Sankarabharanam Movie Review: Strained Comedy

Kona Venkat's Sankarabharanam starring Nikhil, Nanditha Raj and Anjali is out in theaters. Read the review to know if Kona was successful in retaining his image, which is at stake.

Story

As it is a remake of Hindi sleeper hit, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Sankarabharanam was mostly loyal enough to its original story. Nikhil played an NRI, who is desperate to save his lifestyle after being recession-struck in America. He returns to India to sell his ancestral property and make money, but he ends up being kidnapped by a local gang, which too is desperate to make ends meets. Will the NRI manage achieve his task or will he spend the rest of his life being shuffled from one recession-struck gang to another forms the crux of the story.

Performances:

Nikhil looked stylish as an NRI but was too dramatic with his antics in order to establish himself as an NRI (Unless they thought it is funny too, sigh!). Nanditha hardly had anything to 'perform'. Anjali was showcased in a different avatar as Munni, who hates men. She rocked with her massy traits though she felt a little loud at times. Saptagiri steals the show in the first half and '30 years industry' Pruthvi was just too hilarious in the second part.

Technical Aspects & Analysis:

Kona Venkat, who claimed to have offered story, screenplay, dialogues and 'creative directorial inputs' to Sankarabharanam cannot escape this time from taking charge of the flaws in the film. The films makes you feel sorry for too many things right from the classic title used for it, to the cast of the film and finally for yourself. The chase and power plays between the various gangs also starts to feel stretched and the comedy goes from effortless to strained after a point. Never felt Brahmanandam's high jinks so painful before. Debut director Uday Nandanavanam appeared to have done the job he was given, quite perfectly. But the changes made in the original story are once again formulaic and the sentimental scenes induced did not really work. Music, cinematography and the production values supported the film and its backdrop.

Overview:

Despite these hiccups, Sankarabharanam can be a decent watch for people, who love slapstick comedies. All that that is bad about the film is only its spieled treatment. READ THE SLIDES BELOW TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE MOVIE.

Phas Gaye Re Obama

Though the original became a hit in Hindi, Shankarabharanam, which is an adaption might not well in Telugu since the story and confusion drama is nothing new for Telugu audience.

Pruthvi

Spoofs played by Pruthvi were a huge relief in the film and he was at his natural best.

Basic Plot

Basic plot of the story is similar with many of the recent flicks like Kick 2, Greekuveerudu, Sukumarudu etc, though the developments of the story in Shankarabharanam have been dealt completely different from the quoted films.

Songs

Though the original hardly had any songs, the Telugu version was changed a bit to suit the template of Telugu movies.

Anjali

The film displays a new shade of Anjali but she was not so impressive.

Your Review

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