‘Pelli SandaD’ movie review: Done and dusted old school romance
The Hindu
With a wafer-thin plot and an outdated storyline, ‘Pelli SandaD’ has little going for it
Twenty-five years since director K Raghavendra Rao’s Pelli Sandhadi (1996) rocked the box office, Gowri Ronanki wields the megaphone to pay a musical tribute to that film with the veteran director making his acting debut along with debutant Roshan Srikanth and Sree Leela in the lead roles. You can’t miss the trademark scenes of fruits and flowers thrown at the heroine’s navel, this time with water sprinklers as well. There the similarity ends, though it is still old wine in a new bottle.
Filmmaker Maya (Shivani Rajashekar) aspires to make a biopic on Dhyanchand awardee and veteran basketball player Vasishta (Raghavendra Rao). She even threatens suicide if her dream isn’t fulfilled and sends her father (Rajendra Prasad) to speak to Vasishta. Never mind why she can’t approach Vasishta herself. Both the men go for a long walk when Vasishta narrates his story. What emerges is only a love story and nothing about the sport.
In the flashback, young Vasista (Roshan) meets Sahasra (Sree Leela) at a wedding and it is love at first sight for both. However, their relationship bears the brunt of a decision taken by Sahasra’s sister as Sahasra promises her father (Prakash Raj) that she will marry a man of his choice and not bring ignominy to the family, like her sister. Her father sets up her alliance with her dimwit cousin (Vennela Kishore). Can Vasista stop the wedding?