CHIRUTHA MAKES A MIGHTY ATTEMPT TO MAKE A DEAFENING ROAR, BUT IT IS LOST IN THE CALLOUS NOISES OF THE WILD

One of the biggest challenges in the Telugu film industry today is launching a star son. The money riding on the film is so phenomenal and the expectations are so high that the audience wants nothing but a perfect product. And ironically, filmmakers too give a serious thought to the audience's likes and dislikes, and start pandering to their sentiments. So, what we get in Chirutha is a mish-mash of comedy, drama, sentiment and loads of action. The latter more so since Ram Charan Teja happens to be megastar Chiranjeevi's son.

But the moot point is: How does one launch the hero? With what kind of script? How should the love story be? These were some burning problems before Puri Jagannadh and the star-father Chiranjeevi. And not wanting to beat about the bush, they opted for the straight and simple narrative. The villain (Ashish Vidyarthi) kills the hero's father (Surya), and the hero seeks revenge.

And, of course, there is another stereotype. The heroine. That is Neha, whatever. If she is rich, she has to be arrogant and throw attitude and she does it in plenty being the wealthy businessman Prakash Raj's daughter. So what is a hero for if not to remove the money-clouded dust in her eyes and make her see the world in all its glory? And our Ram Charan does the same thing too and they fall in love and all that rigmarole.

But what is so different about the film you ask. The scale of the film. The action happens not in India but in Thailand, the land of sex, sleaze and sun-kissed beaches. And we have the hero gyrating to all those massy-massy numbers with the sometimes skimpily clad heroine and having a gala time. But, time and again he keeps rememering his mission: to avenge the death of his father lest it would be difficult to drag the film to its logical conclusion.

By now, you must be asking what is new about the film? I want to ask you the same thing what is new about any film where the hero bashes up a hundred guys without as much batting an eyelid. If you had expected an unusual script, that is your problem. Chiranjeevi & Co are more interested in carrying forward the mantle in the parameters laid down centuries ago. You either like it or leave it. But they wouldn't change their way of looking at cinema.

But, some of us are clever at reading the film between the lines. And that is where the comedy scores. Ali, portrays the half-man, half-woman character to perfection. And so do the other comedians, who lift up the spirits of the otherwise run-of-the-mill film.

But, Ram Charan seems to have succeeded in making a statement of style. And in choosing a subject that has some resemblances to Kaho Na... Pyar Hai, he has decided to usurp the title of the Hrithik Roshan of Tollywood.