MY KADAL-KAJAL

Rating : 3/5

Director : Parasuram

Producer : Priyanka Dutt

Music Director : Devi Sri Prasad

Starring : Raviteja,Nara Rohith,Kajal Agarwal and Richa

Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja’s ‘Sarocharu’ is releasing today across the world and the movie has been directed by Parasuram. The film has Kajal Aggarwal and Richa Gangopadhyay as the heroines and Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music. Let us see how ‘Sarocharu’ is.

Story :

Sandhya (Kajal Aggarwal) is a student who is madly in love with Karthik (Ravi Teja), a techie based in Italy. She decides to travel with him to India, confident that the travel time would be enough for her to get Karthik to fall in love. Karthik reciprocates her gestures in a friendly way, but finally reveals that he has a past – a past that has a deep romantic love story involving Vasu (Richa Gangopadhyay).

Sandhya comes to know about Karthik’s stint in Ooty as a football coach and about his affair with Vasu. She also realises that despite all that baggage, she still has feelings for Karthik. At this point, Karthik springs a surprise and reveals a shocking bit of information. Into this confusion comes in Gautham (Nara Rohit),who is Sandhya’s bava and madly in love with her.

What is that shocking bit of information revealed by Karthik? Who will Sandhya choose between Karthik and Gautham? What happens to Vasu? To know the answers to these questions, watch the film.

Plus Points :

Ravi Teja has played a very different character in this movie and it is a welcome change from the loud and hyperactive roles he has been playing in recent years. His performance is balanced, mature and classy. His trademark energy levels have been toned down in the movie.

Nara Rohit steals the show with a good performance. Technically, his role cannot be called a cameo as he has about 25 minutes of screen time overall. His comedy timing and dialogue delivery are entertaining.

Kajal has done a decent job in the film. Richa Gangopadhyay is good and her performance in the flashback scenes adds weight to the movie. Jayasudha is classy. M.S. Narayana entertains as Platinum Prasad in a cameo appearance.

The movie is pretty good for about 30 minutes before the interval and about 45 minutes after it. Some scenes, like the one where Ravi Teja explains the change in behaviour of women before and after marriage, came out hilariously well. Nara Rohit’s kavitvam scene also came out well.

The clean and emotional drama will appeal to family crowds. Lovers change after marriage and the pressures of every day life do not allow the sugary romance to continue. Patience and understanding are required to get through this phase and this movie shows that.

Minus Points :

The climax is a big letdown and it has been badly botched up. Scenes are rushed through and one gets the feeling that the director completely lost the plot at this juncture. Because of this messy ending, the overall flavour of the movie is spoilt. I can’t elaborate more as it will reveal the twist, but Kajal’s final scene as a football coach is totally illogical when you look at it in the overall scheme of things.

A few other scenes have not been explained properly. How does Nara Rohit end up tracing Ravi Teja, to meet him without Kajal’s knowledge? Cinematic liberty.

The song ‘Katuka Kallu’ comes in at a most inappropriate time and acts as a massive speed breaker. Hardcore Ravi Teja fans will miss his trademark energy levels and the mass masala entertainment that his films are known for.

The emotional conflict between Ravi Teja and Richa should have been handled with more intensity. Comedy quotient is surprisingly low for a Ravi Teja and Parasuram film. Srinivasa Reddy has been wasted.

Ravi Teja and Kajal should take better care about their appearance as both of them appear a little tired in this movie.

Technical Aspects:

Vijay Chakravarthy’s cinematography is decent, especially for all the scenes shot in Europe. Editing could have been sharper in the second half. DSP’s music is decent and his background score is effective.

Parasuram has succeeded in a few areas but his handling of the climax and narration in the second half have let the movie down.

Verdict :

This clean family drama that has Ravi Teja in a very different avatar. There are some genuinely good moments in the movie, but a badly botched up climax and some big loopholes in the plot let down the movie. If not for these issues, this movie could have been a lot better. Overall, Sarocharu ends up being an OK watch.

