Sai Tej dishes out a predictable narrative

After having waited for nearly a year to return to the experience of watching films on the big screen, fans of Telugu cinema and those of Sai Tej would have expected something more interesting with his latest release. Instead, you have a new director, Subbu, casting a new pair, Sai Tej and Nabha Natesh with a terribly pedestrian theme of a ' Solo Brathuke So Better' union of bachelors, resisting marriage and ultimately succumbing to the lure of romance.

Having begun well with a handful of hits in the first quarter of 2020, the Telugu film industry would have done well if it had managed to maintain the momentum, had Covid-19 not derailed its plans. Yet Sai Tej who had a reasonably successful 'Pratiroju Pandage' a year earlier comes up with a stereotyped entertainer.

With a zingy performance in 'iSmart Shankar' Nabha Natesh had carved a niche for herself in the hearts of youth a few months ago. In this film, where she makes an appearance only around the interval phase, she quickly recovers ground and registers an impression.

That is an impressive outcome for a heroine in Telugu cinema which often confines them to ornamental roles, offering generous skin show and irritating dialogue delivery. An ensemble cast of Rao Ramesh, Rajendra Prasad and Vennela Kishore keep the momentum shifts ongoing in the film which does not offer any novelty otherwise.

The comedy tracks seem enjoyable, the sentimental shifts seem contrived and overall, it is a clear indication that Telugu filmwalas still believe in their own styles of filmmaking, irrespective of whether the audience is still relating to it wholeheartedly or not.

Having visibly failed to read the shifting trends of film watching with the opening up of OTT platforms, the Telugu film directors need to sharpen their end products to survive the new competitive threats for sure.

With the pandemic impact not yet under control, after the initial relief, fans may want to evaluate their decision of watching a movie on the big screen only if the entertainment quotient is guaranteed. This is a signal which none in the film industry can afford to ignore.