Venkatesh-Ram Pothineni's Telugu film "Masala" has received mixed feedback from critics.
"Masala" is a remake of Hindi film "Bol Bachchan", directed by Rohit Shetty of "Chennai Express" fame. The Telugu remake, directed by Vijaya Bhaskar, has Venkatesh reprising the role played by Ajay Devgn in the Hindi version. Ram Pothneni steps into the shoes of Abhishek Bachchan.
Film's story: Raheem (Ram) and his sister Sania (Anjali) arrive in Bheemarajapuram for a livelihood. Balaram (Venkatesh) is the village head with a kind heart, but he cannot stand liars. Circumstances force Raheem to pose as Ram and he gets a job offer from Balram. To cover up his lie, Raheem keeps on telling several lies. Eventually, Balram finds out about his lies and what happens next forms the crux of the story.
"Masala" is the third film in Vijaya Bhaskar and Venkatesh combination. Their last two releases "Nuvvu Naku Nachav" and "Malliswari" were big hits. The director-actor duo is hoping to hit a hat-trick with "Masala."
The comedy entertainer boasts of an ensemble cast including Jaya Prakash Reddy (JP), Brahmanandam, Kovai Sarala, M. S. Narayana, Shazahn Padamsee, Ali and Posani Krishna Murali among others. The film is produced by Daggubati Suresh Babu, Sravanthi Ravi Kishore and its music is composed by Thaman.
Here is the review roundup of "Masala"
Karthik Pasupulate of The Times of India says, "It's almost a frame to frame remake of 'Bol Bachchan,' so leave your brains outside the theaters to enjoy this one to the fullest."
"It would be fair to say the movie lives up to its name, Masala, in so far as packing in all the ingredients, albeit in excessive doses."
Talking about the performances of the actors, Jeevi of idlebrain says, "Venkatesh has done many comedy characters earlier, but most of them have class and middle-class family orientation. For the first time, he has done a mass comedy character (like Chiranjeevi in Shankar Dada MBBS) and comes up with an outstanding performance."
"The film works because of five actors (Venky, Ram, JP, Ali and MS Narayana) who generated the entertainment with the help of nice dialogues penned by Anil Ravipudi."
Telugucinema says, "If you like Rohit Shetty movies that hinge on comedy not caring about anything, you may like this too. If you don't like them at all, then 'Masala' is not 'your cup of brandy'. Definitely, 'Masala' offers some genuine laughs but they are very few and far. This 'masala' lacks the right ingredients."
Indiaglitz says, "This one is a pointless faithful remake, a kind of xerox copy. If you have watched 'Bol Bachan,' you would not have a reason to watch this one. Others can watch it for Venky and Ram."
Verdict: Venkatesh, Ram, JP's Performances Make it Watchable
