The most waited film 'Gabbar Singh' has seen light shaking entire Andhra Pradesh with huge publicity and released in Telugu all over the world.

Now let us see what national media and other popular News Dailies in English say about this film.

DC Review: Pawan Kalyan back with a bang
Rating: 3/5

After duds like Puli and Teen Maar, leading star Pawan Kalyan is back in his element with Gabbar Singh.

He is bound to draw the crowds with his comic-timing, energetic performance and popular dancing. In a deviation from the Hindi version, director Harris Shankar sheds the grey shade of Salman Khan’s corrupt cop act and makes Pawan an upright cop.

TimesOfIndia: paisa vasool
Rating: 4/5

The filmmakers have tweaked the plot to suit the Tollywood audience's taste palate. Venkatarathnam Naidu (Pawan Kalyan) is the only son of the widowed Suhasini, who marries Naidu (Nagineedu). Venkat detests his stepfather and grows up to become a police officer. He calls himself Gabbar Singh, inspired by Amjad Khan's character in "Sholay" and grows up to become a cop who is a law unto himself.

He gets posted to his hometown, Kodaveedu where he finds himself pitted against Siddappa Naidu (Abhimanyu Singh), the local goon with political aspirations. The demure Bhagya Lakshmi (Shruti Haasan) plays Pawan Kalyan's love interest.

As far as performances go, Pawan Kalyan towers over everything else. It's a tailor made role that carries the movie forward. His body language and dialogue delivery take the cake. Shruti Haasan has to be content playing second fiddle, of which she does a good job. Brahmanadam and Ali entertain with their comic acts.

The music score by Devi Sri Prasad stands out and enhances the whole experience. Malaika Arora's item number Kevvu Keka is the stand out. The cinematography is sharp and so is the editing. The action sequences also have been well choreographed. The movie sets a new benchmark as far as "paisa vasool" goes.

Rediff: Pawan Kalyan show all the way
Rating: 2.5/5

The film has the right dose of the staple ingredients-- action, comedy, romance, and songs, including an item number (Kevu Keka) performed by Malaika Arora Khan.

The second half tends to drag with the addition of scenes like the antakshari in the police station (unimaginable in reality). In fact, there is quite a bit of cinematic licence in the way the police are depicted.

Bhagyalakshmi's character is not so well etched and neither is Ajay's (who plays Gabbar's younger brother). 

The dialogues have punch, though the censors have been busy cutting out bits. There a bit too much violence. The climax could have been tackled better.

Since the film rides on Pawan Kalyan it was imperative for him to perform well. He has done a good job.

Though Shruti Haasan didn't have much of a role, she has left her mark. Abhimanyu Singh played an impactful Siddappa Naidu though he was pretty sober compared to his previous baddie roles.

The role Tanikella Bharani plays was not suited to an artiste of his calibre. Brahmanandam as Recovery Ranjith was effective in breaking the monotony. So was Ali as Samba. Nagineedu and Suhasini had minor roles which they carried off well.

Devisprasad's music was in tune with the story. The film scored well on the technical front.

Increasingly films are being made in Telugu keeping the hero's image and fans in mind. Gabbar Singh is one such, catering to the fans of the hero and only incidentally to the general audience.

Entertaining it may be, but Gabbar Singh is filled with violence and some vulgarity and not meant for the very young audience.

Hindu: Star power to the fore
Rating: N/A

There is a scene in Gabbar Singh where Brahmanandam, a money lender, walks into the villain's den and roars that his dues be settled. He is aware that he is in the danger zone and that he is no match for the goons. Yet, he doesn't flinch. All that he has for moral support is a larger-than-life cut out of Pawan Kalyan. In yet another scene, Pawan refers to Ali as “my fan”.

Gabbar Singh is larger than life, made to please the humungous fan following Pawan Kalyan enjoys and director Harish Shankar, too, is a self-proclaimed fan of the actor. Harish's work is more of an adaptation than a frame-to-frame remake of Dabangg.

