Sambho Shiva Sambho is not a typical Ravi Teja film. In fact it is not even a typical Telugu film. The hero does not get his girl. He risks his everything for his friend’s love marriage which ends in a divorce even before the proverbial song and dance sequence ends. And by the time the audience walks out of the theater they are as confused as the hero.

What is it about : The film is about Karna (Ravi Teja) an unemployed youngster who values friendship and honesty above everything else in his life. His friends Malli and Seenu are the usual lot many of us can identify with. Malli – a role essayed by Allari Naresh – wears his heart on his sleeve and is especially endearing. Into their lives walks Santosh (the son of a MLA) who falls in love with a factionist’s daughter Priya. Karna, Malli and Seenu join hands to unite Santosh and Priya. In the process they also take the help of local Naanni (Sunil). In the process their lives get shattered. In the fights that ensue, Malli becomes deaf, Seenu loses his leg. And Karna’s maamayya (Thanikella Bharani) refuses the hand of his daughter to Karna because of him getting involved in a police case. In between all this they get the news that Santosh and Priya have separated because they get “bored” of each other. Karna gets angry because he feels that too much has been sacrificed for the sake of Santosh. So he wants to teach him a lesson. How Karna and Malli manage to do that is the story of the rest of the film.

What is Good: The realism in the film is excellent In fact it is way too intense so as to cause a measure of discomfort. The scenes where Karna and his friends run off with Priya from the warlord’s den in Kurnool are shot with authenticity. The blood and gore can make you wince. Also the scene where Karna’s maradalu (Priyamani) tries to fight for the love of her man with her father (Thanikella Bharani) is intense and so very real. The dialogues between the friends and their interplay with their families is easily identifiable. The director manages to get middle class authenticity into the screen in a manner not seen for a long time in the Telugu screen. Cinematography is sharp and detailed. The film in the first half manages to sustain the viewer’s interest.

What is bad: In the second half the film sinks under a tidal wave of emotion. The whole atmosphere of the film gets noisy. Telugu audiences are not used to this level of emotional heaviness especially when the film has Ravi Teja in it. Fans who expect the usual dose of slap stick humor, punch dialogues and racy songs – the staple diet in Ravi a Teja film - will be disappointed. Sunil’s comedy is a let-down. The songs and dance have a distinct “tamil” flavor in them. Priyamani looks like a ragged doll. I don’t recollect the last time a Telugu heroine was presented with such a heavy foundation make up throughout the film. The characters of Roja (Santosh’s mother) and Mukesh Rishi (Priya’s father) are wasted. But the biggest conflict is with the message in itself. On the one hand the director seems to be telling that one should not rush headlong into love marriages. On the other hand his Karna’s character seems to be ready to help another set of lovers get united. And to add to the confusion, Karna himself seems to accept that his love is doomed.

Bottom Line: Watch it if you are a hard core Ravi Teja fan. And even then prepare to see him like you have never seen him before. He is totally deglamorised – sad really considering the fact that he looks fit as a fiddle. In this packed Sankranthi schedule, Sambho Siva Sambho seems to have dropped out of the race, which in all likelihood will be between Adhurs and Namom Venkatesa. That I guess speaks about the status of this film.