Prathi Roju Pandage
Cast: Sai Tej, Raashi Khanna, Sathya Raj, Vijay Kumar, Rao Ramesh, Hari Teja, Jabardust Mahesh
Director: Maruthi Dasari
Family dramas are always a safe bet in Telugu cinema if they narrated well. Director Maruthi walks the beaten path with ‘Prathi Roju Pandage’, starring Sai Tej and Raashi Khanna.
Raghuramayya (Sathya Raj) is diagnosed with lung cancer, and he is given five weeks. His three sons and a daughter are settled in different places and their response to his illness is tepid. His grandson Sai (Sai Tej) rushes to see the old man without informing his family. The rest of the family then rushes to see the Raghuramayya. The main drama starts there.
Director Maruthi taken a simple family drama and narrates in a beautiful way. The story is all too common, of children leaving their parents in their native places and going out in search of better opportunity, Maruthi’s forte is comedy, and he resorts to humour and the occasional emotional scenes to tell the story.
He focuses on the bond between the old man and the grandson. Maruthi also deals with the dilemma of those living outside who calculate their leaves — or are forced to count their leaves — when their father is ill. But for all this, the climax is quite pale.
Character actor Rao Ramesh steals the show, putting on display his versatility and impeccable dialogue delivery. Character artistes rarely get an opportunity and Rao Ramesh shows character artistes too can be a draw if they get a chance. This role takes him to new heights.
Sathya Raj shows his experience and lives the grandfather’s role. Sai Tej is perfect as the grandson. Raashi Khanna nails the role of a girl who obsessed with TikTok videos. Hari Teja gets a good role after a long time. Jaikumar’s cinematography is good and captures Rajahmundry’s locales beautifully. Thaman once again is on top with his good music. There are also some catchy songs. The dialogues are entertain, thought provoking and also colloquial.
‘Prathi Roju Pandage’ is a regular story but director Maruthi enhances it with his narration. The performances of Rao Ramesh, Sathya Raj and Sai Tej are the highlights.
