Review : Chandamama Kathalu – Too Many Stories
 Chandamama-Kathalu Release date : April 25, 2014
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Director : Praveen Sattaru
Producer :Chanakya Bhooneti
Music Director :Mickey J Meyer
Starring :Lakshmi Manchu, Aamani, Naresh, Krishnudu,Chaitanya Krishna

‘Chandamama Kathalu’ has been promoted as the first true anthology film in Telugu. A number of senior actors like Amani, Naresh, Lakshmi Manchu etc have played important roles in this movie and Praveen Sattaru has directed this movie. Anil Sunkara of ATV has picked up a stake. Let us check out this film now.

Story :

This film has different stories that come together for a writer’s script. There is the story of former supermodel Lisa Smith (Lakshmi Manchu). She is on her way down as a model and life becomes very frustrating for her. She loses her lavish lifestyle. Then there is the story of a software engineer (Krishnudu), who is desperate to get married as he is turing 30.

Another story is that of a rogue college kid who wants to get rich fast by trapping the daughter of a minister. The next story is that of a beggar who prudently saves up money over the years to buy a house that he desires. A shopkeeper who falls in love with a young girl is cheated by her, when she takes off in search of a better groom from Dubai. A village guy who decides to stalk a girl finally ends up marrying her when elders find out.

A newly widowed woman (Aamani) rediscovers the joys of life when an old flame (Naresh) makes an entry into her life. All of these characters finally end up as story written by a journalist (Kishore) who is desperate for money to cure his daughter.

What happens in the end is what this film is about.

Plus Points :

Lakshmi Manchu has performed well in a role that does not have much to offer. She is quite convincing in the role of Lisa Smith. Kishore has given a subtle performance as a writer who is struggling for money.

Krishnudu is good as the guy who is desperate to get married. Aamani and Naresh are ok in their respective roles. The philosophical aspects like the author being hit by a slip of paper which contains a sloka from Bhagawad Geetha etc. have been handled nicely.

Some of the scenes and emotions have been handled in a mature way.

Minus Points :

The problem with this film is that there are too many stories and no single actor/thread manages to engage the viewer significantly. Just as you start connecting to one character, it is cut off in a flash and the focus shifts to another character. Apparently, the director used algebra for allotting screen time to actors. Clearly, this has not worked.

The pace of the film is very very slow. Perhaps, fewer stories and characters would have helped considerably. Because of the presence of too many characters, no one actor got a chance to showcase his/her talent.

The movie is not a typical commercial entertainer and regular movie lovers will find the movie to be quite boring. The film is very predictable and despite being an anthology film, one does not get the feeling of freshness that should have come from such a story.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is strictly average. It is very tough to edit a film like this and the editor has done an ok job. Dialogues are very flat and there is nothing exciting or memorable in the lines. Background score is very routine.

Praveen Sattaru’s direction is not up to the mark. He has chosen a novel concept, but he has failed in the execution part completely.

Verdict :

‘Chandamama Kathalu’ has too many stories and too little screen time for each actor. As a result, what you get is a hodge-podge mix of some short stories, rather than a cohesive and complete film. The slow pace and poor entertainment levels just spoil the experience further. Apart from some good performances, the only saving grace for the film is its novel concept.

123telugu Rating – 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team


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