Latest Telugu Movie Review

Review: Godari Gattupaina – Works in parts

by 123telugu May 9, 2026

Movie Name : Godari Gattupaina

Release Date : May 08, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring : Sumanth Prabhas, Nidhi Pradeep and others
Director : Subash Chandra
Producer : Abhinav Rao
Music Director : Naga Vamshi
Cinematographer : Saai Santosh
Editor : Anil Pasala
Related Links : Trailer

Sumanth Prabhas has now come up with the romantic drama Godari Gattupaina. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Raju (Sumanth Prabhas) belonging to Velpuru is an auto driver. He accidentally meets engineering student Maaya (Nidhi Pradeep) and falls in love with her. Initially, Maaya hates Raju, but slowly she develops feelings for him. However, Maaya doesn’t do anything that her father Sam Babu (Jagapathi Babu) dislikes. How Raju wins Maaya’s hand in marriage forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points:

Music is the quintessential aspect of any love story, and Godari Gattupaina gets this element right. The first half almost feels like a musical entertainer with back-to-back songs that are soothing to listen to and pleasant to watch. Music drives the proceedings for most of the first half.

Sumanth Prabhas did a fine job in Godari Gattupaina. His effort to ace the Godavari slang is visible. As Sumanth stated in the interviews, the film tries to portray an auto driver as innocent and a good soul, avoiding the usual mass angle, which adds freshness to the character.

Debutant Nidhi Pradeep is neat in her role. She displayed conviction in her performance and appeared confident throughout the film. The drama during the last half-an-hour is decent. Sudarshan evokes some laughs here and there with his comic timing.

Minus Points:

Apart from the love story, Godari Gattupaina also aims to showcase a father-daughter bond, but the movie doesn’t do proper justice to this aspect. More scenes highlighting the bond could have been included to bring the desired impact at the end. Jagapathi Babu’s screen time should have been increased by reducing some unnecessary scenes.

There isn’t anything fresh or magical about the love story, with the scenes being quite normal in nature. The conflict point between the lead pair comes suddenly and should have had proper establishment beforehand. Given the plot, Godari Gattupaina feels too long, and it could have been easily 20 minutes shorter.

There is a block that revolves around a false rape accusation, and the entire sequence isn’t treated sensibly. A dialogue by the hero’s father casually brushes aside the damage a false accusation can cause to a man while only treating the woman’s reputation as serious. These lines come across as disrespectful, and this portion should have had a more balanced approach.

Technical Aspects:

Naga Vamshi’s music is the heart and soul of Godari Gattupaina, with almost every song striking a chord. The euphonious soundtrack, backed by Saai Santosh’s cinematography depicting the Godavari backdrop, makes the film somewhat work. The editing is below-par.

The production values are neat. Direction by Subash Chandra could have been much better. The culmination happens well, but the scenes leading up to the finale are underwhelming.

Verdict:

On the whole, Godari Gattupaina is a regular love story with only a few moments clicking, but it does have a very good album. Sumanth Prabhas and female lead Nidhi Pradeep did well in their respective roles, and the pre-climax to climax stretch works. However, the routine love scenes, prolonged duration, and some problematic portions work against the film.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

May 9, 2026

Review: Lavanya Tripathi’s Sathi Leelavathi – Promising Idea, Messy Execution

by 123telugu May 9, 2026

Movie Name : Sathi Leelavathi

Release Date : May 08, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Starring : Lavanya Tripathi Konidela, Dev Mohan, Naresh, VTV Ganesh, Sapthagiri, Motta Rajendran, Jaffer Sadiq, Tagubothu Ramesh, Joshi and others.
Director : Tatineni Satya
Producer : Nagaa Mohan
Music Director : Mickey J Meyer
Cinematographer : Binendra Menon
Editor : Sathish Surya
Related Links : Trailer

Lavanya Tripathi has now come up with the family drama Sathi Leelavathi. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Sathi Leelavathi follows Leela (Lavanya Tripathi), a film director who marries Ram Sethu (Dev Mohan), whom she has known since childhood. However, their married life runs into problems, forcing Leela to take a shocking step. What is it? Did the lead pair separate, or did they solve their issues? The rest of the story unfolds around these questions.

Plus Points:

Lavanya Tripathi did a very fine job as Leela. The first half showcases the crazy and eccentric side of the female lead, and these scenes are mildly engaging. The witty face-off scenes between the lead pair work decently.

Comparatively, the first half of the film is bearable, and a few fun scenes work well here. Jaffar Sadiq generates some laughs, and the movie begins on a promising note.

Minus Points:

Sathi Leelavathi attempts to portray the issues in married life, but the film loses steam after the midway mark. The first half revolves largely around the lead pair, but the focus shifts to multiple subplots and comedy tracks in the latter hour, deviating from the primary point.

The fun episodes hardly work in the second half, making the film difficult to sit through. The entire episode featuring Saptagiri fails to create the intended impact, while Motta Rajendran’s track involving adult web shows turns irritating.

The emotional angle that emerges towards the end lacks both depth and logic. However, the biggest issue with the film is that it is made to appease family audiences, yet several dialogues carry double-meaning humor, defeating the very purpose the film tries to serve.

