Aatagallu - Movie Review

‘Aatagallu', starring Jagapathi Babu and Nara Rohit in opposing roles, hit the screens this Friday. Let's find out what works and what doesn't.  

Story:

Siddharth (Nara Rohit), a filmmaker by profession, is accused of brutally murdering his wife Anjali (Darshana). He faces a tough trial in the court, thanks to the fearless and super-intelligent public prosecutor Veerendra (Jagapathi Babu). 

In the beginning, all evidences say that Siddharth must be the murderer. But upon re-investigation, Veerendra discovers new facts in the scene of offence. This leads to a twist in the case.  

But the picture is not complete. Veerendra soon finds out that there is more than what meets the eye. Who is the actual criminal? What are his motives behind killing Siddharth's wife? Can Veerendra ensure justice? Answers to these questions are found in the second half.  

Analysis:

'Aatagallu' had potentially interesting characters on paper. A filmmaker who has some psychological issues, a lawyer who can lead a challenging case and unearth unknown dimensions. But director Paruchuri Murali spoils these characters so much that they actually seem less interesting than caricatures found in TV serials.  

When a billionaire is fighting murder charges, he goes through pain, anxiety and worse.  But what is going on in the accused fellow's mind is difficult to understand in this film. The accused starts sharing a flashback after a serious courtroom scene. And in these portions, it's womanizing producer, played by Brahmanandam, who gets a lion's share of screen space. How can you expect the proceedings to hold interest with such a flashback?

A husband, who is pleading innocence and saying that he never murdered his wife, is shown to have a downright ridiculous love track with the heroine. You never understand how and when this filmmaker fell in love with the heroine over a road journey involving Brahmi. As for the girl, she fell for him right in her first scene. He suddenly says 'I love you' to her and they both hug in front of the latter's blissful mother.

It's surprising that there still are directors who think that Brahmanandam wooing girls younger than 20 with double meaning dialogues is funny. It's not only disgusting but also ugly when the girl shows an I-am-being-tortured expression on her face. This is what Darshana does in her scenes with Brahmi who plays the role of Mr.GoGo, a Hollywood Studio executive.

The film’s potentiality is corrupted by a lazy screenplay, lousy direction.

The scenes between Jagapathi Babu and Rohit greet us with lifeless dialogues and lousy treatment.  After the film's only two meaningful scenes, Brahmanandam reappears in the second half and becomes a laughing stock.

Jagapathi Babu may be liked by those who are not bored of him. He plays the upright character with some grace. Nara Rohit should avoid doing such roles that doesn’t suit at all. Thulasi, Sathyam Rajesh, Jeeva, Sri Tej and others are there as sketchy characters.  

Music director Sai Kartheek has a song as if he is some rocks tar.  If anything, this is a horrendous hindrance. Vijay C Kumar's camera work and Marthand K Venkatesh's editing are a disservice.

Bottom-line: ‘Aatagallu’ is classic example of a work of a maker who has stuck in time-warp with outdated ideas. The film tests the patience.