Award winning film maker Bala who made memorable movies like 'Seshu' and 'Siva Putrudu' is back with yet another gripping story. The trailers captured everyone's imagination with Vishal Reddy sporting a squint eye and Arya with a semi bald look. Bala claims this to be a different cinema from what he made all these years as this has a lot of comedy in it. Bala's 'Vaadu Veedu' released across the state today and after watching it, this is what we think about this magnum opus...
Story
Dandala Swamy( Arya) and Waltair ( Vishal) are half brothers who hail from a family which is notorious for robbery and thefts.Waltair is a dancer and on stage performer with a squint eye. The heir of Pittapuram Samstanam 'Highness'( G M Kumar) is his mentor. Dandala Swamy and Waltair share close bonding with Highness. Dandala Swamy is a raw street dweller who lives on small time thefts and keeps fighting with his half brother.Both of them are willing to do anything for their mentor 'Highness'. Dandala Swamy falls in love with Nagu (Madhushalini) a college going girl and Waltair with a constable Baby(Janani). One day Highness gets a local cattle smuggler arrested. He takes his revenge on Highness and kills him when he gets released from jail. The rest of the story is on how the brothers take revenge on the smuggler for the murder of 'Highness'.
Performances
Vishal delivered award winning performance. His mannerisms and body language give you goosebumps. The introduction scene where Vishal dresses up as a woman and dances to a mass number is sure to give you a pleasant surprise. Director Bala demonstrates his ability in managing to get Vishal to deliver such an iconic action. Vishal's spontaneous response to his mentor's death in the movie is touching. His demonstration of Navarasas infront of actor Suriya will melt you in tears. We will not be surprised if Vishal wins national award for his exceptional performance as a squint eyed artiste cum thief who loves his mentor to the core. Arya is equally good.He looks tailor made for the role.Vishal and Arya who play brothers in this flick share a great on the screen equation that makes one believe them to be real life siblings.
Madhushalini did a decent job in her super short role. Janani Iyer however needs to improve on her action. She doesn't make for a good pair with Vishal. She is too thin and short to be paired with Vishal. Prabha, Ambika and G M Kumar acted well. Their action is surely reference worthy for future actors.
Highlights of the movie
The song in the first half where Vishal dresses up like a woman and dances to mass tunes is extraordinary. Vishal's mono action showing different emotions is worth a standing ovation. The fight scene between Prabha and Ambika is hilarious. A few dialogues by Sashank Vennelakanti are funny. For instance, 'Vinne Vaadu Verri Pappu Ayithe, Ramayanam Rasindi Rajeev Gandhi antaremo'. The scene where Vishal asks Janani Iyer a constable, if her trousers have a zip is quirky and leaves you in splits. Arya and Vishal outdid each other in action in a scene when they see their mentor's body hanging on to a tree. Ambika is seen smoking throughout the film. Such small details have been incorporated to give the movie a very native, raw and realistic look. Cinematography by Arthur A Wilson is worth a praise.
Could have been better
The story is predictable to everyone who has watched Bala's earlier films. The screenplay is weak.For instance the scene where Arya drinks with his mentor G M Kumar and appreciates his brother's acting skills was unncecessary. Madhushalini suited her role but Janani looked out of place.The dialogues were too raw for Telugu audience to digest. A few comedy scenes were too dragy. For instance the argument between Vishal and his love interest Janani at the traffic signal didn't evoke much response from the audience. Yuvan Shankar Raja's background score was oustanding and in tandem with the script.But the songs weren't great.
Verdict
One of the best action dramas that released in the recent times. Endearing performances and sensible tale. Don't miss it.
Released on: 17th June, 2011
