Review : Jetty – A lousy take on customs

A small film, Jetty, starring Nandita Swetha and Maanyam Krishna in the lead roles, has hit the screens. Let’s find out how the film is.

Story:

The story is set in the coastal village in AP, Kataripalem, where everyone depends on fishing for their livelihood. Katari Jalayya (M.S. Chowdary) is a reputed and respected man who guides the people there. However, the fishermen get looted by intermediaries continuously and are also affected by heavy cyclones. A few die, and a few lose their livelihood due to these cyclones, and this is when they are suggested to have a Jetty (dock) to protect their boats from sinking. Did the village get a Jetty? What struggles did they face during this? What is the role of Jalayya’s daughter Meenakshi (Nandita Swetha) and Sriram (Maanyam Krishna), a school teacher, in this? The movie has all the answers.

Plus Points:

The basic premise and plot line is interesting, and the movie starts with a song depicting the lives of the fisherman out there, which was well picturized. The village atmosphere, the people’s problems, and the internal conflicts among the people were projected decently during the first half an hour.

M.S. Chowdhary of Bheemla Nayak fame got a meaty role and performed well. The senior actor was seen throughout the film. His diction and body language were intact, and he was the biggest advantage of the movie. Nandita Swetha looked good and performed decently in her respective role. Maanyam Krishna, who made his debut, was okay in his role.

Minus Points:

The movie lacks clarity as to what it is talking about. We are shown the problems of the fisherman and the need for a Jetty to save their livelihood initially, but suddenly the focus shifts to age-old customs and traditions that prevail in the village. Unfortunately, this aspect lacks conviction, so the message at the end doesn’t sound authentic.

The struggle of the fisherman to get the Jetty should have been highlighted more to bring depth to the movie since this is the film’s core point. The story from the fishermen’s point of view isn’t seen in the entire second half, which is bewildering. The flashback scenes are again routine, and we can easily predict where the movie is heading.

Inept and amateurish presentation is seen in many instances of the movie, further bringing down the impact. The fight scenes, in particular, go overboard. The antagonist’s characterization is pretty weak. Moreover, having an item song when the proceedings are somewhat interesting irritates one, and the makers could have wholly ignored the songs here.

Technical Aspects:

The background music by Karthik Kodakana is decent, and the cinematographer Veeramani did justice by showcasing the coastal locations beautifully. The production values are fine. However, the editing team should have been more cautious in trimming the lengthy scenes.

Coming to director Subrahmanyam Pitchuka, he did a lousy job with the narration and should have concentrated more on the fishermen’s struggle to make things better. His intention was unclear, and the movie got completely derailed as it moved forward. Also, there was no scope to include the love track, and the makers should have been more cautious regarding many aspects.

Verdict:

On the whole, Jetty movie is a bad take on customs and traditions, and the central aspect was sidetracked. There are only a few scenes that work, but apart from that, the rest of the film is very disappointing. You can skip this film this weekend.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team