Dev Mohan looked neat, but his Telugu dubbing feels completely off and ends up affecting his performance. Madonna Sebastian is wasted in a poorly written role. VTV Ganesh and Naresh don’t have much to do.

Technical Aspects:

Micky J Meyer did a decent job, and the wedding song in the first half is good. Cinematography by Binendra Menon is effective, and production values are neat. Some portions could have been shortened in the second half.

Tatineni Satya chose a relevant subject, but his narration is neither entertaining nor engaging. After a point, the film runs out of ideas and drifts into unnecessary portions, taking away from the decent premise.

Verdict:

On the whole, Sathi Leelavathi turns out to be an underwhelming family entertainer. Despite dealing with a relevant subject, the film is weighed down by unnecessary comedy tracks in the second half. Lavanya Tripathi delivers a good performance, and the film starts on a promising note with some fun moments. However, the chaotic second half deviates from the core theme and ultimately weakens the overall impact.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

May 9, 2026

Review: Dhanush’s Kara – Familiar plot, Satisfactory execution

by 123telugu April 30, 2026

Movie Name : Kara

Release Date : April 30, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Starring : Dhanush, Mamitha Baiju, K.S. Ravikumar, Karunas, Jayaram, Prithvi Pandiarajan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, M.S. Baskar, Sreeja Ravi & Others.
Director : Vignesh Raja
Producer : Dr. Ishari K. Ganesh
Music Director : GV Prakash Kumar
Cinematographer : Theni Eswar ISC
Editor : Sreejith Sarang
Related Links : Trailer

Dhanush has now come up with the rural heist thriller Kara. The film is directed by Vignesh Raja of Por Thozhil fame. Let’s see how the movie is.

Story:

Karasaami (Dhanush), a thief, leaves his family behind and marries Malli (Mamitha Baiju). The duo works at a small hotel in Renigunta, Andhra Pradesh, to make a living. However, Karasaami is not satisfied with his financial situation. He returns to his father, Kandhasaamy (K. S. Ravikumar), seeking financial support. There, he learns that his father is trapped in a debt spiral after taking a bank loan. Karasaami realizes that banks are exploiting innocent farmers and decides to rob them. The rest of the story follows Karasaami’s attempts at robbery.

Plus Points:

The best part about Kara is that it sticks to its core theme from the beginning without deviating from the storyline. Even during the ordinary scenes, we stay glued to the screen since the narrative remains focused.

The heist episodes are designed superbly and are sure to keep us on the edge of our seats. Especially, the interval sequence is brilliantly executed and whistle-worthy. What makes these sequences more engaging is that the film initially portrays the protagonist’s failed attempts and vulnerability rather than presenting him as an unstoppable force, making the character arc feel natural. The cat-and-mouse game between Dhanush and the cops is nicely written and delivered.

To avoid a repetitive feel, Vignesh Raja constantly throws new challenges at the hero, making each theft sequence distinct from the other. Dhanush is a gem of an actor who can never go wrong with his performance. With Kara, he once again proves why he is hailed as an actor par excellence. Be it his intensity in the thrilling robbery scenes or his subtlety in emotional moments, Dhanush delivers his A-game throughout.

The emotional moments between the father and son work well in the first half. GV Prakash Kumar’s background score is scintillating and aligns perfectly with the narrative. His score elevates the impact effectively in several key moments. Suraj Venjaramoodu is stunning as a cop, highly determined to catch the thief. KS Ravi Kumar is solid in the father role, while Jayaram is too good as the regional bank manager. Karunas and others did well, too.

Minus Points:

The heist moments are undoubtedly brilliant, but the driving force behind the robbery scenes is the exploitation by banks through high interest rates and other charges. This theme has been explored multiple times in mainstream cinema, with the recent example being Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. While the core idea isn’t entirely new and may remind viewers of older films at times, the presentation keeps the proceedings engaging.

The director takes his time establishing the key characters and the central conflict, which makes parts of the first half feel slow-paced. The Telugu dubbing could have been better, as the dialogues occasionally sound a bit odd.

Mamitha Baiju appears convincing as a village belle, but she is underutilized. She gets limited screen time, and the emotional scenes in the latter half needed more impact to elevate the narrative further. In the end, Kara enters a Robin Hood-esque zone, which could have been avoided.

Technical Aspects:

GV Prakash Kumar’s songs may not have worked well as standalone tracks, but they fit the narrative effectively. As mentioned earlier, the background score is one of the main highlights. Theni Eswar’s cinematography is impactful, as he neatly captures the rustic setting of the film. The editing is in sync with the director’s vision. The production design is impressive, showcasing the 90s vibes.

Director Vignesh Raja delivers on the screenplay front, even though the chosen premise isn’t unique. The rural setup and the consistent storytelling throughout the film keep us engaged for the most part.

Verdict:

On the whole, Kara is a satisfactory period heist thriller set against a rural backdrop. The subject isn’t fresh and has been explored several times before, but Vignesh Raja’s grounded narration and well-executed heist episodes keep the proceedings engaging. Dhanush is extraordinary and is well supported by Jayaram and Suraj Venjaramoodu. Mamitha Baiju has a limited scope, and the emotional moments in the second half needed more punch. If you like watching heist thrillers, this film can be given a try.

123telugu.com Rating: 3/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

April 30, 2026

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