Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha

Krishna is a coward. He has loved Mahalakshmi since childhood but cannot say so; he knows what would happen if he did. She is the sister of a local strongman and the blood feuds in that area are still going. Instead of running, Krishna follows her and finds himself in the middle of exactly what he fears: a village of guns, feuds and men prepared to kill. He has to hide his fear and cannot. Hanu Raghavapudi directs. Nani plays Krishna and Mehreen Pirzada plays Mahalakshmi. The film uses ground common in Telugu cinema: feud stories set in the Rayalaseema region have long been its material. What differs is the register; the narrative builds the same ground through comedy rather than heroism, and the lead is nowhere brave. The character Nani plays is written against the shape of manhood the genre expects, and that is the film's idea. Its problem is the second half; the balance between comedy and violence breaks and the film turns to a familiar resolution. The director's visual work stands out; the village scenes and the use of colour are above the average of the genre. Who it is for: viewers who like Telugu comedy and Nani. Who it is not for: the running time is long, the second half falls off, and the woman's part is underwritten.