Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo Movie Review: Allu Arjun shines in this entertaining family drama.

Cast: Allu Arjun, Tabu, Pooja Hegde, Murali Sharma, and Jayaram

Directed By: Trivikram Srinivas

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde in the lead roles has finally hit the screens has the bumper Sakranti release. Directed by Trivikram Srinivas, the film’s trailer and music by Thaman S set high expectations among the moviegoers.  

Keeping the festive season in mind, Trivikram keeps the overall mood of the film very entertaining with some quirky writing and equally exciting characters. There is also ample drama to tug at the heartstrings but thankfully, it doesn’t go overboard. Both these films are about broken families and how it takes one person to fix it. If it was Pawan Kalyan in Attarintiki Daredi, it is Allu Arjun in Ala Vaikuntapuramlo. 

Ala Vaikuntapuramlo is centered on a character called Bantu (played by Allu Arjun) and his efforts to please his cold-hearted father Valmiki (played by Murali Sharma). Born in a middle-class family and forced to live life with compromises, Bantu gets a shot at turning his life around when he crosses paths with millionaire Ramchandra (Jayaram). The rest of the story is about how Bantu makes his way into Ramchandra’s family and fixes some broken relationships.  

Ala Vaikuntapuramlo lets Allu Arjun transform into the kind of performer we haven’t seen in recent years. He plays his character with a kind of ease that is rarely seen in mainstream heroes and he makes Bantu one of the liveliest roles of his career. Allu Arjun shines in almost every department but his dancing makes you realize why he is one of the best dancers in the country. He is well complemented by Murali Sharma, who is terrific as one of the pivotal characters of the film. 

The film treads familiar zones of a commercial cinema, but the way Trivikram packaged the entertainer worked well. Ala Vaikuntapurramloo is predictable. The downside of the film is that there are nearly no surprises. 

Allu Arjun has the most fun in Ala Vaikuntapurramloo and has displayed his best performance. He gets his slo-mo shots, acts in emotional scenes, dances exceptionally well to brilliant songs by SS Thaman, thrashes goons in Balayya style. 

Trivikram scores brownie points in the way he has written Murali Sharma’s character. Apart from Allu Arjun, he is a parallel hero in Ala Vaikuntapurramloo. Murali Sharma’s experience helps him deliver a kickass performance. 

Ala Vaikuntapuramlo is undoubtedly one of Trivikram’s better films in recent years. While one can argue that he plays it safe by taking the tried-and-tested family template, at least he doesn’t disappoint and that is laudable.