| Release date: 22 June 2012 |
| Rating : 3/5 |
| Director : Shankar Dayal |
| Producer : Bellamkonda Suresh |
| Music Director : G V Prakash Kumar |
| Starring: Karthi, Pranitha, Prakash Raj |
Kriti has teamed up with Pranitha for political entertainment 'Shakuni' and the film has released worldwide in both Telugu and Tamil versions today. Shankar Dayal is the director of the film and Gyanvel Raja has produced the project on the Studio Green banner. Music is provided by GV Prakash. With a big Telugu release, the expectations on this film are high, so let's see how it is.
Story :
Kamal Krishna (Karthi) is an ordinary man of the city of Samarlakota. He comes to Hyderabad to enlist the help of political leaders in a bid to save his ancestral home which is scheduled for demolition for the railway track. But he faces insults and insults from all the leaders, especially the corrupt and ruthless Chief Minister Bhupathi (Prakash Raj). The evicted Kamal decided that acquiring political wealth was the only way to save his wealth. He approaches a local auto driver Rajni aka Appalaraju (Santhanam) and with his help he prepares to achieve his objective.
He first meets a local money lender cum don Ramanakka (Radhika) and convinces him to file a nomination for the post of corporator. With his plans and intelligence, he makes him the mayor of Hyderabad. The next line is the rustic monk BDBaba (Nasir). Kamal polishes and sees him as a powerful and highly revered God. As Ramanakka and Bdibaba become extremely popular, Kamal begins to gain recognition and comes across as an old political leader named Perumal (Kota Srinivasa Rao). Perumal heads the opposition party in the state and Kamal once again popularizes Perumal using his intelligence and plans.
But the wicked CM Bhupathi is not going to take the things lying down. He attacks Kamal in an unexpected and serious way. Amidst all this she has a romantic track with Mardalu Sridevi (Pranitha). Will Kamal survive these attacks? Will he be able to save his property? The rest of the story becomes this.
More points:
Karthi looks handsome and he greatly impresses his killer smile in the film. She has a natural charm and her performance is relaxed. His efforts to dub in Telugu are worth applauding and it works really well. He walks shoulder to shoulder with the film and gives a terrific performance. full marks!
The second half of the film is very entertaining and the pace is good. Given the current political climate in the state, the plans between the political system and the opposing political parties will work well with the audience. Prakash Raj is as good as the wicked CM Bhupathi. This performance is a cakewalk for him. Santhanam brings some laughter on auto driver Rajni and his scenes with Karthi are good in places.
Radhika gives a good performance as Ramanaka. Kota Srinivasa Rao and Nasir are quite decent. Anushka and Roja have small cameos and it is good to see Anushka after a long time on the big screen.
Minus Points:
Pranitha as the main heroine is not very impressive. She does not have the glamor to match Carthy and her role is actually q
uite small. Her romantic track with Karthi is poorly handled. The first half of the film is a big let down and the story does not progress much. Non-linear statements can actually be a bit boring in the first half.
uite small. Her romantic track with Karthi is poorly handled. The first half of the film is a big let down and the story does not progress much. Non-linear statements can actually be a bit boring in the first half.
The actual plot is not very impressive and the film would have had a tough time if it hadn't been for entertaining political satire in the second half. Although Karthi's paternal wealth is at stake in the film, the emotional conflict about it is not portrayed very well. A strong emotional motive would have helped.
The songs only serve as speed breakers and they may have a better place in the film.
technical aspects :
The cinematography is quite good and the visuals are pleasing. Editing is not up to the mark and it could have been better. The music and background score provided by GVPrakash is a major loss for the film. The dialogues are entertaining, especially the political lines in the second half.
The director showed good skill in the second half, but his grip on the script and script could have been better in the first half, as already mentioned.
Decision:
Shakuni is a political entertainer, worth a look for Karthi's stunning performance and entertaining second half. The first half of the film is disappointing and hence the work of GV Prakash. Overall, Shakuni will work if you like watching political satire. Due to the current political climate and lack of new big releases, the film will get a good chance at the box office.