Chaurya Paatam was released in theatres this Friday. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Vedanth Ram and his three acquaintances travel to India's richest village, Dhanapalli, to orchestrate a money heist. They plan to rob the local bank on the pretext of living in the village to shoot a documentary on its jaggery trade and the lives of its residents.
Vasudha, the village's domineering Sarpanch, welcomes them when they promise that the documentary will tell the whole country about Dhanapalli's heritage. But the four wannabe bank robbers face the biggest test of their lives when they discover that the village has hidden secrets.
Post-Mortem:
Writer-director Nikhil Gollamari falls back on all sorts of predictable, hackneyed ideas in making this low-stakes heist comedy. Vedanth Ram and Co. set out to pull off a heist that can "stump even James Bond", but their modus operandi is hilariously dated. The storyline or premise itself is not original. The Bank Job (2008) and Inside Man (2006) had somewhat similar plot points. Similar, but not identical. Bank robbery stories with moral complexities are usually interesting to think of. But Chaurya Paatam is clearly not interested in any complex matters. It wants everything to be straightforward, including the feelings of a homely woman who takes on an unthinkable challenge just like that. Nobody bats an eyelid in the film come what may.
The writing aspires to cook a thorough crime comedy. The paucity of repartees and one-liners is evident, though. Rajeev Kanakala's silly character was supposed to evoke laughs with his penchant for regaining lost prestige while mouthing broken English. Any film that tries to tap into Kanakala's non-existent talent for comedy deserves a tight knock on its non-existent head.
The performances are exceptionally dumb. Indhra Ram covers half his face with a silly beard. He is fair-skinned and that's all we can say about him. An aspiring filmmaker, his character decides to turn into a robber just because five people told him robbing a bank is the only hope he is left with. Madee Manepalli plays an aspiring cinematographer who is mighty scared in the beginning, but starts seeing the robbery mission as a vacation in no time. Mast Ali is the one actor who tries not to emote annoyingly. Anji Valguman is also seen.
The love story is a bundle of clichés. Payal Radhakrishnan's character falls for the most handsome guy in the gang of four because he preached her some life funda just once. Our female leads may be accountants, doctors, scientists or even writers, what they desperately need is one lovely WhatsApp quote from our hero. Our hero, otherwise a mediocre and immoral crook, suddenly acquires the maturity of a well-read social media influencer in her presence.
The second half totally collapses into a mess of convenient incidents. Davzand's background score is a little okay. Sri Nagendra Tangala's production design is good. Granted that the locations look too polished for a village, but since Dhanapalli is the "richest village in the country", you are ready to grant some creative liberties.
The film's itch to stylize whole sequences smacks of artificiality. The unnatural and dumb way in which the robbers communicate on a walkie-talkie leaves the viewer frustrated.
Closing Remarks:
A predictable plot, weak writing, and uninspired performances make Chaurya Paatam a forgettable and frustrating cinematic experience. Give this heist a miss.
