A quirky ride!
Film: DJ Tillu
Cast: Siddu Jonnalagedda and Neha Shetty
Director: Vimal Krishna
Rating: 3
Story: What happens when a local DJ who is living under false prestige and a girl with a pragmatic approach hit it off instantly? A journey of fun and also of vengeance ensues!
Review: Bala Gangadhar Tilak aka DJ Tillu (Siddu Jonnalagadda) is a native Hyderabadi who loves to show off his DJ-ing skills during local celebrations. His father is against his profession, Tillu lives under false prestige, hoping to be a successful DJ one day.
It’s love at first sight for him when he sees singer Radhika (Neha Shetty). They instantly hit it off.
The film’s director Vimal Krishna established the lead characters early in the film – always a smart thing to do.
It’s a character-driven narrative, and the film takes off on a hilarious note! Siddu’s dressing style, his body language, his antics and gestures set the mood and lift the scenes.
Interestingly, Siddu also co-wrote the film, so he knew his strengths. Some of the dialogues in typical Telangana accent are very comical.
He gets entangled in a murder and tries to prove his innocence. And this is where the writing excels – Siddu manages to deliver funny lines that sound natural.
The director keeps the audience entertained for the entire first half. The love track between Siddu and Radhika and the predicaments are portrayed in an amusing way.
Just when the audience becomes curious about how Tillu and Radhika will solve their murder mystery, several characters are introduced - and the crime comedy loses steam during the second half. There were one too many characters. Had the filmmaker stuck to the main characters, the film would have been more impactful.
Director Vimal Krishna also tries to weave in an emotional angle between Tillu and Radhika and it only adds to the humour.
Though Neha Shetty is adequate, her character lacks panache
The hospital episode from where the film’s pre climax begins could have been more crisply written. The filmmaker has taken a lot of liberties when it comes to scenes revolving around Siddu’s memory loss. However, the background score is one of the saving graces and a great add-on.
Siddu needs to be appreciated for pulling off the title role with elan. He was apt for the part and does his role convincingly while creating an impression as a writer too.
On the whole, DJ Tillu is a breezy entertainer that has elements of fun and quirkiness. The writing was cool, but goes overboard towards the end. Watch out for Siddu’s characterisation and performance.
