Movie: Andhhagadu
Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: AK Entertainments
Cast: Raj Tarun, Hebba Patel, Raja Ravindra, Ashishi Vidyarathi and others
Music: Sekhar Chandra
Cinematography: B R Rajasekhar
Editor: M R Varma
Producers: Ramabrahmam Sunkara
Story, Screenplay and directed by: Veligonda Srinivas
Release date: June 02, 2017
Raj Tarun is on a success track. His recent two movies were hits. Also whenever he teamed up with heroine Hebbah Patel, he has delivered a decent hit.
So, his third pairing up with her for "Andhhagadu" created lot of interest on the movie. Since the trailers said that he is playing blind role, the movie further generated interest.
So how has the film fared?
Story:
Gautham (Raj Tarun) easily impresses Nethra (Hebbah) even though he doesn't see anything. He is an RJ, she is a doctor.
After couple of duets and some misunderstandings, they fall in love and his eyes are operated when a dead person donates his eyes.
Once he gets sight, he sees the same dead person. The spirit asks him to do two favours. Since he got sight because of this person (Rajendra Prasad), Gautham agrees to whatever the spirit asks.
But it turns out that he ought to kill two persons and one of them is a notorious rowdy leader Babji (Raja Ravindra). Will he kill them?
Artistes’ Performances:
Raj Tarun appears as blind person for just 20 minutes in the film and rest of the duration he acts in his typical style. As a blind person, he has done some comedy scenes, which are good. He even appears wearing dark shades in all songs as if he was blind even in dream sequences.
Hebbah Patel doesn’t have much role.
Raja Ravindra fails to impress as main villain as his is a poorly written character. Ashish Vidyarthi, Shayaji Shinde and Rajendra Prasad are okay.
Technical Excellence:
Cinematography, artwork and production values … all are pretty ordinary. Music is totally bad; all songs are too massy and loud. Editing is tacky.
Highlights:
Some parts in the first half
Climax twist
Comedy portions
Drawback:
Lack of creativity
Old jokes
Clumsy direction
Analysis:
Fifteen minutes into the movie, the first impression one gets about "Andhhagadu" is that the movie is heading nowhere.
It begins on a typical romantic comedy manner and goes on and on with some comedy scenes and couple of songs.
We don't witness any seriousness at all either in screenplay and story until the twist happens.
The story has many genres from romance to horror to revenge. The graph from one genre to the other isn't perfect but it ends somewhat interesting with the twists and turns towards the end.
Hero 'imagining a spirit' and the spirit playing with him is such a silly thread and doesn't hold any interest. But the point shows its worth when it was revealed that there is a proper emotional angle and a back-story to it.
Though the twist is interesting, whatever the proceedings that happen before this are non-serious.
Even though hero is blind, he is a naughty person. He likes to flirt with women. He also falls in love with the heroine like a regular hero does.
The romantic thread is so cliched and predictable. When a hero doesn't see the world, at least the writer-director should come with believable situations for romantic part.
Despite these flaws and issues, the first half of the movie is okay. Post interval the movie's pace slackens again. Then a twist is revealed and the movie then starts making some sense.
If this twist was used in an even better way and the movie was narrated grippingly, it would have been a good commercial revenge drama. But director Veligonda Srinivas has come up with poor screenplay.
Some comedy scenes and Raj Tarun are positive sides in the beginning. Twists and emotional side are positives post-interval.
On the whole, "Andhhagadu" turns out to be an okay watch due to its strength in the storyline. A better narration, a better comedy would have made lot of difference.
It may work with B and C center audiences more than the multiplex and overseas audiences.
Bottom-line: Twisty Revenge!