Review : Alias Janaki – Flawed execution

Release date : 26 July 2013
123telugu.com Rating :2.25/5
Director : Daya K
Producer : Neelima Tirumalasetti
Music Director : Shravan
Starring : Venkat Rahul, Anisha Ambrose, Nagendra Babu



Neelima Thirumalasetty, who produced the film ‘Panjaa’ , is now producing some small budget films with fresh talent. The first film to come out from this initiative is ‘Alias Janaki’. The movie has been directed by Daya. Venkat Rahul, who is related to Megastar Chiranjeevi’, is the hero of the film and Anisha Ambrose is the heroine. The movie has released today, so let us see how it is.

Story :

Janaki Ram (Venkat Rahul) is an honest and socially responsible person. He works in the Town Planning division of the GHMC and quickly makes a mark as an honest and fearless government servant. He takes the ideals taught by his father (Naga Babu) very seriously and lives by them.

This honest attitude causes a lot of issues for Janaki Ram. He also crosses the path of a notorious local Don named Mysa (Sathru), who is hell bent on occupying a piece of prime government land illegally. Janaki Ram’s superior officer (Tanikella Bharani) tries to reason with him and advises him to tone down his righteousness, but he is unsuccessful.

An enraged Mysa decides to strike back. The people around Janaki Ram start to suffer and this struggle creates a rift between Janaki and his girlfriend Chaitra (Anisha Ambrose).

Will Janaki Ram compromise in order to save himself? Or will he fight back? That forms the story of Alias Janaki.

Plus Points :

Anisha Ambrose looks good and she has given a decent performance, within the limitations of her character. Sathru has given a nice performance in the role of Mysa. Tanikella Bharani and Naga Babu are classy, as usual. Sri Ramya is ok.

The film gains some momentum just before the intermission. There is good emotion in these sequences. The basic storyline of the film is quite good. The hit song ‘Kadhal Prema’ has been shot well.

Minus Points :

Venkat Rahul looks quite odd in this movie. He has just one single expression throughout this film and he must learn to emote, if he wants to move ahead as an actor. He also needs to work on his appearance and style.

The film has a good plot, but the team botched up the execution. Poor screenplay is one of the biggest issues this movie has. There is no logical flow in the proceedings. Despite a very short runtime of a 105 minutes, the viewing experience can get a little tedious at times.

The romantic track between Janaki Ram and Chaitra is not up to the mark. There is absolutely zero chemistry between the lead actors.

The hero also breaks into tears at the drop of a hat. Without proper emotional justification, such scenes just do not work. Tanikella Bharani’s abrupt change of heart defies logic.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is pretty decent for a film of this budget. However some images look quite grainy, especially in low light sequences. Editing is quite poor. Viewers will get confused between flashback episodes and current scenes. Music is a big asset for the film, but re-recording could have been better.

Direction is not up to the mark. But should the director be blamed completely if the artistes can’t act? Production values are ok for a film of this budget.

Verdict :

Alias Janaki is a film that could easily have been so much better. A better hero and smarter screenplay would have helped. Neelima Thirumalasetty’s intentions are worth applauding, but she needs to take better care about the execution of her future projects.

123telugu.com Rating – 2.25/5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru

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