Akshay Shah Reviews "OKKADU" (Telugu, 2003)

OKKADU (Telugu, 2003):

Every once in a while comes a film so simply in it’s story and storytelling yet the manner in which the material is presented is so entertaining that one cannot really complain-OKKADU is one such film! The movie on face-value sounds like the usual “masala” film, however the treatment merged with some sparkling performance catapult the movie to another level.

The film revolves around Ajay (Mahesh Babu) who is a kabaddi player and the son of an A.C.P (Mukesh Rishi at his positive best). Ajay is a street-smart hoodlum who has formed a street gang of sorts with the local boys in the area and is constantly fighting with another local gang. Ajay goes to Kurnool for a Kabaddi tournament where he runs into Swapna(Bhoomika Chawla) in the most unlikely of circumstances. Swapna is on the run from Kurnool trying to get to the U.S. Chasing her is the beast-like Obul Reddy(Prakash Raj) who is in “love” with Swapna and wants to marry her, even though he has killed Swapnas two brothers. Obul is from a powerful family in the area with his brother being a Home Minister and his word is the law.

Ajay rescues Swapna from the clutches of Obul Reddy and escapes from Kurnool back to Hyderabad. Ajay hides Swapna in his room as he figures out a way to get her a VISA so that she can travel to the U.S. Meanwhile the Home Minister gets the entire Police Force(including Ajays father) to start searching for Swapna and the “boy” who helped her escape from Obul. Thus begins a cat n mouse race against time between Ajay and Obul …oh yea and along the way Swapna has started to fall in love with Ajay too.

The story has been well written. The basic premise of the movie is about a mans mission to protect a girl and send her to safety-the U.S. While the first half has been devoted to establishing the character of Mahesh Babu and his family as well as initialising the “clash” between Mahesh and Obul Reddy the second half builds up further on the clash as well as establishing a poignant love story between Babu and Chawla as well as the defeat of Obul Reddy. Gunasekhar does a really good job with the story however it’s the screenplay that makes the difference.

The screenplay in the movie has been superbly written and engages the viewer from the first scene. Gunesekhar is no doubt confident with the material he is dealing with and the sequence of events unfold in the most fluid manner.

As a director Gunasekhar is fantastic! He handles the story with flourish and takes time by allowing the movie to grow on the viewer rather than forcing anything on the viewer. The first half has an equal dose of comedy, family moments as well as action. I guess the turning point in the movie is Mahesh Babus first “interaction” with Prakash Raj. The scene is infact so simple and in many a ways so clichéd, however the manner in which it has been directed is basically what masala cinema stands for.

Picture this….our hideous villain who rules the area forcing the unwilling gorgeous heroine into his jeep. A bystander on the phone watches….he comes out of the phone booth slowly…and starts walking over to the villain. We-the viewer know that this guy is not to be messed with but our hero is out of town…he doesn’t know this as he slowly walks over to the villain only to smack him in the face we know that we’re hooked! No, it’s not rocket science, its spicy old masala. Gunasekhar KNOWS the key ingredients of a masala entertainer and in a sense he overblows the whole element which works in the movies flavour. Our hero is a “HERO” in the truest sense. A do-gooder with a heart of gold though he is always in the bad books of his dad. Fearless and pious he is willing to fight for the right cause without a flinch against anyone. The scene that follows where Babu outwits Reddys entire gang too is simply superb. The second half definitely slows down in pace only to pick up towards the end again. The sequence as Reddys men and the police are both after Babu and Chawla, and as they escape in a amidst a crowd of Muslims going to pray the “namaaz” is simply surreal and again reaffirming that Gunesekhar knows his mettle. The climax is apt and has the required punch.

The best way to describe this movie is a modern-day-masala meets a fairytale. The whole premise of a “ideal” hero, a “damsel in distress” and a “villain” who is the villain in the truest sense. The whole “love story” has a magical feeling to it, hence giving the movie its fairytale edge(the sequences that Babu and Chawla have in Charminar are just outstanding and add a magical touch to the movie). Above all..the troll-like Prakash Raj with his hunched look, beady eyes and grunting face symbolises everything that a “villain” should be. Good versus evil..love triumphs over all…get my drift?

The star of the show is no doubt Mahesh Babu! When I first saw Mahesh Babu he looked like a distant cousin of Chunky Panday mixed with some “chikna” Rajshri launch. His boyish looks, wide grin and “twinkle” in the eye made him look like everything that a required lover-boy should be however definitely NOT what a required action hero should be. But when Mahesh Babu starts fighting I was jaw-dropped. Faster than a bullet, smarter than Einstein and above all absolutely fucking vicious Babu changes the perception garnered by the first impression he gives in a split second. Babu completely excels in the action sequences completely convincing the viewer that he is on tough mutha-fu*ka! The best example of this would be when he takes on Prakash Raj and his entire clan-its completely outrageous yet deliciously entertaining and Babu has a almost magnetic energy when he is fighting that leaves the viewer mesmerised. Looks…wit…charm….from a lover-boy to a street-smart, headstrong vicious warrior..Mahesh Babu has the whole package-in short….the ULTIMATE “masala” hero in the most unlikely form!

Bhoomika is perfect in her part. I have always liked her since TERE NAAM, and she gives another likeable performance here. Natural in the dramatic and romantic scenes she makes her character of Swapna very likeable.

Prakash Raj is simply brilliant. His looks in the movie is wicked, and he plays the evil Obul Reddy with panache. I have always maintained that a great villainy act should be able to make the viewer laugh (sometimes nervously) while being able to completely convince them that he MEANS BUSINESS. From Gabbar Singh, to Mogambo all had a element of madcap humour and in that sense Obul Reddy falls into that category(though he isn’t as great a villain as Gabbar Singh) he has all the quissential requirements of a villain in a masala mould. The way he says “I Love You” to Bhoomika is just hilarious!

It’s a pleasure to see Mukesh Rishi in a positive role after RUN(Hindi) and SARFAROSH. He adds a certain amount of sincerity to his portrayal.

The rest of the supporting actors from Mahesh Babus mother to sister, to Obul Reddys mum and brother are all apt in their parts and perform ably.

Mani Sharmas music is excellent. All the songs are well picturised and extremely likeable, and for the most didn’t interfere with the movies singular narrative.
The background score too rocks.

Technically the film is an extremely polished product. The cinematography is outstanding here, and captures the look and feel of the movie superbly. From the gritty fight sequences to the romantic scenes the entire movie has that definite “fairy tale” look that I’ve been talking about. The sets too are jaw-dropping. Specially that of Charminar which looks totally exquisite. The action sequences are slick and fast….very fast! They completely cater to the “masses” but with a definitive touch of class. Srikar Prasads editing is good, however the second half could’ve been trimmed to maintain the movies pace.

All up OKKADU is a gem of a movie with all the required elements to make it the ultimate modern day “masala” blockbuster. Yes, the movie does have its share of flaws, however with something as entertaining as OKKADU you don’t sit there and pick flaws especially when they take a backseat compared to the entertainment factor!

8.0/10.0

A.Shah