Mogudu is a film that should have been ideally released in the times of EVV Satyanarayana and Muthyala Subbaiah. No, we are not complaining about how the hero comes to marry the heroine twice in the film. The problem is that there are many things in Mogudu that seem too much to digest. Gopichand looks twice the age of the average Telugu hero; Tapsee taps her tears twice as is required; everyone from Roja and Rajendra Prasad to the hero-heroine duo scream twice their pitch; characters slap one another twice more than expected. (Shraddha Das shows her skin twice more than she has done previously, but we are not complaining about that).
To begin with, there is nothing new in this film that we have not seen in Krishna Vamsi's films in the past. Mogudu is a family drama wherein the over a score of family members bond together like birds of same flock. A drama whrein the eldest member (Rajendra Prasad in this case) wears his love for the members on the sleeves (and sometimes the members on the sleeves, literally). They are seen in a huddle every time. In short, Mogudu is a film where Krishna Vamsi professes the ideology of joint family, once again.
Anjaneya Prasad (Rajendra Prasad) wants his son (Gopichand) to marry a suitable girl at the earliest. Our hero has a problem though. He wants a girl who can live at the home with his family members without carping about the largeness of the size. (Now, why does such a man go to see a wannabe fashion model, played by Shraddha Das, is a puzzle). However, one fine day, he spots Raja Rajeshwari (Tapsee Pannu) doing classical dance and it is love at first sight for our hero.
He again bumps into the girl on a night when she, now drunken, comes to him asking for lift. Our hero brings her home. As you think of taking forty winks, love blossoms between them. They are married off.
Before you start wondering as to why the post-marriage rituals are dealt with elaborately, you see Rajendra Prasad and Roja (bride's loud-mouthed mother) in violent disagreement over a tradition followed post-marriage in the groom's family. It results in one too many slaps. Result: Gopichand and Tapsee break up.
The second half is about how the divorced couple patch up and the two families bury the hatchet following a tear jerker by Gopichand. (The climax is the blandest one in recent times).
Mogudu is bogged down by many minuses. Firstly, the story is archaic and old. Secondly, Krishna Vamsi's style is routine. The actors do exaggerated comedy as well as teary acts. Mogudu has not got a single comical moment. What a tragedy, considering the fact that Ninne Pelladatha and Chandamama were such enjoyable family entertainers from the same maker!
Performance-wise, Tapsee shines in the film. She is watchable in the rom-com episodes of the second half. Besides her, Roja fits the bill and her arrogant character is a treat to watch. Rajendra Prasad is good.
However, Gopichand is a disappointment. He should stick to doing roles that suit his age. He is a complete misfit in the romantic scenes.
All in all, Mogudu is a below-the-mark film by any standard. It is a well-meaning attempt gone awry because of the poverty of imagination. Also, as said above, its subject is not contemporary, which is its greatest demerit.
Released on: 4th Nov, 2011
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