Oka Raju Oka Rani Review

The hero & heroine warped in a car crash at the very beginning of a film means only one thing: you can get into the hall a couple of minutes late and still not miss the intro scenes. It also means that there'd have to be a flashback. In there, Ravi (Ravi Teja) and Preeti (Namita) experience hearts in their thought balloons for one another. Their courtship spans throughout the full length of half of the film. The first half, that is. One and a half hours of love schtick without letting you continue your prolific research on 'Snoring Habits of Fellow Sufferers'... hmm, impressive. Except during those noisy rituals where the lead couple bend their bodies ever so confusingly while flailing their limbs haphazardly on mountain tops and meadows, that is.

The reason for this invigorating passage of time, perhaps, could be attributed to the parents of our heroine, who could make billions by revealing their recipe behind making such gorgeous and curvaceous offsprings. Namita looks so fine, many men could drink her bath water. As for Ravi Teja, he isn't quite himself in here; you can notice the improvement straight away. No more Mr. Motormouth.

Cutting back to the story, Namita's dad, the police commissioner (Tanikella Bharani), doesn't approve of love marriages. So our lover fowls weave a ploy to con him into beckoning Ravi to wed Preeti, all the while under the smokescreen of being an arranged marriage set-up. This they achieve with the help of a marriage bureau agent (Bramhanandam) and some prudent tactics. Though appearing dunce to some sections of the audience, Ravi and Preeti entangle us in their scheme.

The script and characterisation is absolutely sensational in terms of entertainment in this half. The titillating characters and the cheery feel of the flick are definitely healthier than the pseudo-grandiose one in Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi. Even the songs are better in this half.

Anyway, the quaint plot of our lead pair almost pays off dividends when they have the terrible accident and the commissioner finds out all about the plan. He's furious and he imprisons Preeti. This is where the feel-good factor of the movie screeches to a halt and we have the mandatory sob songs and the even more mandatory action sequences. But we all know how the hero's rescue mission would end.

Yes, we can thwart the makers for spoiling it up at the fag end of this breezy no-brainer, but actually it isn't all that bad after all. The characterisation of the movie is perfect - there is not a single character that does not affect the story in some way or the other. Ravi Teja proves as marathon material, since this is a modification of his stereotype image. His chum in the movie carries most of the weight of the comedy and looks like he's an avid fan of Atlas. He's swell and so is Bramhanandam. But the stars have to be thanking the director for smooth, neat work ...and Namita, for being herself!

In a nutshell, Oka Raju... is like cold pizza - can be better, but is good anyway.