'Chandamama Kathalu' Review Roundup: One-Time Watch

"Chandamama Kathalu", the Telugu anthology film directed by Praveen Sattaru, has received mixed reviews from critics.

The film has eight sub stories that revolve around love, greed and emotions. The main characters of these eight sub-plots include a falling model (Lakshmi Manchu), software professional (Krishnudu) - whose goal is to get married before he turns 30, a widow (Aamani), two college students, a beggar (Krishneswara Rao), young Muslim lovers, a poor village couple and an award-winning writer (Kishore) whose daughter is diagnosed with chronic illness. How all these sub-plots are interconnected with each other is shown in the film.

Critics have said that the begger's story is one of the main highlights of the film. Rao who plays the beggar does not speak much, but he is the soul of the film, say the critics. They have also appreciated the performances of Aamani, Naresh, Manchu and Kishore. Director Praveen Sattaru's efforts, in giving out a film from a different genre, have been lauded. The film's technical aspects including camerawork and the music have also won accolades from the critics.

"Among the technicalities, a special mention is needed for Mickey J Meyer's background score which served as real spirit to unify the content. The kind of feel good and emotional factor managed by director is kept intact by Mickey. Then Suresh Raghutu's cinematography is a comfy and pleasant eye feast," says Srivaas of Cinejosh.

On the flip side, there is lack of pace in the first half and the audience might get bored in some scenes. "Although the film is boring, one can enjoy the non-obvious stuff. The pace is quite slow especially in the first half; the second half passes muster," says Indiaglitz.

Critics also say that the director has failed to connect all the dots convincingly. "Blame the writer-director Praveen Sattaru for failing to connect the dots perfectly thus making the tale confounding. Too many sub-plots within the plot add much confusion as director didn't handle it well. At times, it is even hard to decipher what is going on as sub plots within sub plots baffle us," says AP Today.

On the whole "Chandamama Kathalu" is not a regular run-of-the-mill film. The anthology film might fail to impress fans of commercial pot boilers but if viewers want to watch something different this summer, they can try "Chandamama Kathalu." Although there are loopholes in the film, it is worth watching once.

Verdict: One time watch for those who like feel good films.

Photo Credit: Facebook/Lakshmi Manchu

[ED:VS]