'Bangarraju' hit the screens today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box office release.

Story:

Chinna Bangarraju (Naga Chaitanya) is a flirtatious youngster in Shivapuram. His late grandmother Sathyabhama (Ramya Krishna) wants him to get married to Naga Lakshmi (Krithi Shetty) because she believes their horoscopes resemble that of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. Since her grandson doesn't like Naga Lakshmi, Sathyabhama takes the help of her long-dead husband Bangarraju (Nagarjuna), who is in the Paradise. There are evil forces who have cast their eyes on a temple treasure which the Bangarraju family is destined to protect. How the two threads come together and whether Chinna Bangarraju has the last laugh is the crux of the story.

Analysis:

The film under review was a long time coming. A sequel to the 2016 movie 'Soggade Chinni Nayana', it had to feature Naga Chaitanya as the ultimate legatee and none else. It's because of the sentimentality and emotions we attach to watching the familiar actors from the same family in a single film. The traditional special song that comes in the pre-climax phase defines the spirit of the film. It makes us root for the 'Vaasivaadi Thassadiyya' beats of the story. Featuring the two Akkinenis as well as Faria Abdullah, it sets the tone for the fun time we have in theatres.

Nagarjuna entertains us in the crucial segments with his timing and swag. His chemistry with Ramya Krishna had to strike gold more than with his offscreen son. The senior actor rises to the occasion in the climax, where the plot gets to the point. The senior actress is enjoyable and her importance to the story makes her a driver of the story.

Sampath Raj makes his presence felt in the second half, although his characterization should have been more interesting. The element of malevolent rituals is a recurring theme that the film whips up in an old-fashioned manner.

Director Kalyan Krishna has penned the dialogues besides writing the story. Sathyanand's screenplay needed to be less formulaic and more gripping. At 160 minutes, the film is indulgent but not overly so. Krithi Shetty, who plays a madcap character, shows versatility in the second half. The climax could have been crisp. The rom-com scenes are fun and it's cool that they don't shy away from being unapologetically rural and rustic.

The action sequences don't overstay their welcome, but they are not inventive either. More than the Ram-Lakshman duo, it's the music director Anup Reubens and the choreography department that live up to the expectations. J Yuvaraj's cinematography is adept. The VFX department, led by Junaid, shows craft.

The film is elevated by solid performances by Nagarjuna and Chaitanya. For the latter, a rural film needed to click so that his image is beefed up. Vennela Kishore and Praveen don't have much jokes to crack, but Brahmaji and Rao Ramesh get well-written roles.

Verdict:

Bangarraju is a pack of expected ingredients, especially fantasy and comedy. The father-son duo is a treat to watch. It's an able sequel to Soggade Chinni Nayana for all its inadequacies.