Jr.NTR’s latest film ‘Adhurs’ reinforces the fact that his aura and larger than life image is still intact. His last film ‘Kantri’ was released almost 2 years ago and quite a few things have happened in these two years including a freak accident which almost threatened Jr.NTR’s career. However, Jr.NTR makes a strong comeback and how! Directed by V.V.Vinayak, ‘Adhurs’ is the third film with Vinayak and Jr.NTR combination after ‘Aadhi’ and ‘Samba’. Nayanatara and Sheela played the lead roles opposite Jr.NTR in this film. Vallabhaneni Vamsimohan produced the film on ‘Vaishnavi Arts’ banner. ‘Adhurs’ is the story of Narsimha and Narasimha Chari, twins who are separated minutes after their birth and how their destinies intertwine after they grow up.

What is it about : Jr.NTR stars as Narasimha, a mysterious guy who targets the mafia gangs in the city and eliminates them one by one. The mafia gangs, who are taken aback by these attacks, come together to find this mysterious guy, however they are largely unsuccessful. On the other hand, Narasimha Chari (played again by Jr.NTR), a Brahmin priest is leading a happy life. His guru, Bhattacharya (Brahmanandam) is in love with Chandrakala (Nayanatara) and he requests Chari to help him in this matter. Neither Narasimha nor Chari realizes that they have a twin brother. Elsewhere, another gang headed by Ashish Vidyarthi, is looking for Narasimha. What does this gang want from Narasimha? Why are they looking for Narasimha? That forms the rest of the story of this light-hearted entertainer.

What is Good: Jr.NTR dazzles in his dual role. His role as the hot-blooded young man, Narasimha is a cakewalk for him and he doesn’t disappoint in this serious role. However, it’s his characterization as the Brahmin, Narasimha Chari which comes as a shocker. The voice modulation and the ease with which he slipped into the skin of this character are astounding. The series of conversations between Narasimha Chari and Bhattacharya (Brahmanandam) are hilarious. Brahmanandam has been in great form over the past few years and this role of Bhattacharya will be one among the better roles he has essayed in the recent past. The comic timing of both Brahmanandam and Jr.NTR is almost perfect and the director V V Vinayak makes sure that the duo keeps the audience entertained throughout the film. The film also gives ample footage to some of the other supporting actors and they don’t disappoint. Both Nayanatara and Sheela ooze oomph and sizzle in their glamorous roles, however they hardly contribute to the story. Raghu Babu and M S Narayana are good in their short roles. Mahesh Manjrekar’s role is well written and his characterization of comic villainy fits into the story pretty well. The conversations throughout the film are well handled and executed.

What is bad: After a promising first half, the film slips into a slightly serious mode in the first few minutes of second half which is a little out of place. Nazar’s role is loosely based from a similarly written role in ‘Krissh’. The computer graphics and visual effects in the film are disappointing and they could have been handled in a better way. Both the heroines in the film have minute roles and they only appear on screen just before a song. Their characterization hardly gives scope for enough footage in the film. Besides this, there are too many villains in the film and not surprisingly, most of them are restricted to very few scenes except for Mahesh Manjrekar and Ashish Vidhyarthi. Sayaji Shinde’s role almost vanishes in the second half. The script of the film is riddled with loopholes in second half and there are quite a few loose threads. We are never told how Narasimha manages to escape from complex situations and there are few more things like this. Some of the scenes and instances in the second half bring back memories of few recent films like Ready, King etc.

Technical Departments: Kona Venkat has written a complex story which has to narrate lives of two different heroes and hordes of other people who are affected by these two heroes. While Kona Venkat succeeds in his attempt to establish all the characters, the subplots dampen the script especially in the second half. Dialogues are terrific, especially the ones written for Jr.NTR and Brahmanandam. Chota K Naidu’s cinematography is top notch, especially in the action sequences. The camera angles used in the film elevate Jr.NTR’s heroism wherever required and all the songs are lavishly shot. Choreography is good in few songs; however Jr.NTR’s determination to hold his forte in dancing should be appreciated. Devi Sri Prasad’s music might not be among his best compositions. ‘Chandrakala’, ‘Where is the..’ songs have good music and funny lyrics. V.V.Vinayak who handled the screenplay apart from directing the film excels in both of them. The film has ample twists and turns to keep us hooked onto the screens and the light hearted treatment to the story is handled well by Vinayak.

Bottom Line: ‘Adhurs’ totally belongs to Jr.NTR. His screen presence, voice modulation and dances are a treat to watch on big screen. The intense gaze coupled with some quirky punch dialogues in the early parts of the film give a distinct tone to ‘Narasimha’s’ role. On the other hand, Jr.NTR’s chirpy, talkative, slapstick and innocent characterization as ‘Narasimha Chari’ will definitely bring a smile on to your face. ‘Adhurs’ does have its share of loopholes and parts where it could have been much better. However, the film is a light hearted entertainer with brilliant dialogues and intelligently written scenes. The film has several laugh-out loud moments and doesn’t slip into the serious mode for too long. It’s a trademark V V Vinayak’s film, something which he started in ‘Dil’, took it to a whole new level in ‘Krishna’ and now uses the same formula of cooking a commercial potboiler with a pinch of action, sentiment in a cauldron of comedy. If you believe cinema is meant to be ‘entertaining’ then ‘Adhurs’ is one hell of a good watch. A big thumbs up for ‘Adhurs’, go watch it!