With his innocent looks, everyone thought that he could not play professional killer to good extent. But, Mahesh proved his critics wrong once again in this action drama. Though movie started as a pure action oriented, it slowly goes towards family drama. With few hiccups which are quite natural in mainstream cinema, Athadu is a must watch for Mahesh' performance, good music and lavish production values. Kudos to Mahesh. From the other cast, Sonu Sood did not have much scope. Nasser's getup did not suit him much. Veteran actor would have justified the role well. Trisha has nothing different to offer. Director Trivikram shifted to a different genre of movies. He made sure that his talent is exhibited in every shot.
36 Reviews
oh ho.. mahesh babu
angelshalz18 July 2008
Athadu is about an assassin (Babu) who changes because he realizes the importance of love and family. He gets framed for killing a competitor in a major political election. Therefore, he switches places with Parthu, a decent and friendly man that unfortunately gets murdered on a train. Switching places with Parthu, Nandu starts challenging his own intentions, and not only starts treating Parthu's father as his own, but also falls in love with Poori, a vivacious young woman. What happens when they find out his true identity? Will Nandu get to the bottom of this case and finally get the best of both worlds? Athadu has pretty good special effects and is cleverly taken. It is not my favorite movie but for all Mahesh Babu fans: this is one of his best.
Heart warming!!
shanmukhachavadam5 August 2022
A film which is a proper mixture of everything (thrill, drama, comedy, romance). Trivikram did an amazing job with direction. I watched this film in 2022 just because I felt like new films are lacking something and that turned out to be right placement of emotions, Athadu makes perfect use of it. This film was released before my birth and I'm surprised to see how good the screenplay was. Overall fantastic my rating 8.6.
my most favorite film
elathodivelayudhan23 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I watched Athadu for the first time when it's Malayalam dubbed version was telecast on TV. I watched the whole film. After the running time,when the movie ended I too became a Mahesh Babu fan.If a single movie can make one crazy about the star then that. Movie must be special one. Yes Athadu is my most favorite film.I believed that Telugu films can't give anything new rather than heroism. But movies like Athadu changes my perspective. This is really a TRIVIKRAM& MAHESH BABU MAGIC. The story line goes like it. Nandu(Mahesh) is an orphan who entered the world of crime at a young age. He went on to become a sharp shooter. He was hired by a politician in order to create a dummy assassination scenario.But things got out of the hands when the politician is murdered really by another mysterious gunshot. The police hunts for Nandu who enters a train to escape. He meets Parthu,a A man returning to his village a after several years. Due to an accident Parthu got killed by the police. Nandu escapes.Nandu takes Paarthhu's identity and travels to Parthu's village. The rest of the story tells about the happenings in Parthu's house. The various questions the viewer may have are answered by trivikram in his own unique way. He has chosen a Hollywood kind of flick which Has all the ingredients for making the viewer involve in it. He has introduced and placed all the characters neatly. A unique kind of music too is included to give more depth to the thriller.The dialogues were mind blowing. More than punch dialogues,intelligent dialogues really touched me a lot. Mahesh Babu- Why did I never know him before? He has portrayed his double role kind of character to extreme perfection. He never over acted in any scene. Trisha character is an innocent village girl.Her chemistry with Mahesh looked very fresh on screen. Nassar played the role of the grandfather in a very natural manner.Prakash Raj played a kind of anti hero in the film. He did a terrific job. There is a very good supporting team for the team. The members of thee joint family really did fine job. The film have a good technical staff. The cinematography was special. The editing was sharp.The BGM was great. The songs were all together good. Well pictured songs. I particularly liked Mahesh's intro song. The fights was choreographed in a different manner. Only thing I disagree about the film is about the comedy track inn 2ndd half.There as no need of it when the film was getting tighter. Athadu is overall a brilliant mixture of commerce with family values. Heart touching dialogues in the climax scenes were really good. The suspense delivered by director was terrific. He mixed logic to the story very well. I don't think that this kind of superb stuff will be repeated in any industries. ATHADU is terrific ATHADU is mind blowing. ATHADU is superb ATHADU is brilliant Anymore words??to describe its brilliancy
