Manchu Manoj, who is known for trying out something new with every film, is testing his luck with the film ‘Potugadu’. The movie is a remake of the Kannada hit ‘Govindaya Namaha’ and Pawan Wadeyar is the director. The movie has four heroines and Achu has composed the music. Let us see if Manoj can entertain with ‘Potugadu’.
Story :
Govindu (Manoj) is a young fellow who decides to commit suicide. He goes to a lonely spot and decides to have one last drink. At about the same time, Venkata Rathnam (Posani Krishna Murali) also comes to the same spot to commit suicide. The two of them sit down for a chat to find out more about their respective life stories.
Govindu has four love stories to narrate. First up is his romantic track with Vaidehi (Simran Kaur), the daughter of a rich Brahmin guy. After a brief courtship, the love story fails because Vaidehi’s father is against the alliance. Govindu moves on in life and this is where the second love story begins. He falls in love with Mumtaz (Sakshi Choudhary) and romance blossoms between them. But Govindu throws away everything in a drunken stupor, where he makes some derogatory comments about Mumtaz.
Next up is a love story with a foreign lady named Stacy (Rachel). As expected, this story also fails. The last and final love story belongs to Govindu and Mary (Anupriya). For the first time in his life, Govindu experiences true love. He fully reforms himself and leads a normal life. But fate has other ideas. A shocking truth about Mary is revealed and Govindu is heartbroken.
This is what compels him to attempt suicide. Venkat Rathnam is moved by Govindu’s story. But this is not the end. The story comes full circle when something unexpected happens towards the closing stages.
What is that? Will Govindu find true love? That forms the story of ‘Potugadu’.
Plus Points :
Manoj’s mannerisms and dialogue delivery will entertain viewers. He has imitated Mohan Babu’s diction in a few scenes. Manoj is known for coming up with good fight sequences and he has done a very good job in this movie as well.
Posani Krishna Murali is a big asset for this movie. His expressions and reactions are hilarious. The comedy scenes between Manoj and Posani have come out well. Ali and Raghu Babu are ok. Sakshi Choudhary is very good looking and she has given a decent performance. Anupriya is ok.
The first half is a big asset for the movie. The pace is excellent and the dialogues are witty. B and C center folks will enjoy the ‘double meanings’. All the songs have been shot very well. But ‘Devatha’ and ‘Pyar Mein Padipoya’ stand out for their brilliant music.
The interval block and the twist in Anupriya’s love story are nice. The short run time is also an asset.
Minus Points :
Simran does not know how to act. Her performance is very bad. Rachel irritates in the role of Stacy. Filmmakers should stop trying to create the effect of foreigners speaking in Telugu. The third love story involving Stacy has been handled in a very poor way. It is loud, cliched and badly written.
Because all four love stories are very short, you never really get enough time to connect emotionally to the proceedings.
After a brilliant first half, the pace of the film dips considerably in the second half. If not for Posani and the songs, the second half would have become quite tedious.
The climax episodes are not up to the mark. While the twist is good, the way the story is wrapped up is a little superficial.
Technical Aspects :
Cinematography is a big asset for this movie. Editing is pretty good. It is quite tough to seamlessly edit a film which is nothing more than the sum of four short stories. But the editor has managed to do a neat job. Achu’s music and background score are big assets for the film. Sreedhar Sipana’s dialogues have good entertainment value.
Pawan Wadeyar makes a decent impression as a director. He has promise.
Verdict :
‘Potugadu’ has a very entertaining and racy first half. But it is let down by a loud and cliched second half. You can safely watch the film once, for the crackling performances from Manoj and Posani as well as for some great songs.
123telugu.com Rating – 3/5
Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru
