| Release date : 15 August 2013 | ||
| 123telugu.com Rating : 3/5 | ||
| Director : Jeevan Reddy | ||
| Producer : M Sumanth Kumar Reddy | ||
| Music Director : James Vasanthan | ||
| Starring : Naveen Chandra, Piaa Bajpai |
Andhala Rakshasi fame Naveen Chandra, Kishore and Pia Bajpayee have teamed up for this Naxalite drama named ‘Dhalam’. The film has been directed by RGV’s protege Jeevan Reddy and Sumanth Kumar Reddy is the producer. The movie has released today, in Andhra Pradesh. Let us check out the film now.
Story :
Sathru (Kishore) and Abhi (Naveen Chandra) are naxalites belonging to the Nagababu Dhalam. After a while, they become disillusioned with the whole concept and realise that they are fighting a futile battle. They decide to surrender to the police and they are given a light prison sentence of one month.
In prison, a top police officer recognises their strengths and recruits them for special operations that regular police personnel are legally prohibited from carrying out. In this way, Sathru and Abhi wield weapons once again.
A politician named JK (Nasser) also uses them for certain personal operations and this brings them into trouble. They also face the heat from encounter specialist Ladda (Abhimanyu Singh). Will Ladda wipe out Sathru and Abhi? Or will they strike against Ladda first? And how does a woman named Sruthi (Pia Bajpayee) fit into their gang? That forms the story of ‘Dhalam’.
Plus Points :
Naveen Chandra has delivered a good performance in this movie. His character demands seriousness and Naveen has fit into the role well. Kishore has given a neat performance. Pia Bajpayee has a small but crucial role in the film and she has shown her mettle as an actress.
Abhimanyu Singh and Harshavardhan are perfect for the roles of encounter specialist and jailer respectively. Nasser, Nagababu and Ajay are ok. Comedian Dhanraj entertains as AK 47 in the first half. Krishnudu also joins him in the fun as Bhadram.
The film has good entertainment quotient in the first half, especially for about 20 minutes before the interval. The interval bang is good. Dialogues are a big asset for the film and they have good emotional depth.
Minus Points :
When compared to the first half, the pace of the film drops considerably in the second half. After about 20 minutes post interval, we can start predicting the climax and that takes the fun out of the viewing experience.
The climax of the film is slightly unconventional and may not be appreciated by Telugu viewers. The film’s treatment is geared towards A center viewers and people in B and C centers may not appreciate it. Sai Kumar’s character gets good elevation in the first half,but fizzles out in the second half.
The film’s item song is not very good. In fact, none of the songs really help the film in any way.
Technical Aspects :
Cinematography of the film is good. James Vasantha’s background score is a big asset for the film. Production values are good for a film of this budget. Dialogues are a big asset, like we said earlier.
Director Jeevan Reddy makes a good first impression as a director. He should have been more careful with the second half, but he has treated the first half well.
Verdict :
Dhalam has a very good first half. The film loses pace in the second half and becomes very predictable. If you like serious films with good dialogues, you can safely give this movie a chance. The film’s appeal might be limited to A centers only, so we will have to see how it fares at the Box Office.
123telugu.com Rating – 3/5
Reviewed by Raghava
(Translated by Emmess)
