Telugu Reviews

Review: Band Melam – Disappointing romantic drama

by 123telugu March 27, 2026

Movie Name : Band Melam

Release Date : Mar 26, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5
Starring : Harsh Roshan, Sridevi, Sai Kumar & Others.
Director : Sathish Javvaji
Producers : Kavya, Shravya
Music Director : Vijai Bulganin
Cinematographer : Satish Mutyala
Editor : Siva Mupparaju

Related Links : Trailer

Court pair Harsh Roshan and Sridevi have now teamed up for the romantic drama Band Melam. The movie is now out in theatres, and let’s see how it is.

Story:

Yadagiri (Harsh Roshan) and Raaji (Sridevi) are cousins who have been lovebirds since childhood. Raaji is good at studies, while Yadagiri is a school dropout. As they grow and move through different phases of life, Raaji forgets Yadagiri. However, he continues to love her and decides to make it big in the music industry. The rest of the film showcases Yadagiri’s efforts to succeed in life and win her love.

Plus Points:

Despite being in the initial days of their careers, the lead pair did a convincing job with their performances in this commercial potboiler. Harsh Roshan is neat as a rural boy with a touch of mischief and innocence. Sridevi Apalla’s portrayal of Raaji is fair, and she shares good chemistry with the protagonist.

The final song “Thippukuntunnaav” is vibrant on screen. The first half is passable to an extent, with its humor quotient working in parts. Some comedy scenes land well. The actors who played Harsh Roshan’s friends did well in their respective roles. Vijay Bulganin’s music is effective, and he tries his best to lift the film.

Minus Points:

The main issue with Band Melam is its age-old content. The story has already been explored multiple times in Tollywood, and the screenplay offers nothing fresh to make the film work. Sai Kumar and other senior actors don’t get much scope to perform.

While there is some entertainment in the first half, the second half turns heavily tedious with mostly boring episodes. There’s too much lag in the proceedings, and the main story gets somewhat sidelined. Even with a crisp runtime, the film feels overlong, and the editing could have been better.

Some moments fail to evoke the necessary emotion. Until the climax, Band Melam heavily resembles a superhit film from a decade ago. Though there is a twist towards the end that makes it slightly different, it isn’t presented effectively, and the emotions fail to land.

Technical Aspects:

Vijay Bulganin’s music is very good to listen to, with three songs in the film being quite appealing. Satish Mutyala’s cinematography is alright, and the production values look decent. However, the editing and screenplay are not up to the mark.

Coming to the director, Sathish Javvaji, he delivered a below-par outing. While the first half offers some respite with a few fun moments, the second half turns tiresome as the story doesn’t progress and the final twist fails to click.

Verdict:

On the whole, Band Melam is a disappointing romantic drama with a so-so first half and a highly boring second half. Harsh Roshan and Sridevi Apalla perform well, and the music is good. However, the routine storyline, largely unengaging second half, and lack of emotional depth and freshness in the screenplay make it tough to sit through.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

March 27, 2026

Review: Vishnu Vinyasam – Works to an extent

by 123telugu February 28, 2026

Movie Name : Vishnu Vinyasam

Release Date : Feb 27, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring : Sree Vishnu, Nayana Sarika, Satya and others
Director : Yadunaath Maruthi Rao
Producer : Sumanth Naidu G
Music Director : Radhan
Cinematographer : Sai Sriram
Editor : Kartikeyan Rohini

Related Links : Trailer

Sree Vishnu has now come up with the rom-com entertainer Vishnu Vinyasam. The movie is directed by debutant Maruthi Rao and features Nayan Sarika as the female lead. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Vishnu (Sree Vishnu) works as a junior lecturer at a private college in Ongole. He is a superstitious person who deeply believes in astrology and numerology. Before doing anything, he even seeks the advice of an astrologer. That’s how strongly he trusts them. He comes across a crazy woman, Manisha (Nayan Sarika), and slowly falls for her. But little does Vishnu know about the danger that is about to shatter his life because of Manisha.

Plus Points:

Those who enjoy Sree Vishnu’s signature comedy and antics won’t be disappointed, as Vishnu Vinyasam features some well-executed entertaining episodes centered around him. The actor once again impresses with his impeccable comic timing and generates good laughs living up to his tag ‘King of Entertainment.’ The sequence where he sings the popular songs “Veeri Veeri Gummadi Pandu” and “Vaana Vaana Vaana” has come out quite well. Overall, he has done complete justice to his role.

With Vishnu Vinyasam, Nayan Sarika proves that she is a capable actress with the ability to handle tougher roles as well. Not only does she look ravishing, but she also impresses with her performance. The actress shares good chemistry with Sree Vishnu and delivers a neat performance in the emotional moments too.

There are some good fun-inducing moments in the film, mostly in the first half. This is where the film moves at a brisk pace without many dull moments. Satya is decent as Sree Vishnu’s friend. The supporting cast is fine in their respective roles.

Minus Points:

While the first half focuses on youthful entertainment, the focus shifts to family drama in the second hour, and this is where the film gives a dragged out feeling and also turns boring and tedious.

