chand-suhas

NRI Satya Akella wants to visit his hometown Telangana but gets kidnapped by Pandey gang. The kidnappers have a single demand, release their Papa Pandey from jail in return for Akella's freedom. Fearing the impact of this kidnapping case, the CM agrees to ACP Meenakshi and IG's idea to involve ex-DCP Y. D. Raju to execute the plan of safely rescuing Akella but the problem arises in the form of his wife Bhagyam who doesn't approve of him working with his ex-girlfriend Meenakshi. Jailer George Anthony is another problem for Y. D. Raju to execute his plan smoothly. How does he do this while his wife and family joining the team, forms rest of the story.

Anil Ravipudi has his trademark humor that's outright silly yet works with the family audience. The problem with this film is the lack of humorous scenes. Even in F2, the first half was filled with back to back hilarious scenes before getting derailed in the second half. Sankranthiki Vasthunnam is simply devoid of that as the initial 40mins simply drags on painfully with none of the supposed comedy scenes working. Once the story begins, the comedy scenes doesn't improve and the bit involving Upendra Limaye - Sai Kumar was the only slight relief which over stayed it's welcome. Maybe the initial crowd response/hype caused by mass hysteria helped the film, but for the OTT viewing at home, the film is largely unfunny and an in-form Venkatesh couldn't save it.

Chhaava, based on a Marathi novel, narrates the tale of Sambhaji Maharaj as he leads the Swaraj revolution against Aurangzeb. The film entirely focuses on the Maratha revolution and how Sambhaji influences it single-handedly, overcoming the challenges thrown by the mighty Mughal emperor through his wit and gutsy conviction, becoming Aurangzeb's biggest regret after Chhatrapati Shivaji.

What works is the making and Vicky Kaushal's roaring performance in the titular character. What doesn't work is the surface level writing and the bland character arcs of all supporting cast. This is not to say, film is devoid of it's high moments as the battle sequences really worked well for me but the rest either failed to create the right impact or ended up looking repetitive. Akshay Khanna's portrayal of Aurangzeb was unique but his arc made his outbursts rather repetitive. Too many characters just serving their purpose of hyping the lead man but failed to leave a mark. Overall, Chhaava is an one time watch film which deserved a better screenplay to match Vicky Kaushal's energy.

Iman gets promoted as investigating judge which offers him higher salary and a 3 bedroom apartment. His wife Najmeh is delighted at this prospect while they finally decide to reveal the nature of his job to their daughters. It's an extremely volatile environment in Tehran with the nationwide protests against the government and the citizens being forcefully silenced by the government. Iman's daughters Rezvan and Sana too witness the atrocities and start questioning the authority. Iman is now in full control of the authoritarian government refuses to accept change whereas Rezvan and Sana rightfully rebel.

It was honestly a surprising watch considering the turn it took in the final act. In terms of writing, dealing with the authoritarian figure i.e. Iman in the extreme way felt like a clever take and the director succeeds in maintaining the tense moments. What worked for me was the two acts where one introduces the character of the free spirited Sadaf and her predicament which impacts Rezvan and Sana deeply. The other being the missing gun segment and how Iman starts doubting his own family, putting them through interrogation, all of this while the footages of the protests were displayed. These two acts had a solid impact and then the final act took a giant leap with the thriller angle. Overall, it was a solid watch for the most part, putting across it's stance through it's female characters.