I like to watch Boyapati's films for the intensity of violence he creates. I had goosebumps watching the epic fight sequences in his previous films like 'Tulasi' and 'Simha'. However I should say, he compromised a bit in terms of violence this time in 'Legend'. Or may be I expected more brutal second half of the film!
One thing Boyapati knows well is that a Telugu film can not do well with a single agenda like violence. There have to be multiple flavors like sentiment, comedy and romance and that's why he was successful with his previous endeavors. However this time, he did not quite get any of them right. Only heroism of Balakrishna and sadism (may be villainsm) of Jagapati Babu works to the expectations. Comedy by the legendary Brahmanandam could only make mouths wide but not open. Audience felt a bit awkward to see Balakrishna romancing a girl way younger than him (I here do not refer to his acting capabilities but to the fact that he is aging). Sentiment involves you in the theater but if you go home and think back, you find it illogical.
Besides the stunning performance of Balakrishna, its Jagapati Babu who adds wind to the fire thereby making the second half like a raging fire.
On the flip side, what this film lacking is the depth in every aspect like sentiment, violence, logic, characterization and what not. Audience will enjoy watching a huge mob running in fear when Balakrishna chases them with an axe (or some traditional man-hunting weapon). But when some one thinks deep, why would hundreds of ruthless rowdies run out of fear when they see a man with a weapon provided they do not yet know the power and history of this legend? Likewise in every aspect the film goes shallow.
Devi Sri Prasad did a real good job in terms of background score. The audio songs however, fail to impress. I don't know if it is a coincidence , but the last time when I heard a good audio in Balakrishna's movie was only in 2001 (Narasimha Naidu).
Conclusion: Sparing the well-written and intense characters of hero and villain, this film falters through out. Even though you give up searching for the logics as you always do while watching a Telugu movie, this one fails to entertain.
PS: What happened to the younger Balakrishna fellow? I seriously doubt if there was a need for a duel role. Or may be they worried about the screen presence time of Balakrishna that would drastically reduce if he does a single.
One thing Boyapati knows well is that a Telugu film can not do well with a single agenda like violence. There have to be multiple flavors like sentiment, comedy and romance and that's why he was successful with his previous endeavors. However this time, he did not quite get any of them right. Only heroism of Balakrishna and sadism (may be villainsm) of Jagapati Babu works to the expectations. Comedy by the legendary Brahmanandam could only make mouths wide but not open. Audience felt a bit awkward to see Balakrishna romancing a girl way younger than him (I here do not refer to his acting capabilities but to the fact that he is aging). Sentiment involves you in the theater but if you go home and think back, you find it illogical.
Besides the stunning performance of Balakrishna, its Jagapati Babu who adds wind to the fire thereby making the second half like a raging fire.
On the flip side, what this film lacking is the depth in every aspect like sentiment, violence, logic, characterization and what not. Audience will enjoy watching a huge mob running in fear when Balakrishna chases them with an axe (or some traditional man-hunting weapon). But when some one thinks deep, why would hundreds of ruthless rowdies run out of fear when they see a man with a weapon provided they do not yet know the power and history of this legend? Likewise in every aspect the film goes shallow.
Devi Sri Prasad did a real good job in terms of background score. The audio songs however, fail to impress. I don't know if it is a coincidence , but the last time when I heard a good audio in Balakrishna's movie was only in 2001 (Narasimha Naidu).
Conclusion: Sparing the well-written and intense characters of hero and villain, this film falters through out. Even though you give up searching for the logics as you always do while watching a Telugu movie, this one fails to entertain.
PS: What happened to the younger Balakrishna fellow? I seriously doubt if there was a need for a duel role. Or may be they worried about the screen presence time of Balakrishna that would drastically reduce if he does a single.