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		Home > Telugu Movie Reviews > Pellaina Kothalo Old Story, New Treatment APK | December 13, 2006 Rating: *** (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Cast: Jagapati Babu, Priyamani, Astha Singhal, Raju Sundaram, Kota, Brahmanandam, Dharmavarapu, Ali, Sunil, MS Narayana, Krishna Bhagawan, Venumadhav, Giribabu, Kovai Sarala, Jhansi, Sandesh, Madhu, Hema, Rajitha, Geetanjali and Others. Art: Nagendra. Cinematography: Surendra Reddy. Editing: Nandamuri Hari. Lyrics: Veturi, Vennelakanti & Chaitanya Prasad. Music: Agasthya. Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Direction & Producer: Madan. Banner: Aa Naluguru Films. Release Date: 9th December, 2006. Husband and wife trying to dominate each other, listening to wrong advices of friends and finally learning it the hard way..well, the storyline is definitely familiar to one and all. Many soap operas, many books and many movies have carried a similar track. Madan takes this age old story and puts it in an urban set up with the couple making lot of money from the newly rising corporate jobs (in the last decade) and wanting 'independence'. It is his directorial debut, and he had written the script of the award winning 'Aa Naluguru'. There is a bit of preaching towards the climax, various tracks involving all the characters and a message-in that it shares its similarity with his last script. After a much hyped but tiring Sainikudu and a fantasy-filled Mayabazar, this down-to-earth (literally) simple story of a couple has been receiving appreciation from the audience. Plot: Hari and Laxmi have an arranged marriage. Hari's friend played by Krishna Bhagwan dominates his wife (Hema) no end, and she bears it all silently. So his advice to Hari is to dominate his wife from the beginning to lead a happy life. Laxmi's friend is Janaki (Jhansi) who henpecks her loving husband played by Sunil. The couple starts to bicker and fight from the word go, and it leads to lot of resentment where they have their own bedrooms and fridges and TVs, and the result is that the marriage is not consummated even after three months. Hari's grandparents played by Kota Srinivas Rao and Geetanjali persuade them to do a 'vratham' for the sake of the old man's health, which is fake and involves holding each other and taking dips in the river, feeding each other and other things so as to make them realize their love and want for one another. Whether this works out or not is the rest of the plot. Story, Screenplay and Direction: The story is old, but the setting and the treatment are new. Sunil runs a 'Hi-tech marriage bureau' and there is a satire on the existing system where Venu Madhav and other potential bridegrooms are taken for tests and fixed a rate. There is a separate and completely detached track of Brahmanandam and Kovai Sarala just to drive the point home. These generate a few laughs, but have a preachy subtext. The climax especially is very preachy, with a song about Lord Shiva and Parvati, and drags slightly. But overall, the effect that the writer wanted comes across, and the message is clear. There is no distortion there, nor is the director ever apologetic about it. All the artists are well-chosen. The ending is as predictable as 1-2-3, but even if one knows the ending, the journey towards is more important. With all the comedy tracks, the crisp dialogues most of the times, the pace in the first half, the movie works out fine. The movie is a marathon 2 hr 45 min, which could have been less, but nonetheless, it has its pluses. There is no vulgarity, even though the subject is touchy and has scope for it (with some other directors, if you get the drift) and the songs are not bad. The call centre joke in the beginning is identifiable and funny, the lead actors are good and suit their roles, Venu Madhav's track is witty. Performances: Jagapathi Babu is good. He suits the role, never hams, acts well and one can see that with a reasonably good director he gives his best shot (remember Antahpuram?). He has a screen presence that ensures that one doesn't lose interest-under eye bags not counting. Priyamani is a good find, nothing exceptional except simple looks and acting that never goes overboard. Sunil and Jhansi make a good couple (but the end of their track is so corny), Krishna Bhagawan and Hema are well-suited for their roles and do equal justice (their ending is corny too). Brahmanandam and Kovai Sarala pull their old act again (which began from Kshemamgaa Velli Labham Gaa Randi) and if people are not bored yet, that's surprising even though they are now experts at this act. Kota and Geetanjali make a good pair and deliver like the pros they are. Oh, and Kota doesn't get to ham here. It's good to see good artists under directors who are clear about what they want. Oh, Astha Singhal and Raju Sundaram come to do some Salsa and Samba respectively and even mix it up for a song. Song and Dance: Not bad, the songs and the picturizations are average. But Jagapathi as Shiva, as Nataraja? Now that was funny, though the actor tried his best-but how much can you do with admittedly two left feet? But hey, not everyone can do everything. Last Word: The story, the actors and the direction all worked out for this flick. Nothing is over-the-top (except a few dialogues here and there) and nothing is exceptionally good either. It's just a simple story, told simply, and is likeable.