The overdose of Pawan Kalyan's swagger and slow-motion shots slacken the pace. At some point in the film, you wonder if there's no room for subtleties as dialogue renditions remain over the top. But despite its shortcomings, Gabbar Singh is a fun ride. After the initial few minutes, you stop comparing Gabbar with Chulbul Pandey and the film with Dabangg. Therein lies its success.

Bangalore Mirror: Nothing, but Pawanism
Rating: 3.5/5

When Dabangg was released two years ago, the first reaction in Hyderabad was that the character played by Sallu would perfectly suit only one man in Tollywood: Pawan Kalyan. Later, when Pawan actually gave the nod for the remake script by Harish Shankar, it created unprecedented buzz in the industry. In fact, Pawan was so excited about the project that he was the one who suggested the title Gabbar Singh. Even the director tries to justify the title by showing how our hero is obsessed with the iconic  character in Sholay.

As actor Allari Naresh tweeted, Pawanism is the word and Gabbar Singh is the most heard name since morning. Since Salman is busy doing sequel for Dabangg, we wonder if there will be a sequel for Gabbar Singh as well.

Pawan has already dropped hints in the film that it could be called ‘Jabbar Singh’ or ‘Rubber Singh. We can imagine what is in store!

IBNLive: 'Gabbar Singh' is a one man show
Rating: N/A

Dance, drama and action, an old school formula for a Masala entertainer you'd say, but it got the audience hooting and how! Gabbar Singh , the Telugu re-make of Salman Khan starrer runaway hit Dabangg, opened to full houses on its first day.

Pawan Kalyan, also popularly known as 'Power star', comes close to filling the big boots of Chulbul Pandey. Director Harish Shankar provides the perfect platform for Pawan Kalyan to dole out 'punch' dialogues and of course the pelvic thrusts in every song, enough to get the audience rooting for their hero .. or is it the 'villain'?

A little more strength to the screenplay and depth to characters apart from that of Gabbar Singh may have supported the film better. But then again, watching Pawan Kalyan ride on a horse (slow-mo) following a band of dacoits in a barren land, to the background score of music director Devi Sri Prasad (of Dhinka Chika fame), who cares about anything else?!

As one of his dialogues in the film goes , "Nenu Cheppina Okate, naa fans cheppina Okkate" (what my fans say is as good as me saying it)… and if truth comes close to that, then Gabbar Singh may have reasons to smile or even better, laugh his famous evil laugh!

NDTV Review
Rating: N/A

Dabangg sees remakes being made on the trot and fearlessly at that. Osthe in Tamil saw Simbu reprising Salman 'Chulbul' Khan.

Pawan Kalyan in and as Gabbar Singh in the Telugu adaptation sees him recapping the bald-faced one liners without impunity.

Regulation high flying kicks in slo mo by the leading man that even Tottenham midfielder Sandro - trending online for his martial art style kicks in the locker room - wouldn't dare act out.

Still too early to predict whether Gabbar Singh will do for Pawan Kalyan-Shruti Haasan what Dabangg did for Salman Khan-Sonakshi Sinha, but the music, we hear, is already a hit.

Now, it's a no-brainer why the film is called Gabbar Singh. Pawan Kalyan obsesses over the sadist dacoit made famous in Sholay and renames himself thus without ever having heard of a notary ever. But don't question logic, not when it's Gabbar Singh socking it up to Chhedi Singh, here called Sidhappa and played not by Sonu Sood but by Abhimanyu Singh (Remember Ransa in Gulaal?) who is a lawbreaker in his own right but understandably wants to be a legislator. Ho-hum.

courtesy:GreatAndhra

GREATANDHRA REVIEW

Rating: 3.75/5
Banner: Parameswara Art Productions
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan, Abhimanyu Singh, Tanikella, Ajay, Kota, Suhasini, Brahmanandam, Ali and others
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Editor: Gowtham Raju
Cinematographer: Jayanan Vincent
Dialogues, direction: Harish Shankar
Producer: Bandla Ganesh
Release date: 11/05/2012

After the not so successful ‘Panjaa’, Pawan Kalyan has returned to his forte of strong commercial cinema and that too with a remake of a Bollywood blockbuster. Let us see how good this is.

