Movie : Shadow
Rating: 1.5/5
Cast : Venkatesh, Srikanth, Tapsee, Madhurima, MS Narayana and Others
Directed by : Meher Ramesh
Produced by : P.Sivaramprasad
Banner : U square Movies Limited
Music : SS Thaman
Release Date : 2013-04-26
Venkatesh's latest movie Shadow is out in theaters. Meher Ramesh, who delivered a dud with his previous film Shakti, is the director of this film. Did he prove his critics wrong? Is this any better than his previous film?
What is it about?
Shadow (Venkatesh) goes on a killing spree as he avenges the death of his family. His family gets brutally killed by a mafia don (Aditya Panscholi) and Shadow kills all of his men including him. In between there is a family drama and so called romantic and comedy tracks to fill in the gap.
Performances:
Venkatesh did an okay job despite the poorly written character. He is in his elements in the action scenes and family related situations. He is good in comedy scenes as usual. Taapsee is average as the female lead. She appeared in an ultra glam role and that should please some eyes. Srikanth is fine as the cop. MS Narayana's comedy didn't turn out as expected. The only scene that clicked is the interaction between him and Jaya Prakash Reddy. Aditya Pancholi is not up to the mark as the main villain. He didn't bring any extra energy into the movie. Geetha, Nagababu, Madhurima, Sayaji Shinde and others did their bit.
Technicalities:
Music by Thaman is average at best. Dee Dabado is peppy but other songs lack repeat value. Cinematography is topnotch. Editing could have been way better. Poor script has to be blamed for this setback. Dialogues are okay up to an extent. However, with ace writers like Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan providing the script, one would expect it to be a nice watch. But sadly both of them have failed pretty badly by writing a torturous script that has been put to death by director Meher Ramesh. The director hasn't learned any lessons from his previous film Shakti. This is yet another disastrous movie from him. He failed in all aspects as a director and therefore even the positives of the film couldn't come to rescue. The production values are superb. The movie has a slick look with rich production values. Great amount of money wasted on a wrong project!
Analysis:
Shadow is a routine revenge saga that has been beaten to death on Tollywood screen. We wonder what impressed Venkatesh to take up this project. Also Meher Ramesh chose this script when he is in dire need of a hit. Shallow script is the main culprit for the downfall of Shadow. Clueless direction made it a disastrous experience altogether. The film is uninteresting right from the word go.
There are absolutely no high points in the film at any instance. In fact it hits new lows as it progresses ahead. Venkatesh acting like a kid is the worst part of the film. Logic goes for a toss in many scenes. How on earth could anybody escape from a bomb blast in split seconds and that too when somebody is closely watching you? Only Meher Ramesh could confidently can such scenes.
There is nothing that works in the film. Comedy fails and action is boring. Sentiment scenes are pretty artificial that you don't feel a pinch. Despite having an ensemble cast and great production values, Shadow flops due to bad direction and worse writing. This could go down as one of the major disasters of Telugu cinema history. Watch it at your own risk.
Verdict: Stay away from Meher's Shadow!
