Movie: Godfather
Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: Mega Supergood Films, Konidela Productions
Cast: Chiranjeevi, Salman Khan, Nayanthara, Puri Jagannadh, Satya Dev, Murali Sharma, Samuthirakani, Sunil and others
Music: Thaman S
Director of Photography: Nirva Shah
Editor: Marthand K Venkatesh
Action: Ram-Laxman, Anl Arsu
Producer: RB Choudary and NV Prasad
Directed by: Mohan Raja
Release Date: October 5, 2022
Any Chiranjeevi starrer evokes curiosity. “Godfather” has created more interest as Bollywood superstar Salman Khan played a guest role. The film marks Salman Khan’s Telugu debut.
Let’s find out whether the film lives up to the expectations.
Story:
When Chief Minister PKR passed away, his daughter Satya Priya (Nayanthara) and his son-in-law Jaidev (Satya Dev) decided to take the reins of the party and the government. Not aware of her husband's true nature, Satya Priya proposes Jaidev's name as the new president, which is rejected by MLAs and party men as they follow Brahma (Chiranjeevi), the stepson of the deceased CM.
Satya Priya hates Brahma and wants to keep him away from the party. Jaidev wants to buy all the MLAs with the money from a Mumbai don. The Mumbai mafia don, in return, seeks the permission to set up a drugs production company in the state when Jaidev becomes CM of the state.
How Brahma plays his game and saves his sister Satya Priya and the state from the schemes of Jaidev forms the rest of the story.
Artistes’ Performances:
Megastar Chiranjeevi has played a role that suits his age and image. The appearance is also closer to his real life. Chiranjeevi is quite effective when he speaks less and does the acting with his body language. This is the first time that the megastar played a role without a female interest in the film.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in his Tollywood debut gets a raw deal. His entry into the film and his subsequent scenes look superficial.
Satyadev steps in the role played by Vivek Oberoi. Satyadev has put in his best efforts, but his role lacks evilness as Vivek showed in the original. He doesn’t pose as a strong villain to the mighty Chiranjeevi.
Nayanthara is dignified in her role. Sunil is okay. Murali Sharma shines. Puri Jagannadh as a journalist is impressive.
Technical Excellence:
Nirav Shah’s cinematography is striking. Many shots in the film show his master touch. The sequences filmed on Necklace Road’s tricolor flag area are beautiful. Thaman’s music is a letdown. Lakshmi Bhupal’s dialogues are pale and normal.
Highlights:
Chiranjeevi’s act and style
The first half
Drawback:
Weak villain
The climax portions
Changes to the original story
Analysis
“Godfather” is the official remake of the Malayalam blockbuster “Lucifer” featuring Mohanlal. The Malayalam version is a commercial film and a blockbuster. The film was narrated in a gripping manner. It was one of the best political thrillers.
The basic storyline of “Godfather” is the same as that of “Lucifer”, but director Mohan Raja has made many changes that have diluted the impact.
Until the interval bang, the film is as gripping as the original. While certain changes worked for the image of Chiranjeevi, the other crucial changes, especially the removal of the brother’s character, have changed the course of the drama.
The protagonist is the son of the deceased chief minister and that is never explicitly told in the original movie. It is only implied with the ‘silence’ of the main character. This angle has given room for suspense in the story. In “Godfather”, at the very beginning, it is revealed that Chiranjeevi is the son of the deceased Chief Minister. So, the drama about the identity of “Lucifer” or “Brahma” goes missing. Then the arrival of the Chief Minister’s younger son is quite dramatic in "Lucifer". In the “Godfather”, the role is completely chopped off.
What “Godfather” gets right is it doesn’t spoil the spirit of the original. The first half is narrated in a gripping manner. Plus, additional sequences like adding a heroine to Chiranjeevi or songs are not incorporated. This is a major relief.
The political dialogues used by Chiranjeevi are in ok with the story, there is no forced additional political track. Puri Jagannadh’s journalist role and the sequences have also come out well.
Even after the interval, the film goes as per the story for a few sequences. But thereafter, it turned into a complete ‘Telugu commercial film’.
Satya Dev’s character lacks the evilness of Vivek Oberoi’s. In turn, Satya Dev looks like a meek person in front of Chiranjeevi, who is called the boss of the bosses. And We don’t get any high moments when Chiranjeevi and Salman Khan appear together. In the original, the same sequences filmed on Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumar provide goosebumps.
Having said that, “Godfather” is a better action drama compared to recent masala movies. When it sticks to the original, it works big time, when it deviates, it goes down. If we stop comparing it with the original, it looks interesting. However, Chiranjeevi’s charisma and his swag, and certain portions bring joy to his fans. For others, it is a strictly okay watch. It is difficult for the audience who watched 'Lucifer' to relish this film. But those who didn't watch the original may like it. This is the tailormade remake for Chiranjeevi.
Bottom line: For fans