It’s quite unusual that you hear about a sequel in Telugu Film Industry, more so when you know exactly how the movie is going to end. ‘Village lo Vinayakudu’ is definitely not a sequel to last year’s surprise hit ‘Vinayakudu’. But it uses the same theme, a predictable story and even the same hero. Directed by Sai Kiran Adivi, ‘Village lo Vinayakudu’ stars Krishnudu, Saranya Mohan in lead roles. It’s the story about a fat guy who goes to a village to win over his girlfriend’s family members.

What is it about : Krishnudu stars as Karthik, a kindergarten teacher in Hyderabad. He’s in love with a doctor, Kavya (Saranya Mohan) and they share a great relationship. Kavya’s father Lakshmipathi Raju (Rao Ramesh) lives in a village (Rajolu) along with his brothers and their families. His friend Bhaskaram (Yendamoori Veerendranath) does his best to find a suitable groom for Kavya. One day, Kavya goes back to her village to attend a family function and she tries to tell her family about Karthik. Except her father, she tells her family everything about Karthik. However she doesn’t tell them that he’s fat. Will Kavya’s family accept Karthik? How does her father react when he comes to know about Kavya’s choice? That forms the rest of the story…

What is Good: Sai Kiran Adivi sets the story in the quaint backdrop of Konaseema. Although the story gets predictable after a point, Sai Kiran and Rams make up for all that with some smart dialogues in the first half. The entire first half is entertaining, thanks to the dialogues and their comic timing. Krishnudu is good as the soft spoken and do-gooder. His antics for a spoof on ‘Golimaar’ are hilarious. Saranya Mohan is brilliant in her debut film. Her expressions throughout the film suited her chirpy role. Krishnudu and Saranya completely compliment each other in this film. Rao Ramesh does extremely well to show the agony and confused state of a father. Yendamoori Verendranath entertains. The rest of the family members and Dr.Bhagat do justice to their roles.

What is bad: Sai Kiran and Mahi put their heart and soul in the first half of the film. However, when the movie moves into a serious mode, it takes the sheer fun out of it. Although the second half of ‘Village lo Vinayakudu’ is well written, it lacks pace and a good sense of humour. The story gets predictable after a point of time and the climax is a let down. The conflict resolution could have been handled better.

Technical Departments: Sai Kiran Adivi and Rams wrote some brilliant dialogues for the film. Story by Mahi is alright. Cinematography by Ramana Salwa is pretty good. He captured the beauty of Konaseema quite well in most of the scenes. Lyrics by Vanamali strike chord instantly, especially the song ‘Neeli Meghama’. Music by Manikanth Kadri is pleasant. Editing by Marthand K.Venkatesh is alright. The film was made on a shoe string budget and most of it was shot in the APTDC guest house in Dindi, East Godavari. The producer, Mahi should be appreciated for making this clean film. Director, Sai Kiran Adivi also took the responsibility of writing the dialogues, screenplay apart from co-producing the film. His direction is very good in the first half. Screenplay and direction could have been better in the second half, especially towards the end.

Bottomline: ‘Village lo Vinayakudu’ manages to tickle your funny bone for the first one hour. The second half takes away the fun part. The sluggish pace and a predictable story dampen the overall experience of watching a good film. On the other hand, it’s a clean film which can be watched with the entire family. It has the potential to do well in ‘A’ centres and multiplex crowds who have a taste for good stories with simple narration. Go with low expectations but be prepared to travel to this village on a bullock cart!