Shankarabharanam Review

By now, it should be clear to one and all that the greater the immortality of a title that has been robbed by a contemporary filmmaker, the higher the chances of a film that goes with that title turning out to be a dud.  Banking on a legendary title is neither new nor is it exclusive to Telugu cinema.  What is surely bizarre is the fact that some such titles are copied for such mediocre films that it almost starts looking nothing less than a blasphemy.

Kona Venkat has been into dishing out either crime comedies or horror comedies of late.  That some of his stories lend themselves to being made on a rather less-than-monumental budget has made him bankable somewhat, at least for a class of producers.  Anjali-starrer 'Gitanjali' was nothing short of a cool watch for many, but his experimentation with Swathi and Naveen Chandra (read 'Tripura') did not shine at all.  With 'Shankarabharanam', a crime comedy, Kona Venkat tries to mix a range of genres with the aim of taking the cinegoer for a roller-coaster ride.  However, he comes a cropper in doing so.

Gautham (Nikhil) was born to an NRI couple in USA.  His life has been a breeze till now, but because of the backstabbing by his father's friends, his father goes bankrupt.  Having saved his father (Suman) from committing suicide, he decides to fly to India to sell the ancestral property, Shankarabharanam Bungalow, in the State of Bihar.  Sapthagiri, his acquaintance in Bihar, tells him it is dangerous to do so in Bihar without inviting the unwelcome attention of certain goonda elements.  After getting to know of Gautham's identity, the local gangster Bhai Jaan (Sanjay Mishra), Munni (Anjali), Salim, Home Minister Pandey all conspire to kidnap him.

On going to his bungalow, Gautham finds that it has been inhabited by some of his relatives.  He plans to clandestinely sell off the bungalow, but this is when his 'maradalu' Happy, played by Nanditha, comes to know of his plans.

The rest of the film is about whether Gautham manages to sell of the property in order to bail out his father, how he escapes from the evil net cast by the local gangsters.

Kona Venkat's script boasts of many pluses, including the comedy track involving Prithvi Raj.  In yet another role that reminds one of his '30 years industry' avatar, he makes one laugh and laugh through his presence.  Despite comedians like Sunil not available, now that he being a male lead, and many like Venu Madhav not seen, it is surprising that this under-rated talent is not see as much as he should.

Sapthagiri manages to have some moments, in his own inimitable style, he delivers many lines with a characteristic peculiarity.  Others like Rao Ramesh do a good job.

As main performances go, Nikhil gives a good output, although there is nothing new in his acting ouevre that we have not seen in his previous films.  Looks like he is best suited for distinct roles.  Nanditha is just about OK in a cheerful role.

Uday Nandanavanam doesn't manage to tell the story in a gripping way.  Anjali's presence should have ideally raised the roof, but all that we end up thinking of her role towards the end is that she is just for the sake of it, bringing no enrichment to the film.  Richard Prasad's cinematography passes muster, whereas Praveen Lakkaraju's music is ok.

The idea of having a male lead who sets out to do a deal clandestinely, giving rise to a sentimental point, is good enough.  However, the idea is leveraged fully, and the audience can be forgiven for sensing an emotional disconnect.  The second half rests on the shoulders of Prithvi Raj.

It is doubtless that Kona Venkat is going to be lambasted a bit after this film.  Having himself acknowledged that he has lost the faith of big stars after the failure of 'Bruce Lee' and 'Akhil', he expressed confidence that he will get back the same with this film.  However, it is doubtful if that will be the case.

Verdict: A film that comes with its share of comedy moments, thanks to Prithvi Raj, but what this one lacks is a gripping narrative and effective screenplay.

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