Guntur Kaaram Review - Mahesh Babu's electrifying performance is the saving grace of this routine action drama

2.5/5

Story

Vasundhara(Ramya Krishna) is a powerful minister and the daughter of Vyra Venkata Swamy (Prakash Raj). Vasundhara goes through a divorce with Satyam (Jayaram) and subsequently marries Rao Ramesh. Interestingly, she distances her elder son, Ramana (Mahesh Babu) from the family. As the storyline progresses, Venkata Swamy and his associates make attempts to pressure Ramana into signing a declaration, relinquishing any claims to the family inheritance. The narrative revolves around Ramana's strategic responses to these coercive tactics.

Review

Guntur Kaaram is one of the most-awaited films as Mahesh Babu and Trivikram Srinivas have teamed up after the successful films Athadu and Khaleja. There was so much hype on Guntur Kaaram but sadly, the action drama failed to live up to all the hype. Trivikram disappoints big time with his story-telling which does not have depth in the emotions.

Mahesh Babu performance in Guntur Kaaram

The saving grace of Guntur Kaaram is Mahesh Babu as he holds your attention with his renewed energy in the songs and fights. Fans will love his performance but sadly after a point in the second half, even he cannot do anything in this otherwise routine action drama which lacks strong story-telling. 

Also Read: Mahesh Babu on Guntur Kaaram, working with Trivikram, Sreeleela and completing 25 years in films - ‘My fans are my family’ 

The film takes off as a family drama and it looks interesting as the backdrop and storyline promise solid emotions between the mother and son. But that evaporates and what we see is just mass action in the second half without any emotions. The plot is water-thin and even Mahesh Babu's histrionics cannot impress the audience in the latter part.

Guntur Kaaram- About Trivikram's direction

Trivikram has showcased Mahesh Babu in a completely new avatar which the fans will love. Mahesh's energetic avatar, body language, and dances are the best in Guntur Kaaram and the rest is ordinary. So much is expected whenever a Trivikram film arrives but the ace director disappoints big time. His free-flowing dialogues are missing and his narration lacks focus. Looks like he rushed into story-telling without any proper heavy-duty emotional scenes on paper which are a must in every film of his.

In a way, one gets a feeling that Trivikram has stayed away from his classy story-telling and has made a film that suits the festival atmosphere with dances and fights to impress the masses. Only two songs from Thaman impress and the rest are ordinary. Guntur Kaaram has issues in technical aspects. As it was hurried to release as a festival outing, several key aspects like re-recording have been overlooked.

Coming to the performances, Guntur Kaaram is Mahesh Babu's best performance to date. He is at ease and fans will love Mahesh as his mass avatar is surely a winner. Ramya Krishna and Prakash Raj get key roles in the film and they deliver as always. Jayaram is effective in his character and does what is required. Sreeleela does not disappoint one bit as he role and dances are solid. Her chemistry with Mahesh is on fire in the songs and all the romantic scenes.

Meenakshi Chaudhary gets a brief role and is neat in the film. Vennela Kishore's comedy was just about okay in the film. With Guntur Kaaram, there was so much pressure on Thaman to deliver and his music clicks only to an extent. The Kurchi Madatapetti song and his BGM are impressive but the rest of the songs are dull.

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Not even a single scene of Guntur Kaaram has been shot in Guntur and the entire film is made on set. KS Prakash needs a special mention as he created the look and field of the Guntur region superbly. One of the biggest disappointments of Guntur Kaaram is the dialogues of Trivikram. None of them make an impact and are ordinary.

Going by the trailer, it was evident that Guntur Kaaram will be a complete Mahesh Babu film with his solid performance, dances, and fights. As the key plot was hidden in the promos, the general perception was that Trivikram would squeeze in some solid emotions keeping the commercial template alive. But Guntur Kaaram has Trivikram's mark missing completely and ends as a disappointment. The saving grace is the new-age Mahesh Babu who delivers a standout performance.

Verdict

On the whole, Guntur Kaaram fails to live up to all the expectations. If you enter the theatre as a Mahesh Babu fan, you will love the film. But if you expect Trivikram's magical narration, Guntur Kaaram will disappoint you. It is a mass film for fans who expect a dance and fight routine this festive season. Mahesh Babu is electrifying in a new mass avatar but Trivikram's style of making is missing completely making this film a below-average watch this festival weekend.

Also Read: Sreeleela on Guntur Kaaram - ‘I feel intimidated by Mahesh Babu’s presence’