Waltair Veerayya Review: Poonakalu Loaded!
Rating: 3.25/5
Megastar Chiranjeevi, true to his promise, has come up with his 3rd outing in 9 months, this time through Waltair Veerayya, after the failures of Acharya and Godfather. With the Sankranthi hype around it and the addition of Mass Maharaja Ravi Teja coming off of the commercial blockbuster Dhamaka, the movie has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.
Plot:
Set in Vizag, the plot follows Seethapathi (Rajendra Prasad) seething for revenge at Solomon Caesar (Bobby Simha), a drug lord for a massacre. He enlists the help of Waltair Veerayya (Chiranjeevi), who comes along but has a ulterior motive. What he does and what happens forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Megastar Chiranjeevi is a riot and a hoot in this movie with his performance as Waltair Veerayya. While the inner fan in me would like to say it’s a stellar performance, unfortunately he does go overboard a bit and his face is caked with makeup to the point where some expressions seem exaggerated. But man, for 90% of the movie what fun does he bring! He is truly in his elements as the happy go lucky Veerayya and carries most of the comedy scenes in the first and second half. Emotionally too, he acts well. Satisfied and vintage for sure! Ravi Teja is sincere and gets the job done emphatically. Especially with two powerhouses in Chiru and RT, the emotional scenes in the latter half sparkle. The one thing Bobby nails here is he gives the side characters some substance, which is an improvement over anything. Shruti Haasan here gets her role and is decent in it; the action portion helps. Prakash Raj is terrific in a role that is tailor made for him, Bobby Simha has a good arc that is ably acted, and Rajendra Prasad is sincere. Vennela Kishore helps alleviate the mood at times. On the contrary, John Vijay hams some of his dialogues, something not expected from an actor of his caliber.
Writing/Direction:
Bobby Kolli (K.S. Ravindra) isn’t exactly my favorite director. I strongly believe he takes one interesting element and writes absolute fluff around it to the point to where the story and screenplay become severely effected, which can be seen in his previous works. However, I must say he and Kona Venkat, the other screenplay writer, have improved his writing game here. Setting the expectations straight though, it is a routine template movie with a relatively predictable plot. Execution is where it differs, as Kolli makes sure to write each of the events as a true fan boy tribute to Megastar. The scenes contribute to the plot or are designed to bring the most entertainment out of the scene; there isn’t a point where I was bored or just the proceedings were meandering. Especially in the first half, he keeps the plot racy and unraveling slowly without any unnecessary complications whilst still keeping the viewers entertained. The characters aren’t developed completely but Venkat gives them substance to work with, with malleable arcs. The comedic punches are staged and written well as each scene has its own rib-tickling angle that keeps it entertaining. The arcs are all positioned well enough. Venkat’s writing does take a hit in the second half, with the Chiru and RT’s track suffering from not enough writing and the climax just a classic case of not knowing how to end it. The emotion also doesn’t come across that well despite good performances. Apart from that, the references are just tied in so well. Venkat and Kolli write it in seamlessly into the script and make sure that despite the plot being routine, the events follow each other and lead to a satisfactory writing effort.
Venkat and Kolli’s screenplay is well paced overall and develops all of the plot devices well; the last 15 minutes does go off the rails but overall keeps each scene relevant to either the plot or the entertainment factors of the movie. Particularly, the screenplay makes sure to keep the movie going without any sort of bogging down throughout. All of the events are narrated linearly with a flashback, a decision that allows Venkat and Kolli to develop the entertainment. The action comes in with the appropriate buildup that, while is routine, does get the job done. The comedy isn’t stamp Venkat, but is pretty funny with Chiranjeevi taking over the reins for most of it. And when the movie doesn’t change to comedy mode, the plot progresses and thickens over time with scenes that are both engaging and entertaining overall. The best thing is that Waltair Veerayya flows coherently and makes sure that every event makes sense and can connect with the maximum number of audiences, a very good move. There are threads that are put in place and established well but don’t pay off properly, particularly in the second half. The decision to end the last 15 minutes with a surprising turn of events that is very goofy and the epitome of a bad screenplay dents but doesn’t destroy the experience. The narration and tonality stays high octane and fun throughout. When the action and comedy hits, it makes sure to narrate it with the right amount of energy and direct it with the right amount of correct execution. It doesn’t get sappy when its emotional for the most part (excluding some portions initially where it becomes over the top), but it’s done with enough impact to get the job done and serve a good dish to the viewers. The narration is methodical enough and keeps the plot racy enough to an extent.
