Sridevi Shoban Babu was released in theatres today (February 18). In this section, we are going to review the latest BO release.

Story:

Sridevi (Gouri K Kishan) wants to temporarily migrate to Araku to learn about tribal wear. As a fashion designer, her sights are set on her next important assignment. But her plan is not to the liking of her father (Naga Babu). And that's because he has been estranged from his sister Kamala (Rohini) for many years and he fears that his daughter's visit to Araku might trigger old wounds. Sridevi secretly whizzes off to Araku to avenge her father's humiliation at the hands of his formerly beloved sister. Once in the place, she falls in love with her 'bava', Shoban Babu (Santosh Shoban). What are the consequences of this love affair?

Analysis:

Director Prasanth Kumar Dimmala seems to have penned the story for a proper TV serial. There is no other way to make sense of the outdated conflict plot and the lazy resolution that comes in the second half. We wait for the drama to acquire a modern-day twist or something. Till the end, we are starved of a single high.

Yes, there is a plot twist. It is good that the reveal hasn't been made too late into the story. Nowadays, a lot of writers/directors take the audience for granted and reveal the cards only in the pre-climax or climax phase. This technique makes the audience question the film they have watched until then. It works like a charm in the case of well-made thrillers. In the case of a rom-com or a family entertainer, the tactic doesn't work.

The first half of the film and a good chunk of the second half goes into establishing Shoban Babu's goodness. His kind-heartedness is reminiscent of the good-natured lead man Vishnu from this week's other release, 'Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha'. The latter, at least, builds comedy around the hero. 'Sridevi Shoban Babu' has got only done-to-death situations to offer. A sacrifice for a friend and stuff like that.

Rohini Molleti, who recently played a substantial part in 'Writer Padmabhushan', has been cast the wrong way. Naga Babu looks demotivated. The rest of the casting is hilariously bad. The girl who played the heroine's friend is over-the-top. In a pre-release interview, the heroine said that she is scared about going overboard. She doesn't do 'over-acting' but her character is ruined by old-fashioned writing. She is a manic pixie dream girl, a stock character who doesn't give any surprise after a point.

Kamran's music is passable. The locations, the cinematography and the action choreography are stuck in a time warp.

Santosh Shoban, after the underwhelming 'Kalyanam Kamaneeyam', takes up yet another remarkably weak script. He must pull up his socks!

Verdict:

This film suffers from a soap opera-style narration. The humour, the production values, the story - almost everything about it belongs to the era of Shoban Babu, if not Sridevi.