Movie Review: Kanche

Rating: 3

Cast: Varun Tej, Pragya Jaiswal, Nikitain Dheer, Sowcar Janaki, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Sangeetham Srinivasa Rao, Srinivas Avasarala and Others.

Cinematography: Gunasekhar

Music: Chirantan Bhatt

Producers: Y Rajiv Reddy, Saibabu Jagarlamudi

Story - Sreenplay - Director: Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi (Krish)

Release Date: 22nd October, 2015

Krish has got the reputation of a Sensible Filmmaker after delivering critically acclaimed films like Gamyam, Vedam & Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum. On the other hand, Varun Tej who is the most good looking among Mega Heroes plays the lead in the content-driven script. Did the period film with a blend of love & war yield their first success?

Synopsis:

Story begins in the year 1930! Dhoopati Haribabu (Varun Tej) is a well-behaved youth in a middle class family & belongs to a lover-caste. Love blossoms between Dhoopati Haribabu and Seetha Devi (Pragya Jaiswal) who is from a Royal Family. Just due to the caste equations, Eeshwar (Nikitin Dheer) is against their marriage. Situations prompt Haribabu & Eshwar to fight on behalf of British Army against Germany's Army in Italy. Was Haribabu able to return to his homeland & does his love life have a happy ending?

Performances:

Varun Tej excelled as an actor and his growth from 'Mukunda' is quite noticeable here. Particularly, He showed good variations as a lover & soldier. He was equally good in emotional & action sequences. He truly deserves appreciation for having the guts to attempt such a role in the very beginning of his career.

Pragya Jaiswal is impressive in the movie, be it her royal look or performance. Even though her screen time is limited, She earned brownie points with the few key scenes she was part off.

Nikitain Dheer is perfectly cast in the role of Antagonist. Sowcar Janaki shines in few scenes and dialogues written for her role were good. Gollapudi Maruthi Rao is first rate. Sangeetham Srinivasa Rao makes his presence felt. Srinivas Avasarala brings the comedy relief and his dialogue delivery is superb.

Pros:

Lead Pair

Dialogues

War Sequence

Cons:

Snail Pace

Screenplay

Technicalities:

Chirantan Bhatt's Songs were just decent but his BGM deserves appreciation. Lyrics by Seetharama Sastry have added a lot of value to the songs. Gunasekhar's Camera Work is an asset to the movie, especially the manner in which he presented the war-field sequences of 1940s is a clap-worthy effort. Art Director Saahi Suresh's work perfectly depicts the situation during World War 2. Thought-Provoking Dialogues by Sai Madhav Burra are worth praising. Editing needs to be more crisp in the Second Half. As Director, Krish did 100% percent justice to the subject and does exactly what he believed. Production Values are appreciable.

Analysis:

'Kanche' is Director Krish's answer for Critics who always complained against the routine commercial cinema & lack of path-breaking films in Telugu Film Industry. This war-based period drama is something we haven't witnessed in the Indian Cinema before. Cinema isn't just meant for Entertainment but it could also educate & inspire people from all walks of life. With 'Kanche', This valuable point has been re-told yet again.

Just alike any of his previous films, Krish banked heavily on human emotions in 'Kanche' and came out with flying colors in blending love story with the greatest war ever happened in the history. Audience might get the feeling that Narration is a bit slow but that doesn't make them lose interest in this period flick at any point.

Why did World War 2 actually happened? How Hitler became the sole enemy of the whole World? Krish has designed these sequences so well that they give us a feeling of watching a Hollywood flick. Within the budget limitations, Krish picturized the war sequence at the beginning of the movie superbly and the best part is everything looks so realistic.

It must be said that Flashback Sequences lack emotional depth. May be, Director should have focused on the love story even more instead of ending it with a single romantic number. Screenplay in these portions looks uninteresting and even the last sequence of female lead hasn't come out well. Lack of commercial elements could be a setback but 'Kanche' is undoubtedly a great film in every aspect.

Irrespective of the Box Office outcome, Team Kanche will be appreciated by everyone who watch it & this is something which makes all the people associated with the project feel so proud. Kanche will be remembered as a film which lifted the standards of Telugu Cinema!

Bottom Line: A Great Attempt!