awesome movie best direction good music brilliant action sequences
dilipildjfc200111 August 2011
Athadu is a mass entertainer with class elements. when i first saw the trailer i tought its a action packed movie later when i watched d movie I realized its a family oriented cinema with action sequences. the best part in d movie is mahesh's acting, Trivikrams direction, screen play and Dilogues!.. coming to story part Nandu (mahesh) is a professional killer who would do anything for money is involved in a virtual assassin deal but things go wrong n he is into a family with wrong identity what turns n twists take place forms the crux of d story! will Nandu solve problems r not is d question?...music by Mani Sharma is good , back ground score is too good!...title song is awesome!...choreography by RajuSundaram is excellent..stunts by Vali worth mentioning!... rest of d actors did well too especially Prakash raj, Nasser and thanikellabarani were amazing!..action sequences r d best in d movie... technically a brilliant movie in Tollywood industry.. finally my verdict good movie a must watch...my rating 9/10 for acting 10/10 for direction 9/ 10 for music ...
simply the best...mahesh really rocks
just_gaali6 March 2006
an almost perfect movie .. with some minor flaws (which doesn't matter much to a sensible tollywood cine-goer .. i swear). Mahesh is perfect for the role .. handsome - as usual.. trisha - the lady lead is good, even though she might not be given proper footage. but some light vein comedy track by the lead pair is a must watch for everyone. people who are familiar with trivikram's knack of writing powerful one liners will find them throughout this movie too. some action sequences are commendable.. photography for the title song is simply great .. and boy... what can I say about the theme song??? no words... i listen to this song almost daily ...even to this day (almost 6 months after the songs are released) .. great lyrics by Viswa ... good beats .. also a visual treat ... now waiting for the DVD . i'm gonna grab one as soon as they are out .. ;)
Mahesh gives his breath taking performance and direction is truly masterpiece
poisonivy895 October 2008
Athadu is a story of a professional assassin. The movie's strong point lies in the acting of the protagonist. The first half an hour of the film is best part of the movie. It becomes little subtle at parts but never loses the basic plot of the story. the direction is simply splendid, i like the direction style. The protagonist, nandu (mahesh babu) shines through and really takes this character and makes him his own . The special effects are well-done and still hold up pretty well. The dialog is very well-written and memorable. There are quite a few quotable lines, as well. The cinematography is good, and even when the plot doesn't move a lot, finally i'm very fond of this movie. i must i have seen this movie about 30 times. Mahesh gives this break through performance which makes this movie more special. This is cult classic and legendary cinema for me, especially mahesh babu how he got into the character so well adapted the body language and every minor detail character required.
A film with suspense and sensible dialogues
jetjumbo1011 March 2008
The film starts with a note of suspense, with the local party leader getting killed by the hero. The film is about how he finds the actual culprit. In the process, he gets into a lovable family and loves the hospitality shown by the members of the family. The film has an excellent cast with everyone preforming their role with sensibility. The act of Mahesh Babu and Prakash Raj is note-worthy. although, the film starts off with a sequence of criminal acts, it enters into a family drama afterwards. Thrivikram has done an excellent job with his dialogues. He also earned good name with his directional skills. As a whole, its a worth watch film for everyone. Already it has bagged good part of audience and hope it continues
Best Indian Movie i have ever seen
cowboysarath26 August 2010
No doubt and ambiguity by far THE BEST MOVIE , in the Indian Film industry , How many times we see the movie it seems fresh. Editing , screenplay , everything seems to be a Hollywood setup with ecstatic story and songs . His acting and his posture in this film's awesome and picture perfect . thanks boss u rock .No doubt and ambiguity by far THE BEST MOVIE , in the Indian Film industry , How many times we see the movie it seems fresh. Editing , screenplay , everything seems to be a Hollywood setup with ecstatic story and songs . His acting and his posture in this film's awesome and picture perfect . thanks boss u rock .No doubt and ambiguity by far THE BEST MOVIE , in the Indian Film industry , How many times we see the movie it seems fresh. Editing , screenplay , everything seems to be a Hollywood setup with ecstatic story and songs . His acting and his posture in this film's awesome and picture perfect . thanks boss u rock .
