'Gunturodu', directed by SK Sathya, hits the screens today.  Here is our review of the much-advertised commercial entertainer.

Story:

Kanna (Manch Manoj) is a short-tempered and hyper-emotional youngster with a penchant for bashing up the perpetrators of mischief.  His palm itches, literally, whenever he comes across injustice, minor or major.

The story's permanently pissed off piece is Seshu (Sampath Raj), who is a criminal lawyer with a macabre criminal track record.

Predictability, waiting in the wings, takes over.  Kanna beats up Seshu and a tug-of-war begins.

Some time back, Kanna fell for Amrutha (Pragya Jaiswal) on a fine day, only to discover that she is, predictably, the one and only pampered sister of Seshu.

While Seshu's single agenda now is to trace Kanna and avenge the beating he received, it's up to Kanna to save himself and his father (Rajendra Prasad) and marry Amrutha.

Analysis:

'Gunturodu' is made on a template that mainly caters to heroism-loving sections of movie-goers.  It's a Manchu Manoj-centric screenplay that relies most on exaggerated emotions and loud shouts.

The romantic-comedy track involving the lead pair comes with a set of most usual stock ideas: the hero inconveniencing his friends (Praveen and Sathya) in his pursuit of the heroine, she becoming receptive to his emotions when a friend educates her about his sacrifices (read giving up smoking, booking), etc.

The conflict between Manoj's character and Sampath's egotic villainy is what was supposed to be the film's raison d'etre.  By and large, the element makes an appeal due to the hero's ultra-intense act.  But when the hero's father is brought into the scene, one feels the detailing could have been better.  The father's reaction when he finds his son being given third degree torture by police is hardly credible.

The one big idea that has been over-exploited beyond belief is that of the protagonist relying on sting operations and/or the media.  Whenever our heroes use the secret camera, the villain, no matter how rational he is supposed to be or how big he is, starts behaving like a fool.  The only consolation is that when the irrationally fiery villain of 'Gunturodu' falls in the hero's trap, it's at least believable.  Nevertheless, the idea itself is yawn-inducing.

When it's time to finish the game, even the father's famed goodness is leveraged.

As an actor who comes into his own when there is an emotional undercurrent, Manoj shines through an otherwise mediocre script.  He deserves a pat on the back for his domineering body language.  Sampath Raj is like the film's second hero: his demeanor neatly betrays the insane attitude he is supposed to exude.  While Pragya Jaiswal is glamorous, she needs to do performance-oriented roles as she deserves.  Rajendra Prasad delivers a conscious act for the Nth time.  He continues to be over-rated.  Rao Ramesh plays well in an almost laughable episode.  Prudhvi, Praveen, Sathya and others are just about OK.

The songs are a huge distraction, acting as a spanner in the wheel (if there is one).  The BGM is woefully inspired in many places.  The cinematography and editing pass muster.

Verdict:

'Gunturodu' is unabashedly formulaic and predictable.  The hero-villain conflict is fairly well-narrated.  But for the projection of heroism, the film doesn't quite give a takeaway.

గుంటూరోడు తెలుగు వెర్షన్ మూవీ రివ్యూ