Kushi Review

Here is this guy who has delivered three hits in a row, has as many fan clubs as some other stars have fans and is pitted to be the heir apparent to the 'megastar' status. So when his film, which has been on the floors for one year, releases in a staggering 26 theaters in the state capital, fans and their expectations run riot.

In a region where star power is greater than the film itself, few will have reason to be disappointed with the mediocrity of a film featuring a big star. But for the critic, it's an occupational hazard to be given a damp squib when he has the expectations of a cracker. Kushi is a prime example.

Not that the film is devoid of an impressive storyline. Only, it is too full of hype, and there's little credibility in the way that the story is dealt with. The movie is about how two people living hundreds of miles apart are destined to meet each other. It starts off with the birth of Siddhu (Pavan Kalyan) and Madhu (Bhoomika) in Kolkata and Kaikalur, respectively. In the first half hour, you are shown how they grow up to become young adults sharing the love and affection of their parents. If all had gone well, they surely would not have met. Siddhu gets a visa to go to Canada for higher studies and Bhoomika plans to settle down with marriage, at the insistence of her father.

But by a quirk of fate their plans are foiled, and destiny wills that both of them join Nizam College in Hyderabad. Thanks to young lovers Babu (Sivaji) and Shanti who happen to be their friends, Siddhu and Madhu are introduced to each other, and they become the best of friends. Not just that - they have a common commitment, too. That is to encounter the obstacles in the marriage of Babu and Shanti.

With this commitment they become closer to each other, and when it seems inevitable that they would end up as lovers, they fall apart over a silly reason - so silly, it isn't worth a mention. They decide that they have nothing to do with each other, but keep meeting in order to see through the marriage of their friends who face insurmountable odds in the form of the girl's father Gudumba Sathi.

There seems to be little consistency in the storyline - the director appears confused about what it is that he actually wants to convey. If the way that the film unfolds is to be taken seriously, they shouldn't have had any quarrels. They don't have one either, as they yearn for each other for most of the first half. But when all is going well, the director suddenly brings their egos to the fore just before the interval to drive a wedge between them.

The whole of the second half is dedicated to some kind of tomfoolery every time Pavan Kalyan and Bhoomika meet. They keep reiterating that they don't have anything to do with each other, and that is unwarranted in the first place since they have parted amicably. Secondly, despite those proclamations, the strong-willed and independent Bhoomika wants to know about what is happening in Pavan Kalyan's life.

And finally, just at a time when the film should have assumed seriousness, the director (or is it Pavan Kalyan?) takes the comic route, predictably to make you laugh. And so you are treated to some stupid episodes that keep popping up without any rhyme or reason. Forget appreciating the antics, you can only drone in drowsiness.

The film showcases not the subtler aspects of love but the macho image of Pavan Kalyan who is forever fighting goons for no valid reason. If you are a Pavan Kalyan fan, you will definitely like this. But for the others, it is another one of those average films that flood the market with regular frequency.