Sometimes it feels like words like “uncomfortable” aren’t enough. Not everyone is as talented as Sashi Tharoor, so your vocabulary will be put to the test. So, Trivikram Srinivas is in a good position. Misogynistic approaches to cinema have left their mark on our social mindspace. When Sandeep Reddy Vanga succeeds in selling beasts under the name 'Animal', it comes at a difficult time for those who see cinema as having social influence. Currently, Sandeep Reddy's 'Arjun Reddy' has become the benchmark. He is the new normal. They are the new normal. Scene after scene is shown over the course of about three hours, depicting 'Guntur Kalam', a spice that must be sold with a legal warning that it is poisonous and causes ulcers in sensitive people. As I watch the fatigue-stricken audience leave the theater like a herd of sheep, my heart aches for the audience and the hopeful, naive flock of guinea pigs walking towards the guillotine and waiting. .
Objectifying women is an old habit and actually expresses our style of cinema. Luckily, Bollywood has far surpassed that. It evolved from the way the likes of Shammi Kapoor used to woo women (Rafi aside). Tollywood still enjoys the old formula of loosely discussing female anatomy. Our mainstream cinema recognizes it as an exciting cocktail of art and commerce. The heroines (here Sreeela) have no qualms about being physically examined under a microscope through the gaze of a man (in this case Mahesh Babu).
Have actor Sunil literally beat someone to death before they even take a seat. Sledding is a new way to play. This is followed by an explosion. It is pointless to look at the storyline of 'Guntur Karam' beyond a certain point. The villains Marx and Lenin are the big lawbreakers of Guntur. Satyam is a victim of their conspiracy. Lenin (Sunil) is killed in a group battle that resembles a mini-civil war. Satyam (Jeyram) is responsible. On that occasion, Satyam's son partially lost his eyesight due to a factory explosion. Satyam's wife Vyala Vasundhara (Ramya Krishna) abandons her family including her son, her sister-in-law (Easwari Rao) and her husband (Raghu Babu).
Fast forward some two decades and we find Vasundhara the face of the political party led by her father Venkata Swamy (Prakash Raj). Vasundhara is currently married to Narayana (Rao Ramesh). Patriarch Venkata Swami wants to make his son Gopal (Rahul Ravindran) the successor to his personal political empire. A flimsy man tries to blackmail, seduce and assassinate Ramana (Mahesh Babu) from the spot in order to eliminate any claim to the throne, but how he sees through the plan remains to be seen. This is the story of Guntur Kalam.
Usually, the film includes characters ranging from Marx (Jagapathi Babu) to insignificant Abu (Ajay), Katta Madhu (Ravi Shanker), Haridas (Ajay Ghosh), Jacob (Pammi Sai) and the namesake It's packed with different layers and villains, right down to the missing son. Lenin's (Mahesh Achanta). Not every villain can match the hustle and brains of the hero called 'Guntur Kalam'. The subtitle itself reads “Muttukunte Antukuntundi” and is highly flammable.
The script revolves around the romance between Ammu (Sreela), daughter of Pani (Moorli Sharma), and a lawyer working on the orders of Venkat Swamy. Typically, the films range from sexist remarks to insensitive footage of violence. Thus, Ammu's drunken dance to the song “Oh My Baby” got the desired effect: lots of catcalls. Virtue ends there. It's a real shame that people with the social clout of mainstream heroines are so willing to cater to their baser instincts. An example of choreography would be the “Oh my baby” dance, then there would be a scene of destruction after her FIR is brought against the main character, showing the excessive joy of destruction. The filmmaker's world is filled with men with an appetite for the grotesque. They're all intent on spewing out noise and dust and sand and rust. It constitutes a painful experience in which a busload of shabby men have to sit for nearly 160 minutes as they drop their hats, kill them, and fall (as the audience says) on their prey.
Search hard for something positive and you'll find Ramya Krishna in her signature designer saree. She has dignity and grace. It's amazing how Rao Ramesh can add authenticity to anything, even the usual Tollywood stuff. He is a misplaced gift. Venera Kishore as the sidekick brings laughs. The only positive thing worth noting about Sreeela is the pink kurta she wears in the film.
Mahesh Babu, who plays the lead role, has reached the comfort of inertia. His trademark dancing, sarcastic comments (often sexist) are repetitive. Artists of greater talent and stature have suffered the side effects of repeating themselves, but there is no logic for Mahesh Babu to believe that he is different. Box office results seem to suggest it's time for Matinee Idol to change gears. He will avoid it at his own risk.
You need a huge appetite and a high desensitivity quotient to understand anything about 'Guntur Kalam'.
