Release date : January 12, 2018
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Starring : Balakrishna, Nayanthara, Natasha Doshi, Hariprriya
Director : K. S. Ravikumar
Producer : C. Kalyan
Music Director : Chirantan Bhatt
Cinematographer : C. Ram Prasad
Editor : Praveen Antony
Yet another film which has released during this lucrative Sankranthi season is Balakrishna’s Jai Simha. Directed by K S Ravi Kumar, this film has Nayanthara as the female lead. Let’s see how the film turns out to be.
Story:-
Narasimha(Balakrishna) along with his just-born son moves to Kumbakonam and starts working as a driver. There, he comes across a corrupt cop and keeps fighting with him time and again. During one of the key problems involving the cop, Narasimha suddenly finds out that the cop’s wife is none other than his ex-girlfriend Gauri(Nayanthara). Who is this Narasimha? Why did he come to Kumbakonam? What is his backstory with Gauri? To know the answers, you need to watch the film on the big screen.
Plus Points:-
Balakrishna is the biggest asset of the film. He is seen in two different roles and has given a tremendous performance. Balakrishna not only impresses the masses with his punch dialogues but also moves them to tears with his emotional avatar during the climax. The star hero has also danced supremely well in the Ammkuty song which will be a treat for his fans.
Nayanthara gets a meaty role once again and gives a lot of depth to the film with her sincere acting. The way her role has been designed with a lot of emotional touch is pretty good. Prakash Raj was okay in his supporting role.
Some heroic scenes in the first half, like the temple episode and confrontation scenes with the villains, have been dealt well. The interval bang is also decent and sets the tone nicely for the second part. The climax is quite good and has been handled on a very emotional note.
Minus Points:-
One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is its roller coaster effect. After a very good fight or emotional scene, director Ravi Kumar adds some silly comedy and routine commercial elements. Comedy generated through Brahmanandam in the first half is quite bland and bores the audience to an extent.
The runtime of the film is a bit high as some fights and villain oriented scenes could have been easily edited out. The first half an hour during the second half featuring Hari Priya’s episode is quite boring and sidetracks the film.
Technical Aspects:-
Production values of the film are just about okay. Music by Chirantan Bhatt is decent as all the songs sound good on screen. But the background score could have been a bit better during the crunch elevation scenes. The camerawork is okay and showcases the Kumbakonam region well. Dialogues written for Balayya are quite massy and will appeal to the front benchers. Editing is pretty average as the film needs serious cuts to make things better.
Coming to the director Ravi Kumar, he has done just an okay job with the film. Even though he has presented Balakrishna quite well, his narration is quite dull in major places. The way he adds unnecessary commercial elements and sidetracks the film frequently deviates the attention of the audience.
Verdict:-
On the whole, Jai Simha is a typical mass masala entertainer in true Balakrishna style. The added advantage of the film is the emotional angle during the climax. The film is clearly aimed at the masses and will do well with all Balakrishna fans. But the roller coaster effect of the film can get to the regular audience at times. If you are the one who does not mind the regular commercial narration, this film ends up as a one time watch this festival season.
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team
