Pakka Commercial movie review: Gopichand single-handedly saves this partly engaging fare which lacks novelty

2.5/5

Story: A reputed Sessions Court judge resigns after he fails to punish a criminal for a suicide case due to lack of evidences. Years later, his son becomes a noble lawyer and takes up relevant cases, thus making him proud. But he slowly realizes that his son has joined hands with the same criminal because of whom he had to submit resignation two decades ago. This leads to a conflict between the father-son duo. Will the dreaded perpetrator be punished?  

Review: Those who have watched a few movies of Maruthi know exactly what to expect from him. The promos of Pakka Commercial made it easier for the audience in terms of their expectations. Ample dose of comedy, effective emotions, enjoyable chemistry between actors, convincing plot conflicts and appropriate commercial elements are aspects which have worked in a few successful films made by the director.  

He treads the same path this time, too. He has even repeated a few actors from his earlier outings. Has Maruthi managed to pull off a good entertainer this time as well?

The film begins with Suryanarayana (Sathyaraj), a respected Sessions Court judge resigning from the profession after becoming dejected about his helplessness when a criminal escapes scot-free due to lack of evidence. Two decades later, his son Lucky (Gopichand) becomes a lawyer and earns goodwill.

However, Suryanarayana becomes upset when he gets to know that Lucky has teamed up with a corrupt business magnate with the sole intention of making money. The former gets the shock of his life when he learns that the businessman is none other than Vivek (Rao Ramesh) because of whom he resigned as a judge a couple of decades ago. This leads to a rivalry between the father and the son.

The plot has ample scope for wholesome entertainment when viewed from Maruthi's style of presentation. There are some interesting ideas, sub-plots and characters that have adequate potential to make the film a hilarious entertainer. Gopichand's effortlessness in comedy and action are prime highlights of the movie in which Rao Ramesh and Sathyaraj, too, stand out with earnest performances. 

The cinematography by Karm Chawla is neat; the pleasing visuals keep the audience hooked even in sequences which do not engage us with the writing. The background score and songs by Jakes Bejoy are decent, but the placement of songs are quite inappropriate.

Maruthi tries to stay true to the title Pakka Commercial by incorporating those elements which have proved successful in the past. But things don't just fall in place. The character of a popular television actor played by Raashi Khanna and a few characters associated with this sub-plot doesn't help in enhancing the major plot.

She shares great chemistry with Gopi and Sathyaraj, but most of the comedy scenes fall flat. Some of the dialogues which are supposed to be funny after the father-duo conflict begins leave little impact. Though Rao Ramesh and Sathyaraj excel in their roles, the characters remind us of a few of their earlier portrayals. 

Siya Gautam and Ajay Ghosh are aptly cast in their roles while Saptagiri's performance and one-liners do not hold our attention. A few twists and turns are somewhat predictable, and hence, do not surprise us. The action scenes, too, aren't impressive; they become monotonous after a point. 

What Pakka Commercial lacks are hilarious sequences like the ones we enjoyed in Bhale Bhale Magadivoy and efficient emotional moments we got to watch in Prati Roju Pandage. Having said that, the film might work as a partly entertaining fare for those who don't mind experiencing Maruthi's usual style of presentation.  

Verdict: The done-to-death style of screenplay, which is devoid of novelty, is saved to an extent by neat performances from lead actors and rich presentation.