Movie Review | ‘Veera Simha Reddy’ reinforces the brand Balayya

We go to Taj Mahal to appreciate love and belongingness, we go to Vizag to appreciate nature; we go to Chennai to enjoy South Indian delicacies. Everyone, every product, every personality has a certain brand image which people love forever.

We go to Balayya movies to listen to his ferocious dialogues, and enthralling fierce fights, watch peppy dance numbers and watch his love for the Telugu language and Indian culture. He is the mass ‘mogudu’ on the silver screen. Balayya is mass and mass is Balayya. Balayya and his movies defy logic and are made to entertain his hardcore fans and this one is no exception.

‘Veera Simha Reddy’ lives up to Balayya brand image and how. He’s shown in the fiercest mass avatar ever. The movie showcases the mass stamina of Balayya to the younger generations. As usual, the high-powered dialogues in his base voice make the antagonists and the powers-to-be in certain states shiver. The character is tailor-made for Balayya which is enhanced by high-octane music and a background score by Thaman. Balayya looks ultra-cool, fab and stylish in khadi lungis. (In all likelihood, it’s set to become a craze)

Jaya Simha Reddy (Junior Balakrishna) lives with his mother, Meenakshi (Honey Rose), in Istanbul. He falls in love with Eesha (Shruti Haasan) and decides to marry her. Then Meenakshi reveals the identity of Jaya’s father, Veera Simha Reddy (Senior Balakrishna), who lives in Rayalaseema and is considered a god in the region. Bhanumathi (Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar, Balakrishna’s sister from another mother) and Pratap Reddy (Duniya Vijay) want to kill Veera Simha Reddy for the past 30 years.

Why does his sister want to kill the doting brother Veera Simha Reddy? Why did Veera Simha Reddy leave his wife and son? All these questions are answered in typical trademark flashback episodes of Balayya movies, in the second half.

It’s a tailor-made role for Balayya as he is fondly known to his legion of fans and critics. Though he performed both roles with mastery, Balayya excels in senior character.

It’s not easy to stand up to the most powerful man on the screen, Balayya. But Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar as Balayya’s sister stood her ground with her histrionics and matched Balayya’s performance frame-to-frame. The emotional bonding between the two worked out well.

Duniya Vijay portrays his character in the most menacing way. He gets one of the best debuts in Telugu movies.

Shruthi Hassan’s role is limited to a couple of scenes and dances. Other actors including Naveen Chandra, Lal, Ajay Ghosh, and Murali Sharma among others have done their bit.

On the whole, ‘Veera Simha Reddy’ is a typical Telugu Balayya action entertainer that has all the massy elements to entertain Balakrishna fans. Balayya is outstanding, and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar stuns everyone. You can watch it this Sankranti to enjoy a quintessential Balayya movie.

Movie: Veera Simha Reddy
Director: Gopichand Malineni
Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Honey Rose, Shruti Haasan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Duniya Vijay  
Music: S. Thaman