Love story with a political touch

As the film runs into its fifth reel, the viewers already get to see two songs, shot in scenic Azerbaijan. This after the film begins its journey, a shaky start for one, from neighbouring Bengaluru, where the hero’s sibling settles and he too begins his job hunt. A series of fast cuts, introducing the range of characters who would inhabit the screen till the end are rushed through, in typical masala formula fashion. 

By then itself the exhausting fare that is about to unfold is clearly evident and that is what it ends up as – a maddening potpourri of crime, political one-upmanship and forced melodrama.

A victorious MLA (Ravi Kishan) controls a hamlet in Anantapur district -Rayalaseema once again makes a comeback – and brazenly resorts to child labour to run his highly toxic business activities. In a convoluted manner, he also intrudes into the life of the heroine ( Kajal Agarwal) who is from the same place, yet escapes into the environs where the hero  (Kalyan Ram) keeps bumping into her, calling it as a ‘magical bond’. 

Director Upendra Madhav packs in a narrative which moves back and forth till the interval, from where the scene shifts to the home state. Of course, there are challenges to be met when the heroine’s father says he would want his future son-in-law to be an MLA before he gets her married off to the prospective groom. 

From here on, the overtly simplified and unbelievable stunts and so called smart planning carry the film to the climax, in which the villain bites the dust in a chillingly shot climax sequence.

Commercial films have an air of predictability and simple storytelling to keep the front-benchers involved. 

This film has a dated feel to it and the ‘Manchi Lakshalunna Abbayi’ ends up as a mere acronym for stereotyped action and trademark superheroisms which our movies have been known for. 

Kalyan Ram, who has had a see-sawing career in the past two years may have to wait for a better release to keep him afloat as this one fails to provide a racy, watchable fare for the viewers, who are about to receive an avalanche of big budget films from the forthcoming weekend all through the summer months.