Film: Sarrainodu
Cast: Allu Arjun, Rakul Preet Singh, Aadi Pinishetty, Catherine Tresa
Director: Boyapati Sreenu
What it’s about
This commercial flick has mass written all over it and the trailer created a lot of hype around the film. Sarrainodu directed by Boyapati Sreenu saw him team up with Allu Arjun for the first time and people expected the film to be an out-and-out action flick. Gana (Allu Arjun) is the son of Umapathi (Jayaprakash), the Chief Secretary of State and nephew of Sripathi (Srikanth), a lawyer. Gana has dabbled in numerous professions but chooses not to pursue any of them. But he is brash and can’t stand social injustice and often takes law into his own hands. Gana bumps into Hansita Reddy (Catherine Tresa), an MLA, and falls for her. He starts to pursue her and, in the course of helping her, he gets embroiled with the powerful Vairam Dhanush’s (Aadhi Pinisetty) men. When he finally gets ready to marry Hansita and give up all his vigilante activities, he ends up saving Mahalakshmi (Rakul Preet Singh) from Dhanush’s men. Does he marry Hansita? Who is Mahalakshmi? What happens between Gana and Dhanush?
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What’s good
The movie is a masala action entertainer and has all the elements that can make it work— romance, comedy, action, drama and sentiment. Allu Arjun has worked hard on his physique to perform the action sequences and they are one of the highlights of the film. Like his moniker ‘Stylish Star’, Allu Arjun is seen in a totally stylish avatar with some mega punchlines and masala dialogues. A surprise in the movie is definitely Aadhi Pinisetty. Cast as the bad guy, Aadhi excels in the role with his suave, sophisticated looks and smooth dialogue-delivery. The director has ensured that the fights in this film are not only well-choreographed but very well shot. The excellent cinematography by Rishi Punjabi adds tremendously to the film as does the production value.
Rakul Preet Singh and Catherine Tresa have roles of equal importance in the movie. While Rakul has a more emotional role, Catherine’s is lighter. However, in terms of performance, the scope is limited for both the leading ladies. There are a host of other actors in the film like Brahmanandam, Vidyu Raman and Suman. Anjali has done an item song in the film. Vidyu Raman’s sambar-obsessed comical role will have the audience in complete splits. Music director Thaman's BGM is a plus for the film as he made sure that the sounds, especially in the action scenes, create an impact. A few of the songs like the title track and 'Telusa Telusa' are both visually appealing and a good listen.
What’s not
What Boyapati Sreenu would do for Allu Arjun with this film was a big question. The movie, which is heavy on action and violence, unfortunately, has a weak storyline. There are many instances that seem to test the audience’s intelligence and patience levels. For example, Gana pursues Hansita because he loves her and for no legitimate reason is set to marry another woman. The movie relies too much on its fight sequences to keep the audience engaged. But, coupled with a clichéd and unconvincing story, the 159-minute film is too long for comfort.
What to do
Boyapati Sreenu has tried to make a total ‘oora mass’ but even with Allu Arjun’s powerful muscles and stylised action sequences, it falls short.
Rating: **1/2
