Release date : 28 June 2013
		123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
		Director : Gopichand Malineni C
		Producer : Prasad Vara Potluri
		Music Director : S. Thaman
		Starring :Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, Anjali

Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja’s ‘Balupu’ has released across the world today. The movie has been directed by Gopichand Malineni and PVP Cinema banner has produced it. Ravi Teja is banking heavily on the film as he has been going without a hit for sometime now. Is he back? Has Shruti Haasan helped him in his quest? Let us check that out.

Story :

Ravi (Ravi Teja) is a recovery agent for a bank. He leads a simple life in the city of Bangalore along with his father (Prakash Raj). He comes across Shruti (Shruti Haasan) and her uncle Crazy Mohan ( Brahmanandam ) unexpectedly. Shruthi and her uncle have a habit of cheating gullible young men and Ravi decides to teach them a lesson.

In this process, Shruti and Ravi fall for each other. Shruthi’s father (Nasser) and Prakash Raj also agree to the alliance. But things take a violent turn with the entry of Vizag Poorna (Ashutosh Rana). He reveals some shocking truths about Ravi and Prakash Raj.

Ravi and Prakash Raj have a violent past and that past also involves Anjali (Anjali).

What are those truths? What role does Anjali have in Ravi’s life? That forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points :

Ravi Teja has toned down his energy levels for this role. He looks superb in the mass character and he has uttered the punch dialogues with conviction. This is perhaps his best commercial project after ‘Mirapakai’. Welcome back!

Shruti Haasan looks ultra gorgeous in the movie. She sizzles in the song ‘Padipoyaanila’ and her glamour will be a big asset in B and C centers. Anjali has a crucial role in the film and she has done a good job.

Entertainment quotient is high in the first half. Brahmanandam entertains as Crazy Mohan and he steals the show during the climax episodes. Comedy sequences involving Ravi Teja and Brahmanandam are good. Prakash Raj has delivered yet another classy performance. Ashutosh Rana is effective.

Mass masala scenes and hero elevations sequences have come out well. The interval bang, where Prakash Raj and Ravi Teja fight together, lifts emotions to peak levels. The flashback episodes have good commercial appeal. Climax sequences have been handled well, especially the Jhamping Jhapak episode.

Lakshmi Rai looks good and her song has been shot well. The romantic duet ‘Ninu Choosina Kshanam lo’ has been shot beautifully.

Minus Points :

The story of this movie is very simple and quite routine. The main plot will seem quite familiar for Telugu viewers and the movie proceeds along predictable lines.

The film loses pace in the second half and some sequences seem unnecessarily dragged out. If not for an entertaining climax block, the film would have suffered. The rivalry between the two warring factions should have been elevated further.

The placement of the last song, ‘Pathikella Chinnadhi’, could have been better. Ali’s comedy scenes appear forced and do not really help the film. The romantic track between Ravi Teja and Anjali is quite superficial.

Rao Ramesh, Brahmaji, Supreet, Fish Venkat and Adithya Menon are wasted in insignificant roles.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is a mixed bag. The songs have beautiful visuals but things are not so great when it comes to some of the talkie sequences. Screenplay is good during the first half but it is not upto the mark in the second half. Editing could have been better. Veligonda Srinivas’s dialogues work well and some of them have ‘double meanings’. These will work well in B and C Centers.

Thaman’s background score is effective. Gopichand Malineni has succeeded in showcasing Ravi Teja well. He scores good marks as a director with this movie. Production values are good.

Verdict :

With ‘Balupu’, we can perhaps say that Ravi Teja is back! His mass look and powerful punch dialogues work well. Shruti Haasan’s glamour and Brahmanandam’s comedy are major assets. A slow second half and routine storyline bring down the overall experience a little. ‘Balupu’ ends up being a mass masala entertainer that is definitely worth a watch.

123telugu.com Rating – 3.25/5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru