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Vijayam looks set for defeat
Vijayalaxmi |
May 13, 2003 23:48 IST
It is embarrassing when any filmmaker picks up a bad narrative and packs his movie with lewd comedy in the name of entertainment. But when that director is a man of the stature of Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, it is even more shocking.
If the uninspiring, unoriginal plot of Vijayam is any indication, producer D Rama Naidu's jinx is likely to continue for some more time. And the less said about the treatment of the flimsy love story of an academically brilliant tribal boy, with needless 'comedy' and pedestrian songs, the better.
To begin at the beginning, a tribal officer (Murali Mohan) saves a child from being buried to cure his chicken pox. The boy grows up into a bright youth (Raja) and goes to college in Vizag. Raja is a good student and his lecturer encourages him to aim for the gold medal, which can get him a scholarship in the US. But Raja falls in love with a good-natured girl (Gajala).
Her father (Giribabu), however, wants her to marry his friend's son. Gajala declines, declaring her love for Raja. Giribabu wants to see the youth before agreeing to the match. But there's a catch. Raja and his friends had conned Giribabu into believing that Raja is a rich industrialist. They didn't know then that he was Gajala's father.
The rest of the movie is all about Raja's unsuccessful attempts to tell Gajala the truth, the rift when her brother eventually finds out, and the healing. And, oh yes, the gold medal.
Gajala is okay, while debutant Raja has to work hard on his emoting. Composer Koti unabashedly rehashes old Tamil hits, including a song from Utharavindri Ulleva, but his background score is good. Lensman Harianmol shows his brilliance in the outdoor sequences, but sticks to the routine when indoors.
Rama Naidu needs to seriously think of promoting filmmakers with fresh ideas if he wishes to revive his winning streak.