Story
Set on the backdrop of Kondaveedu town, the story is about Gabbar Singh (Pawan Kalyan) a fearless and honest cop who likes to be an anti-hero but with a good cause. Neglected by his father (Nagineedu), Gabbar Singh has a mind of his own. 


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123TELUGU REVIEW



Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s most eagerly anticipated flick ‘Gabbar Singh’ will be hitting the screens tomorrow and there are incredible expectations surrounding the film.The movie has been directed by Harish Shankar and Shruti Haasan is the heroine. . We have been treated to an exclusive special show so let us see how the movie is.
Story :
Venkatarathnam Naidu (Pawan Kalyan) is the son of Suhasini and the stepson of Naidu (Nagineedu). He loves Gabbar Singh’s character from Sholay and so he decides to call himself ‘Gabbar Singh’. He grows up into a daring and dashing but highly eccentric police officer. He is posted to his hometown of Kondaveedu and he decides to rid the population of law and order problems. This  


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JEEVI REVIEW

Jeevi rating: 3.5/5 Punchline: pawan strikes Genre: Action Type: Remake (Dabangg in Hindi) Banner: Parameswara Art Productions Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Hassan, Abhimanyu Singh, Suhasini, Nagineedu, Ajay, Tanikella Bharani, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Gayatri Rao, Ali, Rao Ramesh, Brahmanandam, Giridhar, Fish Venkat,Malaika Arora Khan (SA) etc Music: Devi Sri Prasad Cinematography: Jayanan Vincent Art: Kadali Brahma Editing: Gowtam Raju Screenplay: Ramesh Reddy and Vegesna Satish & Harish Shankar Dialogues - direction: Harish Shankar S Producer: Ganesh Bandla Release date: 11 May 2012 Theater watched: Screen 3, Prasads Multiplex, Hyderabad

Review

Note: I haven’t seen Dabangg film. Hence I am no position to compare this film with the original. I watched this film as a straight one and wrote a review. Story Gabbar Singh (Pawan Kalyan) runs away from home at an early age and become a police officer and gets transferred to his village. He likes his mother (Suhasini) and dislikes his foster father (Nagineedu). Siddhappa Naidu (Abhimanyu Singh) is the big rowdy of the village who has aspirations to become a politician. Gabbar Singh cuts Siddhappa to his size and Siddhappa wants to take revenge. The rest of the story is about how Gabbar Singh executes everything in his style. Artists Performance More @ IdleBrain

Film: Bejawada
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Shreya Productions
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Amala Paul, Prabhu, Abhimanyu Singh, Mukul Dev and others
Music: Pradeep Koneru, Vikram Negi, Bapi-Tutul, Amar Mohile
Cinematographer: S Bhupathy
Editor: Goutham Raju
Story, screenplay, direction: Vivek Krishna
Producers: Ram Gopal Varma, Kiran Koneru

Release date: 01/12/2011

Naga Chaitanya who was seen in romantic roles has arrived with a rough role. Given the controversy and the RGV factor involved, let us see how the film is

Story
Based on the backdrop of Vijayawada, the story begins with Kalidas (Prabhu) a powerful goon who is a do-gooder to society. His loyal and trusted aide is Vijay Krishna (Mukul Dev). But Vijay’s presence gives insecurity to the power hungry and crooked Shankar Prasad (Abhimanyu), brother of Kalidas. However, Kalidas is killed one day and Shankar takes over. He spreads the word that the murder was done by Vijay Krishna. Meanwhile, Vijay’s youngest brother Siva (Chaitu) is a student leader who is a good student and also in love with Geetanjali (Amala), the police commissioner’s daughter. The story takes a turn when Vijay Krishna is murdered and Siva decides to get into action to put an end to Shankar. Whether he is successful or not forms the rest of the story.

PerformancesNaga Chaitanya prepared well for the role and put a good effort in emoting the anger and intensity. While his screen presence was not that strong in the film, he covered it with positive body language.

Amala Paul was dazzlingly beautiful. She has the right kind of natural attraction and sex appeal that mesmerises the audience. Most of the magic is cast by her through the eyes.

