Run: Set for a decent run

The thriller succeeds in parts but has nothing new to offer

Anish Ambrose and Sundeep Kishan

Run , a remake of a Malayalam hit Neram , doesn’t quite thrill but succeeds in parts. This movie comes at a time when the Telugu audience is coming out of their fetish for template stories and encouraging fresh concepts. So the producers did not have qualms releasing it after three long years. Neram had Nazriya Nazeem and Nivin Pauly as the lead actors, and Sundeep Kishan and Anisha reprise their roles in the Telugu version.

The movie begins with a goon, Vaddi Raja, who sports gold chains like Bappi Lahiri and doles out finance to Sanju (Sundeep). Sundeep is going through a rough patch, after losing his job and cannot repay his loans. His love interest is kidnapped and the girl’s father who happens to be his uncle lodges a complaint in the police station and problems keep adding up. After a brief character sketch the hero is on the run. Though the film has many deja vu moments, the dialogues are funny and so are some scenes, especially when Vaddi Raja dies on the road and the auto driver fails to comprehend as to why people are happy and giving him a peck on his cheek.

Brahmaji plays a self obsessed cop with a quirky name ‘Padmavathi’ and actually pouts taking a selfie. Posani Krishna Murali thinks uttering the word ‘awesome’ and repeating it as if the audience don’t understand is actually awesome. Anisha has very few scenes and fills the glamour quotient, while Sundeep looks good and does a decent job. He should seriously stop calling his heroines ‘Bangaram’ in each of his films.

The plus points are, the story stays focussed, all events take place on a single day and has a set time to wind up. The screenplay is racy, the humour sometimes is forced but passable and the movie wraps up in two hours, so even if you want to complain, you would let that be.

Comedian Praveen impresses as a friend, albeit in a few scenes. The film’s message stands out and is not heavy on the head. Only wish the director had used something more intelligent and fresh and made the narrative engaging. Being a debutant, he might not have wanted to use his creative freedom. Music is good and cinematography is easy on the eye.

Run

Cast : Sundeep Kishan, Anisha Ambrose, Bobby Simha

Direction : Anil Kanneganti

Music : Sai Karthik

Plot : The world conspires against a youth and then shows the way to prosperity

Rating : 2.75