24 has caught every film lover's attention with its intriguing promos. Vikram Kumar's previous film Manam has set a bar high for the director and people expected something exceptional from him again. Vikram Kumar's 24 is a science fiction drama about time travel. It is a very complicated plot but Vikram Kumar makes it simple and very understandable, and all the more enjoyable.

What is it about?

Scientist Siva Kumar (Surya) invents a watch that can control the time. His evil twin brother Athreya (Surya) is after the watch. He kills Siva Kumar and his wife (Nitya), but Siva Kumar makes sure his baby boy is in the safe hands. He also leaves the watch along with the baby. The boy grows up to be Mani (Surya) a watch mechanic. Athreya wakes up from coma after twenty six years and tries to restart the project 24. He gives an advertisement to find if someone can make his dream come true. An intrigued Mani goes to Athreya to find the truth behind the watch, but Athreya catches him and kills him and take possession of the watch. What happens next?

Performances:

Surya is just mind blowing in the role of Athreya. His expressions are priceless as he portrays the evilness of the character just by sitting in a wheel chair. Surya is also good as the scientist and as charming as ever as Mani. Samantha is good within the character's limitations. Nitya Menon has a brief role to play. Ajay is good. Saranya is impressive.

Technicalities:

Vikram Kumar has once again come up with an out-of-the-box idea and tried to narrate it in a very simple manner that most of the people could understand. He has masterfully executed the main plot of the movie. This film will put him in the league of great directors that Indian cinema has ever produced.

Rahman's background score is very good. Songs could have been better. There are only a few songs in the film and we expect far better output from the Oscar winner. Cinematography is one of the major highlights of the film. Thirru has done a fabulous job in bringing the imaginary world of the director to life. Editing is fine. Production values and VFX is top notch.

Thumbs Up:

Concept

Surya

Direction

Cinematography

Thumbs Down:

Samantha episodes

Slow pace

Limited appeal

Analysis:

Despite Vikram Kumar's best efforts to make this an appealing movie to the majority of audience, the concept may not be easily grasped by the frontbenchers. This may impact the film's prospects at the box office. 24 is not a perfect film as it has its share of flaws and problems.

Director failed to strike a balance between the colorful romantic side of the story with its grey side. The film looks entirely different whenever Atreya comes on screen. Vikram Kumar should have toned down the Surya-Samantha track. He could have edited out few bits from that episode as it comes as a major speed bump on a thrilling ride.

Although 24 has limited appeal and has its minuses it is one of the best movies in recent times. We won't get to see such ideas being executed by our filmmakers where the majority of audience loves to watch the masala stuff. Vikram Kumar needs a pat on the back for exploring something unusual and Suriya should be lauded for backing such an innovative idea. 24 is a must watch for audience that are craving something different in an Indian film.

Verdict: Two Thumbs up.

Anil Ravipudi's Patas was a surprise hit. The young director has delivered a very good entertainer that has given a break for Kalyan Ram who was struggling at that time. Ravipudi has once again banked upon commercial elements in his second film. Supreme is not supreme in any department, but the director made sure to have entertainment throughout the movie.

What is it about?

Balu (Tej) is a cab driver who falls in love with sub inspector Bellam Sridevi (Rashi Khanna). Balu comes across an orphan Anglo Indian kid Rajan (Mikhail) who lives on a footpath. Balu takes the boy along with him. This boy has an untold secret and his life is in danger. Vikram (Kabir) is after the kid and Balu have to save the boy from his men and help the boy achieve his goal.

Performances:

Sai Dharam Tej is a live wire. He is extremely energetic and has good comedy timing. His dances and fights will appeal to the masses. However he has to work on his expressions in emotional scenes. Rashi Khanna played the role of an entertaining cop. She is good within her limitations. She also added zing to the songs with her glamour.

Ravi Kishan too gets an entertaining character. He is competent. Kabir has nothing much to do except for looking stylish all the time. Sai Kumar and Rajendra Prasad did important characters. The real show stealer is the little kid Mikhail who is adorable. Vennela Kishore, Prudhvi, Posani, Srinivas Reddy and Prabhas Srinu did their bit in providing the comic relief.

Technicalities:

Anil Ravipudi's story is as old as hills. Even his screenplay is neither exciting nor thrilling. It moves on a predictable note, but the director is attentive enough to add comedy to the proceedings. The movie could have been a total downer if the director didn't introduce comedy characters at the right intervals. The director's work is not as convincing as his first film though. Second half lacked the zing.

Remix song is good. It is shot well too. Bellam Sridevi too will woo the masses. Sai Karthik's background music is good in parts. Editing is alright. Action episodes are impressive, especially the chase sequence. Cinematography is one of the major attractions. Sai Sriram did a commendable job in presenting the film in a trendy way. The chase sequence has Hollywood vibe to it. Production values are very good.

