Krishnarjuna Yudham - Movie Review

What’s it about!
This is the story of Krishna and Arjun. Though his name is Krishna, he doesn’t have gopikas in life. His sole mission in his life is to find one ‘Radha’. He lives in a village called Akkurthi in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. Arjun, on the other hand, is Casanova. His reportedly has flirted with more than 250 women. He is a rock star in Prague. Arjun falls for a stubborn girl who refuses his flirting ways. She is Subbalakshmi from India, who is working in Prague as a photographer. How the stories of Krishna and Arjun who are unrelated cross path and what make them to come down to Hyderabad forms the rest of the drama.
 
Analysis
 
Films with a star playing dual roles are made dime a dozen. Nani too did such movies earlier. Then what sets his latest movie in which he appears as Krishna, a local youngster in Chittoor and Arjun, a rock star in Prague from the regular double role movies is director Merlapaka Gandhi’s central point of the story: trafficking of women.
 
We have seen this theme in many movies. Even the main plot – hero going all out to save his girlfriend from the gang that sells off girls to foreign dons in Krishnavamsi’s ‘Gulabi’ (1995). In ‘Gulabi’, it was about Dubai Sheikh’s buying Hyderabad women. Here it is international women trafficking issue.
 
The director has shown lot of cleverness in the first half. He brought in a traditional looking girl Subbalakshmi, played by Anupama, to make Casanova fall for her and makes barely educated rural youth falling for Hyderabad bred modern girl. This contrast is quite good. The director who wrote the story, screenplay and dialogue also cuts the two stories of Arjun and Krishna in an interesting manner.
 
If Krishna beats a guy in Chittoor, the scene is cut to reveal Arjun bashing up another, or when police arrest Arjun, then it is cut to show Krishna put behind the bars in another minor scuffle. The stories of both Krishna and Arjun are told in interchangeable way with dash of two hit numbers (“Daari Choodu” and “Wanna Fly”) and some hilarious jokes. The best funny scene in the film is when Brahmaji is made to teach music to Anupama’s aunt who sings atrociously. Another sequence in hospital involving the same duo is also hilarious.
 
Despite the regular jokes and predictable screenplay, the first half of the movie (not to say that it is good) doesn’t bore us much. However, the second half goes for a toss completely. From the very beginning of the sequence post-interval, the film goes downwards and in the climax it sinks deep into the sea literally (the film ends on a ship).
 
Predictability of the story itself is a huge minus and the boring screenplay in the second half spoils the show further. Two songs in the second half put off completely – placement is totally wrong. There is no redeeming factor post-interval in this flimsy storyline.
 
Nani has essayed both the roles with ease but it is in the character of local Tirupathi guy he shines. His body language, getup and the dialect of Chittoor in this character is pitch perfect. The characterization of Krishna is also funny. In the role of rock star, he looks odd.
 
Anupama looks beautiful. Though she doesn’t have much role, she makes an impression. Rukshar is misfit. Both the female stars have no role after interval. It is totally Nani and Nani (both the characters come together) till the end. Brahmaji gets another interesting character and his comedy has worked out well. Devadarshini is hilarious.
 
On technical front, cinematographer Karthik Ghattamaneni shines. Music by Hip Hop Thamizha is a mixed bag, only two songs have worked out. The film has top-class production values. The strength of director Merlapaka Gandhi is comedy as was seen in his earlier two movies. He has proven his mark in comedy but he has failed big time in driving the story post-interval.

 Bottom-line: 'Krishnarjuna Yuddham' is a letdown. The second half turns into complete bore. A flimsy storyline is narrated in lethargic manner post-interval. Some comedy scenes and Nani as Chittoor guy are best part of the movie, but rest of the movie doesn't hold interest.