Malupu - Movie Review

Story:

Satish Ganapathi is a youngster who calls himself SaGa for short.  A good-hearted person, he has as his world none other than his parents (Aadukalam Naren and Pragathi) and his three friends.  Someone who doesn't get into trouble without provocation; he is constantly chastised by his father for being irresponsible and jobless.  He shares a friendly relationship with his mother, who is always supportive of him and trusts him for his honesty.  

SaGa falls in love with a girl (played by Nikki Galrani, whose other release this week is Krishnashtami. Luckily for each other, Nikki looks entirely different in both the films.  So, it's not an overdose at all!). SaGa's saga takes a perilous turn when he ominously falls in danger on the intervening night of Dec 31-Jan 1.  What happened on that night, how Aadhi comes out of the threat he faces, and what are his values are depicted in the second half.

Analysis:
From the beginning, Malupu has been touted as a comeback film for Aadhi Pinisetty, the Tamil hero.  The dubbed version of the Tamil film Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka, directed by his brother Sathya Prabhas Pinishetty, this film is a thriller. 

The film's biggest strength is the technical output. Shanmugasundaram's cinematography is adept. The frames are a huge value addition. Besides this, Sabu Joseph's deft handling of the editing department adds to the film's strength.  rasan Praveen Shyam's background music is good, although the songs come as a distraction.

The screenplay style is not regular, but flips between the past and the present.  The film begins with the hero's narration of the events that lead him to land up in Mumbai.  The Mumbai scenes are authentic, never mind the ‘Sarkar’ feel in some places.  Between being on the run for his life and wanting to meet Mudaliar (played by Mithun Chakraborty), Aadhi manages to put up a good performance.  The second half doesn't deviate much and that's good. The missing Telugu nativity notwithstanding, the film would be alright for the Telugu audience, in general.  The entry of Richa Pallod ups the interest.  She is very good in her portrayal of a damsel in distress. Mithun Chakraborty is a value addition.

The film, however, doesn't show consistency. The narration could have been better, especially the part pertaining to the hero and his three friends. Director Satya has done good job in his first attpemt.

Bottomline: Malupu is watchable action thriller. A decent effort despite unconvincing climax.