Movie: Govindudu Andarivadele
Director: Krishna Vamsi
Cast: Ram Charan, Kajal Agarwal, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Aadarsh Balakrishna
Rating: ***1/2
Cometh the festival season, cometh the family entertainer! Govindudu Andarivadele, with due credit to the timeliness of its release, ideally is more about binding broken ties, breaking free off trending diktats, taking cue from where such cinema was seeded in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Krishna Vamsi, with a script co-written by Paruchuri Brothers, hereby warms up to an opportunity that willingly accommodates his ‘authentic’ familial atmosphere to good effect. This is an outing where we are reminded of the better shades of his Chandamama, Murari and Ninne Pelladuta days in an extravagant exterior.
We’re introduced to a village, a world away from the flattering metropolis, full of colour, vigor, sentiments and infectious spirit. Spotting an honest effort is easier when we are spared of any deterrent comedic filler to distract our attention. From a Sankranti to a Sahasra Deeparchana to a puberty ceremony to a marriage to end it all, we get every necessary glimpse that the film is about togetherness. Every alternate line uttered by the flawed yet identifiable characters necessitates the same. In fact, the justification of the same is near-perfect when the male protagonist wins hearts by rescuing two principal characters from fatal situations within the first hour. Govindudu Andarivadele only stands tall for its efficiency of not making this seem a done-to-death indulgence.
There are a few compelling routines that we need to tread, to digest its innate content. This includes the foreign return calling a city ‘advanced’, he labeling the girls ‘fast’, seizing opportunities to capture a few snaps, calling the agricultural practices ‘cool’ and often jumping to showcase his toned muscle. The film’s major pitfall is the incompleteness with which the track about doctors is dealt with. The watered romance that never is beyond physical attraction, the cultural clashes and warring families for their namesake cinematic existence are elements that complete the clichéd arc with fulfillment.
Krishna Vamsi rids himself of the general ‘flab’ that this genre can forcefully possess, but is equally safe with the ‘mix’ when there’s literally nothing unique in what he presents us. He is on the lazier side when he implements all the inputs that films like Brindavanam, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu made substantial use of. This thankfully does more good than harm to a film, whose essential conflicts are meaty enough. Ram Charan is lesser a star and more an actor here. He is ably complemented by the equally worthy catch of the movie that inevitably happens to be Prakash Raj. Srikanth, in a surprise show of experience pulls off an imminently watchable act with panache too.
The hummable tracks are picturized with finesse, even if their presence at times can be a matter of debate. Govindudu Andarivadele, as obvious it seems, is in a commercially-secure space with its treatment. The scale, the old-world core is happily married with visible love and care.
Review by Srivathsan N. First published in Cinegoer.net
