Telusu Kadha Review

After delivering the widely successful DJ Tillu and Tillu Square, and becoming a sensation among the youth, Siddhu Jonnalagadda seems to have hit a roadblock with Jack, and now, Telusu Kadha. He appears to be on a downward spiral.

Anjali (Raashi Khanna) and Varun (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) are a happily married couple. Having grown up almost like an orphan, Varun deeply longs to build a family of his own. Anjali, too, wants a baby, but she has a medical condition that prevents her from conceiving. Dr Raaga (Srinidhi Shetty) encourages Anjali to consider surrogacy, and even volunteers to be the surrogate mother. However, Anjali is unaware that Raaga was once Varun's girlfriend. Now, Varun finds himself two-timing both Raaga and Anjali.

Telusu Kadha had long been promoted as a "new-age" story - something we were supposed to "learn" from. The teaser was quite good - surrogacy, double-timing, rekindled romance and what not. The lead cast, Siddhu and Raashi, gave several media bytes, going gaga over the concept. But on screen, the movie fails on all fronts. The idea isn't particularly unique, and the execution is all about staging, with little substance. New-age here is mostly about Varun going on chewing on the words estrogen and testosterone, while his granny is obsessed with veeryam (sperm) and wants to "recharge his battery". You certainly need to recharge yours by the end.

Like countless other Telugu films, Telusu Kadha starts well and builds up well, and takes a nosedive at the crucial moment. This movie is yet another victim of the formula hunt - throwing together tropes in the hope that they will somehow work. The story of Anjali and Varun starts off quite simply, diving straight into the plot - their liking for each other, chemistry and ultimately wedding. Every sequence goes well and they are adorable. But as soon as the surrogacy thing enters the plot, the film goes non-linear for no real reason. And Varun starts two-timing.

The narrative tries to force-fit a "good guy" angle onto Varun even though he's clearly cheating. The film tries hard to normalise his actions and evoke sympathy for his situation. But none of it really works. The few genuinely enjoyable moments come from Varun's friend and business partner, Abhi (Viva Harsha), whose quirky remarks and friendly suggestions provide some much-needed relief.

Performance-wise, Siddhu is decent and tries hard to shed his Tillu image, but can't quite manage it. His look and style have been altered considerably, yet beneath the surface you can still see traces of Tillu, which don't fit this character.

Srinidhi and Raashi share almost equal screen time and deliver strong performances. They both look stunning, and their characters - strikingly different in personality - are well portrayed.

Among the cast, Harsha truly stands out. Though his character is body-shamed a couple of times, he actually looks better than ever and brings in some genuine humour when the film itself has little going for it.

The production quality of the movie is quite high, but the overall result isn't. For instance, while the cinematography is impressive, the editing completely messes it up. The film is overloaded with slow-motion shots for no fathomable reason. Almost every scene featuring Varun has a slo-mo, both in the beginning and in the end.

The songs are actually melodious, but the background score is jarring and fails to match the mood. It's quite disappointing, especially knowing that Thaman S composed it. Many background tracks even seem to be directly lifted from They Call Him OG, also composed by Thaman.

To conclude, debutant director Neerraja Kona couldn't quite get her act together in this one, and though the film has its moments and a few good laughs, it's bound to fail.