The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Villain saves the film!

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Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Villain saves the film!

LOVEY DOVEY: Nitin and Kajal in ‘Aatadista’.

Film: Aatadista

Cast: Nitin, Kajal

Director: A.S. Ravikumar Chowdary

It was Aahuti Prasad who stole the show in ‘Chandamama’ and here it is Siva Prasad who becomes the saving grace. But for him, the film would have ended up with an egg on its face. The plot is so silly and nonsensical, the romantic angle so juvenile and underdeveloped that you fail to understand what the film is trying to convey….a father-son relationship or a politician who is trying to prove to the media that he wasn’t outwitted and hit by the youn g hero.

A frail looking Raghuvaran (this was probably his last film) and Naga Babu are business partners and want to strengthen their relationship. Raghuvaran wants his daughter Kajal to marry Nitin, his partner’s son, but Naga Babu opts out on the pretext that Raghuvaran has no ethics in business and values money more than people.

Convenient strategy

Siva Prasad, a rustic politician, backs Raghuvaran and is also seeking revenge on Nitin as he had harmed his son. Amid all this, Nitin plays a troublesome son who suddenly realises that his father is in danger and undergoes a change of heart. The director chooses a simple and convenient strategy for Nitin to outsmart the villain and the strangest thing is the father (Naga Babu) lauding it as sharp business acumen. Nitin does a neat job but his dances are beginning to look similar. Kajal is chirpy and cherubic but the role given to her is superficial. The lead pair just fall in and out of love throughout the film.

The villain’s satirical barbs at the electronic media bring some life into the movie post interval. The digs at personalities denying news, some dialogues hinting at certain latest developments in the Telugu film industry and also the media’s over enthusiasm in covering news, intruding on the privacy of celebrities give it a mild cerebral touch.

Mumait Khan’s item number is passé. The script meanders and strangely it’s a villain’s show all the way! An uninteresting film, contrary to its title.

Y. SUNITA CHOWDHARY

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