Adurs Review

Having been unwittingly transformed into a powerful civil statement in a time of vicious political drama, Adurs has indeed won half its battle by getting released in the first place. The tricky part is that the other half of the battle depends on how badly you were waiting for N T Rama Rao Junior.

Adurs is less about inclusive entertainment from a star with enough superpowers and lineage to mesmerize audiences, and more about a movie speaking to the world that believes he is its own. It brims over with the hero so much - even fitting him in twice over - that everything else looks like a compromise. And maybe for a valid reason, several might not mind.

Still, the behind-the-scenes reels during the ending credits - watching the bonhomie of the cast and crew, being able to watch our picture-perfect actors being oh-so-human when they giggle in their bloopers - have a more warming effect than the film itself, that actually leaves you with not much to remember.

As for the story, if you've seen any of the zillion double role movies that have ever released in all of history, Adurs has no surprises anywhere in its journey. It is the story of two men who look alike, and who lead diametrically different lives, and who confuse a few people when their lives clash.

Narsimha (NTR Jr.) makes money working as an agent for the cops, and Chari (NTR Jr.) is a staunch traditional Brahmin priest. The two get mixed up in a mess that involves an evil villain (Mahesh Manjrekar) who wants to build the world's most powerful weapon but can't so hires a brilliant scientist to do it.

Apart from NTR, Chari's Brahminized accent seems to be the big draw in the movie, and he has lengthy lines to deliver for the chuckles and the grins. Chari's guru (Brahmanandam) forms a plot section all by himself, and together, the two successfully spin around with the simple and effective comedy that is the tone of the film.

Well, what goes wrong is that Adurs makes the script seem easy enough for anyone to write it. For one, the mistaken identity crises are fun while they last, but neither are they thigh-slapping wacky nor do they last very long. Then, there's no characterization for the trendier NTR absolutely, and he only keeps arriving in time for the fights. The romance suffers a similar tragedy - there's simply none there, and the heroines are in this just for the songs.

As for performances, NTR's zeal juices up the film all by itself. He's high on energy and unbridled confidence - and on his workout sessions. His implausible dances bend your mind more than they've bent his body, and sure as hell tingle audiences in stipulated places.

Brahmanandam has a significant role in this and he's his usual self, as is Sayaji Shinde. The villains - Mahesh Manjrekar and Ashish Vidyarthi - have comic streaks in them, and the actors are good to watch. Nayantara and Sheela look good and act well in their miniscule roles.

Devisri Prasad's music is unlikely to break records, but when you watch it being coupled with the incredible choreography, there's nothing to complain about there. Production values are high, so the gloss factor isn't low even if it isn't path-breaking.

Adurs is all festive and decked up, but there aren't many goodies to take home, just a few to munch in the hall. If you're okay with that, it won't let you down.