Film: "Sukumarudu";
Cast: Aadi Pudipeddi, Nisha Aggarwal, Sharada, G. Krishna, Chandra Mohan, Bhavna Ruparel, Srinivasa Avasarala, Brahmanandam, Maruthi Rao, Raghu Babu, Jayaprakash Reddy, Rao Ramesh and Tanikella Bharani;
Director: G. Ashok;
Rating: **1/2
Some films take time to strike a chord with the audience, but "Sukumarudu", about greedy NRI protagonist, makes an instant connect with viewers. It's another Telugu film high on emotion with good performances. However, what makes the seemingly entertaining film boring and melodramatic is the done to death presentation style.
The story revolves around Sukumar (Aadi), a US-based ambitious NRI who grabs every opportunity to make an extra penny. When he learns about an inheritance that could fetch him a property worth Rs.150 crore, he backpacks and lands in his village in Andhra Pradesh. The only thing between him and the jackpot is his grandmother, the legal owner of the property. Will Sukumar be able to get his hands on the property or not? This forms the rest of the story.
Trying to highlight the selfish side of modern-day generation, director Ashok tries his best to paint a story that has its moments. However, here is another film that could have been an entertaining family drama, but what we finally get is a half-baked commercial drama.
With nearly sixty artists, it becomes extremely difficult to keep track of the relationship between the characters.
The film turns cheerful after the arrival of the protagonist in the village, but the overall presentation gets melodramatic and, therefore, it fails to engage the audience throughout.
Even though it's entertaining in parts, thanks to a host of comedians, "Sukumarudu" fails to deliver what many films in the same genre managed to achieve.
The plot shuttles between love story and family drama without allowing the audiences to internalise the happenings on the screen. The shift between genres not only breaks the flow of the narrative, but makes it too artificial.
After two back-to-back hits, Aadi rises again in a tailor-made role and proves his mettle as an actor. He shoulders his role with panache and conviction, while trying to strike a balance between comedy and action. Nisha Aggarwal is neither good nor bad.
The rest of the cast has played their respective parts quite well.
Despite few moments of sheer entertainment, "Sukumarudu" reminds the audience of several films. Sharada makes a strong comeback, but for an actor of her calibre, the role of a grandmother with hardly any purpose is an insult to her years of experience.
