Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Review
Telugu360 Rating: 3/5
Megastar Chiranjeevi is teaming up with Hit Machine Anil Ravipudi for a family entertainer titled Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. The songs and the trailer kept good expectations on the film. Nayanthara plays the leading lady and Chiranjeevi lost enough weight to suit the role. His comic timing and the presentation of Anil Ravipudi are the film’s expected highlights. Victory Venkatesh will be seen in an extended cameo. Bheems is the music composer and Sahu Garapati, Sushmitha Konidela are the producers. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is releasing on January 12th across the globe with special premieres on 11th night. Here is the film’s review:
Story:
Prasad (Chiranjeevi) is a security officer to Central Minister Nitin Sharma. Prasad narrates his personal life to the minister. Separated from the wealthy entrepreneur Sasirekha (Nayanthara), Prasad makes an attempt to win back his family. In the process, he tries to reconnect through his children, who study at a school in Dehradun. The rest of the film focuses on how the kids and Sasirekha react to Prasad’s attempts.
Analysis:
Anil Ravipudi, known for simple stories with a prime focus on entertainment, continues the same formula in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu. This time, he amplifies it by presenting Chiranjeevi in the way he should be. The director understands Chiranjeevi’s strengths perfectly and designs the Prasad character to suit the megastar’s image and age. During production, many raised eyebrows about Chiranjeevi playing a role suitable for his age, but in the film, his performance and timing cover it up well.
The first 10 minutes of the film have a shaky start, but once it gets into the groove, it runs on clean comedy until the interval. The hook-step song is average, while the second song, “Sasirekha,” stands out as a highlight. Chiranjeevi joins as a PT teacher in the Dehradun school where his kids study.
The second half follows the same comedy template, but the effectiveness drops, with scenes appearing formulaic. There is one lengthy comedy scene on women’s psychology in general, involving husbands and kitty parties, which stands out in the second half. The much-hyped Venkatesh special role does not land well. His role as Venky Gowda is limited to skit-like dance sequences where he and Chiranjeevi dance to old hit songs like “Choodalani Vundi” and “Sankranthiki Vastunnam.”
Another negative aspect of the film is the villain track, which is very poorly written. Had the team completely skipped the villain thread, the film would have been better. Among recent big films, this is one of the weakest villain tracks in terms of writing.
Anil Ravipudi’s strength lies in his effortless direction. Comedy-wise, there are no standout episodes like in Sankranthiki Vastunnam, but the film has a comedy-oriented treatment throughout. He ensures the frames look rich, and the dialogues and music feel trendy. Anil’s dance in the last song with Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh was fantastic. “Meesala Pilla” and “Mega Victory Mass” songs are just adequate.
Sahu Garapati’s Shine Screens production values are solid, giving the film a rich look. Sushmita Konidela Co-produced this film. Bheems’ music works well, with good songs and a decent background score.
Performances:
Chiranjeevi is truly vintage in this film, playing to his core strengths. He dances adequately whenever required. The hero’s sidekicks’ roles do not work well. Nayanthara is a good choice for the rich businesswoman role, but she does not get enough scope to perform to her full potential. Sachin Khedekar, as the heroine’s father, delivers another standard performance and does well.
Verdict:
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is a good Sankranthi commercial entertainer. Chiranjeevi’s one-man show makes it a family outing film of the season. Anil Ravipudi continues to do good in his comedy genre and adds another hit to his credit. Don’t expect a strong story; it’s a light-hearted film that is watchable in theaters.
Telugu360 Rating: 3/5
