Malupu directed by veteran director Raviraja Pinisetty’s son Satya Prabhas is the dubbed version of a Tamil film named Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka. It is a coming of age mystery thriller about four friends and an incident that turned their lives upside down.
Story :
Satish Ganapathi aka Saga (Aadhi) is so close with his three friends. They decide to spend six months together before getting busy with their life. Something unexpected happens when one of them goes overboard in a drunken state. A girl goes missing and her father, an influential national level celebrity Mudaliyar (Mithun Chakravarthy) is after them. Saga should bring her back to save his family and friends. Can he?
Performances:
Aadhi is superb as Saga. He is extremely believable when he helplessly weeps or flexes his muscles. He makes it look very simple but it is not an as easy task as it appears to be. Nikki is effective as the tomboyish female lead. Mithun Chakravarthy literally steals the show with his awesome screen presence and spotless performance. Harish Uttaman is good. Pasupathy is aptly cast. Richa Pallod makes her presence felt. Pragathi goes overboard. Nassar is his usual self.
Technicalities:
Satya Prabhas is good at his craft. He has brought out the best from his technical team. He made an engaging thriller with a simple plot. He is surely a talent to watch out for.
Songs are not necessary for this film. A couple of songs could’ve been edited out of the final cut. Background score is pretty good. Cinematography is brilliant. Technically Malupu is a sound film.
Thumbs Up:
Screenplay
Thrills
Aadhi
Background score
Thumbs Down:
Too violent
Dragged climax
Analysis:
Malupu is an engaging thriller that keeps getting better and better as the story unfolds. Although the real ‘twist’ comes only in the second half, director used spaced flashback technique to keep the viewers hooked right from the outset. Love story of Aadhi and Nikki Galrani offers freshness and is thoroughly entertaining.
Second half is racy with some brilliantly canned scenes. The restaurant scene and the drama that follows is ‘paisa-vasool’ stuff with a lot of moments that will give you Goosebumps. Confrontation scenes between Mithun and Aadhi were brilliantly shot. The scenes that focus on the might of Mithun’s character are excellent.
While most of the film is filled with natural emotions and situations, the mystery behind the whole mishap turns out to be a cinematic one. Also the climax is a bit over the top with unnecessary violence. Director went overboard in elevating the friendship angle. This film would have been much better had the director taken care of the climatic portions. Despite the problems, Malupu has its moments that will leave you awestruck. A definite watch for someone who cherishes different cinema.
Verdict: Thriller full of Twists and Turns.
