Director: Krishna Vamsi

Cast: Gopi Chand, Taapsee, Rajendra Prasad

Rating: 2.5/5

Family affair

Taking a break from mass masalas, Gopichand has tried his hands at a family subject in Mogudu, which reminds us of films by E V V Satyanarayana and Muthyala Subbaiah. Though there is nothing new in this film, it sustains interest in few parts.

Director Krishna Vamsi, who has shown the sweetness and affection of joint families in the first half has shown the ugly side of elders in the second half. A good idea indeed, but suffers a jolt due to bad execution.

Coming to the story, Bujii (Gopichand), son of social activist Anjaneya Prasad (Rajendra Prasad), is brought up in a joint family and hence wants his future wife to understand the nuances of joint family system and accommodate herself in the set up.

He falls in love with Raja Rajeswari (Tapsee), the daughter of a powerful female politician (Roja). Everything goes well and results in their marriage, but somehow things turn sour and the husband and wife head towards divorce. How they join hands again is the climax.

Though, this film is a decent attempt, the characters seem confused and are not convincing enough especially in the part shot in Mauritius. The main highlight of the film has to be its music which stands par standards. However, Director Krishna Vamsi needs to be more focused towards his craft as he bores us in parts, especially in the second half. The first half, however, is interesting and bulds up drama for the second, only to disappoint. What’s more irritating is the climax which could have been dealt in a subtle way.

It's a welcome relief to see Gopichand in a common man's role. He emotes well. Tapsee as a traditional girl wins accolades while Shraddha Das is there to add oomph value to the film. Veterans Rajendra Prasad, Roja and others are apt to their respective roles.

Music by B Babu Shankar is adequate, while cinematography by Srikanth adds value to the script. Dialogues are spontaneous and natural.

On the whole, director Krishna Vamsi has conceived a potent knot, but fails to make it up as an interesting film. Though a few scenes are very well handled and deserve applause, the rest of the film falls flat. But still, Mogudu can impress some sections, thanks to handful of emotional moments.