Guntur Kaaram is the only superstar-driven film this Sankranthi season. It marks the collaboration of Mahesh Babu and Trivikram and unlike their last two films together- Khaleja and Athadu, Guntur Kaaram is an out and out action entertainer. Let us see what the film has to offer.

Story: Ramana (Mahesh Babu) is deserted by his mother Vasundhara (Ramya Krishna) right at a young age due to an accident. But the fate plays its part to an extent where Vasundhara needs a declaration from her son that he doesn't belong to her. How does the family react to this peculiar situation? Does Ramana reconcile?

How did the actors perform?

Mahesh runs the show with his energetic performance. He is the only man who gave his best for the film. The rest of the characters are formulaic and don't demand anything extraordinary from the actors playing them. Ramya Krishna, Meenakshi Chaudhary and Sree Leela do whatever is asked of them.

What about the technical finesse?

The director of the film, Trivikram has left the novel bandwagon and gone for a proper Sankranthi entertainer genre this time. This isn't his cup of tea. The second-grade spoof scenes and lackluster family emotions aren't what we would expect from a wizard like Trivikram. He has underwhelmed big time. 

Thaman is a let down. His songs don't have the bite and so is his BGM which is also lacking the desired effect on the narrative. The making values are of elite quality and that is a given from Haarika Haasine Creations. The visual composition from Manoj Paramahamsa is of exquisite quality as every frame looks rich and vibrant. 

Analysis:

After Khaleja and Athadu, one would expect a winning film from the highly rated combination of Trivikram and Mahesh Babu. But they deliver a weak and second-grade product like Guntur Kaaram. 

The opening 20-30 minutes are good as Mahesh oozes energy and lights up the screen. After the hero introduction track and the opening Dum Masala song, things go haywire with the first half ending on a weak note. There is no bang factor to end the first half which is strange. 

The second half starts on a much more chaotic note with random character introductions. The core conflict regarding the clash between mother and song is left to the air as Trivikram opts to bring spoof scenes and random dance moments. This is nowhere near his standard, we must say. By the time we reach the climax, the energy is drained completely and whatever impetus induced by Mahesh gets evaporated. 

Thaman has put on a disaster class with his lazy work. Perhaps he knew Trivikram gave a lifeless product and there is no point in trying to revive it. Manoj Paramahamsa's camera work is of excellent quality though.

Verdict: Guntur Kaaram has a bright start but goes south every minute post the 30-minute mark. It is one of Trivikram's weakest works in recent times. It is not quite as bad as Agnyathavasi but it isn't up to the standard of the duo that delivered Khaleja and Athadu. It might be watched once this Sankranthi season, if you go with really low expectations.

Rating: 2.5/5