The regular pot-boiler

Name : Loukyam
Cast : Gopichand, Rakul Preet Singh and Brahmanandam
Direction : Sriwass
Genre : Action-comedy
Rating : **1/2
Like : Brahmanandam and Prithvi
UnLike : Very very Telugu movie

How formulistic and predictable can a film get? It is shocking that we can now just script a 160 minutes film with just templates and offer the same as a new film. All that you have to do is change the costumes and the stars who adorn it. Even the ecstasy here is ritualistic and synthetic. In short the end product is a fake and the only challenge for the filmmaker (Sriwass) is how good is he at faking. In the context of the immediate three hours or less it could all be fine. To, however, see it in the perceptive of effort and art would make the entire exercise a mockery of cinema in the true sense.

Venky (Gopichand) is the prototype Telugu film hero: so, he can dance sing, fight, have his imagination take him to Swiss mountains and desert sands for mouthing tunes to acrobatic movements, outsmart an entire army of villains and hold on to his gal Chandrakala (Rakul Preet Singh), both literally and emotionally. Venky’s parents (Chandramohan and Pragati) have been warned in advance by the soothsayer ( Posani Krishna Murali) that this son of theirs is going to be the earth shaking types.

He helps the villain’s sister elope with her romantic interest in the very first few scenes of the film. This leads to the anger of local villain Babji of Warangal (Sampath Raj). The goons are all over the place taking control of the town like an endemic. The smart and alert Venky is eternally a few steps ahead and thus always the victor. He joins his friend Shyamala (Satyam Rajesh) at Hyderabad. It is here that he falls head over heels for Chandrakala, who alongside a group of funny looking women, go about ragging all and sundry. Chandrakala has a support system in place with goons for brothers. After the initial hesitation, the hero and heroine are in belting songs mode and hero is in bashing guys mood. To get the story in place we are told that Babji is furious with the elopement of his sister and is searching for Venky. There is Siva Reddy (Mukesh Rishi) who is whining and screaming his lungs and wits off to avenge the Babji gang. Many reels later we are told that many years before Babji refused to marry Siva Reddy’s sister who later kills herself. Also the groom in waiting Bharat (Bharat Reddy) who did not get Babji’s sister one will now opt for Sis two. The latter is none other than the heroine. Venky now gets the villains to his house (notice the change till now the hero would go and at the house of the villain (vice versa is the new take). The director gets Sippy (Brahmanandam) as the local taxi guy involved in the mess to ensure the humour is put in place. After the usual tracks and turns, the climax of the change of heart and been there and seen that stuff form the film.

Every minute of the script is predictable and you do not have to apply your mind to anything at all. In that context it is sure entertainment. The cast performs what is asked of them. Gopichand is just Gopichand or any other mainstream actor who is supposed to sing dance and fight. Rakul Preet Singh is required to wear what Deepika would believe “is the demands of the profession and the role” and that includes the smile and smug look. Prithvi gets a long go at comedy and delivers. As does Brahmanandam, though again very predictable. The villains too grunt and growl as required.