Release date : October 30, 2015
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Director : Gnanasaghar
Producer : Yamuna Kishore, Jagadeesh Kumar Kallur
Music Director : Rajeesh Raghunath
Starring : Praveen Raj, Sahi, Nagineedu
Continuing with the trend of low budget films, yet another project tilted ‘Player’ has hit the screens today. Let’s now see how this Gnana Sagar directorial turns out to be.
Story:-
Jayadev(Parveen Raj) is a young boy who heads to Bangkok for his higher studies. He gets admitted into a top college and there he develops good friendship with his professor Michel(Nagineedu).
Seeing his intelligence in Maths, Michel convinces Jai to play a card counting game and earn more money. Interested by the money factor, Jai follows Michel and earns big bucks.
As time passes by, Jai finds out a shocking truth about his dad which is related to the dangerous Michel. What is that truth ? How will Jai escape Michel and take revenge on behalf of his father ? That forms the rest of the story.
Plus Points:-
The unique backdrop is the biggest asset of the film. It is quite rare that a Telugu film has a casino as the main back drop. Also, the entire set up and the way various games played in the casino have been showcased is quite good. Climax of the film has been handled well.
Young hero Parveen Raj has done a decent job in the film. Nagineedu has done a superb job and is exceptional in both his roles of a professor and gambler. First half of the film is ok and has some interesting scenes featuring the card counting game.
Minus Points:-
One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is the routine story. If you ignore the interesting backdrop, rest of the story and narration is quite routine and predictable. As the film is based on a card game, more clarity should have been given on its technique.
None of the scenes in second half create an impact on the viewer. Even though there are very few characters, there is no emotional connect between them. None of the relations work on screen and fail to evoke the necessary emotions.
The dubbing voice used for the hero is pretty bad. After a point, the film moves on a single point agenda and various other important factors are left out.
Technical Aspects:-
Camera work is pretty good and credit should go to Suresh for showcasing the film in a good light. The way he has showcased Bangkok, Hong Kong and also lit up the casino set up with his amazing camera work is impressive. Music is pretty good but the engaging background score lifts the film to a decent level.
Production values of the film are decent. Coming to the director Gnana Sagar, he has done a decent job with the premise but has failed in executing the film in a gripping manner.
Verdict:-
On the whole, Casino has an interesting backdrop which is quite new to Telugu films. An okay first half and some interesting thrills are decent assets. But the film falls flat and turns into a below average affair when a routine revenge drama is infused into the proceedings and told in a very predictable and tedious manner.
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team