Story:
The story solely revolves around how Aravinda becomes the only answer to various questions and implausible problems that Veera Raghava faces in his post-traumatic quest of finding oneself. This is probably Trivikram's best writing of female characters in his films. Though this film does not wipe out all the criticism against him in this regard, it does until a certain extent.
Screenplay:
Guruji wastes no times at all. Right from the heart pounding opening sequence up until the exhilarating conclusion, with each act he keeps taking the movie a notch higher. The character arc of Raghava is really fascinating to watch as it is kinda first time in TFI that this type of a factionist's portrayal has taken shape. Whenever possible, guruji hasn't hesitated to add few sparkles of his own comic relief and boy did they seep in seamlessly! The only biggest disappointing aspect of the film is the complete misplacement of Peniviti song which; one - wasn't picturised aptly and two - wasn't in sync with the emotion of that particular scene. To that matter, even Reddy Ikkada Soodu wasn't necessary, but hey... dance!? All said and done, the prime MVP of this film is its detailing of the nuances that one can observe in the Rayalaseema dialect. Rustic dialogues from Trivikram and professionally infused dialect by Penchal Das is a treat!
Direction:
Be it in Mirchi or more so in Dhammu, you see the protagonist change their opinions about how killing and fighting will only fuel more killing and not peace, which actually they realise after only one key incident/episode that affects them the most; on the contrary, Guruji showcases how step by step this so call "enlightenment" dawns upon Raghava and how Aravinda plays a pivotal role in this revelation. All these scenes are delightful to watch and they both acted really well. The opening sequence was next level taking. The best part of the film is how Guruji brings Raghava's as well as his fellow villagers characters (few specific characters) to the point of catharsis to the very end is remarkable or shall I say Trivikram 'mark'able, since the masses are so fond of this "mark" of late. There is a camouflaged analogy hiding in plain sight here. In more than 2 instances, you see 2 important characters (not naming them to avoid spoilers) narrating stories and a similar situation arises in the climax and here Trivikram clearly hints at how one's life is in the way one writes it and also at the same time, the things they do also directly/indirectly impact many lives. Raghava's character here is like The Last Jedi of the factionists who does things out of the stereotype character, as far as the Hollywood references go. But one flaw with Raghava is that as the time progresses he transforms into a mirror image of Aravinda's ideology without having any trace intricacies of his own way of thinking or characteristics, leaving Raghava as a person unexplored.
Music:
Yada Poinaado is the most impactful song in the whole film. As I've said earlier, Peniviti was the only let down with regards to filming and not as a standalone song. But the best part is the way in which Thaman gave various themes of BGM for different parts of the film. One of the finest outing for him.
Cinematography:
Remarkable shots! Great and slick use of VFX and perfectly executed fight sequences. He is known for stylish taking and this is how he showcases a raw Rayalaseema fight.
Performances:
Pooja Hegde was really good with her dialogue delivery and lively portrayal of Aravinda. Though Supriya Pathak has very less screen time, her screen presence is immense. Naveen Chandra blew me away with his performance, so good. Eeshwari has the smallest role of all but created as much impact as any other character in the film, what an actress! Jaggu bhai was all over the place, commendable commitment and conviction from a man of his age! Of course, NTR did give a great performance, what did you expect? Just kidding! There is this one sequence where he sits calmly on a chair and warns his opponents on phone who are somewhere far off. That. That is how dialogue diction will affect a scene. I bet all the so called Dubsmash kings/queens to beat that scene! That one scene is a testimony to why many people wanted guruji and NTR to team up.
Final Take:
This is probably the most meaningful movie in NTRs career. It is like that type of movie which borne out of the idea where two factionists sit down and resolve issues instead of swinging swords down each other's throats. Guruji is back in form. A highly recommended film.
Rating: 8.5/10
