Kotha Bangaru Lokam Review

Parents imposing their wishes on to their children, and constricting the ideas and aspirations of their children and the consequences that follow; How the parents should support & help their children to grow and after reaching a stage they should also respect their views; all this forms the subject line of the super hit film 'Bommarillu' produced by the double hatrick producer 'Dil'Raju.

In combination with the 'Happy Days' fame Varun Sandesh as a solo hero and Swetha Prasad as heroine, producer 'Dil' Raju's latest feel good film is 'Kotha Bangaru Lokam' that has introduced Srikanth Addala as a first time director.

Early Youth is a phase of life that swings between love and infatuation as its both ends. Adolescence is a stage that swings more towards infatuation and at this point of age children should trust their parents and give more importance to their views. When the child grows up to a further stage in life, the parents should understand their needs and respect their ideas. This subject is beautifully featured in 'Kotha Bangaru Lokam' with a new touch of flavor. The film was release as a gift of Vijaya Dasami on 9th this month.

STORY

Balu (Varun Sandesh) is a jovial guy, and is the son of Yerram Setti Krishna Murthy (Prakash Raj) and Jayasudha. The parent's matrimony forms from their love. They adore their son very much, especially Krishna Murthy who treats him like a friend. Once at the age of eight he tells his son, "At any point of life, if you feel that you are doing something wrong, just let me know."

Swapna (Swetha Prasad) is a cheerful girl; she always tries to get what ever she wants. Her parents are Kasi Viswanath (Ahuthi Prasad) and Rajitha, who never minds her views and opinions. Kasi Viswanth is a very harsh person.

Balu studies in SVS College where Rajahmundry, and Swapna joins alongside him. Accidentally they meet in the college, which develops in to an acquaintance and further in to love. One day their chemistry lecturer RaoRamesh comments that it is only infatuation that happens at this phase of life and couldnot be true love. Giving it a serious thought Balu and Swapna test the relation between them and comes to a conclusion that it is indeed a true love. Knowing about the affair Swapna's father detains her from the college and discontinues her studies. Learning about this Paul (Brahmanandam) sends off Balu to home. How did Krishna Murthy respond to this all? Did Balu and Swapna unite? What happens at the end? Answers to be these questions is to be watched on screen.

PERFORMANCE OF THE ARTISTS

Prakash Raj and JayaSudha, the parents of 'Bommarillu's Siddhu have been paired again in this film to restate the role. Their performance delivered brought a grace to the storyline. We can say that their performance seemingly close to reality is the main asset to the film.

Varun Sandesh who exhibited a settled performance in 'Happy Days', did very well with the godavari accent. Form start to end his performance exhibits considerable improvement compared to earlier 'Happy Days'.

Swetha Prasad who entered filmdom with 'Ekbal' as a child artist, had exhibited much ease in acting, and bagged applauses for her performance. This is her first appearance as a heroine in Telugu, and her performance can be counted as an additional high spot to the film. On the whole she did well in the character of Swetha. Hopefully, she will get some good opportunities in Tollywood after this film.

'Ahuthi' Prasad did very well as Viswanadam. Director Srikanth has utilized his image after 'Chandamam' very well, in molding his character. Many dialogues of this movie reminds us of the dialogues in his earlier film. Rajitha did her role well with whatever she could perform in the premises.

Brahmanandam's role as a college priniciple needs no special description. He lured the audience with his ever green style of comedy.

RaoRamesh who got good recognition for his performance in 'Gamyam', performed his character of the chemistry lecturer aptly. He portrays a role that encourages and guides Balu. If the talent in him is utilized properly, he will be like another Prakash Raj to the industry.

TECHNICIANS WORK

Chota K Naidu who works only for huge budget films, has first time handled the megaphone for this film. He has created a beautiful 'Kotha Bangaru Lokam'. The lighting he used in a few scenes is really excellent.

Mickey J Mayer who is well recognized, for his tunes in 'Happy Days', has composed lively music for this film. The lyrics by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Ananth Sriram and Chandra Bose is adds flavor to his tunes. Marthand K Venkatesh who has a good recognition for his editing, has done a serene job.

Director's Portrayal

Srikanth Addala who debuted with this film as a director, has shown good clarity in the work. Everything from the script, screenplay, dialogues and songs, he did with a complete perception. The dialogues like "deepam mana intide ani muddu pettukunte, meesam kalipothundi" that has been written by him for the character of Ahuthi Prasad are captivating to the core. Srikanth Addala has scored 100 out of 100 with his very first movie as the director.

Cons

In most parts, the film lags at a slow pace which slows down the story considerably. In the second half the narration is also slowed down. This might be a surprise which will disappoint the audience who are enjoying the movie in a constant feel.

The most talented actor PrakashRaj is not presented well and his acting skills was not put to use. The placement of songs in the story is irrelevant. For example, the song 'Nee prasnalu neeve yevaro badulivvaruga' would have sinked well if added in the scene where the character of Prakash Raj dies.

Criticism

'Dil' Raju who conveyed the message - Parents should respect the ideas and views of their children through his film 'Bommarillu'; has now presented another message -The children should always respect parents who raised them with many dreams in heart, and also should behave by keeping their responsibilities in mind that is expected from them. Further the parents should give importance to the views of children who are taking their responsibilities. The film will sure increase the quality value of the banner. 'Kotha Bangaru Lokam' is really a feel good family entertainer, and 'Dil' Raju deserves a huge round of applause for this work. This is a film that every one must watch atleast once.

Released on: October 09, 2008