A few important twists are revealed as the film reaches its fag end, but they have already been explored earlier in Tollywood, which takes away the freshness. Because of these twists, Vishnu Vinyasam reminds us of a few popular films that dealt with similar themes. Certain portions are over-the-top.

The approach adopted by the villains to fulfill their motives isn’t convincing enough and their actions come across as silly. Had the family drama been handled more effectively, the film could have shaped up into a neat entertainer. The music is below par, and not even a single song stands out as memorable or enjoyable.

Technical Aspects:

Sai Sriram’s cinematography is good, and the small-town backdrop is portrayed effectively. As mentioned earlier, Radhan’s music could have been much better. The production values are adequate, but the editing needed tighter refinement.

Debutant director Yaadunath Maruthi Rao handles the first half in a decent manner, but the momentum doesn’t sustain in the latter half. The core point of the film isn’t new and required a more engaging and convincing presentation.

Verdict:

On the whole, Vishnu Vinyasam works only in parts, offering a few entertaining moments. The film benefits largely from Sree Vishnu’s captivating performance and comic timing, while Nayan Sarika also does a good job. The first half is handled decently, but the momentum dips after the interval due to dragged-out episodes and illogical moments. The core premise isn’t new, and its treatment makes the film fall short of being a satisfactory outing.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

February 28, 2026

OTT Review: Sirai – Telugu-Dubbed Tamil Movie Streaming on ZEE5

by 123telugu January 27, 2026

Movie Name : Sirai
Streaming Date : Jan 23, 2026
Streaming Platform : ZEE5
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring : Vikram Prabhu, LK Akshay Kumar, Anishma Anilkumar, Ananda Thambirajah
Director : Suresh Rajakumari
Producer : SS Lalit Kumar
Music Director : Justin Prabhakaran
Cinematographer : Madhesh Manickam
Editor : Philomin Raj

Related Links : Trailer

Sirai marks the 25th film of actor Vikram Prabhu. The Tamil movie was released on Christmas Eve and went on to score hit status at the box office. It has now arrived on OTT with a Telugu dub, and here is our review of the crime drama.

Story:

Set in 2003 in Guntur, Srinivas (Vikram Prabhu) is a head constable in the Armed Reserve (AR). During an escort duty, a prisoner attempts to escape, forcing Srinivas to shoot him dead, which puts him under scrutiny by higher authorities. While the enquiry is still ongoing, Srinivas is assigned another escort duty to transport Abdul Rauf (L. K. Akshay Kumar), a murder convict, from a central prison to Kurnool. During the journey, Srinivas senses something amiss, and the situation worsens when Abdul goes missing. With the prisoner required to be produced in court the very next day, the tension escalates. What happens next? Does Srinivas and his team manage to trace Abdul? Who is Abdul, and what is his backstory? The rest of the film unfolds the answers.

Plus Points:

The film touches upon a different and rarely explored aspect of police life. Unlike most films that focus on senior officers and portray them heroically, Sirai revolves around a head constable from the Armed Reserve. Srinivas is shown as a grounded human being rather than a larger-than-life policeman, which makes the approach refreshing.

Vikram Prabhu delivers a neat performance, but the actor who truly stands out is L. K. Akshay Kumar. He effectively portrays the dilemma, pain, and hope of a prisoner, and his performance becomes a major driving force of the film.

The flashback narrated from Abdul’s point of view is emotional and engaging. Along with the emotional depth, the suspense maintained in certain scenes, especially during the escape sequence and the pre-climax and climax portions, works well.

The police station episode after the escape, the emotional scenes in the final 30 minutes, including the courtroom portions, and the suspense-filled climax are well executed and keep the viewer engaged.

Anishma Anilkumar, as Kalavathi, delivers a neat performance. The remaining cast members perform adequately.

Minus Points:

There is limited scope to point out major drawbacks. Some viewers may find the initial portions slightly routine, but the narrative picks up as the film progresses.

Though Vikram Prabhu is the lead, his role offers limited scope for performance. While he gets sufficient screen time, the character does not demand much in terms of expressions. His personal life angle is underdeveloped, and the character of his wife adds little value to the story. In the flashback portions, the love story and conflict scenes could have been explored in more detail.

Technical Aspects:

Despite this being his debut, director Suresh Rajakumari impresses with his screenplay and execution, giving the film the feel of an experienced filmmaker’s work.

Justin Prabhakaran’s background score is one of the film’s highlights and plays a key role in maintaining suspense and enhancing emotional moments. Madhesh Manickam’s cinematography is neat and serves the narrative well.

Editing by Philomin Raj is effective, keeping the film crisp within its two-hour runtime. The production values are decent, and the Telugu dubbing is clean and well done.

Verdict:

On the whole, Sirai is an engaging crime drama backed by a solid screenplay and effective execution. Vikram Prabhu is decent, but L. K. Akshay Kumar steals the show. The police station episode, flashback portions, emotional moments, and suspenseful climax make it a film worth watching. Though the narration feels slightly slow in the beginning, it does not last long. On the whole, Sirai is definitely worth a watch for its content, execution, empathy, and humanity.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

January 27, 2026

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