Nandamuri Balakrishna's oora mass outing, Veera Simha Reddy hit theaters today amidst great anticipation. Here's our review of the Gopichand Malineni directorial which has Shruti Haasan in the leading lady role. 

Story: Jai(Balakrishna) stays in Istanbul with his mother and love interest. Meanwhile in Rayalaseema, Veerasimha Reddy(also Balakrishna) rules his region and people in a prosperous way. It is a story about how Jai fulfills his father's wish in Rayalaseema. What is the aspiration of Veera Simha Reddy?

How did the actors perform?

Nandamuri Balakrishna is a class act in his trademark oora mass role. He excels in action blocks and mass episodes. He mouths several contemporary political dialogues. He is the mainstay in this mass potboiler that is loaded with commercial highs. He is particularly good in the salt and pepper look.

Shruti Haasan, Varalaxmi Sarath Kumar, Duniya Vijay, and others ably support Balayya in the film. Honey Rose gets a patchy role but she emotes very well. She is a fine performer. The rest of the star cast perform to the best of their capabilities. 

What about the technical finesse?

The director Gopichand Malineni picks a dates mass subject and tries to load it was mass elements that excite the front-row audience. He succeeds in extracting the mass side of Balakrishna. But he fails as a storyteller as things go awry in the latter half. 

Thaman has excelled when it comes to the background score. His pulsating BGM for the mass scenes is one of the main highlights of the whole film and he deserves a pat on the back for his efforts. 

The cinematography is of top quality as well. The production values by Mythri Movie Makers are also very good. 

Analysis: Veera Simha Reddy is essentially a tale of two halves. While the opening half is loaded with mass stuff and Balakrishna elevation episodes, the latter is filled with emotional blocks. 

Comparatively, the first half has more mass appeal and entertains the audience. But the latter half falls flat with the unengaging emotional thread going on and on and on. Bette narration was needed in the latter half.

Things end on a predictable note in the latter half as the emotional thread tampers the flow. The good work in the first half is undone by the underwhelming second. 

Verdict: Veera Simha Reddy has a mass-filled opening half that keeps the viewers engaged. But the latter half is underwhelming with an ineffective emotional thread taking center stage. It ends on a dull note as well. As a whole, it might cater to the masses and might take advantage of the Sankranthi advantage. 

Rating: 2.5/5