A Plus (A+) movie review: An altered version of Upendra's classic

Upendra's 'A' catapulted him from filmmaker to a top actor-director. It gave him a new identity not just in Sandalwood, but in other industries as well. People fell in love with his unconventional concept of love, theories, mannerisms and dialogue delivery style! Two decades later, his protégée Vijay Suryaa has directed a movie titled A Plus.

Without a doubt, one wonders whether it is a sequel to Uppi's blockbuster, but the answer is, no. The movie is made with an entirely different cast and crew, yet people can find similarities between the two movies. Like in A, in this movie too the hero (Anil Siddhu) is a filmmaker and madly in love with Yashaswini (Sangeetha).

An influential producer creates roadblocks for the career of an ambitious filmmaker Sathyaa (Anil Suryaa). The story is about his struggles to complete the movie and his desperation to achieve his goal despite the odds.

The iconic climax scene from Upendra's classic is recreated with a purpose in A Plus. There are hard-hitting comments on the God and about love, like in A. Basically, it is an altered version of the Real Star's 1998 film.

Vijay Suryaa deserves an appreciation for telling the story using non-linear pattern. There are frequent twists that constantly build some kind of curiosity. Yet it struggles to hold the viewers' attention due over-stretched storyline. Maybe, songs, fight and humour would have definitely given a better experience to the viewers in this case.

Coming to performances, Anil Siddhu has got a solid role and has razor-sharp dialogues at regular interval, but his dancing skills and fighting abilities remain untested. Sangeetha makes a decent debut in the film. Background score could have been better, but cinematography by Bhupinder Singh Raina is up to the mark.

Director Vijay Suryaa has a good story on paper, but somewhere it is let down by the execution. Precisely, it is not 'A Plus' work if you know what I mean!