‘Godfather’ movie review: An unmatched fanboy tribute to Chiranjeevi who works in parts

telugu movie GodfatherIt is the eighth remake of director Mohan Raja, starring Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara, Satyadev Kancharana and Salman Khan in guest appearances. Director knows the source material, Malayalam film lucifer The Mohanlal starrer was an unmatched fan tribute to the star by actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran. Mohan takes a broad outline of Raja lucifer With some of its key parts and a fan tribute to Chiranjeevi. Godfather is shorter than (157 minutes) lucifer (174 mins) and not too sorry about the lead actor’s fan base wandering off.

The chief minister of the state named PKR passed away and the battle for succession began. PKR’s daughter Satyapriya (Nayantara) is unwilling to become the political heir, but her husband Jaydev (Satyadev Kancharan) is eyeing the chief minister’s post. Minister Verma (Murali Sharma), a former colleague of the PKR, is also pursuing his ambitions for the chair. The one who can thwart all their plans is Kingmaker Brahma (Chiranjeevi), who hates Satyapriya for reasons that go back to her childhood.

The overarching storyline involves the conflict between Brahma and Jayadeva and the story brings to the fore some other characters whose loyalty is not what they seem. These characters played by Sunil, Shafi and Brahmaji keep the proceedings interesting. Other characters include Puri Jagannath, an investigative journalist, and Anasuya, a television news editor, both trying to stay on the right side of the moral compass.

To Mohan Raja’s credit, he knows the power of the original story, but also knows that the superhit Malayalam film that has been widely viewed needs a fresh rendition rather than a frame-to-frame reproduction. He removes one of the main characters from the original film, played by Tovino Thomas. This gives the story more space for Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara and Satyadev.

The film rides on the shoulders of Chiranjeevi, who plays as Salt and Pepper and is comfortable in the parts where he needs to be portrayed as a restrained kingmaker. Laxmi Bhupal’s dialogues are on cue without being verbose and help heighten the drama. Take for example the now popular lines of Chiranjeevi, ‘ Nenu Rajakeyam Nanchi Doramga Unnanu, Kani Rajakeyam Na Nuchi Doram Kaledu (I am staying far away from politics, but politics does not stay away from me).

However, as the film progresses, Brahma’s characterization doesn’t hold much intrigue. Although there is an alleged mystery about him, the adaptation strips away all gray shades. The final scene involving Interpol officials is a laughing stock. It’s this lack of nuance that keeps the film from rising above a loud fan-pleasing vehicle.

Satyadev finds a character who is as crooked as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and the actor revels in him. In the scenes where he crosses paths with Chiranjeevi or the showdown with Nayanthara, the actor almost walks away from the film. It is fun to watch Murli Sharma as a scheming politician.

Nayanthara gets a meatier role than Manju Warrier in the original, and is effective as a stubborn daughter and adamant woman who takes the time to see things for what they are. She has to express her emotional turmoil in a restrained manner and she does it well.

The unintentionally funny part features Salman Khan in a guest appearance; The action parts featuring them with customized weapons never have the desired effect, thanks to poor visual effects. He is called Masoom Khan and he dances with Chiranjeevi. Music composer Thaman composed it in the background score and ‘ hit the wire The song featured two actors, but the choreography felt underwhelming.

Godfather Entertains in part when political intrigue leads to a game of cat and mouse. It had the potential to be a gripping political drama, but it ends up as one of those movies that can only be enjoyed if you don’t expect much from it.