An attempt to be thriller
adp530229 August 2005
Seen this movie, since my wife was pestering me. The story is simple and straight forward. Mahesh Babu (Nandu) is a contract killer. He is hired to fake an assassination attempt on the leader of opposition. In the last minute, someone actually kills the leader and so our hero is on the run. If you thought the rest of the movie was about the hero solving the mystery, then u r not a Telugu movie viewer. Because our producers have something else in mind. The hero has to have a heroine. Our guy has to be the savior and do great things. Of course don't forget the duets and the cute love story situations. In the end he does solve the mystery and in true Telugu movie hero style comes out winner and gets his girl! No points if u figure out who the killer is and who is behind the whole thing. I did in 10 minutes. The movie is full of 3D freeze frames, fast action, spl effects and all that. Oh BTW, if any of u guys are wondering about the sequences after the assassination scene, the escape and all that, its in Hyderabad (AP) and was the games village for the 22nd national games. And there is no railway track within 3kms radius. Thats where our spl effects guys have done the trick. Watch it if u like. My wife absolutely loved it and wants to see it once more. So the 6/10 rating. otherwise I would have given 4.
One of the Best Screenplay
sirivennela-sastry14 July 2007
This is one of the best Telugu movies I have watched in a long time. The credit goes to Trivikram, the writer and the director of the movie. Also, another strong aspect of this movie is its Lyrics. Sirivennela has penned excellent songs for this movie. This is a decent movie and probably not aimed at the mass audience. The lead lady role is played by Trisha. Trisha scored 100% in this movie. Also, Tanikella Bharani added his experience to the Naidu role. The is one movie I have seen multiple times, every time the movie looks anew - especially the songs. I did not expect a Telugu movie on par with international standards as far as the cinematography and choreography. Music director has done an excellent job. A must see movie.
Magic of trivikram writing but story is ripped off from bollywood
santhoshhemu6 July 2019
This Movie has one of the best dialogues one can ever find in tollywood movies and mahesh performance as an assassin is amazing but the truth is that this movie was blatantly copied from salman khan starrer "Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge" which was released in 2002 and the funny part is that bollywood has remade it to ek the power of one.
By the end of the movie, the film totally lost me and I gave up...
planktonrules16 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The fact that I am not an Indian and don't live in India is something you should consider when you read my review. I do lover Indian films and have seen a couple hundred...but I am definitely an outsider.
"Athadu" is a film I enjoyed during the first half of the movie. But as the film progressed, my interest waned greatly. And the CGI- intensive ending really, really annoyed me.
The film begins with a sweet little kid, Nandu, murdering some gangster type. Obviously this is NOT an ordinary little psychopath. Soon a guy sees the kid's psychotic promise and gets him to become a contract killer. The credits appear and then suddenly the boy has grown to be a studly man. He is now a super-assassin. In fact he's so good that he's approached with a bizarre proposition...he's to deliberately make an unsuccessful attempt on a politician's life. They explain that the injury will guarantee the guy an easy win in the election. However, when Nandu is setting up and readying for his shot with a rifle and scope, someone else shoots and kills one of the folk!! Almost instantly, the police KNOW where Nandu is and try to catch him...he's obviously a patsy for someone's evil plot.
