Andalu Dongale Dorikithe Review

A certain amount of skill and finesse is needed to make serious comedy movies. Otherwise, the film will come across as just a pastiche of labored jokes, forced puns and insensitive slapstick antics.

Mercifully, the makers of Andalu Dongalu Dorikithe seem to have made some efforts to get across a viable fun movie. Having said that, what they have done does not look enough as they have taken recourse to cliches and easy portrayals in many places.

In the event, what you get is like eating a food taken from the oven halfway----some portions are well made while some others are raw and under-cooked. And, as it happens, it is the flavor of the undercooked item that remains on your palate.

Based on a Hollywood flick of the nineties, ADD is a movie about a group of innocent car thieves and how they get caught up in a kidnap dram involving a father, his daughter and his voluptuous secretary.

The film begins with industrialist KK (Nagababu) falling head over heels for his curvaceous secretary Naveena (Kiran Rathod). The latter, who has an eye on KKs wealth, does not mind his advances.

But KK is a widower and has a grown up daughter in Usha (Ankita). So the boss-secretary duo decides to fly off abroad to have some uninterrupted fun.

But Usha gets wind of this and plans a mock kidnap of her. But as circumstances and script would have it, she unwittingly ends up being kidnapped by Bujji (Prabhu Deva) who is a car thief.

Bujji and six others (Brahmanandam, Rajendra Prasad, Krishna Bhagawan, Mallikharjuna Rao, Raghubabu and Jyothi) operate as a gang. Bangaraju (Rajendra Prasad) also manages to steal the suitcase with the ransom money. Further, Bujji and Priya also fall in love.

After plenty of confusion and mad capers, the film veers towards the inevitable happy climax.
 
The comedy at many places is inspiring and spontaneous with Prabhu Deva (though technically the second hero of the film) stealing the thunder from Rajendra Prasad. There is a natural flair in Prabhu Deva for comedy and he puts it to good use in ADD. Rajendra Prasad is, however, hamstrung by lack of opportunity. His role is limited, but he manages to score with his timing sense.

The heroines Kiran and Ankitha have very little to do --- and very little to wear. They are in the film for glamour. And they have provided that in ample measure.

Brahmanandam, Ali, Kovai Sarala, Surya all have their moments. But there is no sustained intensity to their roles. Nagababu has essayed a neat role as the libidinous boss.

Like most comedy movies, ADD lacks technical gloss. The music (by Chakri) is mediocre while the cinematography (by Sarat) just about passes muster.

Overall, director Prasad has shown promise. He has the potential. But he has to be more focussed and should not be satisfied with one or two good scenes. In other words, he should gear for marathons rather than aim for short sprints.