The first half of the movie is the better half as there’s a good mix of plot, comedy, suspense and exhilarating action without revealing all of its cards early on. It takes to the formula The intro is standard with the reveal of the villains and plot points, but soon it accelerates into the intro of Megastar, the finest in years. It takes a special amount of directorial mass to bring that to the table and he does it with style. The transition to comedy through a song, the very hype Boss Party, sets the screens on fire and the comedy is executed well too. There is a bit of going over the top from Megastar but overall it sets the viewers rolling in their chairs. Plot isn’t compromised either as with whatever plot there is the movie continues going on and eventually develops the plot all around, progressing well through the tracks. The romantic track is brief, not developed but doesn’t obstruct. Before long, the lead up to the Pre interval and interval bang happens, which is spectacular; an in form DSP, Chiru, Bobby, and many go for it in style completely and leads to a fantastic interval bang. The best thing is that the first half doesn’t tease Ravi Teja and sets it for the second half.
The second half is slightly worse, particularly due to some gaps in the emotional writing and a very questionable climax, but the core of the Chiranjeevi-Ravi Teja scenes carry the movie well. The face off is set well and the screenplay knows it’s strengths, quickly introducing its other hero and setting the plot into motion. It’s a very thin plot, so sequences and execution matters most which works out. Chiranjeevi’s comedy and Ravi Teja’s intensity pair each other brilliantly as the movie hits their high point here and leaves the viewers fully entertained. The writing could have definitely been stronger emotionally but it doesn’t hurt the movie, just definitely leaves some room from improvement. With the plot thickening comes the final high point, an emotional scene between the leads which is executed well despite minimal material. From there it’s downhill; Neekemo Andhamekkuva is a speedbreaker and the final action scene doesn’t impress, in fact becomes an overload. There is an attempt to payoff a thread but it’s done poorly, and the final resolution is laughable. Despite this, it still remains a good half and a well shot commercial movie.
Technicalities:
DSP’s songs are a mixed bag, with some hitting very well and some plaguing everything. But the BGM is magnificent with every scene being complemented by the explosive score, especially the Veerayya title track. Cinematography by Arthur A. Wilson is good as the frames are shown very grandly, especially in the interval shots and the intro shots in some specific frames. Editing could be better, especially 10-15 minutes could have been chopped up and made to be more seamless. Production values are good. Dialogues suit the mood of the movie and enhance the feel.
Overall Verdict/TLDR:
Overall, Waltair Veerayya is Bobby’s best work. As a commercial movie, there will be liberties taken, but in those liberties he dishes out a fantastic experience straight through. Positives are Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja (and their scenes), first half and second half comedy, intro and interval shot, BGM, entertainment, fast-paced screenplay, and energetic direction. On the flip side, a bad climax, routine storyline and treatment, thin plot points, and gaps in the emotional scenes in the second half hurt the movie. I’ve been seeing negative reviews everywhere, and I’m saying, this movie checks off the boxes. It’s a commercial entertainer that is good for Sankranthi. Watch with ease!
Opinion of Commercial Viability: Surprisingly, the talk is negative overall amidst circles. I hope it gets an extended run, but with Veera Simha Reddy, it might be tough. Chiranjeevi does have good credibility in festival seasons, so overall it might run well. Above Average-Hit in my opinion!
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