Waltair Veerayya Movie Review: Telugu 'Megastar' Chiranjeevi returns to entertain his fans playing the titular character in Waltair Veerayya. The Sankranthi entertainer, directed by KS Ravindra aka Bobby, is already hyped among the viewers for reuniting Chiranjeevi with another superstar, Ravi Teja. While both the superstars have their moments in the film that could appeal to the fans, Waltair Veerayya, despite the noise and fanfare, is ultimately a damp squib. Waltair Veerayya Movie Review: Netizens Give a Thumbs Up to Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja's Film!

The movie begins with the escape of a dreaded smuggler Solomon Ceaser (Bobby Simha) from the clutches of RAW, that results in a massacre at the police station in Andhra. The sole survivor CI Seethapati (Rajendra Prasad) swears to bring Solomon to justice, and when he doesn't get support from his own department, Seethapati seeks the help of Waltair Veerayya.

Waltair Veerayya is a jovial-do-gooder fish trader who controls a coastal port called Jalaripeta and whose services to tackle smugglers is even taken by the coastal guards. Waltair's intro scene is punchy, as we seen him in his boat heading to a smuggler's vehicle, where four coastal guards are held captive, traipsing through rough seas. After a fight sequence and a perfunctory item song, performed by Rishabh Pant kathali Urvashi Rautela, Waltair is hired by Seethapati and his brother-in-law (Vennela Kishore) to come with them to Malaysia and nab Solomon.

Watch the Trailer of Waltair Veerayya:

The first half is light-hearted in tone, with the movie focussing on Waltair and his gang's antics. Chiranjeevi is definitely having a blast on the scene, working well with the coastal slang and enjoying himself in the comic scenes, and it is fun to watch him in this mood. Where it ain't fun is when he falls for Athidhi (Shruti Haasan) the guest manager of the hotel where they are staying in Malaysia. The age-difference between two actors is very clear, and it is a little uncomfortable to see an actor in his '60s act touchy-feely with younger girls in the film.

Speaking of Shruti Haasan, the one good thing about her is that her role is better than her other Sankranthi release - Veera Simha Reddy. The movie depicts there is more to her character than what meets the eye, but apart from one twist, she hardly gets much to do, except needing the hero to rescue her. We also get to know more about the villains, Solomon and his elder brother Michael (Prakash Raj). The pre-interval sequence is interesting as the movie reveals a deeper connection for Waltair with the plot, apart from being a hired hand. The interval block featuring an elephant and someone being shish-kababed mid-air looks massy, but could have been more effective if the special effects didn't look so ropy. Veera Simha Reddy Movie Review: Nandamuri Balakrishna's Action Potboiler Aims to Bleed Your Ears and Senses Dry!

Still, the first half was just about decent with the number of twists that the director throws at us. The second half, however, consists of a long flashback and that's where things truly fall apart for Waltair Veerayya. Waltair Veerayya falls into the same template mould as we have seen in countless Telugu films, including Chiranjeevi's, where a flashback reveals the hero's pained back story and the movie turns into a revenge drama.

Yes, these portions bring Ravi Teja into the plot, playing a honest police officer who is transferred to Waltair's region, and he also shares a past with him. Some of the scenes of Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja together looks fun, but despite Chiranjeevi's best efforts, the humour often falls flat. Ravi Teja looks dynamic on screen, but his character suffers from a very predictable plot trope which you can guess the moment he steps into the screen. And once the thing you expected happens, Waltair Veerayya doesn't recover much from its slumber and it goes straight to a dodgy climax filled with fake blasts, uninteresting shootout sequence and a cringe courtroom sequence. Not to mention, despite these scenes eating much into the runtime, the makers still manage to fit in a couple more songs, because why not!

Both the villains - Prakash Raj and Bobby Simha - are stuck in wafer-thin characters that don't allow them to do much, and this is a shame since both are National Award winning actors. The movie even reminds you of that! While Rajendra Prasad leave some impact in the first half, veteran actors like Nasser and Sathyaraj hardly get much to do.

Final Thoughts

In the end, if you enjoy Chiranjeevi having a blast on screen and want to see him together with Ravi Teja, then you might be able to savour Waltair Veerayya. Otherwise, this is a template-driven potboiler that tests your patience with a creepy romance, unwanted comic sequences and predictable storyline.

Rating:2.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 13, 2023 03:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).