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Home > Telugu Movie Reviews > Pellaindhi Kaani


Sensitive Story, Typical Approach

APK | October 12, 2007

Rating: **1/2 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)


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Cast: Naresh, Harish, Kamalini Mukherjee, Bhanupriya, Suneel, Chandramohan, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Mallikarjuna Rao, MS Narayana, Krishna Bhagawan, Kondavalasa, Kallu Krishna Rao, Namala Moorthy, Harshavardhan, Raghava, Shashank, Pragathi, Sana, Jayalaxmi, Sudeepa, Anitha, Usharani, Uma and Others.
Art: KV Subbarao.
Cinematography: D. Prasad Babu.
Dialogues: Vegnesa Satheesh, D. Nagaraj, Balaram & Murali Mohan.
Editing: Goutham Raju.
Lyrics: Veturi, Varikuppala Yadagiri & Jayasurya.
Music: Kamalakar-Jayasri.
Story: K. Bhagyaraja.
Screenplay & Direction: EVV Satyanarayana.
Producer: M. Narasimha Rao.
Banner: Raasi Movies.
Release Date: 12th October, 2007.

Kamalini Mukherjee and Naresh Pellaindi Kani is EVV Satyanarayana's latest release, starring Naresh, Kamilini Mukherjee and Harish, re-entering after a long gap. Contrary to EVV's usual laugh a minute Aesop's fables, Pellaindi Kani is full of sentiment, mush and some more mush. There are a few one-liners and some light moments, but this is more like EVV's Ammo Okato Tariku than hits like Aa Okkati Addaku or his recent Kitakitalu. It's not bad, but that's the best that can be said about it.

Plot Acchi Babu is mentally not alright after a fall at age ten. His widowed and rich mother Rajeshwari sets out to get him married, hoping that will cure him. Gayathri is the chosen bride, who is in love with good-hearted Shivaji (Harish). He tells her to marry Acchi Babu because his mother promises to help her with her father’s surgery. Acchi Babu’s greedy uncles and their wives have their evil eye upon his property. They play their tactics, which result in many twists and turns with the innocent lives.

Story, Screenplay and Direction The story is pretty old-school. Urban audiences might not identify with the orthodox ways shown in the rural-town setup in the movie. A lot of screen time is dedicated to Rajeshwari waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to consummate their marriage, which doesn’t happen. Naresh as a mentally ill person does reasonably well, but falters a lot in the first half.

All the characters are flat, and are typical stereotypes-kind and rich mother, evil and greedy siblings, a sacrificing wife, a loyal servant (Sunil). This could have been an endearing story about an unusual marriage and a willing sacrifice. This could have been about loyalty and friendship. All these elements are present, but somehow pale when stronger elements dominate the movie, like typecasts and clichés.

That said, the movie does have its moments. The relationships between each character are the highlights. Mother and son, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a wife trying to come to terms with her challenged husband, etc. Naresh, Sunil and Harshavardhan’s characters are well-written.

Naresh and Kamalini Mukherjee Performances Naresh is inconsistent in the first half, but more convincing in the second. He gets into the skin of the character by that time. Harish is okay, and Kamilini is subtle. Bhanupriya is good, Kota and Krishna Bhagwan and their respective wives are typical. Sunil plays a well-written character after a long time. Harshavardan is good, making a spoof out of his own crime show.

Music and Dance Average and forgettable.

Last Word The first half is okay. The second half is full of sentiment. The climax drags a little. The music is not up to the mark. Overall, it’s an average movie with some pluses. The same script, with more sensitive handling, would have made a superior movie. But all the commercial trapping make it pretty average.