Okkadu- The Number One
Okkadu is a Telugu movie released on 15 January, 2003. The movie is directed by Gunasekar and featured Mahesh Babu, Bhumika Chawla and Prakash Raj as lead characters.
OKKADU... a youthful love story intercalated with factionalism, good music, visual effects, photography, action, and performance and is the fascination for all sections of audience. Okkadu has all the ingredients to become a blockbuster.
The film has a cute couple yet not make it look like a dumb Valentine?s card; have adrenaline action and yet not make it look like a potboiler, that makes it a dapper of a movie.
It’s a movie that shears across the three basic storylines in Tollywood to come out as an offbeat idea with quaint romance, slick action and a simple storyline. And when Mahesh Babu is there to thrill and Bhumika to charm.. what more can one ask for? Director Gunasekhar lives up to his name of being a classy director. Mahesh Babu plays a daring sportsman who fears none. He suited best to the lead role. Seems to have worked hard for this film! Bhumika as a middle-class girl has done a quite commendable job. Her dubbed voice (Savitha Reddy) is also befitting. Prakash Raj, as we well know, is one of the most promising artists in the Telugu filmdom.
Once again he proves he is the only actor who can justify the role he has played in the movie. The way he tells ?I love you? to Bhumika is really hilarious. The scene in which the hero takes the heroine away from the villain is significantly plausible and comes out fantastic. The escape scene from the Charminar in the midst of Muslim men and women is excellent. The scene used to establish the love of the hero is also appreciable.
It?s Manisharma?s 50th movie and he?s done an outstanding job. The background score, and the songs are brought out with good care and creativity.
The basic storyline of a film is how a man acts as a guard to a lady and saves her from danger. It’s a pretty interesting plot. Obul Reddy (Prakash Raj) is a factionist in Kurnool. He falls in love with Swapna (Bhumika). Obul Reddy kills Swapna’s brother (Achyut) when he passed a remark about the age difference between Obul Reddy and Swapna. Obul Reddy also kills another brother of Swapna. Horrified by the impending danger, father of Swapna gives her certificates and money and asks Swapna to go to her uncle’s place in USA. Obul Reddy catches her when she starts traveling.
Ajay (Mahesh Babu) is a Kabaddi player and is the son of an Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mukesh Rishi). At this juncture, Ajay - who is in Kurnool to play Kabaddi games - rescues Swapna from the hands of Obul Reddy and takes her to Hyderabad. Learning her agony he takes her to his house in Hyderabad and hides her in his room. Ajay, with the help of friends, arranges passport, visa and flight tickets for Swapna. Mean while, the Home Minister (Rajan P Dev) who happens to be the brother of Obul Reddy asks ACP to search for Swapna and the guy who has taken away.
When ACP realizes that it’s his own son who did the crime, Ajay and Swapna runs away from his home and hides in Charminar. How Obul Reddy traps the couple again and how Ajay emerges victorious forms the rest of the film..
The last half hour, the post-Airport part, could have been easily dispensed with, but then that still leaves the story without a rousing climax. So there we have a completely redundant grand finale that robs the movie of a half star in the rating.
The performance by Telangana Sakuntala (acted as ’Ramulamma’) - the cigar smoking lady don and mother of Prakash Raj is also commendable. She provided entertainment with her typical dialogue deliver and peculiar walking style.
Photography by Sekhar V Joseph is excellent. Cinematography is one of the outstanding aspects of Okkadu. Set work by Ashok Kumar is too good. The set of Charminar, worth 2 crore, is an exact replica of the original. And the devadas kind of set for the last song in this film is also exceptionally good. The sharp editing by Srikar Prasad kept the pace of film in good condition.
Stunts for this film are extraordinary. Sometimes u tend to associate some scenes with the Hollywood film ’’Crounching Tiger, Hidden Dragons’’. First fight and last fight of the film are extraordinary.
The songs and background music composed by Mani Sharma has a touch of excellence. The songs flow like a dream, and for the first time, you actually hum when the songs are on. Here is the sequence of songs in the film
- Hare rama: In this song, Mahesh Babu along with his dancers charms the screen with Charminar in backdrop. Glorifying with good steps, the song depicts ultra modern choreography.
- Nuvvemaya Chesavokaani: a typical heroine introduction song shot at some beautiful scenic locations probably at Araku.
- Sahasam Swasaga: It?s a situational song where Mahesh Babu escorts Bhumika to Hyderabad with interludes like Bhumika telling about her flashback to Mahesh Babu. The camera work and editing for this song is brilliant.
- Cheppave Chirugaali: The sings this song on occation of Swapna?s birthday. The director has taken good care to show all the artists dancing in this film. Excellent song with good class steps.
- Hai re hai: This songs is my personal favourite. It starts with a conversation between Mahesh and Bhumika in Charminar and then the location shifts to abroad where Mahesh Babu excites his fans with full-speed steps.
- Atharintiki: The song is shot with Mahesh and Bhumika wearing royal dresses in a beautiful Devdas-like sets designed by Ashok.
In South Indian filmfare awards, 2004 most awards from Telugu, went to ’’Okkadu’’ - best film, best director (Gunasekhar), best actor (Mahesh Babu) and best music director (Mani Sharma). As a whole, ?Okkadu? with all constituents of youthful love story, faction, action, music, sports, sentiments, screenplay, cinematography and much more is worth a watch.
By knight reviews
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