'Araku Road Lo' hit the screens the other day.  Here is our review.

Story:

Pothuraju (Sairam Shankar) should have been married for long now, but no potential match likes him, the reason being that he stammers when he is excited or saddened.  One fine day, an assertive lady constable (Nikesha Patel) finds no problem with him, and nor does he.

But his problems are going to emerge from now.

The daughter of Pothuraju's sister is diagnosed with a terminal illness and it's up to him and his brother-in-law to arrange Rs. 5 lacs as soon as possible.  The bava's penchant for the game of cards lands Pothuraju in trouble when the club's owner Antony (Abhimanyu Singh) blackmails him to dump the bodies he shot at in a secret location.

Pothuraju now has to now accomplish this bloody task to earn Rs. 5 lacs, but then the city police are on a high alert because Jinnah (Pankaj Kelkar), a psychopathic serial killer, is on the run after killing a few cops.

Analysis:

If the first half is largely in rom-com mode, 'Araku Road Lo's second half turns into a half-hearted thriller for most part, besides being a half-baked actioner just for the sake of the climax.

When was the last time you saw a film's female lead do an assertive Rambha or Ramya Krishna, leaving the hero cower like the Naresh/Suresh of the '90s?  We thought someone being a lady constable is not seen as a threat by the hero anymore.  But then, anything can happen in the strange times we are in.  As if this projection of the heroine being in an awkward profession (complete with the hero lusting her 'back' during 'pelli choopulu') was not enough, she is shown to have a comedic exorcist father (Krishna Bhagawan) who appears and disappears for the sake of one scene.

Then comes that moment when you find the hero in an emotional state and you realize that the one who is the recipient of his love will soon fall in trouble.  It's his sister's daughter.  The baby's 'pekata paparao' dad thinks his hand is 'rising'.  The interval bang scene leading up to the bad 'bava' losing everything in the gamble is largely well-executed, but for his expressions and that serious aberration of the bava-bawamardi duo watching news about Jinnah even as the baby is battling with life.

For how long will our films show a raft of journalists arriving on the scene with a remarkable sense of urgency, all at the same time, to ask the cop about a sensational crime or something?  For how many more years will they show the grandma playfully talk about the masculinity of her late hubby when he was young?  For how many more years will the marriage broker be shown as a glutton who gorges on the sweets during 'pelli choopulu'?

Here is a film which wants to show the villain as all-powerful till the climax when the hero collects strength and neuters him in a jiffy.  Excused.  But should the hero behave like a Robot, using no brains and following the antagonist's instructions?

A bit about the villain Jinnah.  He is a psychopath (he can't be called only a big-time thief lifting lorries to make money because such a person will avoid killing the lorry driver unless he badly needs to) whose only work is to brutally kill the lorry driver and get away with the vehicle.  Played by Bhojpuri actor Pankaj Kesari, he comes across as a healthy mind.  No matter how much ever you search for traces of pathological mindset, you won't find it in him.  His gazes are normal, his gestures are normal, his reactions are normal.  The way he is controlling the hero (and don't tell us Sairam Shankar's character was not mean to be a hero, for he becomes one eventually), it appears that his self-image is that of an upright cop on duty!

Amidst all this, Tollywood star Risk Rasool (Prudhvi) urinates.  Of course, there is an item number as part of the remake of 'Sholay' in Telugu in which Basanti calls Gabbar Singh names. (On a serious note, if 'Sholay' were to be remade in Telugu, we might actually see such a song).

Sairam Shankar has matured as an actor and one hopes he will get good roles in future.  Pankaj Kesari is a good actor, but the way his character has visualized his part is pedestrian.  Nikesha Patel is talented and has a lot of oomph factor, but then she is restricted to a few scenes.

Among the technicians, the BGM player does a very good job.  The RR deserves a mention.

Verdict:

This is a rom-com and a thriller.  The characterizations could have been better.  Sairam Shankar has improved as an actor.  The second half's pace needed to be better, although it's the better half.

అరకు రోడ్ లో తెలుగు వెర్షన్ మూవీ రివ్యూ