Pelli SandaD movie review: Stay away from this stale, outdated mess of a family entertainer

1.5/5

Story:

An aspirant filmmaker expresses interest to helm the biopic of Dhyanchand awardee Vashishta. She threatens of committing suicide in case Vashishta doesn't authorise the project and tell his story. The reluctant sportsman budges and goes down memory lane to narrate his story of how he won over his lady love Sahasra. Many years ago, Vashishta and Sahasra meet at a wedding and it's love at first sight. The main obstacle to their union is Sahasra's father Pattabhi Ramayya, the strict family patriarch who is completely against love marriages. How does Vashishta convince a headstrong father and prove that he's a worthy match for his daughter?

Analysis:

Nostalgia isn't always a bad thing in cinema. It's no sin to look back at a bygone era from a different tangent. However, if a filmmaker uses this excuse to impose a stale, outdated film upon audiences decades past its expiry date, you feel otherwise. Pelli SandaD, marketed as a sequel to the Srikanth, Deepti Bhatnagar-starrer Pelli Sandadi (that released in 1996), is as unimaginative as its title. The film was slated to be a modern-day upgrade to the 25-year-old film though it's completely undeserving of any comparisons with the enjoyable romantic musical.

There are many firsts here. Pelli SandaD not only marks the debut of Roshann, Sree Leela as lead actors in Telugu but is also the first on-screen appearance of filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao (who is also the film's directorial supervisor) and the directorial debut of his protege Gowri Ronanki. If someone remotely benefits from this start, it's the leading lady Sree Leela and K Raghavendra Rao, the actor. Pelli SandaD is otherwise a celebration of every possible cliche in Telugu cinema. 

This is a strange case of a Raghavendra Rao-esque film not directed by Raghavendra Rao. A guava fruit falls on the midriff of the leading lady, coconut water flows like a river right into her mouth. The background score with the repeated use of the violins emphasises the 'classicality' of the romance. There's a quintessential wedding song talking family values and traditions where the bride's parents bid a tearful goodbye to their daughter. A snake tries to attack an older man because he refuses to pour milk into a snake pit. There's an imaginary song sequence where milk drips from a hole in the heroine's earthen pot and the hero takes it all in. There's divine intervention from Hanuman himself for him to counter the baddies in the pre-climax scene. 

It's easy to presume that Pelli SandaD was made in the 90s. There's nothing in it to suggest that it's made for a 2021 audience. In the film's prequel that had a premise of two sisters falling for the same man and demanded one of them to 'sacrifice' the man for the other, there was some opportunity to bring in old-school melodrama through the tension between the siblings. The sequel is bereft of any such dramatic appeal; the hero is invincible and can overcome any challenge thrown at him. Moreover, it's tiring to see one character after the other heap praises on him for no reason.

In the embarrassing climax, the father tosses a coin to decide the fate of his daughter's life. And the daughter intentionally drags the bridegroom's dhoti into the sacred fire to stop the wedding. The hero, at the same time, takes his team to a winning position in a basketball match and leaves the court midway because he's too busy trying to marry his love interest. Rajendra Prasad accidentally sitting on a crocodile, talking to snakes and cow dung being rubbed on Vennela Kishore's back is passed off as comedy.

Everyone in the film may not have a career or a job but marriage is their only priority. The male lead keeps playing basketball matches occasionally but there's not a single sequence where he's seen going to college. MM Keeravaani's music is the only balm from the chaos. Songs like Nuvvante Naaku, Madhura Nagarilo truly show why the composer is a class apart. Director Gowri Ronanki, all along, is hand-tied and not given the license to move beyond the done-to-death visual aesthetics unique to her master besides being undone by a poor story.

Roshann struggles to shoulder the film on his back and is too raw an actor to salvage the disaster. He has some distance to go if he aims to prove himself as a credible actor. Sree Leela's energetic screen presence ensures a few lively moments though the stereotypical characterisation doesn't allow her to blossom fully. K Raghavendra surprisingly is a natural in front of the camera and has no inhibitions at all. Veterans like Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Jhansi, Annapoornamma, Posani, Hema, Pragathi Suresh are criminally wasted. 

The comedy track with Shakalaka Shankar, Srinivas Reddy, Rajendra Prasad, Tanikella Bharani and Vennela Kishore is largely forgettable. Deepti Bhatnagar's special appearance doesn't add much value to the film. Sreedhar Seepana's dialogues are devoid of any sparks.

Verdict:

Pelli SandaD neither works as a standalone film nor as a sequel to the 1996 release Pelli Sandadi. The 90s-styled film despite having good music by MM Keeravaani is stale in its treatment and is a bag of outdated tricks. It lacks substance and criminally underuses its talented supporting cast. The debutants Roshann and Sree Leela showcase glimpses of their potential. K Raghavendra Rao, the actor is here to stay. All said and done, it still doesn't merit your time. Skip it.