‘Gandeevadhari Arjuna’ movie review: This Arjuna misses the target

Varun Tej starrer “Gandeevadhari Arjuna” has released in theatres amid huge expectations. The “Mukunda” actor’s collaboration with director Praveen Sattaru created much required buzz for the film. Let’s see how the film faresat box-office.

Story:

Adityaraj Bahadur (Nassar) is a central minister from India and is in London to participate in the UN Summit on global warming. However, his safety is jeopardised by Ranveer (Vinay Rai) and his cohorts. As circumstances unfold, Arjun Varma (Varun Tej) steps in to shield Adityaraj from the impending threat. Why has Adityaraj become a target of Ranveer? What is the connection between them? Who is Arjun? How is Ira (Sakshi Vaidya) involved in this story? The answers will be found in the movie.

Analysis

Director Praveen Sattaru seems to have learnt no lessons even after a damp squib like “The Ghost.” He sticks to the usual style. The writing is pretty bad and scenes are cliched. The film is loaded with predictable moments. While the first half is somewhat bearable and sets up the story, the second-half totally deviated. The viewers are over the stretched scenes and cliched proceedings. After a point, even director Praveen Sattaru is clueless and appears to have given-up. The film turns bland entirely.Director’s fascination for action stunts, gun shots, chase scenes get the major position. They look very forced and unnatural in the film, taking away the essence.

The major problem with the “Gandeevadhari Arjuna” is that it doesn’t have a soul. The social problem of garbage and pollution isn’t handled well. Mixing this with corporate corruption doesn’t blend well.

The protagonist has a personal loss due to pollution. But even it isn’t narrated in a convincing and connecting way. The viewers get disconnected with the protagonist and his aim. It is quite predictable that the hero saves the small girl Ritu. The audiences nowhere feel tense or stay hooked to the proceedings. The climax portion is uninteresting and ends on very expected lines.

The film clearly has shades of director’s previous work “The Ghost” made with Nagarjuna Akkineni and was rejected by audiences. With “Gandeevadhari..,” Praveen Sattaru stooped further low. He failed to pick an engaging story and deliver a gripping narration. One can’t help but feel sad for Varun Tej and other cast in this film. It is a totally unavoidable film.

Performances

Varun Tej is sleek and stylish. He fits the role of an agent. He is good at shooting episodes and action stunts. Besides this, he doesn’t have much to do. Sakshi Vaidya as Ira is just present. She doesn’t add any value other than adding some glam touch to the screen. Nasser is usual in the minister role. Kalpalatha, of “Pushpa” fame, plays Varun’s mom who is sick. The mother-sentiment doesn’t work as expected. Vinay Rai plays Ranveer, the antagonist. All the characters get cliched. The character arcs are pretty linear. None of the actors elevate in this bland movie.

Technicalities

As a writer and director, Praveen Sattaru fell short in making “Gandeevadhari Arjuna” an engaging action drama. His weak writing and laggy screenplay are to blame.Mickey J Meyer attempted something new and managed to give a decent score, but the songs are forgettable. Cinematography by Mukesh Gautam is commendable.The editing by Dharmendra Kakarala could have been crisper to provide a more engaging experience. The producers should be appreciated for investing decent resources to give the film a rich look.

Advantages

Stylish Making

Some Action Scenes & BGM

Drawbacks

Weak Second Half

Bad Writing

Climax