'Guna 369', starring Kartikeya and Anagha, hit the screens today.  Directed by Arjun Jandyala, it has been produced by Tirumal Reddy and Anil Kadiyala.  Here we present its review.

Story:

Guna (Kartikeya) is the doting son of a middle-class man (played by Naresh).  He falls in love with a neighbour (played by debutante Anagha).  

In the same town (Ongole), Radha (Aditya Menon) is a powerful muscleman who becomes ruthless whenever anyone questions his authority or even shows disrespect.  Guna has always known Radha since childhood.  By a quirk of fate, a youngster known to Guna insults Radha, who now seethes with rage.  Since Radha can kill the youngster and his family, Guna takes it upon himself to drive a compromise between the two.  

Herein comes a twist.  The youngster is not what he seems to be.  Guna now gets into a major trouble.  The rest of the film is about how he extricates himself and his family from the unforeseen consequences of a Good Samaritan act.

Analysis:

If the writer-director Arjun Jandhyala knew any better, he would have taken the story seriously for what it deserves.  He would have written substantial scenes in the first half just to make sure that the gravity of the second half wouldn't have been lost in a soulless melee.  

Just picture this.  The climax is gut-wrenching, the love story has pathos at its core, the hero's family faces unimaginable hardships, the hero is devastated and is cheated.  In a story of this sort, when the heroine asks of the hero to gift her something heart-touching on her birthday, the dude buys a bra!  We are not making this up.  That's actually a scene in this movie.  After showing such inane scenes in the first half, how can anybody expect the audience to be invested in the film's grim subject?

The story is innately interesting.  It had the strength to manifest an intense actioner.  But almost every merit of the story gets wasted.  Take for example the characterization of the hero.  The way he woos the heroine reeks of appalling mediocrity.  In one of those terrible scenes, he spots the heroine (who is yet to tell him that she dies for him) trying to help a demented mendicant.  He smiles, he removes his shirt off (as if to show off his muscular body), walks in slow motion (as if he is doing a ramp walk), and drapes the beggar with his shirt.  The heroine keeps that 'This-is-an-awesome-swayamvaram-moment' expression on her face, waiting to be kissed.  Next day, it's love reciprocation time.

Aditya Menon exists as if he is there to be insulted and irritated.  Manju Bhargavi's character had so much potential but it's not fleshed out properly.  

The film comes into its own only in the last 25 minutes or so.  There are quite a few surprises, none of which cares for the rules of the trade.  To this extent, 'Guna 369' does deserve a pat on the back.  The climax is extremely violent and faint-hearted guys are requested to stay away.  

Kartikeya's attempt at mainstreaming himself like never before falls flat.  His acting is rather crafted and he goes over-the-top in almost every scene in the first half.  Anagha makes a moderate impact with immoderate make-up.  Shivaji Raja in the role of a cop is OK, while others pass muster.  

Chaitan Bharadwaj's music doesn't add any value (the first song of the second half is an assault).  The BGM is too loud.  The cinematography (by Ram Reddy) is not smart.  

Verdict:

'Guna 369' toys with a reasonably engaging storyline.  It does defy established norms in the climax.  However, the narration is soulless for the most part and even bizarre here and there.