After evading the police, he finds himself in a train with a talkative man named Pardhu. It seems that Pardhu has been estranged from his small town family for over a decade and now he's finally returning. However, after conveniently telling Nardu EVERYTHING about himself, Pardhu is killed by police fire as shots ring out. Nardu escapes again and makes himself to the town where Pardhu was headed...with the intention of him assuming Pardu's life and identity.
This is a nice setup and I liked this portion of the movie. But when the super-clichéd lady love interest is introduced, the quality and style of the movie changes. It had been an exciting and gritty crime film...but now a sappy and ridiculous romance. She turns out to be the most spoiled, obnoxious and self-absorbed woman I have EVER seen in a movie...and, inexplicably, you know that faux Pardhu will fall for her. This makes no sense...and having him KILL her would have made much, much more sense. What also doesn't make a lot of sense is seeing a serial killer slowly changing into a swell guy who comes to love his new family!
While all this is bad, it gets MUCH worse at the end with a giant shootout with many baddies and faux Pardhu taking them all one and, naturally, winning. This is bad enough but so much of this is done in slow-motion, with crazy ridiculous CGI. It is so over-stylized and dumb that I found myself praying for the movie to end!!!
The bottom line is that I know you will a few clichés in Indian movies...they are so often formulaic. But the awfulness of the woman took it from formula to the ridiculous...and the ending was hellishly bad. It's a shame....it really DID start off very well.
"Athadu" is a film I enjoyed during the first half of the movie. But as the film progressed, my interest waned greatly. And the CGI- intensive ending really, really annoyed me.
The film begins with a sweet little kid, Nandu, murdering some gangster type. Obviously this is NOT an ordinary little psychopath. Soon a guy sees the kid's psychotic promise and gets him to become a contract killer. The credits appear and then suddenly the boy has grown to be a studly man. He is now a super-assassin. In fact he's so good that he's approached with a bizarre proposition...he's to deliberately make an unsuccessful attempt on a politician's life. They explain that the injury will guarantee the guy an easy win in the election. However, when Nandu is setting up and readying for his shot with a rifle and scope, someone else shoots and kills one of the folk!! Almost instantly, the police KNOW where Nandu is and try to catch him...he's obviously a patsy for someone's evil plot.
After evading the police, he finds himself in a train with a talkative man named Pardhu. It seems that Pardhu has been estranged from his small town family for over a decade and now he's finally returning. However, after conveniently telling Nardu EVERYTHING about himself, Pardhu is killed by police fire as shots ring out. Nardu escapes again and makes himself to the town where Pardhu was headed...with the intention of him assuming Pardu's life and identity.
This is a nice setup and I liked this portion of the movie. But when the super-clichéd lady love interest is introduced, the quality and style of the movie changes. It had been an exciting and gritty crime film...but now a sappy and ridiculous romance. She turns out to be the most spoiled, obnoxious and self-absorbed woman I have EVER seen in a movie...and, inexplicably, you know that faux Pardhu will fall for her. This makes no sense...and having him KILL her would have made much, much more sense. What also doesn't make a lot of sense is seeing a serial killer slowly changing into a swell guy who comes to love his new family!
While all this is bad, it gets MUCH worse at the end with a giant shootout with many baddies and faux Pardhu taking them all one and, naturally, winning. This is bad enough but so much of this is done in slow-motion, with crazy ridiculous CGI. It is so over-stylized and dumb that I found myself praying for the movie to end!!!
The bottom line is that I know you will a few clichés in Indian movies...they are so often formulaic. But the awfulness of the woman took it from formula to the ridiculous...and the ending was hellishly bad. It's a shame....it really DID start off very well.
If there is a modern Telugu film, which can be called as a art film, it has to be Athadu. Every picture frame is perfect.
imarayofhope6 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Everything about this movie is almost flawless. Mahesh Babu portrays both the characters of Nandu, the professional killer and Pardhu with equal aplomb. He underplays in some situations and gets the finer nuances in the final confession scene absolutely right. This according to me is his finest performance till date.