Abhimanyu Singh was apt for the role. He shined in few scenes and showed that menacing looks. However, his character was not etched strongly to show him as a worthy villain.

Mukul Dev got a meaty role and he did justice to it. Though the lip sync was missing due to his Hindi rendition, Mukul utilised the opportunity rightly and scored.

Prabhu was brief but made his presence felt. Subhalekha Sudhakar was standard. Ashok Rao was apt. Ajay was good. Kota was effective. Ahuti Prasad was usual. The comedy track between Brahmi and M S Narayana was not required. Phanikanth who stands as Chaitu’s bodyguard was impressive with his looks. The others did their bit as required and added value.

Analysis:Since the theme of the film is goondaism in Vijayawada, it is natural that audiences expect the film to depict the contemporary political history of Vijayawada and the real-life instances that had happened in Vijayawada in the past. There is no mention of these incidents in the film.

A few scenes might give the impression that Naga Chaitanya brothers could be Devineni brothers; and it that were to be true, Abhimanyu Singh character must be that of Ranga. If that is what the director’s idea is, then he must have either no knowledge of the political history of Vijayawada or he might have deliberately distorted it.

In any case, it is better not to compare the theme of the film with the history of Vijayawada. Otherwise, the audiences are bound to get irritated.

Setting aside the background of the film, if one were to consider only the content part of the film, “Bezawada” is a third grade action film.

Except bloodshed and violence to attract the mass audience, there is absolutely no emotion in the film. The audiences do not react even if the lead roles in the film are killed. At times, one would get an impression that one was watching a street play. All the scenes that lead to the death of Prabhu are just artificial. Though the film attains a little seriousness later, the director clearly fumbled in maintaining the tempo. Had he taken the real-life incidents to build the screen play, he would have had a smooth show. But, the moment he thought of making a film based on a revenge drama according to his whims and fancies without any connection with the real life incidents, he had lost the grip over the screen play.

The audiences could not get involved anywhere in the film as they could easily predict what is going to come in the next scene.

When the rowdies proclaim that Bezawada belongs to them and declare that: “Beware, it is our Bezawada,” one wonders whether it is also a sentimental film: people may think there is something called Bezawada sentiment, too, just like sister sentiment and mother sentiment in the films. While the first half goes on without elevating the hero character, the director is totally confused in the second half as to how to elevate the hero as a hero.

There are several scenes that were forcibly incorporated and when there was no idea how to take the story forward, the director introduces song and dance sequences. For example, nobody knows why Naga Chaitanya walks out of the house and why he comes back. And he does not resort to any attacks or fights that cause harm to his family during this interregnum period. And when he fires at the shoulder of the villain, the film ends there. All that the hero does after the scene to scare the villain will only create boredom to the audience.

In any revenge drama, audiences should not disconnect themselves with the movie till the hero achieves what he wants. But if the hero continues to struggle with his character, the audiences simply walk out of the theatre without showing even minimum mercy towards the character. That itself shows that the director could not effectively convey to the audience what he wants.

Since Bezawada is a low-budget film, the producer may recover the expenditure incurred on it; but it is doubtful whether it would get any appreciation from the audience. May be a section of audiences who enjoy bloodshed and violence might enjoy watching it.

Bottomline: 'Bezawada' not rocks, but shakes the audience!Naga Chaitanya who was seen in romantic roles has arrived with a rough role. Given the controversy and the RGV factor involved, let us see how the film is

Story
Based on the backdrop of Vijayawada, the story begins with Kalidas (Prabhu) a powerful goon who is a do-gooder to society. His loyal and trusted aide is Vijay Krishna (Mukul Dev). But Vijay’s presence gives insecurity to the power hungry and crooked Shankar Prasad (Abhimanyu), brother of Kalidas. However, Kalidas is killed one day and Shankar takes over. He spreads the word that the murder was done by Vijay Krishna. Meanwhile, Vijay’s youngest brother Siva (Chaitu) is a student leader who is a good student and also in love with Geetanjali (Amala), the police commissioner’s daughter. The story takes a turn when Vijay Krishna is murdered and Siva decides to get into action to put an end to Shankar. Whether he is successful or not forms the rest of the story.

