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Rating: 2.5/5

Banner: Mythri Movie Makers

Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shruti Haasan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Duniya Vijay, Lal, Honey Rose, Naveen Chandra, Ajay Ghosh, Murali Sharma and others

Music: S S Thaman

Cinematographer: Rishi Punjabi

Editor: Navin Nooli

Director: Gopichandh Mallineni

Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Y Ravi Shankar

Release date: 12th Jan, 2023

Nandamuri Natasimham Balakrishna has often believed in releasing his films during Sankranthi and the festive fervor is also high among the movie lovers. They expect a complete mass treat and Balayya never disappoints. Was he able to live up to the expectations this time? Let us see

Story

Jai Simha Reddy (Balakrishna) lives in Istanbul with his mother Meenakshi (Honey) and he is a fearless guy who is ready to bash the wrongdoers. What he is not aware is that his father Veera Simha Reddy (Balakrishna) is a messiah in the Rayalaseema region doing good for the masses. However, Veera Simha Reddy’s arch enemy is Prathap Reddy (Vijay) who is bent upon killing him and more than him, it is Bhagyalakshmi (Varalaxmi), Veera Simha Reddy’s own sister who wants to take revenge. Why is Jai Simha Reddy living in Istanbul? Why does Bhagyalakshmi want revenge? What did Veera Simha Reddy do? All this forms the rest of the story.

Performances

Balakrishna has once again given a committed performance and scores full marks. Be it fights, dance, dialogue delivery, he nails it in his powerful style. The senior version of Balayya and his style is impeccable. Shruti Haasan was there for the glamour and her dance was dazzling. Honey Rose was elegant and sensuous. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar was impact creating. Duniya Vijay was upto the mark. Lal made his presence felt. Naveen Chandra was brief but good. Ajay Ghosh is excellent, he deserves more meaty roles, Murali Sharma was neat. The others did their bit as required and filled the gaps.

Crew

The story per se is quite in the beaten track but that is compensated by some excellent visuals and some good dialogues. The script was weak and the screenplay could have been better. The background score was the life for the film and complimenting it was some amazing cinematography. Songs failed to impress. Few shots showing Balayya were extremely eye catching. The production values were rich. Costumes and art department were impressive. Action sequences were high octane but they were too many. Editing missed the mark in the second half.

Hits

Senior Balayya’s Swag!

Background score

Cinematography

Dialogues

Misses

Second half

Overdose of violence

Lengthy narrative

Sister sentiment

Deeper Look

There is no doubt that Balakrishna has the power to drive the masses crazy and if the storyline and plot is weaved with some sensibility, he has the stamina to take it to next level and roar at the box office. However, the mistakes that director make is focus more on the heroism and elevating the image instead of working on the content, the writing and making the narrative more gripping. After coming up with a rather engaging film like ‘Krack’ and creating some strong characterizations, director Gopichand failed to repeat the same magic despite having a strong set of actors. And, there is absolutely no reason why he has to spend so much on fight sequences and batter the audience with so much bloodshed. The film had nearly eight fight sequences and that too with a long duration. If only they were reduced and replaced with few elements of humor, drama, the entire story would have created a whole new positive impact. The film takes off in a route manner in the backdrop of Istanbul and it is not until the senior Balakrishna arrives that the momentum starts. The first half had its share of action, emotion and dialogues and even the interval bang was good. However, the whole thing comes collapsing in the second half. The flashback episode got too lengthy and the characterization of the antagonist was loud with no proper strength or conviction. The momentum loses grip and the usual fight sequences add to the woes. Sometimes one has to feel for Balayya. Despite his best efforts, absolute commitment to the director and his immense ability to generate adrenaline even among the classes, he is not given the story that reiterates his stature as the God of the masses. At the box office, the film might sail through in the festival frenzy and Balayya craze but the outcome of ‘Waltair Veerayya’ will also determine the overall performance.

Vox Verdict

For Balayya Fans Only!


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