Review : Mr. Pellikoduku – Misses the mark

		Release date : 01 March 2013
		Director : Devi Prasad
		Rating : 2.75/5
		Producer : N. V. Prasad, Paras Jain
		Music Director : S. A. Rajkumar
		Starring : Sunil, Isha Chawla

Sunil and Isha Chawla’s ‘Mr. Pellikoduku’ is releasing today. The movie is an official remake of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and Devi Prasad has directed the Telugu version. Veteran music director S.A. Rajkumar has composed the film’s music. Mega Supergood Movies banner has produced the film with a decent budget. A premiere show was held yesterday night (Feb 28th) at Cinemax in Hyderabad and we have been to that. Let us see if Sunil strikes with ‘Mr. Pellikoduku’

Story :

Buchi Babu (Sunil) is an NRI who owns a boutique. He returns to India after a gap of six years in order to select a suitable bride from the options shortlisted by his parents (Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam and Tulasi). His first ‘pelli choopulu’ is with Anjali (Isha Chawla), the daughter of Sugar Subbaraju (Ahuthi Prasad). Buchi Babu instantly falls in love with Anjali and she appears to reciprocate the emotion. The parents are elated.

But Anjali reveals a shocking truth and displays her wild side. A shocked Buchi Babu drops the proposal and goes off in search of other potential bridegrooms. But he can never truly get Anjali out of his heart and mind.

As fate would have it, Buchi Babu’s friend Naayar invites him to Kerala for a wedding and Anjali also happens to come there. Once again, love blossoms in our hero’s heart. With the help of his friend Bachi (Ali), Buchi Babu tries to win back the heart of Anjali.

Will he succeed? Is there someone else in Anjali’s life? That forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points :

Some of Sunil’s dances are superb (Please note the word ‘some’). During some comedy sequences, he tried to bring back memories of a vintage Sunil. Isha Chawla did a good job in the film and she looks beautiful. She has the glamour and the talent to make it big. Her characterization is quite interesting and she has managed to pull it off well.

Ali manages to bring a few smiles. Ravi Babu, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam and Ahuthi Prasad are ok. There are some funny moments in the first half. The humorous fight between Sunil and Ravi Babu will be enjoyed by most people.

Some of Sunil’s ‘Pelli Choopulu’ scenes are funny. The ‘Inuparekulu’ serial episode will strike a chord with family crowds.

Minus Points :

Care should have been taken regarding Sunil’s look and appearance in the movie. The hairstyle, the makeup used and the hideous pink lipstick make him look very odd. He had natural charm when he was heavy and one misses the good old Sunil of ‘Dhee’, ‘Sontham’, ‘Manmadhudu’, ‘Santosham’, ‘Nuvvu Naku Nacchav’ etc.

While some of his dances are truly good, some are so bad that they are almost funny. The ‘belt step’ in the second half left me scratching my head.

The movie goes for a toss in the second half. There are just way too many songs and they keep coming in one after the other. And because the songs are atrocious, viewers may experience restlessness.

The sentimental scenes are melodramatic, poorly scripted and lack depth. The cliched dialogues and pathetic background score make things worse. Outdated comedy adds to the misery.

Some of the scenes appear forced and have no proper justification. For example, the shirtless climax fight is very artificial and you can make out that it was inserted solely to show off Sunil’s body.

Tanu Weds Manu worked because of some good music and clever writing. Sadly, both attributes are missing in the Telugu version.

Technical Aspects :

Sameer Reddy’s cinematography is ok. Nandamuri Hari’s editing is not very satisfactory. Music and background score provided by S.A. Rajkumar are huge minus points and they do not lend any strength to the proceedings.

Devi Prasad’s direction is bad. Screenplay could have been a lot tighter in the second half. Dialogues are good only in a few areas.

Verdict :

‘Mr. Pellikoduku’ is a poor remake of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’. Bad Music,outdated sequences and Sunil’s odd makeup are big minus points for the movie. Isha Chawla’s glamour and some humour in the first half may not be enough to save this flick. I am going to watch ‘Sontham’ now to see the good old Sunil in action.