Ongole Githa

Story: White (Ram) is a spunky mirchi trader who is engaged to Sandhya (Kriti), the daughter of Adikeshavulu (Prakash Raj). But Sandhya hates White, who has a secret score to settle with her dad. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse.

Movie Review: As bizarre as it sounds, it’s a typical “mass entertainer” that’s made with a touch of class! The elements are all mass – there is an eccentric son who is out to restore his father’s lost reputation, so he lands in the scheming villain’s den, romances his daughter over many elaborate - illogically logical - mind games and eventually has his way. So what’s new about that plot? Well, nothing much, but seems like most of the brains went into the packaging which is where the “classiness” comes through.

To draw a parallel it blends the breathlessness of Parugu with the quirkiness of Kandireega! It’s a different brand of quirkiness though. We can see that in the characterizations. White (Ram) is a run away kid who lands in the mirchi yard of Guntur as an orphaned 12 year-old. He drives a Yezdi that sounds like an enfield (blame it on the re-recording) and is prone to doing things on a whim.

He openly brags about how in every ten things he utters sic happen to be lies. “nenu 10 maatalu chepthe daanilo 6 abadhdhalu, 4 nizaalu untaayi,” goes the stock dialogue. He says he ran away from his native village (Thikkavaripalli, which literally translates into mad-peoples-village) to escape from the clutches of his doting father who seems to hell bent on turning White into a loser.

One night, after a drinking binge he sneaks into his fiancée, Sandhya’s home in the middle of the night to kiss her to seal his love for her. Sandhya is the pretty daughter of Adikeshavulu (Prakash Raj), the benevolent chairman of the market yard. Sandhya hates White and gets engaged to him against her wishes on the insistence of her father.

Adikeshavulu is not as nice as he would have the people believe though. A compulsive bad guy he puts up a mask of being the nice guy just earn the respect of the traders in the market yard. He is a contrived man the only time he is himself is when he enjoys his drink when stark naked in the privacy of his room. Must say the sight of a naked Prakash Raj isn’t a pretty one especially when you see it a few times in the movie.

The writing in the movie is pretty original and has a dry humor about it. There is one comic sequence in which Ali dresses up like Sandhya to trick White which is the comic highlight of the film. The comedy is more situational and subtle rather than the in your face variety we generally see in Tollywood. Off we have the innuendos but they are smarter than usual.

As far as acting goes, Ram and Prakash Raj take the cake. Ram puts in a characteristically exuberant performance while Prakash Raj works up a devious kind of villainy this time around. Kriti Kharbanda looks cute and does a decent job of holding her own despite playing a character with little scope to do any acting.

The music which is largely peppy accentuates the rustic flavor of the film as does the cinematography. One action sequence in a sugarcane field which plays out in the backdrop if a “drunk on toddy song,” sung by Prabhu is another highlight.

The film sure has it’s moments but it’s just that it’s a case of repackaging old wine in a new bottle. The newness we’re afraid is just restricted to the spicing. It’s stereotypical but mindless fun nevertheless.

Tip–Off: Watch it if you are in the mood for some lame fun, for that’s all this film has to offer.