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| Director : Srinu Vaitla |
| Producer : Bandla Ganesh Babu |
| Music Director : S. Thaman |
| Starring : NTR, Kajal Aggarwal, Navdeep |
Young Tiger NTR’s ‘Baadshah’ is all set to hit the screens tomorrow (April 5th) in a big way. We have been to a special screening of the film and this is the first and exclusive review of ‘Baadshah’, specially for 123telugu.com readers. The movie has been directed by Sreenu Vaitla and Bandla Ganesh is the producer. Expectations on the film are sky high, so let us see if the film lives up to the hype.
Story :
Baadshah (NTR) is the youngest and most aggressive player in the international crime syndicate headed by Saadhu Bhai (Kelly Dorji). Baadshah’s father Ranjan (Mukesh Rushi) operates a very profitable casino in Macau and he is a trusted aide of Saadhu Bhai. Baadshah’s intelligence, ambition and aggression soon put him on a collision course with Saadhu Bhai and the Don wants to finish off the young upstart. With the help of rival Dons Crazy Robert (Ashish Vidyardhi) and Violent Victor (Pradeep Rawat), Saadhu tries to eliminate Baadshah and his family.
Saadhu also plans large scale terrorist attacks in all the major metros of India. Baadshah vows to foil the plans of Saadhu and to do this, he takes the help of Janaki (Kajal) and her father Jai Krishna Simha (Nasser). Jai Krishna Simha is the Police Commissioner of Hyderabad and he is a very strict head of a joint family that also includes Padmanabha Simha (Brahmanandam).
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that there is more to Baadshah than what meets the eye. He has a tragic past and a powerful motive for taking on Saadhu Bhai. What is that motive? Who is Baadshah? How does Padmanabha Simha fit into the plans of Baadshah? That forms the rest of the story.
Plus Points :
NTR is simply brilliant as Baadshah. The character demands aggression, style and ruthlessness. NTR displays all three qualities in abundance. His comedy timing is spot on and the sequences with Kajal in Italy are very entertaining. In the second half of the film, he changes his appearance and dialogue delivery effortlessly, to transform into someone else (I don’t want to reveal more details). NTR’s dances in ‘Sairo Sairo’ and ‘Rangoli Rangoli’ are fantastic.
The film will be a feast for fans. There are some special sequences that have been designed to delight them. Special mention must be made of NTR’s brief appearance in the Justice Chowdhary getup. The resemblance to his legendary grandfather is just too much. In the second half, there is a very entertaining sangeeth episode based on a medley of Sr NTR’s popular songs.
Superstar Mahesh Babu’s voice over comes in at a number of crucial junctures in the first half and it is effective. Brahmanandam is hilarious as Inspector Padmanabha Simha and he is a major asset for the film. His scenes with NTR and Nasser are rib-tickling. Sreenu Vaitla has cleverly used the ‘living out a dream’ concept from the Hollywood flick ‘Inception’ to come up with Brahmanandam’s comedy track.
M.S. Narayana is perfect for the role of film director Revenge Nageswara Rao and he will make you laugh. The character has an uncanny resemblance to Ram Gopal Varma but it is not offensive. M.S. Narayana takes care of the comedy in the first half along with NTR, Vennela Kishore and Kajal.
Kajal entertains with her ‘Banthi’ philosophy and corny one liners. She looks quite glamorous in the movie. Suhasini is neat. Navdeep has done well as an evil cop. Hero Siddharth has a very small but very crucial role in the film. Nasser is effective as the strict police officer. Pragathi has come up with a surprisingly effective and entertaining dance in the sangeeth ceremony sequence.
The second half of the film is packed with entertainment. Fast paced narration, superb comedy sequences and three peppy songs (Banthi Poola Janaki, Welcome Kanakam and Rangoli Rangoli) will keep viewers happy. All the songs have very rich visuals.
Minus Points :
The film has certain similarities to a number of Sreenu Vaitla’s past projects.Talented actors like Jayaprakash Reddy, Brahmaji, Tanikella Bharani, Master Bharath, Chandra Mohan and Thagubothu Ramesh did not receive characters fit for their abilities.
The movie slows down a little as it approaches the interval. A fight sequence should have been chopped off to speed up things.
Technical Aspects :
Four different cinematographers worked for the film and it is difficult to say who shot what. But the visuals look very rich and colourful. Editing could have been better in the first half. Thaman’s background score is effective and lends good support to the proceedings.
Choreography is good for all the songs. Sairo Sairo and Rangoli have the best steps. Dialogues are hilarious and the one liners are very effective. Credit must go to Sreenu Vaitla, Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat for this.
Sreenu Vaitla scores at the Box Office because of the entertainment quotient in his films. ‘Baadshah’ is no different. He has come up with some good comedy sequences in the movie. He has used Brahmanandam and M.S.Narayana effectively.
Production values are very good.
Verdict :
Baadshah is a very effective entertainer for the summer holidays. Brilliant performances from NTR, Kajal, Brahmanandam and M.S.Narayana coupled with a highly entertaining second half are major plus points for the film. Despite similarities to Sreenu Vaitla’s past projects, the film makes for a very enjoyable watch. Catch ‘Baadshah’ this weekend. Entertainment is guaranteed!
Movie Rating – 3.75/5
