'God Father' Movie Review
Cast: Chiranjeevi, Satyadev, Nayanthara, Samuthirakani, Anasuya, Sunil, Brahmaji, Murali Sharma, Salman Khan (Cameo), Sarvadaman Banerjee
Music: Thaman
Cinematography: Nirav Shah
Producer: Mega Super Good Films â Konidela Production Company
Story: Murali Gopi
Dialogues: Lakshmi Bhupala
Screenplay - Direction: Mohan Raja
After tasting a huge failure in the form of 'Acharya', Megastar is eager to make a strong comeback. He has chosen to remake Malayalam super hit film 'Lucifer' as 'God Father'. Directed by well-known Tamil filmmaker Mohan Raja, this film created a good buzz with its teaser, trailer and other promotional content. Amidst very good hype, the film has hit the screens today and let us see how it turned out.
Story:
After the unexpected death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister PK Ram Das (Sarvadaman Banerjee), questions arise on the next candidate to take the throne. His son-in-law Jaidev (Satyadev) gets all the MLAs under his grip and devises a plan to become the new Chief Minister. Ram Das' daughter Satya Prabha (Nayanthara) too believes her husband Jaidev. But Brahma (Chiranjeevi) who is Satya Prabha's stepbrother enters the scene. Jaidev has a lot of hatred toward Brahma. What is the reason behind it? What is Brahma's background? How did Brahma stop Jaidev's plans? What challenges did Brahma face? All these questions will be answered on the big screens.
Analysis:
When asked about selecting a remake which is a safe option, Megastar Chiranjeevi responded at the pre-release press meet saying that it is not an easy task to remake a super hit film. He asked what was wrong in presenting a better version than the original. Chiru is right about it as there is no other big challenge than to make a good remake in recent times. People are watching movies in all languages after OTT came into existence. Remaking a super hit Malayalam film that was already dubbed in Telugu is a gigantic task. People claim that it is a xerox copy when they make the film as it is and say that they spoiled the original if any changes are made in it. Maintaining a balance between retaining the original's soul and including necessary elements is a very challenging thing to do. The 'God Father' team seems to have taken a leaf out of Pawan's remakes like 'Gabbar Singh' and 'Bheemla Nayak'. They retained the original story, main characters and key scenes. Along with them, they included a few new characters and scenes which are relatable to the Telugu audience. Whether you watched the original or not, 'God Father' looks like a reasonable film which doesn't make you go crazy but makes sure that you don't get bored for two and half hours. It also succeeds in satisfying the Mega fans without spoiling the film's flow.
Keeping aside the fact that 'Godfather' is a remake, the story is not a new one. It is not a regular mass masala movie either. It is what happens with 'Leader' movie gets commercialized. Both films deal with the same story of who gets the chair when CM dies unexpectedly. The movie revolves around Jaidev and Brahma's characters who tried to outsmart each other in this political game. After giving a comeback with 'Khaidi 150' which was a blockbuster, Chiru came up with an okay film like 'Sye Raa' and a disaster like 'Acharya'. Irrespective of the result, everyone feels that Megastar is not choosing roles that suit his age and stature. But he made sure that he selects a good role this time. There is no unnecessary romance with the heroine, no formulaic scenes, no bursting into song numbers and no artificial fights that come out of nowhere. His role acts according to the script and it is quite refreshing to see him this way. But the film is not short of elevation scenes and fans have a lot of whistles and cheer for in 'God Father'.
The movie starts off a bit slow but gains momentum when Megastar enters the scene. The pace gets a bit quicker from then and Mohan Raja made sure that there are good hero elevation scenes at regular intervals. The director's talent is on full display when Jaidev's plans of becoming a CM get shattered in the party meeting sequence. He made sure that there is a good balance between class scenes that look intelligent and mass moments that make you go crazy. It is clever to showcase the villain as the superior force for the majority of the first half. The interval sequence which showcases the hero handling everything while being in jail is a major highlight.
After a racy first half, the second half slows down once again in the beginning. With Chiru going to the side for a brief part, the proceedings become a bit dull. The movie gains energy once again after Megastar takes the driver's seat. There are a lot of mass moments in the last 40 minutes and the dramatic and sentiment scenes worked out well too. Salman Khan did his part before the interval and climax portions. But they don't stand out and the impact would have been greater if a Telugu mass hero did those scenes. The ending part is well handled. Overall, the film doesn't make you feel bored and provided a lot of hero elevation scenes for the masses to cheer. It not only pleases the fans but also the regular cinema lover. Watch this political drama without having high expectations and it will surely impress you.
Performances:
Chiranjeevi played a role that suits his age and image after a long time. He delivered a mature performance in a kingmaker's role which required him to look cool whilst running the show from behind the scenes. Though there were some issues with his dialogue delivery in certain parts, there are no major flaws in his performance this time. This role does not allow him to undergo physical strain. A few sequences where Chiru emoted through his eyes and they show the real actor inside the huge star. Fans may get a bit disappointed with a lack of mass action moments or trademark dance numbers but this role is apt for the stage he is in his career right now.
After Megastar, it is Satyadev who stands out with his villain role. Many doubted whether he would pose a challenge to Chiru onscreen or not considering that he is not an established hero. But his acting cleared all the doubts and his intense performance is sure to get laurels from many. Compared to Vivek Oberoi who did this role in the original, Satyadev does not give the main villain vibe at the start but he gets into his stride and delivers a strong performance.
It was strange to see Nayanthara as Chiru's sister especially after seeing her as his wife in 'Sye Raa' but she did complete justice to her role. Murali Sharma shined in the role given to him and Sunil was decent in a character with different shades. Samuthirakani had nothing special to do while rest of the actors like Brahmaji, Anasuya and others were okay. Salman's cameo neither attractive nor impactful.
Technicians:
Thaman's songs and background scores suited the mood of the film. The songs don't have repeat value but they were impactful on the screen while watching the movie. He did his best to elevate a lot of scenes in 'God Father' and Mega fans will have a blast listening to some of his BGMs. Nirva Shah's cinematography is very fantastic. There is a lot of quality in the visuals and the production values are top-notch too. Writer Lakshmi Bhupala who worked mostly on small and medium films but full use of the chance he got with 'God Father'. His dialogues were quite impressive. Nayanthara's speech and the dialogues in it came out very well.
Director Mohan Raja who is known for handling remakes has done an impressive job once again. He did not go for a complete copy of the original but made some changes to suit Chiru's image and Telugu sensibilities. He delivered a good package and showcased Megastar in a commendable fashion. His directorial capabilities were on full display in a lot of scenes.
Verdict: 'God Father' - An Engaging Political Drama
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Chiranjeevi, Satyadev, Nayanthara, Samuthirakani, Anasuya, Sunil, Brahmaji, Murali Sharma, Salman Khan (Cameo), Sarvadaman Banerjee
Music: Thaman
Cinematography: Nirav Shah
Producer: Mega Super Good Films â Konidela Production Company
Story: Murali Gopi
Dialogues: Lakshmi Bhupala
Screenplay - Direction: Mohan Raja
After tasting a huge failure in the form of 'Acharya', Megastar is eager to make a strong comeback. He has chosen to remake Malayalam super hit film 'Lucifer' as 'God Father'. Directed by well-known Tamil filmmaker Mohan Raja, this film created a good buzz with its teaser, trailer and other promotional content. Amidst very good hype, the film has hit the screens today and let us see how it turned out.
Story:
After the unexpected death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister PK Ram Das (Sarvadaman Banerjee), questions arise on the next candidate to take the throne. His son-in-law Jaidev (Satyadev) gets all the MLAs under his grip and devises a plan to become the new Chief Minister. Ram Das' daughter Satya Prabha (Nayanthara) too believes her husband Jaidev. But Brahma (Chiranjeevi) who is Satya Prabha's stepbrother enters the scene. Jaidev has a lot of hatred toward Brahma. What is the reason behind it? What is Brahma's background? How did Brahma stop Jaidev's plans? What challenges did Brahma face? All these questions will be answered on the big screens.
Analysis:
When asked about selecting a remake which is a safe option, Megastar Chiranjeevi responded at the pre-release press meet saying that it is not an easy task to remake a super hit film. He asked what was wrong in presenting a better version than the original. Chiru is right about it as there is no other big challenge than to make a good remake in recent times. People are watching movies in all languages after OTT came into existence. Remaking a super hit Malayalam film that was already dubbed in Telugu is a gigantic task. People claim that it is a xerox copy when they make the film as it is and say that they spoiled the original if any changes are made in it. Maintaining a balance between retaining the original's soul and including necessary elements is a very challenging thing to do. The 'God Father' team seems to have taken a leaf out of Pawan's remakes like 'Gabbar Singh' and 'Bheemla Nayak'. They retained the original story, main characters and key scenes. Along with them, they included a few new characters and scenes which are relatable to the Telugu audience. Whether you watched the original or not, 'God Father' looks like a reasonable film which doesn't make you go crazy but makes sure that you don't get bored for two and half hours. It also succeeds in satisfying the Mega fans without spoiling the film's flow.
Keeping aside the fact that 'Godfather' is a remake, the story is not a new one. It is not a regular mass masala movie either. It is what happens with 'Leader' movie gets commercialized. Both films deal with the same story of who gets the chair when CM dies unexpectedly. The movie revolves around Jaidev and Brahma's characters who tried to outsmart each other in this political game. After giving a comeback with 'Khaidi 150' which was a blockbuster, Chiru came up with an okay film like 'Sye Raa' and a disaster like 'Acharya'. Irrespective of the result, everyone feels that Megastar is not choosing roles that suit his age and stature. But he made sure that he selects a good role this time. There is no unnecessary romance with the heroine, no formulaic scenes, no bursting into song numbers and no artificial fights that come out of nowhere. His role acts according to the script and it is quite refreshing to see him this way. But the film is not short of elevation scenes and fans have a lot of whistles and cheer for in 'God Father'.
The movie starts off a bit slow but gains momentum when Megastar enters the scene. The pace gets a bit quicker from then and Mohan Raja made sure that there are good hero elevation scenes at regular intervals. The director's talent is on full display when Jaidev's plans of becoming a CM get shattered in the party meeting sequence. He made sure that there is a good balance between class scenes that look intelligent and mass moments that make you go crazy. It is clever to showcase the villain as the superior force for the majority of the first half. The interval sequence which showcases the hero handling everything while being in jail is a major highlight.
After a racy first half, the second half slows down once again in the beginning. With Chiru going to the side for a brief part, the proceedings become a bit dull. The movie gains energy once again after Megastar takes the driver's seat. There are a lot of mass moments in the last 40 minutes and the dramatic and sentiment scenes worked out well too. Salman Khan did his part before the interval and climax portions. But they don't stand out and the impact would have been greater if a Telugu mass hero did those scenes. The ending part is well handled. Overall, the film doesn't make you feel bored and provided a lot of hero elevation scenes for the masses to cheer. It not only pleases the fans but also the regular cinema lover. Watch this political drama without having high expectations and it will surely impress you.
Performances:
Chiranjeevi played a role that suits his age and image after a long time. He delivered a mature performance in a kingmaker's role which required him to look cool whilst running the show from behind the scenes. Though there were some issues with his dialogue delivery in certain parts, there are no major flaws in his performance this time. This role does not allow him to undergo physical strain. A few sequences where Chiru emoted through his eyes and they show the real actor inside the huge star. Fans may get a bit disappointed with a lack of mass action moments or trademark dance numbers but this role is apt for the stage he is in his career right now.
After Megastar, it is Satyadev who stands out with his villain role. Many doubted whether he would pose a challenge to Chiru onscreen or not considering that he is not an established hero. But his acting cleared all the doubts and his intense performance is sure to get laurels from many. Compared to Vivek Oberoi who did this role in the original, Satyadev does not give the main villain vibe at the start but he gets into his stride and delivers a strong performance.
It was strange to see Nayanthara as Chiru's sister especially after seeing her as his wife in 'Sye Raa' but she did complete justice to her role. Murali Sharma shined in the role given to him and Sunil was decent in a character with different shades. Samuthirakani had nothing special to do while rest of the actors like Brahmaji, Anasuya and others were okay. Salman's cameo neither attractive nor impactful.
Technicians:
Thaman's songs and background scores suited the mood of the film. The songs don't have repeat value but they were impactful on the screen while watching the movie. He did his best to elevate a lot of scenes in 'God Father' and Mega fans will have a blast listening to some of his BGMs. Nirva Shah's cinematography is very fantastic. There is a lot of quality in the visuals and the production values are top-notch too. Writer Lakshmi Bhupala who worked mostly on small and medium films but full use of the chance he got with 'God Father'. His dialogues were quite impressive. Nayanthara's speech and the dialogues in it came out very well.
Director Mohan Raja who is known for handling remakes has done an impressive job once again. He did not go for a complete copy of the original but made some changes to suit Chiru's image and Telugu sensibilities. He delivered a good package and showcased Megastar in a commendable fashion. His directorial capabilities were on full display in a lot of scenes.
Verdict: 'God Father' - An Engaging Political Drama
Rating: 2.75/5