Balakrishnudu - Movie Review

What’s it about!
Aadya (Regina) is niece of a faction leader (Ramya Krishna) who has threat from Pratap Reddy (Ajay), their family rival faction leader. Balu (Nara Rohith) rents a house opposite hers in Hyderabad and befriends her. Soon Aadya falls in love with him. He is hired as bodyguard by her family but she doesn’t know this. While they are on a tour, they meet a photographer (Prudhvi) and Pratap Reddy. Will Balu protect her from Pratap Reddy?

Analysis
The makers of “Balakrishnudu” have said quite frankly that they have touched upon the story that has been attempted many times before in several movies. True, the story written by Kosala Raju has nothing new in terms of plot (more like Venkatesh’s ‘Bodygaurd’ and Hollywood movie ‘Chasing Liberty). A character in the film says, it has been long time that they watched a regular faction drama. As the character says, this is faction story with some romance and more humor.
 
Debutant director Pavan Mallela has presented Nara Rohith as a pucca mass hero, which the actor has not done before. Nara Rohith who has acted in different genre movies has tried to play to the gallery here. Pavan Mallela has scored on comedy front.
 
The chases, the fights, the punch dialogues, the comedy banter between hero and side-kick (Prudhvi) – all these essential ingredients in a masala movie are visible. Though the hero is shown here as one who protects heroine from the enemies of her aunt, the story moves forward in many places, locations look like a road movie. The problem with this is that it is too generic, and has many beaten-to-death sequences. Also the film has excessive length.
 
Nara Rohith in new slimmed avatar has looked good. This may help him find base in mass audiences. Credit must be given to director Pavan Mallela for presenting him in this manner. Regina has done a regular heroine role. Ramya Krishna has limited runtime but she has done justice to the character. Ajay as the main villain is good. Prudhvi as the main comedian steals the show. Srinivas Reddy and Raghubabu are good.
 
Songs composed by Mani Sharma are average but he has given effective background score. Production values are excellent. As said earlier, director Pavan Mallela has focused on packaging a regular story in entertaining way than telling a different story. He has shown his mark in entertaining scenes but he should have worked upon better screenplay.
 
Bottom-line: ‘Balakrishnudu’ is regular mass entertainer that has nothing new. Entertainment scenes are okay, though.