Cheliya Telugu Movie

Feature Film | 2017 | U
Critics:
Cheliya ends up as a Mixed Affair. Mani Ratnam's trademark visual framing is alluring but the narration/content are not at all engaging. Particularly the boring Second half is a rogue. Try it if you are a fan of Mani Ratnam films.
Apr 7, 2017 By NR


Cheliya is a story set during the Kargil war in 1999. Air Force officer Varun (Karthi) is injured in the crash of a fighter aircraft and gets caught by the Pakistan Army. Pakistanis illtreat and mishandle the war prisoner and even in his suffering, Varun remembers his past. Varun is a fighter pilot in the Air Base of srinagar. He falls in love with Girija (Shradda Srinadh), daughter of his superior officer. Varun, who goes on a long drive with her meets with an accident. He falls in love with a doctor, Leela (Aditi Rao) at the hospital. Both of them are in relationship but very often fights with each other. Exactly at that time, an interesting twist occurs in the story but Varun gets a call to take part in the Kargil War. What happens next forms the rest.


So far, we have seen Karthi mostly in mass and action movies. But then his first film with director Mani Ratnam is a full performance oriented one. Karthi, however, is very confident and excelled in a character which has different shades - Lover, War Prisoner, and Pilot. Aditi Rao Hydari is drop dead gorgeous and competed with Karthi in emotional as well as romantic scenes. Other artists - Rukmini Vijay Kumar, RJ Balaji, Delhi Ganesh are good to the extent of their characters.


Mani Ratnam is one director who leaves his mark on every frame of his films. It happened with Cheliya as well. Grand visuals, heart touching emotions, cute romance and patriotism are key elements which Mani Ratnam never miss. He did not miss them in this film as well but then they could not move the audience. The slow narration in the film comes as a big hindrance especially in the second half. The escape scene is not convincing as well. The visuals by Ravi Varman are the biggest highlight of the film. The Chase sequence in the Pre-Climax is good but then the climax again is pale. Songs composed by AR Rahman were okay but the background score is appealing. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is patchy while the production values are grand.


Finally, Cheliya ends up as a Mixed Affair. Mani Ratnam's trademark visual framing is alluring but the narration/content are not at all engaging. Particularly the boring Second half is a rogue. Try it if you are a fan of Mani Ratnam films.


NR

   

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