Oosaravelli Review

An NTR (they don't call him 'Jr.' any more) film is increasingly taking on the feel of a neighbourhood tamasha, a side show. Predictability and monotony are no longer disguised (in the garb of commercial appeal) any more - no one's even being apologetic about making a film with the same faces and the same things happening, over and over again.

Oosaravelli, a tiresomely enthusiastic rehash of every Telugu movie you have seen, is a project that seems to serve no significant purpose other than having created jobs for a battalion of people. Little wonder, then, that there was no pre-release noise about it - there's nothing in here to hype.

So what do we have here? The regulars. Hero (NTR). Heroine (Tamannah). Bespectacled friend (Payal Ghosh) of heroine. Don. Sub-don. Super-don. Evil policeman. Comic "relief". Flashback. And in the end, not a whimper of an apology.

You're supposed to weep in joy when the quietly-triumphant blood-soaked hero swirls the wine in the villain's glass after having killed him. You're supposed to celebrate when the lady, she of the fashionably highlighted curls, finally weeps and hugs the gentleman, he of the fashionably highlighted curls, asking him "never to leave her". You're supposed to be infuriated when you see the kids in the flashback being shot dead by ruthless underworld hooligans. You're supposed to be bursting with adrenaline when the well-choreographed SUVs on the screen keep getting tossed about like beans.

In all, it's like being force-fed when you're full.

The one thing that the film has going for it is the flashback towards the end, in which Tamannah has a huge role to play. She is flawless as a performer, but this bit comes too little too late in the flick.

Fans of Jr. NTR (oh, and by the way, there is not a single mention of NTR or "the clan" in the entire movie - now that's a feat) might be insistent on not missing this movie, but that's about it. The clichéd plot, the absence of solid comedy, and the gory violence make this unattractive to almost everyone else.

NTR Junior is a bankable actor, and he's clearly more versatile than his current work gives him opportunity for, but his films do not seem to have the spark in them any more. He, on his part, doesn't look like he's doing all that he's capable of - dances, fights and a "mass" dialogue or two are hardly the ultimate that someone of his talent ought to aspire for.

As for Tamannah, she's beautiful, expressive, makes the right dance moves, and despite her non-local complexion and looks, has certainly come of age as a Telugu heroine. Definitely destined for bigger things (and by that, we do not mean Bollywood), this one.

Prakash Raj looks as bored as he is boring. Jayaprakash Reddy, Raghu Babu and gang mildly tickle you with some limp humour, and succeed in bits. Payal Ghosh has bad lip sync, despite being given a plum role.

One or two of Devi Sri Prasad's tunes have some zing to them and are drawing in the cheers. The cinematography is quite brilliant, and the much talked about fights have indeed been composed well.

Not the film you'd take your family to this Dussehra, and neither the kind you'll remember next Dussehra. Till then, you're forgiven if you amble in if you didn't get tickets to anything else.