PARUGU MOVIE REVIEW

Cast: Allu Arjun, Prakash Raj, Sheela, Jayasudha (guest role), Poonam Bajwa (guest role), Sunil and many others. Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations Music: Mani Sharma Producer: Raju Story, Screenplay & Direction: Bhaskar Tagline: Parugu - run away as fast as possible Strengths: Allu Arjun and Prakash Raj Released on: May 1st, 2008

Bommarillu is a tough act to live up to. But Dil Raju and director Bhaskar give Parugu their combined touch to make a stale subject watchable and what more, interesting till the end with pacy narration and a straightforward track.

Plot

When Neelakanta's elder daughter elopes on her wedding day, his friends are dragged from all over the state, beaten up and locked up to make them reveal the couple's whereabouts. Krishna is one of them, although he complains that he's been dragged into a matter he has no clue about; when they get a chance to escape, Krishna doesn't move-he sees a girl in the mist he falls in love with.

This girl, Meena, happens to be Neelakanta's younger daughter, who communicates with the guys but without seeing them. Krishna is bent on searching for the girl and unknowningly he asks this girl to help him get this mysterious girl; meanwhile the family is keen on getting back their elder daughter and the guys are taken along after they torture the location out of them. The search for one eloped pair is on, while Krishna is bent on making Meena fall in love with him, and eventually eloping with her while Neelakanta's turmoil is painstakingly clear.

Story, Screenplay and Direction

Certain things can be linked directly to the actor and his family, and some recent events. Cleverly, Krishna is first all for eloping and all that's connected with it, and laughs at the girl's family's distress. But there is a change of mind, and this forms the crux of the movie, the subject that it mainly deals in. However, the story or the narration is never sidelined to clarify one's position about such philosophies.

Leaving euphimisms aside, the movie itself is entertaining, very pacy and has enough doses of a bit of everything for the average cinegoer to enjoy and appreciate. Bhaskar seems to be a pro at understanding father-son, father-daughter relationship and it's dynamics, and deals with it quite nicely. He leaves space for a father-daughter confrontation, but nothing similar to the father-son confrontation in his previous movie. The similarity in his debut and blockbuster Bommarillu and Parugu lies in the director's touch. It is visible throughout and more strikingly in certain aspects, whereas the fact that he choose a very different set-up and atmosphere is likeable; there are some continuity glitches, but minor ones that do not interfere with the story in any way.

Parugu lives up to it's name, and runs through it's length from the word go. But a few minutes post-break it slow down only to pick up pace again, while it goes real slow (with some tension and some predictability in the air) before it comes to a final stop.

It is not as light-hearted as Bommarillu-which really intensifies only in the end. Parugu starts off on a heavy note, infusing light-heartedness only through Krishna demeanor. Dil Raju's production, Aarya, also starring Arjun, had one pair eloping with the protagonist helping them.That's where the similarity ends though, and the entire subject is on a different plane altogether. It is one of those movies that come into the category of family entertainment, and that itself is highly appreciated, as there seem to be a dearth of such movies now-a-days.

The other friends who get stuck in this mess, including a geeky character called 'Yogendra Sharma' and his 'Ippudu mana position enti Sir?', the twist post-break that was surprising but not entirely unexpected and some key moments in the movie are well done. There is no side-tracking and the screenplay and narrative hold the viewers' attention.

Performances

Allu Arjun does a good job, and plays the character of Krishna convincingly well. It's refreshing to see he learns from movie to movie, and there is definite improvement from his last movie for this young actor. Shiela is an unexpected choice for the director-producer to have made for this movie, not being quite established or glam, but the movie required someone like this so it makes sense. She looks at home playing a village girl and justifies her role (but the character itself is not as interestingly written as Ha-Ha-Hasini).

Prakashraj has the key role, which he does with elan, especially in the second half where a crucial sequence shows the soft interior in the tough and angry exterior of his character. There are striking similarities with his character in Bommarillu though. Subbaraju as his brother is good. Srinivasa Reddy, Suneel, Chitram Sreenu as Krishna's friends add to the humor element. Jayasudha in a brief cameo and Poonam Bajwa as Subbalaxmi make their presence felt.

Song and Dance

The album is no great shakes, but the music has been used well in the movie. The background is strictly okay, but the music and picturizations of the songs has been done well.

Bottom-Line

A good narrative and a strong subject, with some humor and music added in good measure-Parugu is another movie from Dil Raju-Bhaskar that is likeable. It may not be up to Bommarillu's standards because the subject itself has been dealt with several times before and there is a lack of freshness. Nonetheless, the movie is a good watch and Bhasker proves he's not a one film wonder.

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