Story
Arjun (Aniesh) is a mute boy who lost his father during childhood. His father was a thief, and Arjun has inherited some of his skills and techniques. He falls in love with Keerthi (Anaswara Rajan), who lives in the same apartment building. Meanwhile, a ₹1,000 crore hawala transaction belonging to a Hyderabad-based don (Mukesh Rushi) goes missing, along with a pen drive containing crucial information. Arjun emerges as the prime suspect. The rest of the story revolves around how the mafia tracks him down and how he ultimately emerges victorious.
Artists Performance
For a debutant, Aniesh delivers a very good performance in a challenging role that relies entirely on body language, gestures and expressions. He is equally impressive in the action sequences. This film serves as a good showreel for him, barring dialogue delivery.
Anaswara Rajan looks good as the love interest and convincingly portrays a young woman who wants to break free from her controlling mother. Mukesh Rushi looks tough and menacing in his get-up. Elango Kumaravel is an interesting casting choice as a rogue cop, while Kalaiyarasan does well as the antagonist. Brahmaji’s role works well in the pre-interval episode. Get-up Srinu is underutilised, but his attempts to help Brahmaji provide some laughs. Vennela Kishore is partially effective, but I wish his character had been developed further to generate more laughs. Rohan Roy is good as the hero’s friend.
Story - screenplay - direction:
Director Mahesh Uppala comes up with a story reminiscent of Kshanakshanam (Romancing the Stone), where a robbery sets off a chain of events in which a couple is chased by both the police and goons. He also weaves a love story into the narrative. The major differentiating factor is the protagonist’s characterisation as a mute person.
The screenplay is interesting, and the director manages to generate good entertainment in the first half. The scenes set in the heroine’s house, particularly the Yesu song playing on television, and the pre-interval episode featuring Brahmaji and Get-up Srinu provide some enjoyable moments.
The director could have maintained the lighter, fun-filled treatment of the first half throughout the film. Instead, he shifts gears and presents the hero as an action figure, with exaggerated sequences involving bomb detonations and fights against hundreds of armed men with bare hands. As a result, the film becomes heavy, predictable and routine as it approaches the climax.
The writer seems to have overlooked a basic aspect while developing the story. A hawala transaction requires a physical banknote as proof of exchange. However, in the film, the cops, hero and villains are all obsessed with cracking the password instead of looking for the physical banknote.
It is a decent debut for Mahesh Uppala, but a more engaging second half could have made the film much better.
Other departments: Music by SS Thaman is a major plus. The background score elevates several sequences, while Chinni Chinni is the best song on the album. Raja Mahadhevan’s cinematography is good, and Koti’s editing is fine. The production design is decent, the action sequences are well choreographed, and the production values are excellent.
Analysis: Itllu Arjuna has a decent story and good performances. The entertainment quotient works particularly well in the first half. However, the villain setup and certain action sequences, including the jathara song and the hero taking on hundreds of men, feel routine.
The film is a mixed bag, with several enjoyable moments but also portions that leave you wishing they had been handled better. On the whole, it is a decent debut for Aniesh.
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