Yet again Krishna Vamsi falters to deceive. The director, after Khadgam, is somehow unable to find the right emotive mix for a blockbuster. As the titles roll out for Sasirekhpa Parinayam with that immortal “Ahana Pellanta” song from Maya Bazaar one can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. And after nearly 2 ½ hours one can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

What is it about : It is about Sasirekha (Genelia) being summoned by her father for an overnight wedding to a NRI. When the groom’s father Parachuri Gopalakrishna demands the entire dowry before the wedding, Sasirekha finds his attitude repulsive and runs away from home. On the run she meets Tarun. And she falls in love with him. To cut a long story short, they end up marrying each other and live happily ever after. Shades of jab we met, one would think. I for one thought, Sasirekhap Parinayam would even be better than that. Krishna Vamsi in my book is a better director than Imtiaz Ali. And if this film is any indication, Genelia can hold her own against Kareena’s histrionics. So why does me think that this is a 4-week run as against a 100-day run that jab we met was? The answer in one word is: faith. Imtiaz Ali trusted Kareena more than Krishna Vamsi trusted Genelia.

What is Good :  Genelia - she is coming into her own as an actress. A little into the second half she slips into a drunken banter and lays threadbare the hypocritical attitude of men and their inability to comprehend what a woman truly wants. This scene is vintage Krishna Vamsi – minimum histrionics for maximum impact. Genelia could have so easily overdone herself, but like Jayasudha in Dasari Narayana Rao’s Sivaranjani, she uses admirable restraint. From here on, the film picks up pace and punch. But one would think, it was a little too late.

What is bad: The film lacks relief. Krishna Vamsi simply does not have a funny bone in his frame. M.S.Narayana can make a dead man laugh and yet Krishna Vamsi does not have that comic timing to make use of such enormous talent. M.S. Narayana’s dialogues with the tax man are good. But with M.S in the star cast, greatness is the minimum the audience expects. One only has to look at any number of Telugu films shot in Konaseema with marriage as the backdrop. In all those films, the one emotion that comes to mind is comedy. A marriage is above all a joyous occasion. Sadly Krishna Vamsi, in search of that elusive hit, has taken himself too seriously and the strain shows.

Me Thinks: Watch it, simply because there are few better movies running today. The first half is adequate. The second half promises to be brilliant and except for the last half hour does not deliver on that promise. Watch it only for Genelia.

Tailpiece: It is time that Krishna Vamsi comes out of the Chandamama hangover. He should learn to trust his characters more. After all that is what his heroine expects in the movie!