'Dhamaka' is the latest box-office release in Telugu. In this section, we are going to review the film.

Story:

Swamy (Ravi Teja) is a fun-loving youngster who just lost his job. Anand Chakravarthy (also, Ravi Teja) is a sincere businessman who follows ethics in everything that he does. He believes in the path of non-violence. His father Nanda Gopal Chakravarthy (Sachin Khedekar) is on the cusp of death and has got an altruistic dream. But there is a devil lurking around the corner in the form of JP (Jayaram), an enfant terrible who wants to forcibly take over Chakravarthy's company.

The rest of the film is about how the hero (find out who between Swamy and Anand is the real deal by yourself) pitchforks himself into this corporate game.

Analysis:

The storyline of 'Dhamaka' is inspired by the 1991 Chiranjeevi film 'Rowdy Alludu'. In their promotional interviews, the makers had made the fact apparent. How far 'Rowdy Alludu' has inspired the film under review is for the audience member to figure out.

The film follows the time-tested commercial template to a T. The first fight is meant to scare land grabbers (Raghu Babu and others are seen here). The second fight is meant to tame eve teasers (writer BVS Ravi makes a camo). The third fight will of course have to be with a criminal tycoon. No surprises there.

The interval twist comes with a bang. The audience realize that the hero has the exceptional calibre to plot elaborately, but he doesn't have the smarts to plan the big tryst with the villain in such a way that his father is not in harm's way.

The comedy is also derivative. The 'Thitla Dandakam' scene is listless. The 'hero vs villain' comedy scenes in the second half would have worked had the bad guys been comical enough. With only Ravi Teja doing the heavy lifting, the comedy just doesn't work. Even so, the actor is fun enough to watch, especially after recent duds.

The rom-com track needed some zing. It takes off with the familiar idea of the hero saving the heroine from harassers. Then, the heroine is confused about the hero's identity. This thread gives rise to a song and fades as soon as the resolution is done in a hurry.

Composer Bheems Ceciroleo complements the jaunty vision of the director and the sprightly persona of Ravi Teja. 'Jinthaak', 'Dandakadiyal', and the office folk song hit the ball out of the park in different measures. Cinematographer Karthik Gattamneni, editor Prawin Pudi, and art director Sri Nagendra Tangala work in tandem.

Ravi Teja is impressive, especially as Swamy. The relatively fresh actress proves her mettle in the dances. Her acting needs to show improvement, though. The performances by Jayaram and Sachin Khedekar are consistent. It's good that Rao Ramesh and Hyper Aadi, the two maverick performers, find their footing. Shritej is seen as a wannabe corporate leader. The climax is oddly reminiscent of a blockbuster made by Trivikram Srinivas.

After 'Cinema Choopistha Mava' and 'Nenu Local', director Trinadha Rao Nakkina and writer Prasanna Kumar Bezawada may be said to have fallen into the 'entertainer' trap. Quite a few plot points in 'Hello Guru Prema Kosame' seemed forced. They need to offer freshness.

Verdict:

'Dhamaka' is a commercial entertainer through and through. Ravi Teja's earnest performance, the glamour quotient and the songs are its big plus points. The storyline is stale and the twist doesn't work at all.