Pelli Choopulu

A laugh riot that's realistic and well put.

After a long time, I enjoyed a Telugu Film and felt happy after coming out of the theater and also watch it another time. Last time I had such a feeling for a Telugu Film was for "Mithunam" and it was four years ago.

The good thing is that this film does not have any dances, there are no fights, there are no melodramatic dialogues. Though the sentimental part drags the movie, the humour overtook the drag and added a pull. It's the fun I took back home and was happy with the feeling this movie gave.

The protagonists were new for me and of all the characters I liked the character of "Kaushik". It is played by "Priyadarshi". Of course, the film belongs to Ritu Varma as "Chitra" who reminded of "Roopa" in Anand (Anand is a 2004 film).

It's refreshing to see a new director make a movie that's terrific in content (the writing, narration) and make the actors do an excellent job. Kudos to Tharun Bhascker. He has a long way to go if he sticks to non-commercial films and believes that content is above all else.

The cinematography and editing are two departments which impressed me. The camera was invisible, as there are no specific long shots. The whole movie is shot in a straightforward and realistic way which is a huge bonus. From locations to interiors decors it was all well put and also colorful at the same time. There was life all through the film and hardly there was any dull visual. Also, the film was fluid with very few dull moments (dull moments were mostly in the sentimental last half hour). The cuts done were nice; there were no jump cuts and it is simply put. So, Telugu Film Industry can look forward to Nagesh Banell the cinematographer and Ravi Teja Girijala the editor. These are two good finds from the film.

I was impressed by the use of music too. Taking the budget constraints into account Music is a commendable job done by Vivek Sagar. I loved the usage of the song "Raalu Raaga Poolamaala." Also, I must appreciate a huge fact this film is done in Sync Sound. That is there is no dubbing used; a terrific challenge is handled well and the results are seen in the movie.

I am not putting the story or any dialogues out here. I am sure the Telugu Film Audience will embrace a film like.

A 4/5 for a Telugu Film. A rarity from me but this is one film I will watch multiple times.

Chitra has just completed MBA and aspires to pursue further studies in Australia and become an entrepreneur. Prashanth is forced to pursue Engineering course by his father though he aspires to be a chef. He is also too lazy to chase his dream and seeks shortcuts to settle down in life. The movie takes off when the two protagonists meet accidentally during a pellichoopulu (a common Indian ritual where potential groom and bride meet along with their families). What follows is a narrative that presents a predictable story in an engaging manner with oodles of humor and very relatable situations.

Vijay Deverakonda is authentic in his portrayal of Prashanth who is used to the daily taunts from his father and would prefer to laze around seeking simplistic solutions without a care. Ritu Varma, with her sparkling presence lights up every frame and is pitch perfect as the ambitious Chitra who is at ease in conveying a wide range of emotions. They share an easy chemistry and are ideal foil for each other which make them instantly likeable and keeps the viewers invested in how they fare. Besides the leads, the movie benefits from a competent set of supporting cast who register their presence even in the smallest of roles and adding to the funny situations. Composer Vivek Sagar has provided some good songs and adds value with his background score.

Debutante director Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam has made a breezy romcom which checks almost all the right boxes a genre which is mostly messed up in narratives that are mired in melodrama or mindless action or other "masala" elements. His competence as an engaging storyteller is evident in the way that he strikes a fine balance in presenting the multiple threads of understated romance, aspirations of girls which are often ignored or even trampled upon as well as the casual attitudes of a section of youth Wei fail to follow one's dreams due to their lethargy and seeking easy solutions, family bonds without getting preachy or melodramatic and constant flow of jokes which do not feel forced.

With an entertaining first feature, Tharun has announced his arrival as a film maker to look forward to.

Beautifully well written story... Blend of love, family, comedy, career, everything in served in one plate.. Cinematography & screenplay was good. Watch it u will love it...!

Pelli Choopulu (2016): Its been such a long time since I watched such a refreshing movie like Pell Choopulu.In recent times,most of the movies are turning out to be a disappointing ventures.This week out of Jakkanna and Pelli Choopulu,I opted for Pelli Choopulu because I wanted to avoid Jakkanna.I had good vibes on this movie after watching the trailer but didn't expect much out of it.But to my surprise this is movie is awesome.

Plot: Prashanth (Vijay) is aimless in life. His father arranges a pelli choopulu for him and he agrees to meet Chitra (Ritu). On the day of the pelli choopulu, Prashanth, Chitra and a small boy are stranded in a room where they were asked to talk to each other. Thanks to the door that gets jammed, Prashanth and Chitra talk about each other. Chitra tells Prashanth that she is not ready for marriage and due to her dad's pressure she agreed to this.As the conversation progresses the duo realize that their thoughts have a lot in common. But a small twist arise which makes their ways apart but they again meet because of some circumstances.What happened to their lives and did they achieve their goals forms rest of the story.

Plus Points: 1)Screenplay and Direction: Pelli Choopulu has one of the most refreshing entertaining screenplay in recent times.It is so natural that we can easily relate to the scenes and dialogues in this movie.We never get bored at any point of the movie.A smile always lies on our face until this movie ends,even after that too......Director Tarun Bhasker really impressed us a lot.His work is commendable and we can truly await for his next projects.He is a real classy gen for Tollywood.

2)Performances: This movie has most natural performances of this year.Every actor gave their 100% percent output which really helped a lot.Out of them Ritu Varma is such a beauty of expressions and she is the major highlight of the movie.Vijay Sai perfectly apted for that role and his buddies,especially Priyadarshi is hilarious with his one liners in Telangana slang.He did the most refreshing comedy in recent times.

3)Music: Music helped a lot to elevate the scenes.Its so pleasant and songs are very good.Aanandamayenu is the best of the album.

4)Cinematography. This movie has the camera work similar to short films but really a appreciable job.It helped to give movie a natural look

Minus Points: 1)Ordinary story line: Movie's story is just like regular romantic comedy but its nothing to worry about as it has wonderful screenplay.

SO Pelli Choopulu is one of the most refreshing n naturally crafted romantic comedy with best performances,music and direction.A Must Watch one...

I typically don't like romcoms as I think it is too easy for them to fall under the trap of the omnipresent, banal, and repetitious themes and character personalities that plague 95% of the the romantic movies that exist. But this is a great movie with a lot of heart that escapes most of the aforementioned pitfalls, and provides a fresh story with new ideas and characters. Movies like this are essential to keep the genre alive.

The director worked brilliantly with this script, and has created an entertaining spectacle that has enough substance to easily carry the movie past the predictable themes that it does contain. All the characters here are in some way flawed but also likable, which gives way to some lighthearted moments where you couldn't help but smile. Everyone also always stays in character, which I feel is vital for any film. There are many instances in this movie that will surprise you, and for a comedy all of it surprisingly holds well together. You know a movie is good when some scenes stay with you after it is over. Indeed, some of the scenes here are so clever and funny that you couldn't help but appreciate the ingenuity of it all.

Apart from all this commendation, there is one thing which is tugging at my stomach. On one hand it is the freshest take on a romcom I've seen in recent times, on the other, I kind of hate the apparent acceptance of dowry the movie portrays. There is even a scene in which Prashant, the male lead, says directly to Chitra, the female lead that there is nothing wrong with dowry and she says nothing to counter it. I understand that this indirectly comments on the social acceptance of dowry in our nation and this is how many Indians perceive it, but Prashant does not have to fall under that category. The movie industry has a tremendous influence in shaping our culture along with the mindset of the younger audience, and it's a shame that the director chose not to stand against it. I may be coming along as too harsh, so I am just dropping that awesome 9 to a solid 8.