Thumbs Up:

Sai Dharam Tej

Comedy

Thumbs Down:

Routine Script

Predictable

Below Average second half

Analysis:

Supreme is an out and out commercial entertainer that banks heavily upon comedy. There is action, romance, sentiment and everything that we expect out of a commercial film. However except for comedy in parts and few action scenes there is nothing that really impresses the viewers.
              
The plot is too thin and very predictable. Despite the routine scenes, first half of the film is passable with some comedy episodes delivering the laughs. The scenes related to Bellam Sridevi's family have come out well. Also the valet thieves episode clicks at times. Interval is alright with an expected twist.

The real trouble starts in the second half as there isn't any conflict in the story. Everything runs on a predictable note without any twists and turns making it a boring affair. Climax should have been handled better. Fight composed on the handicapped persons is a good commercial thought. All in all Supreme has its moments but lacks the punch that is very much needed for a commercial film. It is an okay watch if you go with little or no expectations. To cut the long story short it is an average offering from the Patas director.

Verdict: Supreme is mildly entertaining.

With the season's first biggie Sardaar Gabbar Singh turning out to be an epic disappointment, fans and trade are heavily banking upon Sarrainodu to come to the rescue. Boyapati Srinu's decent track record and ever reliable Allu Arjun combining with Allu Aravind, one of the top producers of Telugu film industry, one would expect a minimum guarantee film. However, Sarainodu suffered a lot due to bad story and screenplay. Allu Arjun did his best to save this film from being a debacle, but even a star cannot help a lackluster script to be a blockbuster.

What is it about?

Gana (Allu Arjun) the son of Chief Secretary falls in love with local MLA (Catherine). When he decides to give up his rebellious attitude to marry her, in comes Maha (Rakul) with a big problem. Now Gana has to lock horns with blood thirsty, powerful criminal Dhanush (Aadi) to save Maha from the trouble. Who is this Maha and how is she linked to Dhanush? Why does she comes running to Gana for help?

Performances:

Allu Arjun: Allu Arjun has never attempted a full blooded massy entertainer in his career so far. Boyapati Srinu is particularly known for making mass masala films with heavy dose of violence and bloodshed. Allu Arjun effortlessly slips into the character. His bulked up body makes us believe that he has the raw power to kick and kill that many bad guys. Allu Arjun added his dose of comedy to the film with his antics and dialog delivery. Allu Arjun fans won't be disappointed with the film as the actor delivers a commendable performance all the way.

Aadi Pinishetty and Others: Boyapati is known for creating some of the powerful villains Telugu film audience have ever seen. We expect a lot when an actor of Aadi caliber is given the antagonist role. Aadi looks suave and stylish. However he is not as menacing as he should be. His character is not etched properly as it loses steam after a while.

Rakul Preeth is just okay. All she has to do is look admiringly at Allu Arjun whenever he is bashing the bad guys. Catherine is a miscast as the MLA. Brahmanandam's comedy is stale, so is Vidyullekha's. There are a lot of noted actors in the film but none makes an impression including Srikanth.

Technicalities:

Boyapati Srinu banks upon his strengths yet again. He didn't take Allu Arjun's image into consideration. He focused only upon presenting Allu Arjun in a mass avatar. He spent a lot of time on hero elevation shots and scenes. He didn't take much care about the script that goes haywire most of the times. Allu Arjun had to put things back on track whenever Boyapati goes off the mark.

Thaman's background score is powerful. Songs are good and are shot lavishly. Dialogues could have been better. Cinematography is top class. Editing is bad as the film drags on and on. Production values are one of the biggest assets to this film.

Thumbs Up:

Allu Arjun

Hero Elevations

Thumbs Down:

Uninteresting Script

Overdose Of Violence

Predictable Climax

Analysis:
A lot of buildup is given to the villain right from the first scene. We settle in expecting a tug of war between the villain and the hero. However hero is too powerful that any number of rowdies can't even pull out a button from his shirt. At least the director should have given the villain an upper hand for some time.

But nothing can stop the hero from whatever he does and wherever he wants to go. Even the villain looks like a mere puppet after a while. There is little depth in Boyapati's story that it struggles hard to keep going. Boyapati Srinu has included many fight scenes to keep the audiences interested.

All the stunts are choreographed in the same way. There is no variety and it gets hideous after some time. We expect a powerful climax because of the powerful villain, but all we are served is a run of the mill stuff that ends horribly predictable. There are few bright points about the film, but we cannot let this one pass off as a passable fare as there are so many more dark moments. Allu Arjun's spotless performance is the main highlight of this Boyapati's bland and boring mass masala offering.

Verdict: Not 'Saraina' Attempt!