February 20, 2009 Tapaswi
Rating - **.25
Cast: Nithin, Priyamani, Mukesh Rushi, Kelly Dorge, Suneel, Sivaprasad, Seetha, Devisri and Others.
Cinematography: Bhupathi.
Editing: Goutam Raju.
Producer: D.S. Rao.
Direction: Karuna Kumar.
Banner: Sai Krishna Productions.
Release Date: 20th February, 2009.
Drona is a queer concoction making little sense to the intellect but it seems as if the B and C classes are quite happy considering that even popular and inane theatres registered almost full attendance. It can be termed as a film that has a little bit of everything and the director pushes the film on a formulaic road giving utmost importance in elevating Nitin's role. So he tightens his fists, blood rushes in his eyes and he zooms on the bike, suddenly changes his position and shoots at the flying helicopter.and delivers some more whacked out thrills for his fans.
The first half of the story especially when Nitin comes home after ten years till the time it is revealed that he has a past is absolutely boring, dramatic and tiring. The movie begins with a young Nitin threatening to shoot at his friends and his father a police officer whacking him thoroughly and then the former very upset leaves the house for good. Time for retribution with Mukesh Rishi, the dad discovering that his boy had indeed been careful and had removed the bullets before playing with his friends.
Sita, the mother spends those ten years of son's absentia in brooding, shedding tears and making small and silly chat with her neighbour Priyamani until her son appears one day like a stranger and offers to make soup for mommy's dear weak bones. Priyamani discovers that Nitin is infact Sita's missing son and bares the secret to the family. The only man upset with Nitin and Priyamani romance is Sunil who plays the latter's uncle pestering her to wed him.
It is time for Nitin to narrate his side of the story, that he had not run away but he'd been kidnapped by a dreaded Don Kelly Dorjee who had kept other kids as well in captivity in an island, training them for future robberies. Dorjee wants Nitin to siphon of the Nizam's jewels. Why does he return and what happens next is the crux of the story.
Priyamani has worked on her body and uses the film to show off her curves rather than her talent. She wears everything from shorts, skirts, swim suits to funky modeling costumes. Since Venu Madhav had no clear cut role as a comedian, the director reduces Kelly Dorjee to one and he is seen ridiculously toying with the Jinthatha act of Ravi Teja on TV. The dialogues between Siva Prasad and Kelly are insipid and painful. For Nitin, this is another repetitive film but the saving grace is his fights. His performance looks dull compared to his previous films, sans expression and soul, looks like his work is getting mechanical like Amma Rajashekar's composition of dances.
Rakhi Sawant's item number hardly made a difference, in fact Priyamani was more delectable to watch. The director used every trick in the trade to give the front benchers what they desired from bikinis to bone crunching action sequences. The film disappoints on many levels.
|
