Touch Chesi Chudu - Movie Review

What’s it about!
Karthikeya, a businessman in Pondicherry, likes Pushpa (Raashi Khanna) when he meets her in a match making arranged by his parents. However, he doesn’t know how to talk to women and irritates her by telling her that she will soon turn aunty. Despite their romantic journey starting on a wrong note she soon starts to like him. When life is going smooth, Karthikeya catches glimpse of Irfan walking down the road in Pondicherry. Irfan is the same criminal he shot at when Karthikeya was ACP in Hyderabad some time ago. Why Karthikeya is in Pondicherry leaving his IPS officer’s job and why he shot Irfan forms the rest of the drama.
 
Analysis
From ‘Baasha’ and ‘Samarasimha Reddy’, we have been watching movies that have the premise of protagonist hiding in a faraway place from his native city to lead peaceful life, to get away from the past incidents. Based on writer Vakkantham Vamsi’s script, new director Vikram Sirikonda has made this action drama that deals with the same storyline that we have seen in hundreds of movies. Now you can understand how predictable this story must be.
 
The problem with “Touch Chesi Chudu” is not with the old storyline but the archaic screenplay and dull narration. As one scene after the other unfolds in the second half, we turn restless. Even before the end card comes we look for the exit door. Not a single sequence in the movie reeks of novelty or is engaging enough.
 
The first half of the movie is all about Karthikeya and Puspa. Karthikeya (played by 50-year-old Ravi Teja) keeps telling Pushpa (played by 27-year-old Raashi Khanna) that she may become aunty if she avoids marriage now. He also finds “white hair” (a strand of grey hair) in her plaits. That is the comedy in the film!
 
After this romantic thread, the movie comes to intermission and soon flashback episode begins. In the flashback, we get to see Ravi Teja as a workaholic ACP who takes on a politician. All scenes in the second half are also lousy and worn-out. The film also has pointless dialogues - "You are my statue of Liberty" (saying heroine is world famous) and "Thu Sher Hai Tho Nenu Global Warming Raa"(meaning hero is even more dangerous than the villain). 
 
In the second half, we have scenes like hero creating ATP (Any Time Police), threatening Home Minister, and his girlfriend leaving him when he fails to involve in wedding events, etc. By end of the movie, we come to the conclusion that the movie is made to show that police officers also should care about their family life because the main thread is too flimsy.
 
To be fair, the film’s romantic thread between Ravi Teja and Raashi Khanna are the only better portions.
 
Ravi Teja has come up with regular style of acting, nothing much to talk about. His face seems to have corrected digitally with excessive glow. Raashi Khanna is gorgeous. The movie once again proves that Seerat Kapoor lacks acting chops. Of the huge cast, Vennela Kishore, Murali Sharma and Annapurna make an impression.
 
Bollywood music composer Pritham has made debut with this film. His musical band JAM8 has composed the songs while Mani Sharma has given background score. The songs are a disappointment though “Em Mantar Jantar Chesave” and “Manasa” are okay. Cinematography by Chota K Naidu and Richard Prasad is flashy. It has rich production values. The editing work is pretty average.
 
Direction and bad writing have killed the movie from the start.
 
Bottom-line: “Touch Chesi Chudu” has dated script, boring screenplay and predictable narration. Altogether, the film is a big bore. A formulaic commercial plotline is narrated in a most hackneyed manner. Production values are glossy though.