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| Shakti Review |
Said to have been made with a whopping Rs 48 crore budget, both the producer Ashwini Dutt and director Meher Ramesh claimed that Shakti will rewrite the history of Tollywood records with its unprecedented planning and execution. Let us see how far their claims would stand the test of the audiences.
Mahadevaraya (Prabhu) is the Union Home Minster. He has a ravishing daughter Aishwarya (Ileana). He is also the proud possessor of an enigmatic diamond Jwalamukhi, a heirloom. He is afraid that Aishwarya might get kidnapped and the diamond robbed. The diamond is considered the protecting force of all the Shakti Peethams in India. A strange looking mendicant (Nasser) warns Mahadevaraya about the foreboding happenings with regard to his daughter and the diamond.
Mukthar (Sonu Sood), an Egyptian chieftain wants the diamond, which is believed to have the power to resurrect the mummies. As he gets killed in the battle, his wife (Fukthooni) wants to avenge the killing and her son (Sakuchi) takes charge of the mission. In order to get the required paraphernalia for the attack, the villainous lady wants to arm her son with Rudhrashoolam (a mysterious sword) currently in the possession of one Jackie (Jackie Shroff) in Dubai.
Back in India, Aishwarya is vexed with the security around her. She manages to slip unnoticed and lands in Jaipur where she meets Shakti (Jr. NTR). Shakti, who is an undercover cop, takes on the mantle of protecting Aishwarya from Sakuchi`s gang. How Shakti, turns into a warrior overnight and achieves his mission forms the crux of the movie.
NTR as usual is a mine of talent. His expressions, stunts and dialogue delivery rocks onscreen. His dance movements are simply extraordinary. But for NTR, the entire theatres would turn empty before the first half could roll down.
Ileana is glamorous and highly seductive in some scenes. Unfortunately, she presents jaded and stony expressions and an irksome performance. The other glam dolls Manjai Fadniz and Puja Bedi have nothing to offer. Jackie Shroff and Sonu Sood present an utterly disappointing villainy sans seriousness.
Nasser is adequate as a mendicant. Prabhu, as a central minister, makes himself a laughing stock. A central minister worried about the security of his daughter and a diamond is a big joke to the audience.
Other performers Ali, Brahmanandam, Venu Madhav and MS Narayana have simply wasted their skills as their might fails to synchronize with the main story. At the same time, the comedy failed to succeed even as a separate thread.
The story is nothing but the weird imagination of director (also story writer) Meher Ramesh. His contention that he can hoodwink the audiences with glitter and show is once again exposed after Kantri and Billa.
A major drawback of Shakti is that Meher Ramesh failed to club the periodic frames with the contemporary story. The flashback doesn`t suit the time factor.
In some vital scenes, the director simply copied the Magadheera format and applied it on NTR. The hairstyle and the warrior getup of Ramcharan on NTR is a big vexation to the audience, particularly to his fans.
Technically speaking, there is no screenplay at all, but the senseless play of the director`s wild and stoic imagination.
The songs and music are not appealing onscreen, except for a few flashes of NTR`s energy and Ileana`s glamour. Cinematography is good in parts. Visual effects have a costly look. With several oddities spread from the start to finish, one would hardly care for editing.
Sources: http://www.sify.com
