By now, it should be clear to the audience that a Trivikram film can't be expected to have comedy as the USP. It was the case when one of the most celebrated writers was a dialogue writer working with someone (K Vijay Bhaskar) with a great sense of humour, but now? Surely, there is a bit of over-indulgence and a mediocre sense of rhyming/alliteration that we see in his writing, especially since 'Attarintiki Daredi'.
If comedy is to be wished away, then what should one look for in 'S/o Satyamurthy'? Sentiment? It is at its best when Prakash Raj is making others weep through his good son but the actor who plays the good son doesn't quite shin in sentimental scenes. Action? After 'Athadu', when was the last time a Trivikram movie boasted of excellent fight sequences? This one packs some trendy shots when it comes to action scenes, which come with a fine technical finish, but don't expect the roof to be raised.
There is Brahmanandam with a body language different from what we saw in 'Julayi' and Ali seems to be repetitive.
How about the other hero played by Upendra, who in the trailers appeared to be on the cusp of being the piece de resistance? He is introduced with a bang, adorned with a panegyric-like song and then overshadowed by Brahmi, Nithya Menon - and definitely not by Allu Arjun!
Anand (Arjun), the narrator, takes us through his father's altruistic personality and how tragedy struck his family when the father was killed in an accident. Rajendra Prasad advises Anand to file Insolvency Petition, but the good son can't think of his father being labelled a criminal by the creditors and so gives up Rs. 300 cr that he has inherited. He now has just one wish: to look after his family members - psychiatrically-challened brother (Vennela Kishore), the vadina (Sindhu Tholani), their kid and the mother.
All seems to be going well until he crosses path with Rajendra Prasad, convincing whom of Satyamurthy's noble intentions is not easy. So, Anand has to risk his life for doing so!
Like in 'Attarintiki Daredi', the film plays out in two landscapes: urban and rural. It is the once millionaire hero having to be an event manager, this time not by choice. This time too, the richie rich dude's body language gives way to the comedy hero's mien. Call it hangover or whatever, Trivikram can't help himself from wanting to make Allu Arjun do a bit of Pawan Kalyan. When the scene shifts to Reddiarpatti, the Tamil flavour looks half-baked but things are set right by Upendra and Nithya Menon's dialect. The hero seems to be sidelined a bit here, with Brahmi trying hard to raise the spirits.
The song like Jaaruko is fine conceptually and visualization-wise, and the choreography too makes a mark. Coming at a point when villainism slides into oblivion, this one gives us a hope of something substantial in store.
There are those elements like brotherly reunion (Rao Ramesh and late MS Narayana) and family-enriched item song (Super Machi) that don't really make an impact.
As for dialogues, there are a few good ones and they are few and far between. Two girls (Aadha Sharma and Samantha here) angling for the hero simultaneously and one rejoicing when he rejects the other is now a recurring feature of Trivikram's films, so it seems.
DSP's songs get justification in terms of picturization. If Arjun focuses on steps in one song, he is asked to emote in another.
Arjun's performance is good enough but doesn't match up to his Race Gurram or even Jualyi act. Samantha and Nithya Menon are ok and good, respectively. Rajendra Prasad is narcissistic. As for Upendra, he gets the emotions right and his character is not as important as it appeared.
At 162 minutes, the film is a bit lengthy.
Verdict: It's a family entertainer sans memorable heroism. The second half will work with a good many number of audience. No big-ticket movies from Tollywood in the offing, this one might make a windfall.
Rating: 3.25/5
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