Nagavalli – Movie Review

There were lots of hype in the media about Nagavalli, the sequel of Chandramukhi and remake of Kannada blockbuster Aapta Rakshaka. Director P Vasu, who choose to remake the film failed to convince Rajinikanth for the sequel and Venkatesh grabbed the opportunity. However, while watching the film, one would get the feel of watching the remake of Chandramukhi with Venkatesh and nothing more. At the same time he has excelled in a negative role in an old man get-up, besides a psychiatrist"s role. Read on for Nagavalli Review.

Story:
Shankar Rao (Saratbabu) finds a boy for her second daughter Gowri (Richa).But, the bridegroom runs away after a shocking incident and then Shankar, along with his wife (Prabha) meets Ramachandra Siddhanti (Avinash), who in turn invites Dr Vijay (Venkatesh) to deal with the situation. Dr Vijay is the student of Eswar (Rajinikanth).

Siddhanti realises that the reason behind the unforeseen incidents that are happening is due to a portrait of Chandramukhi and he finds that Eswar, though drove away Chandramukhi from Ganga (Jyothika) few years ago. Chandramukhi did not leave the world and remained in the form of portrait and moves in the form of a snake. He believes that Chandramukhi caught one among the daughters of Shankar Rao. However, he did not reveal that his first daughter Gayatri (Kamalini Mukherjee) is living in a mentally-challenged condition.

Everyone believes that it is Gayatri, who was caught by Chandramukhi. But Dr Vijay takes up a detailed study about all the family members and finds that she is not caught by Chandramukhi. He gives her treatment and make her come out of the mentally-deranged condition. During the course, he comes to know about Nagavalli and her link with king Nagabhairava Rajasekhara (Venkatesh). What happens next should be seen on-screen.

Performance:
Venkatesh has given a memorable performance in this film in three different roles. His get-up as Nagabhairava is rocking and he has excelled in a negative role and in a princely role. His performance as a 130-year-old man is also good to watch. He has played another character of Dr Vijay, which has different emotions like wit, humour, seriousness and knowledgeable. Anushka has appeared in the second half and appeared only in a few scenes. She looked gorgeous in in dancer"s costumes and her character has etched well. Shraddha Das" character helped to maintain suspense in the film and she too has done to her role. Richa Gangopadhyay has got an excellent character she is simply superb in her character of Nagavalli. Kamalini Mukherjee"s character was not properly etched and she is just okay in her role. Poonam Kaur has filled the glamour slot but did not have much scope to perform. Kannada actress Suja appeared in the Telugu version with the same role in the original film Aaptha Rakshaka. Sharatbabu and Prabha are adequate, while Brahmanamdam and Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam have tried their best to entertain the audiences.

Technical:
Behind the screen, the film has good technical values. The graphic works, the cinematography, editing, art department all have worked hand in hand. Sam K Naidu"s cinematography is ultimate and editing by Marthand K Venkatesh is awesome. Art department needs to be complimented for the excellent work in erecting the sets of the fort and the buildings. Music and background score by Gurukiran is excellent. Though the audio evoked some mixed response from the audiences after the release of the audio, the choreography of songs and the visual appearance of songs is good to watch. Even the background score had helped to elevate the scenes. Screenplay and direction by P Vasu are worth mentioning in the film. Though the film has given the feel of rehashing the Chandramukhi film, the way the director etched each and every character needs to be complimented.

Remarks:
The first half of the film is just okay while the second half is gripping. Though P Vasu has tried to give a twist to the subject by diverting the attention of the audiences towards many other characters, he let loose his grip in the climax and that resulted in a very pale ending to the film. It is not so gripping at all.

Cast: Venkatesh, Anushka, Richa Gangopadhyay, Kamalini Mukherjee, Shraddha Das, Poonam Kaur, Brahmanandam, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, Saratbabu, Avinash, M S Narayana, Sameer, Prabha, Raksha, Suja and others.
Credits: Dialogues – Paruchuri Brothers, Cinematography – Sam K Naidu, Editing – Marthand K Venkatesh, Art – Chinna, Music – Guru Kiran, Presents – Bellamkonda Sai Srinivas, Producer – Bellamkonda Suresh, Screenplay, Direction – P Vasu.
Banner: Sri Sai Ganesh Productions Pvt Ltd
Released on: December 16, 2010