Ko Ante Koti

Synopsis: Vamsi (Sharwanad) is thief who is looking to mend his ways. But Maya (Srihari) arm twists him into doing one final heist, along with PC (Nischal) and Chitti (Lakshman).

Movie Review: In an industry like ours where cliché is mass produced, when a filmmaker attempts a format that’s rarely (perhaps never and does it reasonably successfully at that) been done before, can make you want to overlook everything else – will this movie click with the masses? Is there enough masala? Was the interval bang good enough? Will it work in the B and C centers?…the existential issues that dominate general Telugu cinema analysis.

But then we are all products of our environment, so conventional wisdom would suggest this movie is a non-starter.However, if you happen to be the type who pines for the kind of larky mayhem associated with a Tarantino film, you might just see the brighter side of it all. Mind you, Anish Kuruvialla is no Quentin Tarrentino, and this movie is no masterpiece either, but there is integrity in the filmmaking that’s hard to miss though the end result isn’t exactly spectacular.

There is plenty of dry humor though. “Poojaki panikirani pubeep nuvvu, needi nuvve vayinchuko” goes a line. “Small speaker but big volume,” a rather frail Chitti says to an obese underwear clad PC, boasting about his fart being stronger! Yes the two of them fart in the same scene! The look and feel of the movie compliments the nonchalant mood of the film and adds that extra bit of drama to the proceedings.

As far as the story goes, it’s simple heist drama. Four wastrels – Vamsi, Maya, PC, Chitti – plot to rob crores from a vault that’s loaded with black money. It is guarded by Christopher, a dreaded goon. Maya is the mastermind and everything goes to plan until PC drops dead. Greed gets the better of Maya as things spiral out of control. And it turns out Vamsi needs to find the money to save his girl friend, Sathya (Priya). His love story is the missing link in the jigsaw and is revealed in a rather tasteful flashback.

Sri Hari has the author backed role but he might just have gone overboard in his enthusiasm, but does a decent job nevertheless. Sharwanand puts in a characteristically intense performance playing a carefree conman with shades of grey. Priya Anand looks convincing as a village belle with a heart of gold. The filmmaker exploited her features admirably. The chemistry between the lead pair is sizzling especially in the song, Vaarala Vaana.

Well the film has its share of lose ends though, quite a few of them. The slow pace at which the plot unravels turns out to be a dampener. The writing though wry and randomly matter-of-fact lacks the much needed chutzpah, as a result a lot of episodes fall flat. The climax as well seems to be more stylized than climactic. Also there are quite a few moments in the movie that are just too haphazard. The stirring background score though helps paper over inherent stumbling blocks in the narrative. The Rummu Dammu song is easily the best.

Tip Off: It’s a little too nonchalant by normal Tollywood standards, so watch it if you are in the mood to watch something off the beaten track.