Karo karo zara Jalsa

This was pretty much on the expected lines. The error that director Trivikram committed in ‘Jalsa’ (Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan’s blockbuster of 2008), according to his own admission, was that it was not the romantic entertainer that he envisioned it to be. That has been rectified this time and 'Attarintiki Daaredhi' (AD) ends up just as what he intended - a family entertainer till the last sequence.

There is no great story in ‘AD’, but Trivikram’s skills make it work. Only an actor of Pawan’s caliber can pull it off with elan. Together they are in tandem and present you a fun ride of two hours forty five minutes.

He has everything going his way, but that his daughter Sunanda (Nadiya) is not beside him makes Italy’s billionaire Raghuram Nanda (Boman Irani) an unhappy man. He does everything to extend an olive branch to Sunanda who married against his wish and faces his wrath, but in vain. His grandson Gowtham Nanda (Pawan Kalyan) takes up the mantle of bringing back his atthayya back to grace the company’s shareholder chair and bury the hatchet. The guy born with the golden spoon lands up in Hyderabad. En route to his aunt’s house, he rescues her husband (Rao Ramesh) from a cardiac arrest. Posing as a job seeker, he joins aunt’s house as the driver. After bailing her from a financial crisis and rescuing her elder daughter Prameela (Praneetha) from kidnappers, he turns the Good Samaritan of the house. Soon his bluff is out and the aunt comes to know about his real identity and asks him to leave the house. He does it, but comes back to realise that her younger daughter Sashi (Samantha) is in love with him. What next?

Story as old as the hills, but Trivikiram’s packaging does the trick. With his one-liners - Ramudu samudram daggaraku vellake bridge ela kattalo plan chesadu. Adavilo vundaga bridge plan geesukoni samudram daggaraku vellaledhu; bullet arangulamae vuntundhi kani aaradugula manishini champuthundi; Lakshamandi karkmikulunna pedavadu thata - taking the centre stage, he ensures that music, romance and action are in equal proportions too.

While the first half at best is good, it’s the second half the takes the audience on hilarity ride. The entry of Bhaskar (Brahamandam), who is asked to look into the marriage preparations of Sashi, into the proceedings, gives it a new lease of life. Majority of his portions, especially the Ahalya amayakuralu episode, will make the audience roll on the floor with laughter. Ahalya episode is to ‘AD’ what antakahsari episode was to ‘Gabbar Singh’. And guess what? There is a spoof of Kevvu keka song, which too, like Katam Rayuda number, is conceived and executed to the delight of the stars fans. ‘Ninnu choodagane’ number pleases the eyes.

If there’s a weak link then it should be unconvincing shift from comedy portions to emotional sequences. While Pawan occasionally goes overboard by playing to the gallery, it is a tailor-made film for him. His mannerisms, irreverent dialogues, and quirky body language are on full flow. His emotional outburst in the climax is to watch out for. While the leading ladies - Samantha and Praneetha- take a backseat for the lead actor, the supporting cast adds a great value to the film. Be it Nadiya, Boman Irani or Ali, they go about their jobs with flair.

Rounding up, this is a heady cocktail for Pawan’s diehard fans and pukka entertainment for non-fans. That ‘Gabbar Singh’ breached the Rs 100 crore mark never came into limelight, but this one is on the track to be the first Telugu film to do so. As one of the film’s number goes, it’s time to party.

-Nagaraj Goud