Of cricket, romance and politics

This is as authentic as a middle school debate on international finance. Amateur to begin with and over ambitious as it unfolds.

It moves laboriously and tires you incessantly through its two-hour narration. The entire film simply fails to garner direction or conviction.

A childish enthusiasm to deal with multiple evils backed by lack of what can even remotely be seen as style, leads to a consistent and persistently boring narrative. Consequently, the film falls flat on
the face.

The story also jerks constantly between narration and happening. It thereby robs the viewer of even linear peace.

We start with Railway Raju (Sri Vishnu) a guy from middle-class family who dreams of making it big by using the 22 yards. His local coach (Ravi Kanda) has great faith in his skill sets.

A Telugu film hero by definition cannot be a loner and so he has for company, owner of the local video parlour Vittal Seth (Brahmaji) and the motor mechanic Solomon (Prabhas Sreenu).

Railway Raju is also in love with Nitya (Tanya Hope). The love story obviously does not find the approval of her foster parents.

There is police officer Imtiaz (Nara Rohith) who is not just trigger happy khaki clad but is near vengeful of Naxalites and like many others, sees the problem as law and order issue.

Though Railway Raju is a laidback, subdued, middle-class aspiring cricketer, things go awry when he kills local gunda Bhagwandas (GV).

The nosy inspector finds a hidden skeleton in the cricketer’s cupboard in the form of a naxal sibling. So we have cricket, romance and politics.

The filmmaker throws in references to real life persona ranging from Ambati Rayudu to PV Narsimha Rao–always with glaring irrelevance.

Our cover drive specialist has now transformed into a blood thirsty gun yielding goon who by force of circumstances is pitchforked to centrestage of violence and crime. In short it is about Don Bradman
becomes Don Corleone.

We also have a Nayeem like extension like story with an approver Naxal with an eye on big bugs and tell-tale documents.

The chaotic storyline heads to a climax that could do a school play proud. In about the last half hour multiple things happen and the already lost story gets further
waylaid.

The cast end up taking the script as seriously as it deserves. The only actor who puts in mention worthy performance is Sri Vishnu.

Nara Rohith sulks with the awareness of the weight he has to carry. When an actor says he is playing a challenging role (having played it multiple times), stating that it is for the first time he is playing a role of Islamic police officer you cringe.

Tanya Hope is appropriately Tanya Hopeless. Unless there is a radical change in the hands of an enigmatic magician I don’t see Tanya making the grade.

Even actors with proven talent like Ajay and Brahmaji are completely lost in the din and dust of director Saagar K Chandra’s
indulgence.