Guntur Kaaram Movie Review

As Sankranti hits off once again this year, Superstar Mahesh Babu returns to the silver screens with his massive movie Guntur Kaaram directed by his hitmaking companion Trivikram Srinivas.

The film boasts an ensemble cast of actors like Sreeleela, Meenakshii Chaudhary, Ramya Krishnan, Jagapathi Babu, Jayaram, and many more in key roles. The film is musically crafted by S Thaman with Manoj Paramahamsa and Naveen Nooli handling the cinematography and editing of the film.

If you're planning to watch Guntur Kaaram this week in theaters, try reading the Pinkvilla review before you decide to or not.

Plot: 

Guntur Kaaram features the story of a highly-explosive goon-like individual Venkata Ramana, who has a troubling relationship with his mother who deserted him when he was a child over a dispute caused by a warehouse burning and sending his father to jail.

The film follows the journey of a son trying to find his way back to his mother while she is still reluctant to show her love with hurdles coming in front of him, who play a political game to keep the mother and son apart. What happens to their relationship is explored in the film further on.

The Good in Guntur Kaaram:

Mahesh Babu is by far the highest advantage for the film. The film peaks in most points over the impeccable nature of Mahesh's charm and charismatic energy which fills up the screens in whatsoever scenes he appears. The swag he presumes is a big reason for the film's entertainment factor.

The film is what everyone would expect after watching the trailer and considering Trivikram Srinivas is helming the project. A family entertainer film that is packed with mass moments and a contending relationship between a son and his deserted mother. The film packs a whole lot of emotion which rides on these two characters and how they find their way to each other.

Trivikram Srinivas and Mahesh Babu joining hands once again with a family entertainer like this is a treat for fans with the superstar carving out every mass moments and dance scene with full-on flair and vibrance. The intro sequence of the film itself showcasing a rugged Mahesh is whistle-worthy which makes the following dance number for the song Dum Masala all the more fun to watch.

Interestingly, the song also serves as an ode to the late superstar Krishna, with his son dancing in front of his cutouts.

All the more, the film Guntur Kaaram is essentially a film made with keeping in mind to satiate the die-hard fans of Mahesh Babu who are seeing him after two years on the big screen.

Along with Mahesh Babu, Ramya Krishnan plays a dominating mother in the film with Prakash Raj being a formidable antagonist. Though the screen time was low for Jayaram, the actor gave his best playing the role of the protagonist’s father. Moreover, the comedic gags of Vennela Kishore do work standing as a relief from time to time.

The technical side of the film has to be praised for Manoj Paramahamsa who has done his iconic style of yellowish lighting in the frames along with the long drawn aerial drone shots and 360° shots that elevate the mass moments in the film.

Adding to this, Keralites might feel a slight resemblance to the left eye damage and the problematic relationship the son and mother have with the 2005 Malayalam film Rajamanikyam but that is where the resemblance ends with Mahesh Babu making this his own.

The Bad in Guntur Kaaram:

Coming to the bad in Guntur Kaaram, the leading ladies Sreeleela and Meenakshii Chaudhary add nothing of value to these scenes besides the occasional side-eye looks and dance numbers one of them has. While Sreeleela becomes the primary love interest of the hero with constant gasps of awe at the hero’s antics to the cringe-worthy expressions in unnecessary situations prevail in this film, similar to most of her previous films.

The second leading lady Meenakshii Chaudhary though possessing a better acting range was limited to staying in the shadows with occasional glimpses of her character coming and going as if annoyed by her cousin. But she had more time on the screen than Jagapathi Babu who felt so out of place in this film, playing an unnecessary character from the very start. Additionally, a scene where Sreeleela is being compared to Okkadu heroine Bhumika felt out of taste and can be a bit problematic when viewed through a contemporary setting.

The first half presented a lot of mass moments and ear-bangers with exhilarating action sequences but was also stuffed with many dragged-out scenes. The second half though was more concise in presenting the main plot of the film without deviating into unnecessary tropes of commercial cinema.

The technical side of editing did feel lacking on several occasions with a choppy feel here and there. Along with that S Thaman did a formidable job with bangers like Dum Masala and Kurchi Madathapetti with a few background scores hitting hard but by far this is not the composer’s best work nor his worst.

Verdict of Guntur Kaaram:

Guntur Kaaram is worth watching for family audiences in theaters for Sankranti this year with Mahesh Babu presenting a soft-baked movie to a whole another level with his charm and charisma. The film provides a whole new shade in masala movies for Mahesh Babu but this does not qualify close to other Trivikram-Mahesh Babu films like Athadu or Khaleja.

The film is surely a treat for fans and is a festival of sorts for them to enjoy in the theaters until Superstar returns with another film, maybe in a year or two.