In his heyday, the Big B (that's Amitabh Bachchan, in case you're new to Bollywood
lingo) made duds like Kaalia run for 100 days by sheer star power. This one
has got to be the Telugu analogy. It's one of the lousiest and most crude of
movies that you'd have seen in mainstream cinema. But it ran for ages.
An impressive star cast, led by the megastar Chiranjeevi, seems irresistible,
but the bitter reality hits you from the very first scene, with our hero's performing
some downright impossible stunts on a horse (spare a thought for that poor animal)
predicting impending doom.
Sita Ramudu (Chiranjeevi) is the all too common village hero with a highly respected
father, loving sister and the resident village buffoon as his constant companion
- the prerequisites for most movies. An arrogant woman with two equally arrogant
spoilt daughters, hired goons and ridiculous plots and sub-plots are all present
in this movie. When our hero clashes with the trio, all nonsense breaks loose,
and you spin helplessly in a cesspool of lewd, crass, derogatory sexist humor,
and mindless violence.
There are scenes in the movie that will leave you dumbfounded. Chiranjeevi
singing a steamy song with his intended mother-in-law, and then again playing
a character where he is called Toyota (wouldn't Mercedes or Limousine have been
classier?) are a couple of such scenes. His ridding the trio of their arrogance
and saving the day is how the movie ends.
All said and done, this re-run was, like we said, a hit that ran for 150 days.
It says a lot about the power of the masses and the massive fan following of
Chiranjeevi. The movie is nothing but a showcase for him. Everyone else is just
there to make up the numbers. Ramya and Rambha just gyrate and titillate. Nothing
in this movie is worth a dekko.