Analysis:
Virodhi is a serious drama which focuses on the naxalism and the politics in it. Neelakanta’s film shows that there are many selfish people in naxalites too. This film’s antagonist is Ajay, who thrives for publicity and image. He wants to be the biggest leader of naxalites and does many bad deeds for it. Few innocent people blindly believe in him and take his path. This is a new angle that is explored/exposed by Neelakanta.
The film starts off on a dull note and slowly the drama picks up. The tug of war between Srikanth and Ajay is good. There are few scenes which prove the director’s worth. The scene where Ajay tries to kill his mentor is neatly conceived. The scene in which Ajay kills his follower who is carrying a cell phone is touching.
However, there are scenes where the director didn’t put much thought into. For example the final scene where Kiran Varanasi realizes the dark side of Ajay is not at all convincing. Director seems like he is in a hurry to end the film. Compromise over such key scenes is not acceptable.
There is so much scope to build the drama and pump in some thrills into the film but the director took easy way to tell his story. On a whole it is an honest attempt. Neelakanta’s dared to show the negative side of naxalism and that should be commended.
Performances:
Srikanth’s character is a hostage and has its limitations. So Srikanth underplayed his role very well. He conveyed so much through facial expressions and eyes. This is easily one of his best performances in his career.
Ajay is good as the wicked man. His confrontations with Srikanth are worth a watch. Kamal Kamaraju is a bad actor and that has been proved when he breaks up helplessly when one of his colleagues gets killed for no reason. Kamalini Mukherjee has very little screen time.
Sivaji Raja, Nagineedu, Ramaraju, Jagan and others did within their limits.
Tehnicalities:
RP Patnaik’s background score is Okay. Rama Chandra’s Cinematography is not good. Lighting is very poor. We can’t expect such output from a director of Neelakanta’s caliber. Editing by Shankar is fine. Production values are cheap. The film is made on an ultra low budget and the poor production quality marred the quality of the film. Few scenes looked like they are straight out of a teleplay.
Neelakanta excelled in few scenes as a director but failed on a whole. He has written a sensible story but failed in the execution part. Had he taken more care on the drama and dialogue, Virodhi would have been a better film. For now, it will be remembered as a honest attempt which will appeal to only a handful.
Plus Points:
- Srikanth and Ajay’s performance
- Few scenes in the second hour
Minus points:
- Not much drama built up
- Weak dialogs
- Poor Climax
Final Word: Virodhi – A good attempt with very little conviction.
Box office predictions: Virodhi is made on a shoestring budget and that is the major advantage for the makers. They can recover the investment if they try hard.
Virodhi Review rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Meka Media
Casting: Srikanth, Kamalini Mukherjee, Ajay
Music: RP Patnayak
Producer: Meka Anil
Direction: Neelakanta
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