PerformancesNaga Chaitanya prepared well for the role and put a good effort in emoting the anger and intensity. While his screen presence was not that strong in the film, he covered it with positive body language.

Amala Paul was dazzlingly beautiful. She has the right kind of natural attraction and sex appeal that mesmerises the audience. Most of the magic is cast by her through the eyes.

Abhimanyu Singh was apt for the role. He shined in few scenes and showed that menacing looks. However, his character was not etched strongly to show him as a worthy villain.

Mukul Dev got a meaty role and he did justice to it. Though the lip sync was missing due to his Hindi rendition, Mukul utilised the opportunity rightly and scored.

Prabhu was brief but made his presence felt. Subhalekha Sudhakar was standard. Ashok Rao was apt. Ajay was good. Kota was effective. Ahuti Prasad was usual. The comedy track between Brahmi and M S Narayana was not required. Phanikanth who stands as Chaitu’s bodyguard was impressive with his looks. The others did their bit as required and added value.

Analysis:Since the theme of the film is goondaism in Vijayawada, it is natural that audiences expect the film to depict the contemporary political history of Vijayawada and the real-life instances that had happened in Vijayawada in the past. There is no mention of these incidents in the film.

A few scenes might give the impression that Naga Chaitanya brothers could be Devineni brothers; and it that were to be true, Abhimanyu Singh character must be that of Ranga. If that is what the director’s idea is, then he must have either no knowledge of the political history of Vijayawada or he might have deliberately distorted it.

In any case, it is better not to compare the theme of the film with the history of Vijayawada. Otherwise, the audiences are bound to get irritated.

Setting aside the background of the film, if one were to consider only the content part of the film, “Bezawada” is a third grade action film.

Except bloodshed and violence to attract the mass audience, there is absolutely no emotion in the film. The audiences do not react even if the lead roles in the film are killed. At times, one would get an impression that one was watching a street play. All the scenes that lead to the death of Prabhu are just artificial. Though the film attains a little seriousness later, the director clearly fumbled in maintaining the tempo. Had he taken the real-life incidents to build the screen play, he would have had a smooth show. But, the moment he thought of making a film based on a revenge drama according to his whims and fancies without any connection with the real life incidents, he had lost the grip over the screen play.

The audiences could not get involved anywhere in the film as they could easily predict what is going to come in the next scene.

When the rowdies proclaim that Bezawada belongs to them and declare that: “Beware, it is our Bezawada,” one wonders whether it is also a sentimental film: people may think there is something called Bezawada sentiment, too, just like sister sentiment and mother sentiment in the films. While the first half goes on without elevating the hero character, the director is totally confused in the second half as to how to elevate the hero as a hero.

There are several scenes that were forcibly incorporated and when there was no idea how to take the story forward, the director introduces song and dance sequences. For example, nobody knows why Naga Chaitanya walks out of the house and why he comes back. And he does not resort to any attacks or fights that cause harm to his family during this interregnum period. And when he fires at the shoulder of the villain, the film ends there. All that the hero does after the scene to scare the villain will only create boredom to the audience.

In any revenge drama, audiences should not disconnect themselves with the movie till the hero achieves what he wants. But if the hero continues to struggle with his character, the audiences simply walk out of the theatre without showing even minimum mercy towards the character. That itself shows that the director could not effectively convey to the audience what he wants.

Since Bezawada is a low-budget film, the producer may recover the expenditure incurred on it; but it is doubtful whether it would get any appreciation from the audience. May be a section of audiences who enjoy bloodshed and violence might enjoy watching it.

Bottomline: 'Bezawada' not rocks, but shakes the audience!

Naga Chaitanya has come up with Bejawada, an action drama that has been directed by Vivek Krishna and produced by Ram Gopal Varma & Kiran Kumar Koneru. The movie is set in the city of Vijayawada and there are some high expectations on the movie. Let us see how the movie stacks up.

