Money Money More Money Review

There are boring films. Then there are ridiculously boring ones.  If Manmohan Singh were asked to choose between listening to Anna Hazare's speeches and watching Money, Money, More Money, he would surely go for the former.  Idiocy unlimited, to put it in a nutshell.
 
If Chekravarthy JD deserves an award for anything, it is for fooling the audience.  Money.. is not a sequel to the 1995 film, Money Money.  Except the names of Brahmanandam (Khan Dada) and Chekravarthy (Chakri), the throwback to the first part is hinted only in a couple of force-fitted scenes that seem out-of-context.  If not for the Dada link, the film would have been called a remake not a sequel.
 
While the first edition Khan Dada was under-stated and minimalist yet remarkably humorous, the new avatar is overboard and irritatingly buffoon.  Imagine Brahmandam failing to strike a chord in even one scene despite being the most seen character of the film.
 
Solidly based on the 2006 Hindi film, Darwaza Bandh Rakho (directed by JD), which was itself inspired by the 1999 Korean film, Attack The Gas Station, Money.. is about how four youths, who are desperate to get rich overnight, find themselves in a dreadfully difficult situation when they kidnap the daughter of a tycoon.  Chakri (JD), Raghu (Brahmaji), Abbas (Mukuldev) and Kavindev unfortunately lose their jobs due to frustrations and road expansions.  They gang up to abduct a rich girl and extort one crore rupees from her father.  Suddenly they happen to wield guns though they come from non-criminal backgrounds.  (Certainly, JD has only acquired RGV's present-day mediocrity, not his erstwhile propensity to keep it real).
 
For reasons which are never explained, they choose the mansion of Khan Dada for safe-keeping their abductee and frequently call up Jagadish, the girl's rich businessman-father, to ask him for the money.  One too many characters ring the bell of Khan Dada - a police constable (Rajeev Kanakala), a real estate agent (Jeeva) and his son, a sales girl (Gajala), a vetirinary doctor (Senthil) and others - only to add to the difficulties of Chekri and co., and the pathos of the audience.
 
The director tests our patience from the word go as soon as the drama at the mansion starts to unfold.  While the four kidnappers plan elaborately about basic things like calling up Jagdhish and asking for money, Brahmi desperately seeks to make us laugh with this routine expressions and antics.  As more and more characters enter the fray, our disgust only multiplies.
 
An ever-frightened Khan Dada successfully steals bullets from the guns of three kidnappers; tears rolld down the cheeks of Rajeev Kanakala in a scene that would have seemed like a parody if not for the teary background music; Chekri and Dada remember their pasts pointlessly; a criminal angle gets introduced in the second half when it is revealed that Abbas has links with a gangster by name Anna Hazaruddin (the 'genius' who has come up with this name deserves opulent brickbats).
 
It is unimaginable how someone who crafted a film like Siddham has made this crappy stuff.  The makers may think that though they have got nothing - a story, good songs, rich locales, star value - but they have Brahmanandam, are mistaken.  The ace comedian may be a crowd-puller, but his redeeming value is limited in the absence of ideas that make sense.

Released on: 26th Aug, 2011