Prince harming

Come Friday and Tollywood has to reiterate its love formula. Sometimes it is the stars and their clichés, sometimes it is the clichés without the stars. Any which way, we are caught inextricably in this ‘boy meets girl’ and Cupid chem story. Our directors have used up every permutation and combination in the cupboard. Now when they open it, it is the skeletons that roll out. Films seem to offer just what the canteen offer at the interval: limited stale choice. We are not just starved of choice; we are repeatedly taken through formulistic equations with minor numerical variations to the algebraic equation that constitutes the script.

What drives a producer? An inspired script, a hidden insurance to success, a short route to the bank? What inspires a director? A conviction to tell a tale he believes in, a passion to command: Action, cut; A belief that this story must reach out to all the guys and gals and be the architect of a fine script? Now take the producer (P Vajrang) and the director (Satyam) and try solving the puzzle on why this combo got to this project.

It is not that debutant Satyam, a protégé of Puri Jaganadh does not show promise. It is a sad sign that he chooses to be a shadow rather than tread a new path. Those who are in awe of their masters or who are not willing to take the artistic challenge end up at best as poor echoes.

Vaishnav (Naveen Chandra) is the sole heir and son of rithchie rich businessmen. He is God’s gift to mankind: the perfect lad with the tucked in gold medals (academics), the well-toned muscles that are the protective gear for the lass in distress (the goons are around to test him!) and of course sing and dance he can with the felicity of a trained artist. Angry with Bindu (Ritu Varma), he decides to answer a prank with a series of highly objectionable (retrograde) actions – all in jest! Bindu just hates academics and cannot take authority including the suffocating care concern and policing by single mom (Sitara). She guffaw to avenge Princi finds her falling a victim to the blackmail of Vaishnav who has his ego massaged with gals ogling at him when he is leaving foot prints on the sands of the earth. Soon Bindu and Vaishnav fall in love- actually not so. Very leisurely and meanderingly. This is as old as the hills and if you are moronic to miss the spin, we have the college lecturer (MS Narayana- woefully out of form) teaching a class of engineering students what the Stockholm syndrome is all about!

Mama is against the love story. She is busy marketing girl education as the guarantee to Women Power (straight from Rahul Gandhi). Do not reject the tale yet. In a while, Bindu is all tears and takes to books with a vengeance. Tears and hiccups replace the smiles and giggles. You know that the one good thing about this movie is that it lasts all but two hours and sooner than later the Bindu-Vaishnav pic for keeps sake is round the corner. Imminently avoidable. Simply not worth even the limited film duration- notwithstanding the sincerity in the effort of the filmmaker and the high pedestal take on women empowerment through education. This borders on being propagandist. The cast leaves much to be desired and hopefully would defend their performance as early days yet. This Princess comes without a privy purse. - LRC