Tooneega Tooneega : Flies to Obscurity

Tooneega Tooneega positively reeks of formula and is so clichéd that if you start counting the number of the scenes you have seen earlier you would wish for more fingers on your hands. A film like this can only work with great music and comedy and the makers clearly haven’t given much or any thought about either. Instead they chose to spend more time on tiresome drama even after all the problems seems to be sorted out by themselves or by divine intervention.

Under the disguise of a teen romance TT is basically a melodrama with an utterly predictable plot on the lines of Subhash Ghai’s Taal. MS Raju even has the music from the latter in his film. So much for homages. Though Ghai’s film was nothing great in terms of it’s writing, TT makes it look like a masterpiece with the kind of underdeveloped characters it has for itself. And watching the supporting cast in the film ham through their roles is a painful task for even the seasoned moviegoers.

The leads played by newcomers act terribly and lack screen presence. Raju directs his son Ashwin in the lead role, but the kid does not charm enough and has to carry the film on his shoulders, an act he was unable to pull off with little help from the script and other experienced actors around him. His dances evoke indifference or at best an appreciative nod but in either case do not add any value to the film. And Paruchuri Brothers are too old now to take a crash course in screenwriting. In fact it is a wonder that they churn out films like Racha and TT these days when their earlier works prove them to be of a different league.  Whatever it is that has gone wrong for them needs to be fixed.

It is an irony that the loud catcalls and whistles for the entrance of MS Narayana are totally wasted as they didn’t have anything written for him and his role seems to be added just as an after thought. And for a man known for opulence and grandeur in his films, TT does not score even on that front. Except for its decent cinematography there is nothing redeeming in the other departments as well.

If you can recommend Tooneega Tooneega to your friend who once stabbed you in your back, you will be even.