'Eagle', produced by TG Vishwa Prasad of People Media Factory, was released in theatres today (February 9). In this section, we are going to review the latest BO release.
Plot:
Eagle aka Sahadev is a professional sniper. He is the world's most-wanted assassin who comes with a heavy past. A report by a journalist named Nalini Rao (Anupama Parameswaran) spirals out of control when the government agencies muzzle the voice of the media. Eagle, who has been living in Talakona and looking after a cotton factory, is drawn into a high-stakes game. How he deals with rebels and terrorists, an evil industrialist and a hostile government, forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Ravi Teja stylizes the film with his incisive delivery. The film would have been comprehensively deprived of charisma had it not been for him. Anupama brings performance more than glamour to the table. Kavya Thapar of 'Ek Mini Katha' fame is average; her scenes lack the zing.
Navdeep gets to play one of the strongest roles of his career but poor writing drowns him. Srinivas Avasarala as a sleuth is barely believable; one wonders why he brings the same attitude to every role that he plays. Madhubala fakes excitement and command. Ajay Gosh is intermittently funny in the role of an MLA whom the hero never cares about. Vinay Rai, Praneeta Patnaik and Nithin Mehta are also seen.
Technical aspects:
Davzand's background score livens up the Poland portions. 'Adu Macha', the mass song rendered by Rahul Sipligunj, is well-choreographed. 'Gallanthe' is dull. The camera has been wielded by the Karthik Gattamneni-Karm Chawla-Kamil Plocki trio. Production Designer Srinagendra Tangala stages the scenes with confidence.
People Media Factory unleashes mind-blowing production values. The banner is fast becoming one of the biggest pillars in the Indian film industry, investing in the ecosystem of cinema. Its upcoming star vehicles will be even more splendid.
Post-Mortem:
Writer, editor, director Karthik Gattamneni infuses the narrative with heavy-duty lines. Ravi Teja is portrayed as 'Prakruthi vipatthu' and 'Vidhwamsam', with multiple hype bros glorifying his prowess every alternative scene. All this builds a sense of mystique around Sahadev aka Eagle, but they don't add up. The climax could have been far more explosive.
The inspiration from the 'KGF' template is direct and basic. At the writing level, we can vividly sense what some portions are up to. They go into making Eagle look like Tollywood's Rocky Bhai, if not Rambo. The power games involving politicians, the work dynamics at investigative agencies, the modus operandi of both sleuths and criminals, the confluence between Maoists and Terrorists and such elements don't come together to make 'Eagle' a great film.
The locations range from Ghaziabad to Poland, from London to somewhere in the Western Ghats, and from the Dandakaranya to Talakona. From a remote-controlled gate to punchlines from the hero, from greedy machine guns to smoke bombs, from a child narrator to more, the film is padded by dialogues written by Manibabu Karanam.
The ideas dotting the screenplay become monotonous, especially in the first half. Every scene is about someone or the other holding out threats or warnings. It is about subjecting one or another character to shock and awe. And it is about the male lead showing his strength. Putting the comedians in fearsome situations doesn't work all the time. It feels artificial when Srinivas Reddy fakes it while Ajay Ghosh doubles down.
Closing Remarks:
'Eagle' is an action comedy at one level. But more than anything, it blends espionage thrills with slick action. Monotonous scenes are a letdown.
