All about a bride's groom - Varudu, a telugu flick

A dozen of us, with me leading, went to see the movie Varudu, at Shalini, a theater near to my in-laws house.

I will start with the Character i liked the most in this film.

Suhasini was at one of her best. She is getting better of her age. She can be very proud of her physique and performance, especially at one scene where she was shown with a formal wear. It is at this instance, the hero, her son, conveys his wish for an arranged marriage. She was awesome in this and can be a great competition to all character artistes of her age, leave alone the performance. No more words to explain her beauty, and performance. She is an asset to this film, if at all if this is declared a hit at the box office. I would give her full marks to her portrayal and also give her an award for the best and beautiful onscreen mother.

Aashish Vidyarthi, the hero's father, was brilliant as a doting husband and a loving and caring dad. He is shown as a friend to the hero and to Suhasini. I would rather want to follow his character as a dad. That way, he has impressed me in his portrayal. He doesnt have to offer much support to the hero, so his character and potential has been under-utilized.

Allu Arjun, the hero, was his usual self, though i havent watched any of his movies yet. His dialogue delivery is far behind the one by Arya, the tamil hero who plays villian in this flick. It looks like the hero had undergone a voice therapy very recently. He doesnt have a worthy role to play except to fight the villian and get back his lady love. He is shown as a do-gooder, go-getter, a darling for all, an urban hero without a lover though with many girl friends, a modern thinker and a person who wants to retain the tradition and culture. His wish to get married with a 5 day affair is noteworthy. Thanks to the story writer and director. Dont ask me who they are, i couldnt understand the written language, nor am i very keen to get that searched for.

The herione, a new face to the Telugu film industry, looks good, and not more than that. She doesnt have to strain too much, except for a dance sequence. She did not have the opportunity to wear as many costumes as a heroine of a commercial film would wear, that way the producer has cut down on the costs. An ameteur at acting, she doesnt have to emote too much, as though she is good at it. Her nose looks like the one which Sridevi had borne when she was at her early stages of acting. Nothing much to add about this girl.

Arya, the villian. I must say, he has done this to his best, though i dont like this guy and never watched any tamil movie of his. He looks more smart and younger than the hero. His dialogue delivery goes for a say here, not sure if he had known the language already or someone else had dubbed for him. Whatever is the case, his voice suited his role. His villiany is gruesome (see the movie for how he utters 'kooshmaanda') and such was his portrayal. Full marks to him for his villiany. If he had been given more footage, that should have done more justice to his role. The way he is shown to sign off from the story is unbelievable in this urban story. May be, the climax fight should have been more realistic and natural. How would a cement factory outlet come down at the thuds of fight between the hero and the villian? The director alone knows the answer to this.

A blink and miss role for Vinaya Prasad, Sneha Ullal, Nasser and Brahmanandam. Vinaya Prasad is good at her usual self, always crying. She is becoming better in this, after every film. Sneha Ullal is not sure what she is going to do in this flick, so the audience can make out their own reason for her presence. Except to look like Aishwarya, she doesnt have anything to do in this film. I dont know why Nasser is accepting to act in such roles, which always indignify his potential. Any 3rd grade actor could have done his role at ease. Brahmanandam is supposed to evoke laughter. He does so at one or two instances, but he too is wasted.

I dont know much about the rest of the star cast, so let me go to the story.

The hero wants his parents to choose a bride for him. He wants the marriage to be a 5 day affair and invites all his relatives to the grand wedding. The hero wishes to see the girl only on the 4th day of the marriage, when the groom ties the knot. The herione endorses his view about marriage and doesnt see the hero's photo. At a time, when the hero is about to tie the knot, the marriage pandal (the structure erected for the marriage) comes down and the herione is nowhere to be seen. The hero rescues a few people under the rubbles and searches for the heroine. Luckily no one is shown to be dead here. The hero spots the herione taken away by the villian and chases the car. The rest is how he wins her back. The first half is racy and a worth for the money you spend, but the second half is dragging and moves out of the track.

The art director should be praised for the grand sets he had erected for the climax fight and for the marriage sequence. The director should be appreciated for taking risk at Allu Arjun and the herione. Songs are not to be mentioned here, except for the one at the marriage sequence. Mani Sharma should be praised for that piece alone, leave alone me understanding the meaning of the song, the language and its tune..

In the end, you come out praising Suhasini, Aashish Vidyarthi and Arya for their respective portrayal. A must watch for them and a big no for Allu Arjun.

My rating - 4 on 10.