Trivikram - Beyond the usual applause he gets for his dialogues, this film is memorable for his direction. Be it the very first scene which establishes the hero's character or the last one which is technically one of the most challenging fights choreographed with 120 cameras being used to shoot it, his direction has panache written all over it.
The subtlety in humor and fight scenes is another strong aspect of the film. The countryside and the relationships Pardhu cultivates over there make you empathize with him. Pardhu understands what it is being loved for the very first time in his life and his relationship with his grandfather (Nasser), Ramana (Sunil) and Puri (Trisha) bring a lot of heart into the film and makes it different from any other action flick. In short, novelty in making, humor, Mahesh Babu's acting, a screenplay which blends mainstream Telugu masala with carefully etched characters, witty dialogues, stylish fight choreography and above all Trivikram's finesse both as a writer and director make ATHADU the best Telugu film.
There are some scenes which are a textbook for any aspiring filmmaker.
>The initial sequence of Mahesh Babu killing in crowded bazaar was so smooth and subtle that surprise me every time. >The scene starting from speech from Kota Srinivasa Rao on political dais and announcing Shayaji Shinde arrival to him getting hit by bullet in head is so perfectly orchestrated that you would want to watch it 10 times just for that one. >The fight at fields with innocent villagers, fight at temple with Brahmaji, Climax fight are so apt to surroundings and mood of the film. It's refreshing to see such kind of stunts. >Some sentiment moments adds the required emotional quotient. >How can one forget dialogues by Brahmanandam. >Hero Intro song is probably the best. If Mahesh Babu makes a James- bondish movie, this can be used. I can write a book on this film.
Trivikram - Beyond the usual applause he gets for his dialogues, this film is memorable for his direction. Be it the very first scene which establishes the hero's character or the last one which is technically one of the most challenging fights choreographed with 120 cameras being used to shoot it, his direction has panache written all over it.
The subtlety in humor and fight scenes is another strong aspect of the film. The countryside and the relationships Pardhu cultivates over there make you empathize with him. Pardhu understands what it is being loved for the very first time in his life and his relationship with his grandfather (Nasser), Ramana (Sunil) and Puri (Trisha) bring a lot of heart into the film and makes it different from any other action flick. In short, novelty in making, humor, Mahesh Babu's acting, a screenplay which blends mainstream Telugu masala with carefully etched characters, witty dialogues, stylish fight choreography and above all Trivikram's finesse both as a writer and director make ATHADU the best Telugu film.
There are some scenes which are a textbook for any aspiring filmmaker.
>The initial sequence of Mahesh Babu killing in crowded bazaar was so smooth and subtle that surprise me every time. >The scene starting from speech from Kota Srinivasa Rao on political dais and announcing Shayaji Shinde arrival to him getting hit by bullet in head is so perfectly orchestrated that you would want to watch it 10 times just for that one. >The fight at fields with innocent villagers, fight at temple with Brahmaji, Climax fight are so apt to surroundings and mood of the film. It's refreshing to see such kind of stunts. >Some sentiment moments adds the required emotional quotient. >How can one forget dialogues by Brahmanandam. >Hero Intro song is probably the best. If Mahesh Babu makes a James- bondish movie, this can be used. I can write a book on this film.
Killer and a Gentleman
akshaykatakam1 February 2016
Nandu (Mahesh Babu), an orphan, is a top-notch professional killer in town. He maneuvers his operations with the help of his buddy (Sonu Sood). In one such operation, he falls into the eyes of the cops. While fleeing from the crime scene, he unintentionally becomes the cause for the death of a stranger called Pardhoo (Rajiv Kanakala), a run-away youngster who wants to return home after 12 years. Nandu assumes the identity of Pardhoo and enters his household in a remote village to escape from the cops. The rest of the story is all about how Nandu solves all the problems.
