Sarileru Neekevvaru - Movie Review

Anil Ravipudi comes across as that kid who grew up watching Raghavendra Rao and Kodandarami Reddy kind of commercial movies. His movies have obvious references to many of their blockbusters and then he adds his own touch of humor and commerciality to them. So when he teamed up with Mahesh, one of the biggest stars of Telugu cinema, we all can be rest assured that we will witness fireworks on screen. It is safe to say that he did not disappoint but(yes there is a but) he could have done more.

Anil Ravipudi gave his best in terms of story, though a typical mass story, his style of entertaining humorous screenplay, though has shades of Pataas and F2 and some very good elevation scenes(there is no though here). But Telugu audience has to thank him for bringing out the hyper energetic Mahesh Babu we enjoyed in Pokiri, Khaleja, Dookudu etc after almost 6 years. Nallamala forest fight scene made me think if anyone can make a movie like Kondaveeti Donga in this generation, it is Anil..."meeku ardhamavuthundhaa"

Mahesh is back and the way we like him. He looks human in this. His shirts have wrinkles, he sweats, he gets beaten up, he even gets cough and looks so believable unlike his earlier movies where he looked so plastic. His comedy timing, as we all know, is impeccable. He did some dance moves too in this. Vijayashanti proves why she was called Lady Super Star. In few confrontation scenes she reminds us of her prime days from Kartavyam, Aasayam etc. She is a major asset to the movie. Her aura and her bonding with Mahesh looks believable and adorable on screen. Next is Sangeetha, yes not Rashmika. Sangeetha dominates totally in the train episode. Rajendra Prasad is cast again in Anil's movie and he does good. Rashmika did good in her role. Prakash Raj and Ajay are alright.

Movie has two drawbacks. One is a major drawback and other a minor inconvenience. The major drawback is the music. The songs, as we all already know, are not up to the mark like all the DSP-Mahesh movies. But the bgm is a huge let down. There are three to four well-written mass scenes that could have made fans go crazy with an apt BGM. But now they stay mere clap-worthy scenes. Many a times you can sense the lack of oomph in the BGM. Second drawback is the look and feel of the movie. Both DOP Rathnavelu and Art Director AS Prakash are experienced but somehow the movie looks so cheap, very unMahesh movie-ish.

Overall, Sarileru Neekevvaru is a treat for commercial cinema fans but it could have been better and I am pretty sure Anil is very well capable of it.