Ulavacharu Biryani - Movie Review

Director Aashiq Abu's 2011 Malayalam movie Salt N' Pepper is a beautiful romantic comedy entertainer. Having impressed family audience, the flick has become a big money spinner at the Kerala Box Office. Now, actor-turned-director Prakash Raj has remade this hit film in Telugu as Ulavacharu Biryani, which has released in theatres across the globe today (June 6).

As its name suggests, food plays an important role in Ulavacharu Biryani. The story of the film revolves around a few foodies, whose fondness of food bonds them together. The screenplay was the biggest strength of the original movie Salt N' Pepper, which was high on the entertainer quotient. Its decent entertainer values had driven the Malayalam audience crazy towards theatres.

Prakash Raj has made certain changes in the screenplay to suit the taste of the local audience in Andhra Pradesh. Though the director has done a brilliant work, a few changes made by him play a spoilsport in Ulavacharu Biryani. He has used the same ingredients that were in Salt N' Pepper, but he has failed to maintain the same recipe and taste in its Telugu remake.

Kalidasa (Prakash Raj) works in the state archaeological department. He is at his late 30s and is a food lover. His nephew (Tejas), who is looking for a job, comes to stay with him. On the other side, Gauri (Sneha) is a unmarried dubbing artiste and she is living with her sister (Samyuktha Hornad). Her miss-dialed call to Kalidasa brings them together. After knowing each other on phone calls, they decide to meet each other at a hotel.

But in bid to hide their age and physical appearances, Kalidasa and Gauri decide to send younger and better looking substitutes nephew and sister as both of them, when they meet for the first time. This twist in the tale turns the comic element and develops a romantic relationship between their nephew and sister. The rest of the story forms the crux of the movie.

All the actors in Ulavacharu Biryani have tried to live up the performances of the characters in the original Salt N' Pepper. As main leads, Prakash Raj and Sneha have delivered brilliant performances and their chemistry is one of the main highlights in the film. Young actors Tejas and Samyuktha Hornad tried their best to do justice to their respective roles and their romance is also a treat to watch on screens. Other supporting artistes have also done justice to their roles.

Ulavacharu Biryani has decent production values. Maestro Ilayaraja's song compositions and background score are the main attractions in the technical front. Preetha's camera work is another big highlight in the film and his perfect frames makes the film a visual treat. Lyrics and dialogues are well written. Kishore's editing is also good, but the film should have been even better entertaining, if he had trimmed a few dragging scenes.

Overall, Ulavacharu Biryani is decent family entertainer with high comedy quotient. Barring a few dragging moments, the movie keeps you engaged and entertained. It is a good time passer for this weekend. Continue to slide to read Ulavacharu Biryani review by viewers.