Attharintiki Daredi the Telugu film directed by Trivikram Srinivas which Pawan Kalyan and Samntha In the Lead roles begins with the all-consuming war between the average Telugu citizen’s passions of politics and cinema. The plot of the film is based on the warring families and the thin line between intense love and intense hatred in a father-daughter relationship, this type of film has been dabbled in before, but thankfully Trivikram, , doesn’t mess (too much) with the formula. He just adds Pawan Kalyan to it. Tollywood buffs will tell you about how that automatically “makes everything to the ‘Power’ of infinity”
Gowtham’s (Pawan Kalyan) grandfather Raghuram Nanda (Boman Irani) is a steel tycoon in Milan, who hasn’t had any contact with his daughter Nanda (Nadia) in years. Unable to see his sickly grandfather torn up over this any longer, Gowtham flies down to Hyderabad to try and machinate a reconciliation. Gautham has his responsibility cut out when Raghuram Nanda tells him that he can no more bear the agony of not seeing his daughter. After a song hailing the bullet-like power of the hero , we see him metamorphosing into a side-splitting hero regularly dishing out vintage Trivikram (read witty lines) and occasionally slapping around
MS Narayana, Ali, you name him.
The difference between a Trivikram and a Dasarath has become quite apparent with Pawan Kalyan finding his way to Attarillu. In dealing with a story that is spectacularly unexciting, Tollywood’s famously witty writer has proven that, however differently one may have begun
his journey (Athadu in his case) as a filmmaker, it makes immense sense to learn the right lessons from a Sreenu Vaitla. For a director who think learning is a permanent process, every commercial hit is a food for thought.
What clearly marks out from Pawan’s previous films is its wide appeal to the family audience. Just to make sure that it doesn’t end up sounding preachy, Trivikram makes Gautham Nanda remain silent until the last minute. When the much-pained ‘alludu’ blithely smiles after
his victory in the last scene, you see a new Pawan Kalyan there. That’s the kind of directorial touch that is needed to bring out the best, an unseen angle in a superstar and such moments are sure to be cherished by fans. The fight where the villains give up and mix themselves with he crowds in the station is a good idea. The fight sequences which directly related to sub-plots, you have a commercial pot boiler to boot.
Trivikram has this knack for raising the tempo by playing up heroism but not seem indulgent in doing it. Yes, heroism is not understated as in Athadu, but with Pawan it is quite difficult to play a balancing act. Even so, AD is unique in not overwhelming character. From Posani to Kota, the insignificant antagonists are used to hail the hero. Besides, you have the expected dose of hilarious lines (though they are far fewer than what we have seen in his previous films).
The performances are spot on. Pawan’s energetic body language and effervescent face work greatly. Though Nazia has as much space as Boman, she is as impactful as much as the seasoned Bollywood actor is. Rao Ramesh’s scene where he recalls his heart-attack experience
mirrors not only his talent but also Trivikram’s directorial sense.
Samantha is gorgeous and does justice to her role of Sasi, Prameelas snappy and spirited older sister, but it is Praneetha who is a surprise package. She is adorable as the innocent and empty headed Prameela . The chemistry between Pawan and Praneetha and Pawan and Samantha seem to be at the same level. Nadia is wonderful as the unyielding daughter who hates as hard as she loves. Boman Irani is the penultimate father, giving Prakash Raj a serious run for his money.
Pawan’s eccentric act imitating a crest-fallen godman was supposed to raise the roof. A little more imagination and dexterity would have ensured that; such scenes are Vaitla’s cup of tea, though. The Brahmi-Pawan-Samantha-Ali-Family scene was a bit lengthy.
The screenplay teases and rivets, and if it has a tendency to linger and smell the flowers, it makes up for by immediately giving you something new to think about. The cinematography is just as interesting as the screenplay, the camerawork matching Trivikram’s vision frame for frame. The film is definitely not razzle-dazzle all the way. The film’s strengths may come across as its lousy weaknesses for some people. Pawan’s characterization is not exactly intelligent. You don’t need to hail the hero to the skies when he is tasked to bring his ‘attamma’, not black money, back home.
A bit of that would have worked. You have the grandpa saying that the grandson is a bullet and after 10 minutes, the quick-tempered multi-billionaire is seen indulging in buffoonery now and childish arrogance later. One finds herself having to flit between Pawan’s hero and Trivikram’s hotchpotch character in many places and it is not comfortable.
While the background score is as fun as the rest of the movie, the songs are more or less routine, with the hero’s intro track being the least required. Technically, AD is effective. DSP’s music and BGM elevate the film’s mood quite impressively. The cinematography is alright. Peter Haines
action choreography is skillful.