Reviews by Radhika Rajamani from Rediff
Orange is yet another contemporary urban love story -- a so-called 'sweet-sour' take on love. It is a youthful tale, which reflects the state of the youth and their predicament, to some extent.
Director Bhaskar has tried to depict a new kind of love by exploring the attitude of the youth towards love through the lead protagonists Ram (Ram Charan Tej) and Jaanu (Genelia). All in all, Bhaskar delivered a brilliant Bommarillu a few years ago. Pity, Orange is no patch on Bommarillu or even his second film Parugu.
Baava falls within the usual pattern: boy sees girl, falls for girl and then the problems start which have roots in the past. The twists are pretty predictable so there's no element of suspense. All in all, Baava is rather pedestrian fare. It's quite disappointing to see performances by the artistes go waste in a script like this.
The action, violence, bloodshed and gore are central to the film which is spine chilling and therefore it requires strong people who love watching this kind of stuff to see Rakta Charitra. Others wanting to see more of macabre violence, wait a few more weeks for Rakta Charitra II. As a director, it is known that Varma is stylish, and the film is typically Varma.
Everything about the film is formulaic which may appeal to family audiences. Music by Thaman S is just about okay. Brindavanam starts off with an old melody Brindavanamadi ... (with the late NTR and Jamuna from the film Missamma) which is pleasing to hear. But after the yesteryear melody, the new Brindavanam dips into familiar terrain.
The duo of Mahesh-Trivikram delivers a product that is watchable, entertaining with good humor, couple of well-orchestrated action sequences and songs and with a bit to take home as well. It's Mahesh's show all the way, much to the delight of his fans.
Gaayam 2 takes the story forward (from Original Gaayam) but it is still mired in the don-politician nexus and surrounding issues. An attempt is made to give it a family film flavor in the first half though it moves to be a 'don' film in the second. All in all, watch Gaayam 2 for the performances even though the original may have been shades better.
The film rests on Ravi Teja despite the presence of others. In Don Seenu, he is in full form. Shriya looks glamorous and gorgeous. Coming back to Telugu cinema after a hiatus, Shriya manages to sustain attention though she doesn't have much to do. Anjana Sukhani looks pretty but has a small role.