Pilla Zamindar Review

Its inspiration from a Korean film (A Millionaire's First Love, 2006) notwithstanding, Pilla Jamindaru doesn't come across as an original work.  Except that, in what may be called a refreshing idea to set the film in a college campus, it would have seemed loosely based on one too many films in the past.

The story doesn't sound very exciting.  We have seen many films in the past wherein the protagonist is denied his rightful inheritance in accordance to the will of his grandfather/father who puts some conditions if he should own the family wealth.  Pilla jamindaru too follows this premise.  Thankfully, the plot transmits the landscape to a campus in rural backdrop.  And, it must be said in the same breath, that despite the hostel friends and the sweet-hearted girlfriend who bails him out in the examination, the film loses track and fails to keep your interest intact.

PJ (Nani) is a freak guy who chills out at the local pub almost every day.  He has dumped his girlfriend Sindhu (Hari Priya), leaving her heart-broken.  Knowing that it is only two days to go before he inherits thousands of crores of property, he behaves as if he has got nothing to do with the world.  On the D-day, however, he gets the shock of his life.  His grandfather had written in the will that PJ would inherit the wealth only upon completing his graduation from Rajanna's college in Siripuram.  He would not be entitled to any benefit and would have to make do with a pittance during the course of his stay at the hostel.

He meets Rajanna (Rao Ramesh) and understands, much to his horror, that the rules of stay in his college are rigorous.  Left with no option, he decides to spend his time there in the circus (his word for the hostel) with cartoon characters (his word for the room mates).  In a divine co-incidence of sorts, he bumps into Sindhu in the village.  Love blossoms again in them.

Before long, he becomes great friends with his roommates (Avasarala Srinivas and company) and develops an emotional bond with everyone in the college - Rajanna, who he had dreaded and disliked, the Telugu master (MS Narayana in a geriatric role), and a host of other characters.

The gist of the film is about how an arrogant, unscrupulous, money-minded PJ is transformed into a people's man.  The film is carves a beaten path in playing out the scenes that bring about this metamorphosis in him.  Which is why, Pilla Jamindaru doesn't excite the audience in the era of fast-changing consumer preferences.

Story-wise, there is no much scope for excitement in the story.  Except at the point where Nani almost gives up and incidentally ends up at an orphanage that stokes his childhood memories that proves to be reformatory for him, there is no element of conflict in the entire script.

There are other gaping flaws.  Every student as well as the science teacher at the disciplinarian's college lacks minimum standards of decency and discipline.  Where is the consistency?  The crucial relationship between Nani and Avasarala Srinivas warranted  better scripting of their part.  Where is the intensity?

Performance-wise, Nani delivers a matured output in the second half as a youth in self-introspecting and self-correcting mode.  Rao Ramesh delivers a neat performance yet again.  MS Narayana exudes a new body language as a strict Telugu grammarian.  Hari Priya does justice to her role.  Avasarala Srinivas looks under-stated but his dialogue delivery is all right.

The director (Ashok G) seems to derive his inspiration from the style of Krishna Vamsi.  Other technical departments like music and cinematography do a mediocre job.

All in all, Pilla Jamindaru is a small-time attempt at telling the story of a spoilt brat-turned-leader.

Released on: 14th Oct, 2011