Film: Alludu Adhurs
Cast: Bellamkonda Srinivas, Nabaha Natesh, Anu Emmanuel and Sonu Sood
Direction: Santosh Srinivas
Rating: 1.5
Time and again, filmmakers, especially directors, have been criticised about not moving out of their comfort formulaic template zone, merely instead basking in the glory of their previous outings. Case in point here is director Santosh Srinivas who still believes that a splash of his 2011-release, Kandireega, in each of his films henceforth will still bring him the same glory. And thus his latest—Alludu Adhurs, which tries hard to become a glorified version of Kandireega only to fall flat on its face.
A futile childhood love story breaks Sai Sreenivas’s heart (played by Bellamkonda Sreenivas), and he vows to never enter another relationship. But come adulthood, childhood memories are swept under the carpet, for Sreenivas decides that Kaumudhi (played by Nabha Natesh) is the love of his life. He is then seen trying, in multiple ways, to win her heart. But all hell breaks loose when it’s known that a powerful rowdy Gaja (played by Sonu Sood) also loves Kaumudhi. Adding spice to the proceedings is another rowdy and Kaumudhi’s father, Patel (Prakash Raj). As the plot unfolds, Sreenivas and Gaja battle to love and impress Kaumudhi. And voila! That’s Alludu Adhurs for you, an age-old commercial formula wrapped in the glitter of hallucinations.
The script is lacklustre, its monotony even making you cringe. The wait for something interesting to show up on the screen then makes you impatient, sometimes even begging you to scream your lungs out for something new. Then amid all the grandeur and visual chaos, as you’re assured it is all wrapping up, you’re compelled to watch a horror episode and a done-to-death climax.
The two villains in the film, who get a menacing introduction, perform comic acts later in the film, as if director Srinu Vaitla’s characters were running amok in filmmaker Santosh Srinivas’ world. And no, there’s nothing to delve into as regards music, so don’t even think of taking solace in it. One saviour for the Santosh-Srinivas directorial is the cinematography and colourful palettes by Chota K Naidu, which is impressive indeed.
As regards the cast of the film, Bellamkonda Sreenivas tries to entertain with his comedy, action and other elements typical to a Telugu hero. Nabha Natesh falls prey to a poorly written role while Anu Emmanuel takes the cake with her performance. Sonu Sood and Prakash Raj are just about adequate in their roles. Additionally, several actors waltz into the film, perhaps trying to create an impact in the garb of entertainment.
Alludu Adhurs has a wafer-thin storyline, which tries hard to infuse all the archetypal commercial mass and comic elements to create an effect. Sadly, though, barring a few comic stretches, it leaves nothing much to write home about. With too many force-fit elements and little substance, Alludu Adhurs is merely a now-tasteless old wine in a flashy bottle.
