The much-awaited debut of Naga Chaitanya finally hit the silver screen today amidst a lot of expectations that he would be next torch-bearer of the illustrious Akkineni family that has been in Tollywood for more than 5 decades. Thankfully, Naga Chaitanya does deliver in style without getting melodramatic and “heroic” in this story of college politics and youthful ideals.

What is it about : MGM College is notorious for its college goondaism and lawlessness which is result of the politics played by “Annayya” JD Rao (Chakravarthy) a youth leader who wants to use the students for his benefits. In this scenario comes Satya (Naga Chaitanya) a college drop-out from Vizag with his own mysterious past. He soon gets entangled with college politics and eventually ends up joining MGM College. His main objective is to draw the students away from the destructive politics of Annayya. How he does this smartly by understanding a student’s psychology without becoming a goonda himself forms most of the second half. We are also treated to a flashback where it is revealed on what inspired a reckless Satya to reform himself and channel his energy into useful avenues. We also have a cute love story between the silent Satya and the chirpy school teacher Vidya (Karthika) that slowly builds over time without getting mushy.

What is Good: Many factors combine to make this movie a definite watching experience thanks to the controlled direction combined with good performances by all. Many movies have covered college violence but director Vasu Varma gives it a different angle by making the hero hit back intelligently without becoming a one-man fighting machine. Naga Chaitanya puts in a decent debut performance neatly differentiating the present mature Satya and the reckless Satya in the flashback. He looks quite convincing in the fight scenes and manages to shake a leg when required despite the awkwardness showing at some places. Chakravarthy puts in cool restrained performance as the ever-smiling youth leader with his own selfish agenda. The other debutante Karthika is very confident in her debut film and is completely at- ease as the bubbly chatterbox Vidya. Prakash Raj is dependable as ever in his brief role. In terms of the production values, the editing and action departments support adequately and the songs are evenly spaced out. The title song of Josh is well shot and it definitely stands out.

What is bad: Nothing much that can be called a show-stopper here. The first half doesn’t have too much action or romance which tends to slow down the pace since you expect the action to start much early in the movie. The music by Sandeep Chowta did not create an overall impact that was required for a college based film and you don’t remember most of the songs after you walk out. Naga Chaitanya definitely has to work on his dialogue delivery and dancing.

Me Thinks: It definitely can be watched once for the overall entertainment it provides with its underlying message. Josh will stand-out for its treatment of the subject without becoming preachy. Thought it is a tempting thought, it definitely should not be compared to Nagarjuna’s Siva which was a landmark Tollwyood film while Josh will be only known as a hit debut film.

Tailpiece: Naga Chaitanya with his combination of his dad’s intensity and grandfather’s charm definitely has a long innings ahead with many more releases to come!!!

Click here for Review by Pramod