A good entertaining weekend watch
Written for BookMyShow.com
Verdict: A simple romantic comedy which mostly works.
Chalo has Naga Shourya and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles and is produced by Usha Mulpuri under the banner, Ira creations. It is written and directed by new-comer Venky Kudumula. The music for the movie is given by Mahati Swara Sagar. The cinematographer is Sai Sriram and the editing is done by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
WHAT'S CHALO ABOUT:
Hari is an engineering student who relishes getting into fights. Beating or getting beat up is fun for him. In an attempt to rid him of his violent behaviour, his parents send him off to a village called Tiruppuram through which the border dividing the states of Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu runs. The villagers are always at loggerheads with each other due to their pride of regional identities. Here, Hari, who is an Andhra boy, falls in love with Karthika who turns out to be the Tamil leader’s daughter. In a bid to get married to his love, Hari decides to stop the war between the Tamil and Andhra people of Tiruppuram. To know how he does this, go watch Chalo.
WHAT WORKS:
The movie’s biggest advantage is the music. The songs are great, and the background track elevates the narrative of the film. Naga Shourya and Rashmika both do a decent job and are greatly supported by the entire ensemble, especially comedians Satya, Viva Harsha and Mime Gopi. The cinematography lights up the screen in vibrant colours echoing the exuberance of young romance. The editing is crisp and helps the movie maintain a good pace even in its slacker parts. The director has developed a new premise and novel backdrop for opposing regional tussles and wars. The first half is quite funny and is supported with a tight screenplay. Certain dialogues are proof of Venky Kudumula’s good writing.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
Chalo had a lot of unique directions in which it could have gone, especially with the turmoil of the villagers as the backdrop. But it chooses to present clichéd characterizations and predictable scenes. The second half seems to drag, with the story struggling to move forward. The pre-climax completely morphs into a 'comedy of errors' genre and ultimately takes away from the seriousness of the regional war amongst the villagers.
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH:
Chalo is, without second thought, a good entertainer. It makes for a good one-time watch. It shows the repercussions of being violent and speaks against building walls between people based on regions or languages, although subtly.
RATING: 2.5/5