Manoj's Nenu Meeku Telusa? Review

Film: Nenu Meeku Telusa
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Lakshmi Prasanna pictures
Cast: Manchu Manoj, Sneha Ullal, Riya Sen, Nasser, Sunil, Brahmanandam, Uttej, Thanikella and others
Music: Santosh – Shakti
Cinematography: Suneel Reddy
Director: Ajay Shastri
Producer: Lakshmi Prasanna
Release date: 10/10/2008

Story

A simple problem but quite complicated, the story is about Aditya (Manoj) who suffers from a problem, he does not remember what happened the day before or himself so he ensures that he switches on the tape recorder every morning he wakes up, this memory issue is due to an accident. The tape tells him not to discuss his problem with anyone and his uncle (Nasser) and doctor know the issue. Aditya works in the same company where his uncle is the MD but no one knows that relation too. He starts liking Madhumita (Riya) and she reciprocates his feelings. However, an incident takes place leaving his uncle dead and Aditya's tape recorder also gets spoiled. He is arrested on charges of murder and for investigating the case, police officer Anjali (Sneha) arrives in the scene. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Performances

Manoj has surely gone through some rigorous training before he hit the screen and his efforts can be seen. However, there is still a glitch in his expressions at emotional scenes and his dialogue delivery. Sneha Ullal was absolutely stunning and fresh faced with her captivating eyes but then her hairstyle was hassled. Riya has proved why she is known as the sex kitten and despite no skin show she oozed out enough glamour and its all in her eyes and innocence. Brahmanandam was just okay, Sunil was regular, Nasser was professional, the others did their bit as required.

The director has come up with a modern presentation and he made best use of the graphics and the technical teams. However, he missed out on the focus of his story and especially the narrative, there was not enough magnetism to make the audience think and in mystery.

Music was above average, cinematography deserves full credit. Editing could have been sharp at few edges, the dialogues lacked punch and they were straight and simple, screenplay was excellent.

Analysis

The first half of the film was more on the lighter side trying to introduce the characters to the audience but the second half is more on the murder plot and the flashback of romance. A lot of time was spent on these two aspects that the momentum required for a gripping climax was not there. In this age of IPODs and MP3s, using a tape recorder might be a bit old fashioned. The stunt sequences were good especially the chase sequence of Manoj where he does few Jackie Chan sequences. The mild pace of the movie dragged the energy out and though there were two hot girls to spice up the events, they were around in style and glamour but without enough oomph or passion in them.

The idea of coming up with the memory loss concept was good but then it was essential to include the commercial angles like the comedy and the content aspect which would be the revenue grosser. The technical side of the film is definitely worth a treat and this is actually a breath of fresh air when it comes to presentation. But that alone is not good enough to bring the audience, there needs to be a spine and that too a strong one which was missing. Since there are no mass elements, the makers need to focus on their promotion and publicity to make this a profitable affair.