Srivalli - Movie Review

Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 10:15
Srivalli (2017)
Cast & Crew: 

Film: Srivalli
Cast: Rajath, Neha Hinge, Rajeev Kanakala, Sufi Sayyad, Hema, Jhansi, Sathya Krishna, Arahan Khan, Rekha, Master Satvik and others
Music: M M Sreelekha
Background score: Sri Charan Pakala
Cinematography: Rajasekhar
Editing: Kotagari Venkateshwara Rao
Producer: Rajkumar
Story, screenplay, dialogues and directed by: Vijayendra Prasad
CBFC Rating: A
Running time: 111 min
Release date: Sep 15, 2017

Story

Srivalli (Neha Hinge) returns from USA after her father Ramachandra (Rajeev Kanakala) wants to do something for his birthplace. He settles in hometown in Mangalore with Srivalli and his younger son. In an accident, Ramachandra dies and his son turns into comatose situation. On the other hand, she likes her childhood buddy Gautham (Rajath) and soon love blossoms between them. Their professor makes an experiment of brain mapping, recording brain waves etc. During the nights, Srivalli constantly gets dreams of her past life in which she was Laila and her lover was Majnu. Soon, she believes that the Majnu of her past life is coming during the night to have sex with her. Next she also sees Andrea, a girl, of her past life making love with her. She seeks help from her boyfriend Gautham. One night, he comes to her house to help her but he too is beaten up by the invisible force and Srivalli gets raped by Andrea. She runs out of the building to seek help from outsiders and she is rescued by a Mayor and the next day it is revealed that she is still virgin. Is she hallucinating? Or is this some past life gimmick? Or is she possessed?

Analysis

Just read the story part, you will utter - what the heck is this? The story begins with the line that karma of last births haunts us in the next births as well. Then it moves to mansion. At the stroke of midnight, heroine who is lying in the bed turns into Laila. A guy comes to her and starts making love with her. It is revealed that he is the Majnu (remember the Laila – Majnu story?). She suddenly wakes up and feels shameful of her sexual dreams. Then the story goes back to her childhood – how she lost mother, how she raised her brother and her friendship with her classmate Gautham. Next scene is that Gautham and she plant a cheeku seed at a deserted place. A labourer (woman) admires watching their friendship. In the very next scene, her father takes her and her brother to USA leaving her friend Gautham in distress. Few years later they return to India. Now she is grown up woman. Her friend Gautham takes her to the same deserted place to show how big the tree they had planted has grown. Lo and behold, the same labourer now appears and tells her that Gautham Babu daily watered the tree.

Imagine if you are witnessing all such meh sequences one after the other unfolding on screen! All these are shot with cheap production quality, in amateurish taking style. The film is directorial venture of V Vijayendra Prasad, writer of such great hits “Baahubali”.

More bizarre and awkward scenes follow. Now a professor working in Mangalore University is introduced. He is working on brainwaves and brain mapping. On hearing that the professor is doing research on himself and he is suffering a lot, the heroine comes forward to be a guinea pig for his research. To participate in this research, she needs to be completely naked while all the people are watching and he would record her brainwaves. This research part in show in comical way at length. The professor then heads to USA for further research and then her father dies in accident. Then comes the most hilarious (unintentional) episode – Majnu from the past life and Andrea (her old friend) come to have sex with her while she resists and hero tries to save. The invisible force called Majnu beats the hero and Andrea, a lesbian who desired the heroine long back, has sex with her. Then comes the interval bang.

Vijayendra Prasad has stuffed all his crazy ideas in one film. By interval, we can’t stop laughing at this silly movie and also pity the producers. Post interval, it is explained that all these are some tricks by misusage of brain mapping technology by a person close to heroine but so much idiotic situations also pop up later too.

It seems Vijayendra Prasad has tried to mix his pet theme of “rebirth” with the theme of Hollywood movie “The Cell” (2000) but his awful ideas, shoddy direction has made it tiresome watch. Idiocy to the core.

Although the film is set in the backdrop of Mangalore, all we get to see Manikonda and Outer Ring Road of Hyderabad with occasional stock shots of seashore. The blood in the movie appears more like water mixed with kumkum. Such cheap making. The VFX work is in the level of MS Paint.

All the actors including lead pair Rajath and Neha have come up with shabby performances. Poor producers have spent lot of money on this project but the production and technical values are so low. Vijayendra Prasad, the writer of many hits like ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, has made the silliest movie.

Bottom-line: ‘Srivalli’ is out rightly silly movie with meh scenes and weird ideas. The script itself is clumsy, the situations reek of imbecility. Even 80’s TV serials had better taking qualities than this. The film will definitely rank in the list of worst-made movies ever made in Telugu cinema.

Reviewed by: 
J Gudelli
Rating: 
0.5/5