Manchu Manoj Kumar’s latest film ‘Bindaas’ is yet another film which uses the tried and tested formula of ‘love-action-family’ entertainer set in Rayalaseema. Before you write off ‘Bindaas’ as another run-of-the-mill film put your hands together for writer and director, Veeru Potla who almost single-handedly saves it from turning into a completely clichéd film. ‘Bindaas’ is Veeru Potla’s debut film as a director and before this he has been involved in the scripting of several hits like Varsham, Athadu and others. ‘Bindaas’ has been produced by Sunkara Ramambrahmam on AK Entertainments banner. Sheena makes her debut in Telugu with this film. The film narrates the story of Ajay, a happy-go-lucky guy who stands up for his family.

What is it about : Manoj stars as Ajay, a happy-go-lucky guy whose mantra in life is to be ‘Bindaas’. One day, he’s ordered by his uncle Mahendra Naidu (Ahuti Prasad) to come to their native in Chittor under unusual circumstances. Ajay’s extended family members hate him; however Ajay hardly gives a damn and carries on his carefree attitude which further irritates everyone else in the family. He bumps into Girija in this ancestral home and quite soon sparks fly all over the place. On the other hand, Seshadri Naidu (Jayaprakash Reddy), an arch rival of Mahendra Naidu takes a vow that he would kill atleast one member from Mahendra Naidu’s family. How does Ajay stop Mahendra Naidu’s henchmen from this impending threat? That forms the rest of this story.

What is Good: Manchu Manoj Kumar dazzles in his role. He’s hyperactive pretty much for most part of the film and has a heavy accent when he delivers his lines. The fight sequences in the film are brilliantly choreographed and Manoj has performed all those stunts without any body double. It’s a delight to watch his banter with other co-stars such as Bharat, ‘Vennela’ Kishore, Raghu Babu and later Brahmanandam. The first half of the film is very well handled by Veeru Potla who creates a huge impression with his cheeky dialogues. It’s also in this part of the film where Veeru stuffs in some of the best gags. Although most of them are either ‘inspired’ by other films or videos, the gags especially the ones involving Bharat, Kishore and Manoj are hilarious. Brahmanandam once again makes his presence felt once again in his small role. The rest of the actors including Ahuti Prasad, Jayprakash Reddy, Vishwanath Kasi, Subba Raju, Sudeep, Sunil and others perform well in their roles.

What is bad: After an extremely promising first half, the film almost slips into a clichéd mode. The problem with this genre is, almost every film made seems to have a déjà vu effect. The characters and the premise of the protagonist’s intent are almost similar. Probably the only thing which changes are the actors and the circumstances they drag themselves into differ and this is one of the reasons why the genre has become bland. Although Veeru Potla convincingly handles the plot in the second half, it doesn’t match either the energy or the smart screenplay of first half of the film. Sheena, who made her debut in Telugu with this film, hardly makes an impression and she’s restricted only to the songs in the film.

Technical Departments: Music by Bobo Shashi is good and the film has a good ensemble of soundtracks. Choreography for both songs as well as stunts is note-worthy. Chinna’s background score is good. Marthand K Venkatesh’s editing is crisp. Rameshbabu’s cinematography is top notch and he has used rich colours and bright lighting throughout the film to make each frame lively. Apart from directing the film, Veeru Potla has written the story, dialogues and also handled the screenplay. His does a great job in writing the dialogues and a sensible storyline. Screenplay is good in the first half and the pacing of the film is handled well in the first half. Direction is good in first half, especially in the scenes involving Kishore, Brahmanandam and Manoj.

Bottom Line: “Bindaas” is a film which might have taken the tried and tested path, but it also entertains you to a great extent. Veeru Potla’s directorial debut has all the facets of a good writer and a promising director in the making. More than anything else, he makes a strong impression with his story-telling which hardly gives you space and time to think while watching the film. Manchu Manoj Kumar also compliments Veeru Potla’s style of story-telling and the former has put in a great deal of effort especially in the action sequences. Of course, the film is slightly predictable especially in the second half and it does have its share of fallacies, but Veeru manages to hold the film till the very end. On the whole, “Bindaas” is a good entertainer and this ‘Ajay gaadi Vijaya Gatha’ is worth watching. Thumbs up for Manoj and Veeru Potla’s ‘Bindaas’.

In Overseas, Probably this is the first time that a producer has offered to refund the tickets if a person feels that he wasn’t satisfied with the film. It’s a risky move and takes lots of guts to come up with something like this. In the end, one things for sure, the film entertains you thoroughly.