Mahesh Babu is stylish and brilliant as professional killer. He suited the profile of Nandu to the tee. He lives up to his image of Prince Charming with his mesmerizing looks. He transformed smoothly from the character of Nandu to Pardhoo, yet shown the variation in histrionics that come out due to Nandu's guiltiness to impersonate Pardhoo.
Trisha is in her elements in this film with traditional attire and cute mannerisms. The only difference between her characters in Varsham & NVNV and this film is that the voice dubbed by Savitha Reddy is mellowed down a bit, which is good. However, her role in this film is less compared to her past films.
Sonu Sood is perfect. Prakash Raj is adequate as the investigating officer. Tanikella Bharani's get-up and dialogue delivery is different when compared to the roles he is offered these days. Brahmaji is effectively used for a comedy fight in this film. Nassar donned the role of an old man. Frail voice dubbing by SP Balu suited him. Brahmanandam and Dharmavarapu Subramanyam succeeded in creating good humor. Sunil is good as loyal friend. Kota and Sayaji Shinde are adequate. K Viswanath did guest appearance as CBI's local chief.
Trivikram is known for his class entertainers that are loaded with sensible humor and nice emotional quotient. He tried something different for this film. The way he opened the film with a tree shot is terrific. You feel like you are watching Ram Gopal Varma's film in the first half an hour. His taking is trendy and stylish. When the scene shifts to village, Trivikram tries to lace in his typical humor. The screenplay of the film is not binding enough to blend these two stories (contract killer story and masquerader story). Nevertheless, he could not hold the similar tempo in the second half. The continuity and logic behind certain scenes is missing.
Photography of the film is terrific. The camera angles, shot framing, lighting effects and camera movements are appropriate to the respective scenes. A tint is used for the first half an hour of the film which made this film appear like the Hollywood films made with Mexican backdrop. Cinematographer KV Guhan deserves a pat on his back for his fine work.
Mahesh Babu is stylish and brilliant as professional killer. He suited the profile of Nandu to the tee. He lives up to his image of Prince Charming with his mesmerizing looks. He transformed smoothly from the character of Nandu to Pardhoo, yet shown the variation in histrionics that come out due to Nandu's guiltiness to impersonate Pardhoo.
Trisha is in her elements in this film with traditional attire and cute mannerisms. The only difference between her characters in Varsham & NVNV and this film is that the voice dubbed by Savitha Reddy is mellowed down a bit, which is good. However, her role in this film is less compared to her past films.
Sonu Sood is perfect. Prakash Raj is adequate as the investigating officer. Tanikella Bharani's get-up and dialogue delivery is different when compared to the roles he is offered these days. Brahmaji is effectively used for a comedy fight in this film. Nassar donned the role of an old man. Frail voice dubbing by SP Balu suited him. Brahmanandam and Dharmavarapu Subramanyam succeeded in creating good humor. Sunil is good as loyal friend. Kota and Sayaji Shinde are adequate. K Viswanath did guest appearance as CBI's local chief.
Trivikram is known for his class entertainers that are loaded with sensible humor and nice emotional quotient. He tried something different for this film. The way he opened the film with a tree shot is terrific. You feel like you are watching Ram Gopal Varma's film in the first half an hour. His taking is trendy and stylish. When the scene shifts to village, Trivikram tries to lace in his typical humor. The screenplay of the film is not binding enough to blend these two stories (contract killer story and masquerader story). Nevertheless, he could not hold the similar tempo in the second half. The continuity and logic behind certain scenes is missing.
Photography of the film is terrific. The camera angles, shot framing, lighting effects and camera movements are appropriate to the respective scenes. A tint is used for the first half an hour of the film which made this film appear like the Hollywood films made with Mexican backdrop. Cinematographer KV Guhan deserves a pat on his back for his fine work.
Main asset of movie is TRIVIKRAM & MANISHARMA
sivakumararava20 August 2021
Ever green movie..
mvijaykumaris23 May 2020
Mahesh babu just nailed the character... The whole movie awesome.. Trivikram..... Directed the movie.. Very well.. Screen play and background score was also awesome.... All the actors performed very well.. Even the small role of thanikela bharani... Showed huge impact... Over all its an ever green movie
One of Mahesh Sirs Best Performances to date!
sixs-1968127 December 2020
I have nearly watched every Mahesh Sirs movie. No matter how many times I watch them, I still believe Mahesh Sir is made for Grey roles. Look at Athadu, 1, etc. Trivikram Sir was at his best in this movie. The humor was just superb. Good chemistry between every character.
Mahesh Babu one man Show
harishalekya1 June 2019
A complete package
Ansango5 December 2014
Athadu is a film about an assassin who assumes a dead man's identity while on a run from the cops.The main power of this movie lies in its powerful writing.The story of the movies was simple yet its presentation on big screen was superb.The main charm of the movie lies in its smooth and flowing screenplay which keeps you entertained all the time.The movie generally revolves around the family in which Nandu lives and depicts very less about the investigation.Its comic scenes were good.The romantic scenes between Trisha and Mahesh were nice and breezy.The first of the movie is very good but in second half the movie slows a little.The climax of the movie ended too soon.It seemed as it had been done in hurry.This is a movie which solely relies on Mahesh babu and he does it again.His body language,style of talking,his expression,everything looked so convincing.He gave one of the best and most intense performances of his carrer.Trisha looked very sweet and played his part smoothly.Sonu sood was wasted.Music of the movie was very good especially the title song was so mesmerizing.Visuals were also nice.If you love a good family entertainer then you should not miss it.And if you are a Mahesh babu's fan then it is a must watch for you..... RATING : 7.3 out of 10
One of the finest films ever made in india
bvspavan-9175225 October 2020
Direction-- outstanding, writing-- excellent, timeless, gripping and major plus, acting-- excellent, Music-- excellent songs and marvelous score, cinematography-- outstandingly great, editing-- excellent, vfx-- outstanding, make-up and costumes--excellent, art direction-- excellent
Overall a must watch for all movie lovers around the world.
An action-packed adaption of Manmohan Desai's "Roti" with certified heroic mass mania of Mahesh Babu.
SAMTHEBESTEST9 June 2021
Athadu (2005) :
Brief Review -
An action-packed adaption of Manmohan Desai's "Roti" with certified heroic mass mania of Mahesh Babu. Manmohan Desai films were perfect mix-ups of Masaledaar ingredients alongwith family drama and emotions. In 70s and 80s time, those films were like cultural massy hysteria for mass audience of India and even today on TV people enjoy those films so much. One of his Hit formula with Rajesh Khanna's Roti was something new for 70s. A criminal using the identity of a dead man to hide himself from cops gets involved into emotional bond with dead man's family. Athadu has the same formula but it's not a remake. It has some changes made in the script according to time leap and changes appeared in audience's taste, so better say it's an adaption. The basic story remains the same but the screenplay and climax slightly differs. Mahesh Babu plays a hardcore criminal with swag. His stylish attitude, characteristics, varieties, cool look, top notch action and that connectivity with the audience everything works exactly the way they wanted. Whatever you wish he should do in screen, he does and that's the right equation of Full Proof Massy Filmmaking. However, it looks childish at some occasions maybe because they wanted to keep the film light soft instead of dark and intense. Well, that's excusable against the commercial value but still one has to say this. Trisha looks beautiful and is little over-innocent but that's fine because the film was all about the heroics of protagonist. The supporting is okay, nothing noticeable. The music is decent, the cinematography is fantastic during action sequences and the action designing is artistic but very stylish and enjoyable. Athadu has got a good direction of Trivikram Srinivas, but it's on a certain and limited level. Overall, a good massy film but nothing great.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