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Thuppakki released today amidst gargantuan hype and high fan frenzy. The expectation is high from this Vijay – Murugadoss association which has an acclaimed crew comprising cameraman Santosh Sivan, editor Sreekar Prasad and music director Harris Jayaraj. Have the team succeeded in giving the perfect festival entertainer?

Thuppakki is basically about Jagdish (Vijay), an army captain, who returns to Mumbai for a 40 days’ vacation. He has a loving family, comprising two sisters and his parents, who wish to get him married to an appropriate girl. Along with his romantic escapades, he also has a greater task at hand as he has to eradicate sleeper cells that are out to bomb and terrorize Mumbai across 12 prominent localities. Banking on the ever-dependable Vijay, this extravagant and stylish entertainer is all about how Jagdish takes on this terror network.

The film gets off to a slow start after Vijay’s mass intro with the ‘Kutti Puli’ number. The romantic episodes with Kajal Aggarwal are bearable thanks to some high-voltage songs by Harris Jayaraj (Alaikaa Laikka and the wildly popular Google Google stand out) and Jayaram’s (playing Jagdish’s senior in the Army) funny interventions.

Kajal is the typical commercial cinema heroine who makes glamorous appearances in the songs and is also there for some comic relief. The tomboyish voice that has dubbed for her, enhances her character. Her stylish costumes and youthful beauty are a nice distraction from the main action packed plot. Jayaram’s legendary comic timing is intact while Sathyan has a commendable and sizable presence in the movie as Jagdish’s police friend. His proficiency in the English and Hindi speaking portions is a pleasant surprise. Vidyut Jamwal looks a million bucks with his long locks, stubble and macho physique. He is a nice matchup for the invincible hero.

Coming back to our main man Vijay, he looks ever youthful and the V shape that he so painstakingly maintains looks even more tight and muscular in Thuppakki. His prowess at dance and fights is well-known and Murugadoss has packaged and presented the movie perfectly in sync with Vijay’s skills at commercial cinema. While on the one hand, Jagdish is a brainy guy who uses the Rubik’s cube and his apple laptop to decode maps, on the other hand, his brawny side is also prominent thanks to his blazer, glares and a stylish gait. The pre-interval scenes with the twelve sleeper cells and the fight scenes with a sniffer dog in tow in the second half are a royal treat for Vijay fanatics. The star’s comfort level with Hindi and English makes his character as an urban Mumbai Thamizhan appear more genuine and real.

Harris Jayaraj’s songs are a raging hit already and this is a nice score on the whole from Harris. The music that repeats while Vidyut makes an appearance on screen is pulsating.

Santosh Sivan’s camerawork is flawless and has captured the raw energy and crowds of Mumbai very well. The VFX for the blast scene at the start could have been better. Sreekar Prasad’s editing is seamless and makes sure that the movie is not boring one bit. Even though the locations in the ‘Vennilave’ song are a treat, the song overall seems redundant and could have been avoided.

Vijay’s costumer and stylist deserve a big round of applause for making the star dazzle in a suave manner with stylish and trendy clothes. His Tees are truly rocking thanks to his toned arms and dashboard abs.

On the downside, the last encounter between Vijay and Vidyut could have been better given the nice manner in which the movie was laid out for the finale. But, this is just a minor blip in an otherwise wholesome commercial treat. The manner in which Vijay manages to keep his mission wrapped in secrecy from his higher authorities in the Army is another question mark.
To wrap it up, Thuppakki should turn out to be a hugely profitable venture for the makers and a rewarding experience for the audience. The last dialog, about Army men living in tough conditions for 11 months based on the memories of their short vacation, makes Thuppakki’s intentions of being an ode to the Army, a commendable one.

VERDICT: A fully loaded festival package from Vijay,Kajal, Murugadoss and co.

3.5/5

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