This Sankranthi saw two big tickets opening at the Tollywood box office for the viewers – 1 Nenokkadine and Yevadu. The two films that opened to a great response on the first day of release also saw two radically varied responses from the film lovers and critics. While Mahesh Babu’s 1 received appreciation for its ‘off the hook’ story at par with Hollywood standards, Yevadu proved to be a complete popcorn entertainer with plot inspired from English flicks like Faceoff.
The viewers seemed to have had a difficult time adapting to an entertainer like 1. The film is a thriller with different execution from a regular Tollywood norm. Sukumar and Mahesh have dared to ‘experiment’, forgetting the ‘system’ of item songs, chopper stunts and larger than life heroes performing acrobats. The film saw Mahesh dazzling like an international actor – a character who deals with psychological problems and fights with reality. The movie’s fate with commercials looks to be a mixed one, but 1 emerged to break the cliche of the ‘regular’ and ‘predictable’ in Telugu standards. For a star like Mahesh to come out of the shell and the fear of the unknown to face something new, 1 Nenokkadine is definitely a big deal. From accepting to act in multi – starrers to playing a rocker, Mahesh seems to have come a long way, with his quest for something new.
Yevadu, on the other hand, is an out and out entertainer with all those commercial elements required for the viewer to munch on the popcorn and keep watching. The film had its share of variety too, with two varied stories presented before and after the interval bang – as if the viewers were watching two films for the price of one. This is a crucial film for Ram Charan, especially after an unlucky stint last year with his film ‘Thoofan’ bombing miserably. The film would have been that usual dose of story but thanks to a director like Vamsi Paidipally, the viewers can looks forward to a festive offing that speaks of commercial, masala and class all put together. Yevadu is definitely that film one goes out with family to unwind on a festive holiday.
Two big stars, two radically different plots and treatment but one common value – entertainment regaled. Whether the films perform equally well with paisa vasool at the counters or not, 1 takes the critics way and Yevadu, the commercial!
