It's been a long weekend thanks to the holiday that had popped up on Monday. Since there wasnt much to do apart from the usual chores, I had kept myself occupied catching up on some reading, brushing up my culinary skills & watching shows like Masterchef Australia. Incidentally while surfing the net, I happened to read that Lalettan's Telugu movie "Janatha Garage" had grossed 100 C in just 4 days & he was the first Malayalam star to enter the club. To be frank, the trailer didn't seem so awe-evoking but this news tempted me to check it out. So was it different from the staple Telugu masala???

Satyam (Lalettan) opens up a workshop known as Janatha Garage in Hyderabad where apart from repairing the vehicles, he also takes it upon himself to address the grievances of the people in need. In due time, he becomes the darling of the masses and a headache for the corrupt forces with the industrialist, Mukesh (Sachin Khedekar) being prominent among them. The price for Satyam's upright & noble character was paid with the lives of his brother, Shiva (Rahman) & sis-in-law. In order to prevent any harm coming over his nephew, Anand; Satyam leaves him in the care of Anand's uncle who takes him to Mumbai. With time, Anand (Junior NTR) grows up into an environmental activist & on one of his campaigns, he shuts down an illegal quarry run by Satyam's son Raghava (Unni Mukundan). This incident brings him faces to face with his uncle even though both were oblivious about their relation. Will they join forces & if so, at what cost will it be this time???

Though I cant claim myself to be knowledgeable about Telugu movies, thanks to my senior & close buddy Rajendra K; I was kinda aware about the renowned hit makers in the region. One such prominent director is Koratala Siva who had churned out blockbusters such as Mahesh Babu's "Srimanthudu". Since Lalettan was involved in the project, just like numerous other fans I was also pretty curious to know about the script which was penned by Koratala himself. The film shows promise early on, but the story is so damn predictable that you can claim yourself to be a Mentalist by foretelling the story even before half an hour is over. Actually, it seems to be a variant of "Jilla" with Lalettan not as much as on the same footing as Junior NTR (which is understandable). But to be fair to the director, the film does have some impressive sequences such as the interaction between Lalettan & Junior NTR. Tirru deserves a word of praise for the visuals but the music by Devi Prasad was average while the editor, Rao barely did justice to his responsibility.

It might be a Junior NTR, but I cant help being based towards Lalettan & hence I would talk about him first. As expected, Lalettan have done utmost justice to his role though I am still confused as to why he chose to take up this project as the script didnt offer anything fresh. I guess maybe the opportunity to test uncharted territory & work with talented technicians might have inspired him. Being a Allu Arjun fan, I have barely watched any of Junior NTR's movies except for maybe one (I dont quite remember the name) in which he was pathetic. However, after seeing him in this; I would have to admit he does act pretty decently & impresses with his screen presence. Actually Lalettan & Junior NTR have lifted the quality of many sequences which would have fell flat otherwise. Apart from these two, there are numerous supporting artists; all of whom have done a decent job while the female leads barely had any significance apart from being eye candy & the villainy which is entrusted on Sachin Khedekar and Unni Mukundan barely had much substance. They should have gone for someone more imposing or spruced up their roles significantly.

Verdict: Well the verdict is already out as it seems the public is lapping it up which is responsible for the humongous numbers. Frankly speaking, I dont understand what is the big deal about this movie. It's not mediocre but it doesnt offer anything that we haven't seen from Telugu movies. In short, watch it for Lalettan & Junior NTR with the awareness that it is typical Telugu masala!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben