'35: Chinna Katha Kaadu' Movie Review

'35: Chinna Katha Kaadu' Movie Review

Cast: Nivetha Thomas, Viswadev Rachkonda, Priyadarshi, Master Arun Dev Pothula, Bhagyaraj, Revathi, Krishna Teja and others.

Music: Vivek Sagar

Cinematography: Niketh Bommireddy

Producer: Srujan Yerrabolu – Siddharth Rallapally

Writer – Director: Nandakishore Yemani

There are few films which impress you with good content rather than star power. We have seen movies like 'Committee Kurrollu' and 'Aay' becoming successful at the box office as well as winning critical acclaim in August. This time, we have '35: Chinna Katha Kadu' which managed to grab attention through its promotional content. Rana Daggubati presented it and Nivetha Thomas played the main role in Telugu after a long time. The movie is in theatres now and let us see if the movie delivered as promised or not.

Story:

Prasad (Viswadev Rachakonda) and Saraswati (Nivetha Thomas) are a middle class husband and wife living in Tirupati. They have two kids. The elder son Arun (Master Arundev) hates mathematics. He gets very good marks in other subjects but always gets 0 in maths. None of the teachers clear the peculiar doubts he has in maths. He develops a hatred towards the subject and always gets zero. Arun finds himself in trouble after a new maths teacher named Chanakya (Priyadarshi) arrives in his school. The troubles reach his family too and Arun leaves his house. How he comes back? How Saraswati finds a solution to his maths problem? What is the cause of all this? The answers to all these questions form the rest of the story.

Analysis:

People are not welcoming movies with good messages these days. They are ready to enjoy excessive violence, excessive romance and excessive evilness in theatres but troll films that try to say something good to the society. There are director who try to constantly add negative shades to the lead character just to please the audience. But there are still some people who are adamant on saying something valuable through their films. But it shouldn't be preachy as it may backfire. There should be no shortage of entertainment and the main characters should be relatable to the audience. The dialogues should be meaningful and needs to touch the heart. On top of everything, the artists and technicians need to give their best. All these together can give a convincing film to the viewer. '35: Chinna Katha Kaadu' has all these elements in right proportions. The storyline is quite simple but what the director wanted to say is quite deeper. That is why this film will stay with you even after leaving the theatres and makes you think. Kids are very sensitive and receptive. The things they seen and get affected by in childhood stay with them forever. It is not easy to change them when they don't like something. But '35: Chinna Katha Kaadu' team wanted to show that with the right mode of messaging and care, the kids can do the impossible.

With good characters, natural scenes and meaningful dialogues, we don't get a feeling that the director is giving a lecture to the audience. We can even say that this film is a Telugu version of 'Taare Zameen Par'. Even the director might have been inspired by that film. While Aamir's film is about a kid who fails to understand the lessons and a teacher inspires him, this story is about a kid who doesn't like maths and how his mother solves the problem. But the authentic dialogues and nativity make you feel like it is an out-and-out Telugu film. The director's ability can be seen in the way he has written the screenplay for a two and half hour film. The story starts well by explaining the kid's problem in an entertaining manner. With the kid, parents and teachers appearing very natural and convincing, the movie goes smoothly without boring you. But you can see that the movie is going at a slow pace. It was a conscious decision by the director as he might have felt that it is necessary. But the movie tests your patience at times. After the first 30 minutes, the kid's problem becomes serious and the story turns emotional. The director dealt with those scenes brilliantly. We may think that the story will revolve around finding the missing kid who runs away from home. But it is showcased in a simple manner and the director takes another approach.

After keeping the audience engaged till the interval, the film goes sideways for a good 30 minutes. But the kid getting 35 marks becomes very crucial for everything in the family which makes things very interesting. Many try to narrate the film in a cinematic fashion and the director does the same here too. But he managed to maintain the realistic approach towards every scene. He dealt with them very well and the climax too give a very good feel to the viewers. The slow narration, excessive length and a haphazard 30 minutes at the start of the second half are the only flaws in '35: Chinna Katha Kaadu'. Without reducing the entertainment quotient, the movie teaches you about parenting and many other topics. We walk out of theatres with a feeling of having watched a good film. Encouraging such films will result in more quality products coming from Tollywood.

Performances:

When a good actor gets good roles, there is nothing stopping them. Nivetha Thomas who came to the Telugu screen after a big gap has delivered a memorable performance in her career. She is exceptional as Saraswati. She makes you think that the Telugu filmmakers are unable to utilise her potential all these days. She lived in the character of a middle class housewife. Her own dubbing in Chittoor accent is also commendable. She makes you emotional in certain scenes. Viswadev did a fine job as her husband in the film. He does not get a lot of scope but delivers when needed. Master Arundev who played their son's character is fantastic. He looked very innocent and reminded people of the kid in 'Taare Zameen Par'. He is adorable and you feel for him in every scene. Priyadarshi excelled in a character with negative shades. He delivered a measured performance. Bhagyaraj is good as the principal. Revathi did a small role but was very effective in it. Krishna Teja is okay and the director extracted good acting from other kids in the film too.

Technicians:

Vivek Sagar enhanced the whole movie experience with songs and his background score. They are not chartbusters but arrive according to the situation and give a pleasant feeling. It is the same for background scores too. Niketh Bommireddy's cinematography is neat. The production values are adequate for a content-driven film. The producers should be lauded for bringing this subject to the audience. Nandakishore Yemani made a good impression as a writer and director with his first film. He excelled in bringing out natural emotions from actors. The point he chose is quite simple but he narrated it with a good feeling and fine screenplay. The dialogues are amazing too. The narration became a bit slow in the second half but it is the only flaw in Nandakishore's work.

Verdict: 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu Has A Bigger Meaning!

Rating: 3/5