'Jayammu Nischayammu Raa' hits the screens today (Nov 25).  Here we tell you the movie's hits and misses.

Story:

Sarva Mangalam (Srinivas Reddy) may be a well-paid govt employee, but he is low on self-confidence.  He is almost a puppet of Pitha (Jeeva), the quack astrologer who knows how to make a fool out of the gullible.  Working in Kakinada, the Karimnagar guy falls for the beauty of Rani (Poorna), a Mee Seva employee dreaming of owning a nursery.

Jayadeva Chedda, the Joint Collector (played by Ravi Varma) is that wily philanderer who can't think of respecting his employees.  Since Sarva Mangalam wants a transfer to his hometown so he can live with his mother (Dubbing Janaki), he grudgingly rents his house to JC for carrying out sexual escapades even though that pricks his conscience.

His attempts at getting close to Rani come a cropper because her friend (Sri Vishnu) wouldn't allow them privacy.

Amidst all this, something unthinkable is happening in Rani's life.  The JC is inching closer and closer to her even as she is oblivious to the fact that he is a womanizer.

It's now up to the self-doubting, timid, Pitha 'bhakth' Sarva Mangalam to make a decision that will change the course of his and Rani's life.

Analysis:

By ferreting out the tag line 'Desivali vinodam' and confessing that he is inspired by literary giants like Rachakonda Viswanatha Sastry, debutante director Shiv Raj Kanumuri succeeded in projecting himself as a filmmaker who is culturally-rooted.  And 'Jayammu Nischayammu Raa' adequately throws up characters and sensibilities that largely live up to the self-descriptions.  Inspired by the theme of Rachakonda's critically-acclaimed 'Alpa Jeevi', 'JNR' tells the evolution of a working man when he is at a crossroads of his life.

Not that this one concocts a pathbreaking screenplay.  By and large, the idiom is inspired by what was extant in a bygone era.  The sarkari office smells of unfashionable characters who are not rib-tickling on the lines of the bank employees in 'Malleeshwari', but humorous like those unabashedly selfish/lethargic/mean characters in the films of Godavari-school directors of the '90s.  No sooner does the soft-spoken, 'erra bus' candidate Sarva Mangalam joins the office, than the colleagues know the 'Swathi Muthyam' Kamal Haasan is offering himself to be Brahmanandam-fied (the Whatsapp forwards are good).

File-pushers (Krishna Bhagawan as Adapa Prasad, Jogi Brothers, etc) who harass Guntur Pantulu (Posani Krishna Murali) with their ritualistic red-tapism.  That plundering middleman (Praveen as Tatkal) who games the system.  This lady officer who eventually falls for the flirtatious Adapa Prasad, only to be told that it's 'Mangalavaram' (a comedy track rooted in local cuss culture).  The girl who dreams to be an entrepreneur, but whose outdated dad thinks the 23-year-old daughter is too old to remain single.  The JC, the hedonistic debaucher, who could be the antagonist of a middle-range star in a 1993 movie.

The director sells Srinivas Reddy's character that comes with two contrasting shades.  Sarva Mangalam's new-found ways may be more cinematic than believable, but nevertheless, the fun quotient keeps the audience engaging even at 150 or so minutes.  There are moments when the swift transition is unconvincing, but the brevity sells.  After a point, it's about Sarva Mangalam's self-assertion and firmness rather than street smartness and cunning.

One feels there should have been two or three effective lines involving Rani and her assuring brother (played by Krishnudu) after she faces the second disillusionment in a span of a few months.  Instead of a regular forsaken lover's song, a conceptual song drawn from the lead characters' obsessions (read flowers and stones/amulets) would have been engrossing.

Special mention needs to be made about the climax.  Besides investing technically (four cameras were used), the director redeems it writing-wise as well.  Involving a host of comedians (Posani, the priest avenges; Praveen is taken for a ride), it's a hilarious episode for sure.

If the dialogues are intelligent, the performances are a plus.  Watch out for Srinivas Reddy, who doesn't seem inadequate anywhere except when over-indulged in a song here and a scene there.  Poorna, the actress of 'Avunu' fame, looks fatty, but emotes very well with her big eyes.  Ravi Varma, who proved his mettle this year in 'Terror' and 'Kshanam', here plays a full-fledged role.  He gets the mean streak just right.  He is turning out to be an artiste who goes beyond portraying the conventional baddie's demeanor.  Sri Vishnu is a talented actor whom one wants to see more and more.  Surely, he gets the dialect right, his expressions make him that adorable guy-next-door.  All the comedians live up to their image.

Ravichandra's music (esp the hit 'O Bangaru Chilaka') and Karthik Rodriguez's BGM are an asset.  The cinematography by Nagesh Bannel (of 'Pelli Choopulu' fame) is another major plus.

Verdict:

A drama, 'JNR' is a well-told story of a government employee whose attitude sees a sea change when faced with harsh reality.  The cinematic idiom is a throwback to yesteryear entertainers.  With dialogues and performances that appeal, this one is technically well-made.

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