Story:
Arjun (Allu Sirish) is a city bred hi tech guy who is yet to come off age. Due to a particular situation he has to go to a village which makes him realize of one of his friend’s presence. He starts enquiring about his friend in the village and comes to realize that he is missing. He starts investigating his friend the results of which are completely unexpected by him.
What are the problems he faces in his search for his friend, does he meet his friend, form the overall plot of the film.
Performances:
Allu Sirish who makes his debut with the film tries his best but is found lacking on a lot of aspects forefront of which is screen presence. It is completely absent. If one has to look at positive side one can his voice is his biggest positive with a very neat diction.
Yami Gautam has good role although the length is very small. She has a likeable presence on screens and as a result she lights up the screens when ever she is present.
Prakash Raj has a very good role which gains its prominence only in the climax. He is fantastic in those final scenes and creates a solid impact.
Harish plays a character seething with rage very well. He too manages to make his presence felt among the ensemble cast.
Brahmaji and LB Sreeram get to showcase their acting skills with this film after a long time. They both do well in their given parts.
Sricharan as the friend of the hero does well and so does other character artists even in small bits and pieces role.
Positives:
Strong message given in the end
Performances by the character actors
Negatives:
Slow pace
Predictable storyline
Analysis:
Director Radha Mohan once again comes up with a topical and touching subject. But this time unlike his past few films the feel good factor is missing. This is a much darker subject and also something which generally creates an uneasy feeling among the audience.
When one chooses such a subject it becomes imperative that the subject must be presented with the most engaging screenplay. This is where the film lacks even though the idea is right. The idea to present the uneasy subject in a thriller format is good, although inspired. But its predictability and slow pace kills the impact that was necessary for the film to click.
Things move at snails pace even when they are predictable. This creates a lot of unrest among the audiences, especially in the first half of the film, who are already at unease with the core subject. Both combined leaves one completely vexed up by the end of the film. If the film still manages to impress few it has to be said because of the strong acting all around by the character actors.
Second half of the film is better compared to the first half as things gain momentum despite predictability. But on the whole the film fails to create the right impact as it lacks a solid punch which is very essential for subjects of this type.
Music and background score by SS Thaman are adequate for the film. However a couple of songs slow down the film further.
Cinematography is neat, it captures the village environment and beauty very well. Editing is fine.
Bottom-line: Gouravam lacks the punch.
Rating: 2/5