Kaali Prasad (Prabhu) is a major force in the city of Vijayawada. He is immensely powerful and people come to him for help when all else is lost. Vijay Krishna (Mukul Dev) and Jai Krishna ( Ajay ) are two brothers who work for him and are very close to Kali. This is extremely hard for Kali’s brother Shankar (Abhimanyu Singh) to digest and he sets about scheming to grab power. On a separate note Shiva Krishna (Naga Chaitanya), who is the brother of Vijay Krishna and Jai Krishna, is a college student who is in love with Geetanjali (Amala Paul). She happens to be the daughter of Police Commissioner Adi Vishnu (Ahuti Prasad).

A sequence of events unfold and in the game for power, a series of murders follow. Shiva Krishna is suddenly thrust into the murky world of factionism and power struggles. A revenge drama follows and the rest of the story is about how Shiva Krishna sets about cleaning up the mess and correcting the balance of power.

Naga Chaitanya is a revelation in this movie. He has done a good job and he looks dashing in white Khaddar. His rugged looks and mannerisms are perfect for the characterof Shiva Krishna. He has done his job well. Amala Paul looks good and she is extremely sensuous in the song ‘Adagaka Nannemi’, but she hardly has any scope to do anything else.

Prabhu is good as the powerful Kali Prasad. Mukul Dev and Ajay have done a good job as the trusted aides of Kali.Kota Srinivas is apt as the scheming politician Ramana. Brahmanandam’s spoof on the Raktha Charitra scooter entry scene of Vivek Oberoi is hilarious. Subhaleka Sudhakar is good in the brief role of Sagar Raju.

Some of the camera angles and the innovative ways in which people end up killing each other will appeal to hardcore action buffs. Anjana Sukhani sizzles in the item number.

Abhimanyu Singh, who ends up as the main villain, fails to bring out the extreme evil atmosphere that he created in Raktha Charitra. For the hero to be elevated, the villain needs to be equally powerful and sinister. Sadly, this is not the case with Bejawada. The first half is spent in setting up the stage for the hero’s elevation in the second half, but the poor etching of the villain’s character does not allow this to happen. Direction is the biggest drawback for the movie.

The scenes lack emotional depth and there is no conviction in story telling.

When a major powerful character of Vijayawada is brutally murdered, the very next scene you would expect is not that of a father lecturing his daughter on her romantic endeavours. There are no scenes of despair. No scenes of the fallen don’s followers swearing vengeance. Instead, the movie abruptly shifts to the father daughter lecture. There are many such illogical sequences in the movie.

The comedy track between Brahmanandam (Sketch Gopi) and M.S.Narayana (Veera Venkata Durga Prasad) appears forced and does not succeed except for the Raktha Charitra spoof scene.

Dialogues are a major handicap. They are not sharp and powerful enough. Cinematography is ok  in places. Some of the camera angles are good and will remind of you of a strong RGV influence. A few fight sequences have been choreographed well. Dances are ok but there is really not much scope for them in this story.

Editing is poor and it is extremely jerky. Background music is a big let down. A powerful and stirring background score would have really elevated the movie.

Bejawada is a movie that could have been a genuinely good offering but it is let down by some poor direction and a lack of conviction in story telling. The villain’s character just fizzles out and the intense rivalry that is expected in such situations is just not there. The movie has some good performances from Naga Chaitanya and Mukul Dev along with a few others, but it might not be enough to overcome the other handicaps in the movie. Looks like Naga Chaitanya needs to wait for ‘Autonagar Surya’ for a break as a mass hero.

Note: The story and the picturization of the movie has nothing to do with the Nehru and Ranga camps as was speculated before release.

Legend: 5 – Flawless

4 – Must Watch

3 – One Time Watch

2 – Wait for the DVD

1 – Stay Away

Film: Sri Ramarajyam
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Sri Sai Baba Pictures
Cast: Balakrishna, ANR, Nayantara, Srikanth and others
Music: Ilayaraja
Cinematographer: P R K Raju
Editor: G G Krishna Rao
Director: Bapu
Producer: Yalamanchali Sai Babu
Release date: 17/11/2011

Nandamuri Balakrishna is back with his favourite genre mythology and this time he has the experienced hand of Bapu and the sentiment of Nayantara. Let us see how the film is

Story:
A grand tale, the story begins with Lord Rama (NBK) returning with Seetha (Nayantara) and his army after victory against Ravana.

