomes tiresome primarily due to its uninteresting romantic plot. There was so much scope in the first half and the director failed to use it to his advantage. Comedian Mahesh and Karthikeya are the two actors who make an impact because of the strong roles written for them. Despite having a relevant social issue, the predictability of the narration is a dampener. Cinematography stands out and adds value to the narrative.
