Boyapati is healthily hero-obsessed. His 'Dammu'-fied heroes are adorable cinematic 'Simhas'. His saviour-'yodhavu' are so overpowering that Boyapati is, on the flip side, sometimes carried away. This film is yet another example of heroism owning director-ism.
Gana (Allu Arjun)'s single-point agenda is to save the terrified from Masood Pehelwans and all. He wins the court cases outside the court his babai (played by Srikanth) loses inside the court. His father Chief Secretary (Jayaprakash) has given up on him. Gana and his babai share a strong bond and the latter is always with him, whether it is a bombarding fight or a blockbuster song. On being commanded by his father to pay a visit to JP's (Sai Kumar in the role of a sincere crusader) house to see Janu (Rakul Preet Singh), Gana and babai start off.
On their way, Gana falls for Catherene Tresa, who plays an MLA. A few rom-com scenes involving the both come and go. At interval bang, it's time for Janu to come running to Gana - running away from Vairam Dhanush's (Aadhi Pinisetty in a over-hyped role) desperadoes.
yodhavu is in the mould of a time-tested formula. And for all its utility, the formula has come to acquire certain limitations. Mega limitations at that. Whatever the quantum of 'style', it's difficult to make elements like land-grabbing by the bloodiest possible villain seem palatable.
The first half presents decent enough takeaways: the characterization of Gana as an indefatigable one-man army, that of Vairam Dhanush as a ruthless villain who can't stand anybody touching his clients (much less him), a court scene that is well-spent to build tempo around the hero's yet-to-be-waged 'dandayatra', and an interval bang that has the hero convey a lot of emotions with just three words: 'Naku artham aindi', as the damsel in distress looks on..
From the time you realize that Boyapati was not revealing more only to make space for Anjali and Bunny to do a Blockbuster dance, it's difficult to stand the proceedings. Scene after scene, a done-to-death formula is thrust down our throats. The good MLA bids goodbye so as to make way for Telusa Telusa.
Meanwhile, you wait for the much-hyped character of Aadhi Pinisetty to match the stamina of our aggressive hero. The wait is endless. But wait, the sight of our impatient hero's Janu bombarding us with that forgotten-for-good 'veedu antha easy ga chavakoodadu' line leaves us in shock. Earlier, please don't forget, there was that 'Magadu ante ala undali' moment!
One feels there is more of Catherene (who has no much say in the story) than Rakul, who is Bhadra's Meera Jasmine of yodhavu. The first half could have been salvaged with better scenes than an MLA who behaves like a college-going girl irritated by a stalker. When it's Private Party time, the revered people's MLA talks about those little joys: long drive, partying in a pub with a boy friend... The scene where Bunny rescues Rakul from Pradeep Rawat is fun to watch.
It's Bunny's film all the way. His angry look, energetic fights and fabulous dance moves can't be missed. M Ratnam's dialogues sound even more stylish when Bunny says them. There should have been better scenes (at least two) between him and the villain; that would have got Bunny more marks. Bunny strikes the right chemistry with the two heroines.
Aadhi looks convincing in the role of a frightening villain, but the intensity is in descending order. By the time it's climax, one would have lost interest in his villainy. Catherene is a glam doll with no scope for performance. Rakul is apt and looks gorgeous.
Srikanth is good good. Brahmanandam in the role of a manages to evoke some laughter. Vidyulla Raman's 'sambar' comedy passes muster. V Jayaprakash, Devadarshini, Pradeep Rawat, Surekha Vani Jayaprakash Reddy, Saikumar, Adarsh Balakrishna, Prudhvi Raj and Kalakeya Prabhakar fit the bill. Anjali doesn't quite match the verve of Thaman's music.
Technically, this is Boyapati's best ever. Thaman's music and BGM are a great asset, so also Rishi Punjabi's cinematography (especially Telusa Telusa number). The art direction is another plus.
Verdict: An oldish formula and story line. Bunny is immensely watchable in the massiest ever role of his. Watch out for enthralling action. Expect no wow stuff except for Bunny.
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