Everyone is happy in Ayodhya and within a short time Seetha becomes pregnant. In one of the routine information gathering from the kingdom, an incident involving washerman Tippadu (Brahmi) reaches the ears of Rama.

The people of Ayodhya begin to question the essence of morality in Rama bringing Seetha after she stayed at Ravana’s place for such a long time. With duty mindedness, Rama sends a pregnant Seetha to the forests. She is given shelter by Rishi Valmiki (ANR) and here she gives birth to twins Lava-Kusa (master Gaurav, master Dhanush). They grow by learning the story of Rama as a noble king and reach Ayodhya to spread his story.

However, what they are not aware is the king is their father and even Rama doesn’t realize that when he meets them. But a sequence of events happen which bring Rama to Lava-Kusa. What is that situation and what happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Performances:
Nandamuri Balakrishna gave a contained performance. Though he lacks the divinity and charisma of his father, he has an aura of his own. If he had rendered his dialogues with grace and poise, it would have given him extra marks. 

Nayantara was simply superb. Her maturity and balanced performance as Seetha makes her look very serene. Given her past films, this is truly a praiseworthy effort from her. Nayantara was not seen in her but only Seetha was visible.

Akkineni Nageswara Rao carried his role with ease. As such there was not much histrionics required in his act so he did justice to the script with his presence. But he rendered dialogues loudly but not with required serenity needed for the character.

Master Gaurav and Master Dhanush were the weak link in the chain. Given the crucial role they had to offer, it required a certain level of depth. Both the boys put good efforts but not good enough to give the pious feeling. They did well in battle scene with Lakshmana but not in pathos.

Srikanth was standard, K R Vijaya was adequate, Brahmi was brief, Vindoo Dara Singh was apt for his role. The others like Balayya, Murali Mohan, Sana, Siva Parvathi etc did their bit as required and added value.

Highlights

Analysis:
Any mythological film that connects to the present generation and societal structure only can be made as a commercial venture. Legend NTR realized that and hence he had taken care in his regime to talk about caste system through his Duryodhana role in DVS Karna. Hence that film and especially that dialogue turned eternal.

This Sri Ramarajyam could have been connected to the present days where divorces are becoming common among couples. The invincible pious love between Rama and Seetha could have been established with right intensity. And the reason why Rama sends Seetha to forest would have been portrayed on screen with perfect conviction that convinces the present day generation those use more logic than emotion. But that was missing completely. Lord Rama’s character was ended up as confused and emotionally driven which cannot be welcomed. Ideal man Lord Rama hasn’t shown his ideal character in this film. Cinematic liberties would have been taken to show his character powerful and hitting.

It was nearly 45 years back that the immortal classic ‘Lava Kusa’ came with the great N T Rama Rao and Anjali Devi. So, it is natural that one would try to compare ‘Sri Rama Rajyam’ with that. The strict advice is NOT to do that. This film has to be treated individually as we have already passed two generations since then.

Technically speaking, this film is superb. It has visual grandeur of international standards and has taken Tollywood to a new league. There was no compromise in quality and best deliverance.

Also, one must really appreciate director Bapu for his guts to take a subject like this at the age of 77.

However, all that glitters cannot be gold. The film scores exceedingly well in presentation but suffers significantly in content department. Though the flow was consistent, the peaks lacked the required voltage. Trying to infuse extra and unwanted emotions did extra damage.

The objective of the film should have been to project more on why Rama is treated as God and what his ideals are stood by. That was missing. There was an inconsistency.

The song ‘Vinu ra vinu ra Ramayana gaadha..’ from the original should have been imported. This would have given a chance for the song to be present for two more generations. When the songs like ‘bangaru kodipetta’ are being imported, why not evergreen classic like ‘vinura vinura…’

The last twenty minutes saw a rise in the graph but just when it was about to take off the end card came which was another minus.

Overall, this is a film which has developed enough hype and will surely strike a chord with the family audience. But given the budget, scoring commercial success is doubtful.

Bottomline: Watch it only for the efforts