By Sumith Jhawar (Twitter | Instagram)
Telugu mass movies are like my guilty pleasure but that is purely because I enjoy being in a packed theatre watching people around me have a good time. However, watching ‘Godfather’ at home on Netflix meant that the movie had to shine on its own.
Directed by Mohan Raja, ‘Godfather’ is a Chiranjeevi fanatic’s ode to a legendary actor, something done masterfully by Lokesh Kankaraj in ‘Vikram’ with Kamal Haasan. ‘Vikram’ gave scope for other characters to grow and had a solid storyline. Every character here is a mere pawn providing lip service to Chiranjeevi’s magnanimity, which you are never convinced of due the way the character is built. But then, a lot of things aren’t convincing. There’s a scene where Chiranjeevi and co kill a bunch of goons and not a single piece of metal or blood is discovered by a team of investigating cops! Now that’s what you call a wipe-out!
Satyadev is the only saving grace with his badassery and you can’t take your eyes off the movie for the few minutes Salman Khan’s on screen. Just when you think he could not have gotten more wooden as an actor, he shocks you with his ridiculous CGI-filled action pieces.
Story? Ek tha godfather, sab ki maarta tha band, maante sab usko legend. CM ka hua murder, aulaad uske do, Chiru ki masculinity ke alawa, nothing else to show.
At 157 minutes long without pretty much any songs, you wonder how the movie would have been had the slow-mo shots been replaced by well-written dialogues and a dose of Bramhanandamesque comedy which Telugu movies have masterfully incorporated for years now. In summary, Godfather is all style, no substance for a non-Chiru loyalist.
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