Veera Simha Reddy Movie Review: Vintage faction misfired

Tollywood star actor Balakrishna is back with another powerful movie, “Veera Simha Reddy” directed by Gopichand Malineni. Being the film after “Akhanda,” the film garners much attention from the day of its announcement. The film hit the theatres and let’s see how it fares at box-office.

Story:

Jaya Simha Reddy (Balakrishna) lives with his mother, Meenakshi (Honey Rose), in Istanbul. He falls in love with Eesha (Shruti Haasan) and decides to marry her. Then Meenakshi reveals the identity of Jaya’s father, Veera Simha Reddy, who lives in Rayalaseema and rules Pulicharla. Bhanumathi (Varalaxmi) and Pratap Reddy (Duniya Vijay) want to kill Veera Simha Reddy for the past 30 years. Why do they want to kill Veera? Who is Bhanumathi? Why did Veera Simha Reddy leave his wife and son? Answers of these questions will be the main plot of the story.

Analysis:

Altogether, expectations soared on Balakrishna's “Veera Simha Reddy” as he is coming after scoring a resounding hit and rewriting the records at the box office. Gopichand Malineni's direction left many craving for wholesome entertainment during Sankranti. However, Gopichand Malineni disappointed all with “Veera Simha Reddy” output as he did not work on the story. He just tried to elevate the heroism of Balakrishna in dual roles and it did not come out properly.

Though, the “Krack” director is strong in writing story and screenplay, his presentation failed to connect chords. It lacked a realistic feel and the entire film tested the patience of the viewers. The direction followed the same template and did not try any deviations. Overall, “Veera Simha Reddy” offered nothing new and instead offered routine product. People are left wondering why Balakrishna is doing such a routine mass masala entertainers continuously.

It is a movie that will cater mostly to Balayya’s die-hard fans, for it’s over the top action sequences. Otherwise, the film is just a routine faction drama that has loud music, action sequences and a routine story, which may not appeal to the general audience.

Performances:

Balakrishna, as always, is in his element as “Veera Simha Reddy.” He perfectly embodies the raw and rustic nature of the role that is tailor-made for the actor who has been seen in similar roles several times before. He is good in the over-the-top action scenes as well, and his dialogues are a treat to his audience. His attire as “Veera Simha Reddy” will make fans go crazy.

Shruti Haasan is ok in the movie and dances well in the songs, but doesn’t have anything much to do storywise. Certain forced comedy scenes through her character don’t work well.

Honey Rose, who made her Tollywood debut with the film is the surprising factor of the film, as she is very good in her role. As a mother and love interest , she has done well in the film, and has also contributed well in the glamour department. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar is perfect in her role, and her emotion is perfectly shown throughout the film. Her scenes with Balakrishna particularly stand out. Duniya Vijay is at his best in acting and dialogue delivery. His dressing will stand out for sure. The rest of the supporting cast, like Murali Sharma, Ajay Ghosh and Naveen Chandra, are good enough in their roles and do the needful as per the script.

Technicalities:

Director Gopichand Malineni has come up with couple of twists in the film, and while they’re good, they are also not novel for the audience. The screenplay lags quite a bit throughout the movie. However, the director failed to incorporate any entertaining/comedy moments into the screenplay. The film feels too long and boring after a certain point. Varalaxmi’s emotion track might appeal to a section of the audience. On the whole, the director seems to have just recycled stories that have already been seen before.

Camerawork by Rishi Punjabi and score by Thaman are praiseworthy. They made the movie a terrific one with their outstanding work. The art department also gives its best. The production values are so rich and you can see them on the big screen.

Positives:

Balakrishna and Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar

Few parts in second half

Couple of songs

Negatives:

Age old concept

Lack of entertainment

Runtime of the movie