An action-packed adaption of Manmohan Desai's "Roti" with certified heroic mass mania of Mahesh Babu. Manmohan Desai films were perfect mix-ups of Masaledaar ingredients alongwith family drama and emotions. In 70s and 80s time, those films were like cultural massy hysteria for mass audience of India and even today on TV people enjoy those films so much. One of his Hit formula with Rajesh Khanna's Roti was something new for 70s. A criminal using the identity of a dead man to hide himself from cops gets involved into emotional bond with dead man's family. Athadu has the same formula but it's not a remake. It has some changes made in the script according to time leap and changes appeared in audience's taste, so better say it's an adaption. The basic story remains the same but the screenplay and climax slightly differs. Mahesh Babu plays a hardcore criminal with swag. His stylish attitude, characteristics, varieties, cool look, top notch action and that connectivity with the audience everything works exactly the way they wanted. Whatever you wish he should do in screen, he does and that's the right equation of Full Proof Massy Filmmaking. However, it looks childish at some occasions maybe because they wanted to keep the film light soft instead of dark and intense. Well, that's excusable against the commercial value but still one has to say this. Trisha looks beautiful and is little over-innocent but that's fine because the film was all about the heroics of protagonist. The supporting is okay, nothing noticeable. The music is decent, the cinematography is fantastic during action sequences and the action designing is artistic but very stylish and enjoyable. Athadu has got a good direction of Trivikram Srinivas, but it's on a certain and limited level. Overall, a good massy film but nothing great.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
So much potential, so little realization.
moviesenthil3 September 2009
For a movie to have been made with so much energy, expense and extravaganza, I am left wondering why a little more time and energy couldn't have been spent on the script. For a movie that starts so well and promises so much, Athadu willingly becomes scattered and compromised, for no reason at all.
Many Indian films suffer from this, and this is not to dis the whole Indian film culture, but there are many holes in the narrative, voluntarily shot on the canvas by the writer/director. For instance, the emotional tangent that Nandu goes on after being introduced as a cold blooded professional is utterly unconvincing. His acting is straight out of an English language American B movie and he seems painfully plugged into a Telugu movie. What is so hard about spotting something like this? If a movie maintains its "tone" while playing out, no matter how outrageous it may be, it tends to settle in the audience's mind. Once we know what kind of a ride we are on, it is not hard to sit through consistent movies, no matter the genre. This movie has a hard time deciding what it wants to be.
The lifts from "Matrix" and "Face/Off" were neither necessary not subtle. So much money spent on what could have been a good movie, but even worse is the extra 90 minutes we are subjected to on absolutely needless distractions.
Many Indian films suffer from this, and this is not to dis the whole Indian film culture, but there are many holes in the narrative, voluntarily shot on the canvas by the writer/director. For instance, the emotional tangent that Nandu goes on after being introduced as a cold blooded professional is utterly unconvincing. His acting is straight out of an English language American B movie and he seems painfully plugged into a Telugu movie. What is so hard about spotting something like this? If a movie maintains its "tone" while playing out, no matter how outrageous it may be, it tends to settle in the audience's mind. Once we know what kind of a ride we are on, it is not hard to sit through consistent movies, no matter the genre. This movie has a hard time deciding what it wants to be.
The lifts from "Matrix" and "Face/Off" were neither necessary not subtle. So much money spent on what could have been a good movie, but even worse is the extra 90 minutes we are subjected to on absolutely needless distractions.
Mahesh Babu in style
raulukmj6 September 2018
This is a an early hit of mahesh babu in a plot that is original. Not getting into plot details, the story follows mahesh into a setting where he takes another persons identity to escape from a situation but in the process gets involved in local problems. Prakash raj and Trisha play great supporting roles. Good songs and comedy adds to the story.
This movie and Pokkiri sort of setup mahesh babu as a superstar in Telugu industry.
This movie and Pokkiri sort of setup mahesh babu as a superstar in Telugu industry.
Silent hit
ha-0820926 May 2019
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