Movie: Waltair Veerayya
Rating: 2.25/5
Banner: Mythri Movie Makers
Cast: Chiranjeevi, Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Catherine Tresa, Prakash Raj, Bobby Simha, Rajendra Prasad, Sathya Raj, Srinivasa Reddy, Vennela Kishore, Saptagiri, Nasser, and others
Screenplay: Kona Venkat, K Chakravarthy
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematographer: Arthur Wilson
Editing: Niranjan Devaramane
Production Designer: A.S. Prakash
Fights: Ram-Laxman, Peter Hein
Producers: Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili
Story, Dialogues & Direction: Bobby Kolli
Release Date: Jan 13, 2023
Nearly after two decades, megastar Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja have worked together. The uniqueness of "Waltair Veerayya" wasn't limited to the duo coming together. Since the movie's launch, people have been talking about it, and the hashtag "Poonakalu Loading" has piqued their interest. The songs and the trailer have helped build anticipation.
Find out if this movie actually delivers or not.
Story:
Solomon Caesar (Bobby), a criminal, kills numerous police officers before escaping to Malaysia. When an upright police officer decides to hire a private individual to extradite Caesar, he learns about Waltair Veerayya's (Chiranjeevi) skills in providing such services. Veerayya, who needs money to win a case, agrees to do the job in exchange for a payment of Rs. 25 lakhs.
After arriving in Malaysia, Veerayya and the policeman devise a strategy to capture Solomon Caesar. While they're at it, Indian RAW agents have started an undercover operation to apprehend the same criminal, who is getting the aid of his drug-trafficking brother Michael Solomon (Prakash Raj).
Veerayya befriends one of the RAW officers(Shruti Haasan). Will Solomon be brought to India by Veerayya? Does his decision to take on this operation stem from something other than money?
Artistes’ Performances:
The characterization and acting style of megastar Chiranjeevi takes us back to his earlier films like "Mutha Mestri." His fans can expect a genuine throwback experience from his modulations, playful demeanour, dances, and general attire. Even though Chiranjeevi does his best to entertain, the padding was not supportive. Those vintage comedy sequences aren't funny at all.
Sprucing up the proceedings is the presence of Ravi Teja. The "Poonakalu Loading" filmed on Ravi Teja and Chiranjeevi is main highlight. Ravi Teja provides some verve to story.
In the role of the main villain, Prakash Raj gives a performance that is quite routine. Bobby Simha's persona is like a lot of noise but no action.
In addition to Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja, the film features a slew of other well-known actors in minor roles. The presence of Rajendra Prasad, Vennela Kishore, Subbaraj, Pradeep Rawat, and John Vijay hardly make a difference.
Technical Excellence:
The soundtrack is a major selling point for the film. Songs by Devi Sri Prasad are more enjoyable to watch than they are to listen to. They are depicted in colourful manner. "Sridevi Chiranjeevi" and "Poonakalu Loading" are noteworthy.
The camerawork of Arthur Wilson is fantastic. The frames are rich. The production values are grand. The movie moves at a snail's pace. The script and dialogue are nothing special.
Highlights:
Megastar Chiranjeevi
Two songs
Interval bang
Drawback:
Weak story
Formulaic screenplay
Old school comedy
No thrilling moments
Analysis
The hashtag #PoonakaluLoading was created by the film's director Bobby and has been used to promote "Waltair Veerayya" from the beginning of the movie's release. He meant that his narration and the ideas it contained would send fans into a frenzy. However, "Poonakam" (Vibrational energy) is noticeably absent from the movie.
It seems like "Waltair Veerayya" is more of an attempt to introduce modern viewers to Chiranjeevi's classic acting style.
The concept may have had promise, but director Bobby falls short in the film's actual presentation. The antics that Chiranjeevi used to perform no longer have any effect. Throughout the first act, the director has mostly relied on Chiranjeevi's comedic expressions and moments.
To ask for assistance of a commoner in extraditing a criminal makes no sense on the part of law enforcement. Regardless, things get worse during the parts set in Malaysia, where Chiranjeevi and his gang try to kidnap Bobby Simha. They don't produce the desired result.
The film finds its rhythm only during the explosive interval block. In the first half, this is the only section that works quite well. As soon as Ravi Teja and his story enter the picture, the tone changes. This part of the second half has some interesting moments. One of the best parts of the movie is the touching scene with Ravi Teja and Chiranjeevi, who play brothers.
In the film, Chiranjeevi plays a man who suffers from vertigo. This aspect is used cleverly. However, such clever writing is found sporadically, and the rest of it is banal.
The film runs at snail's pace and features dated scenes. The drunken comedy scene featuring Sathya Raj and Chiranjeevi is one example of how bad the writing is. This is all very formulaic. Another instance of bad writing is found in the climax.
Although the film benefits from catchy tunes, Chiranjeevi's entertaining performance, and a few good scenes, its overall weak writing and dated plot are its undoing. In addition, the film lacks the high points that audiences of this type of film would expect.
Overall, "Waltair Veerayya" has only few enjoyable moments and suffers from an antiquated screenplay and a dearth of interesting scenes. This doesn't excite regular audiences, aside from mega fans who want to see vintage Chiranjeevi moments.
Bottom line: Vintage Boss!