Jathi Ratnalu Movie Review: A Rib Tickling Laughter riot

Cast: Naveen Polishetty, Priyadarshi, Rahul Ramakrishna, Faria Abdullah

Directed By: Anudeep KV

The teaser and trailer of this madcap comedy entertainer raised up all the expectations and delivered what we expected from it. Debutant Anudeep doesn't disappoint in its first venture.

For a few years, Telugu films have been exploiting the local and small town areas and capturing the ethos of different regions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Debut director Anudeep shows us the laidback life of three hopeless youngsters in Jogipet, Sangareddy district. A kid watches them arguing and gossiping on his way to school in the morning; when he heads home after school, the trio is still there doing the same thing!

The story begins in Jogipet, a small town in Telangana, where Srikanth (Polishetty) works at his family-run store, a bangles emporium. He is so vexed up with his life in Jogipet that he wants to go to Hyderabad in order to lead a better life, which will earn him a lot of respect. His best friends Sekhar (Priyadarshi) and Ravi (Ramakrishna) join him in this journey. The story takes plenty of twists and turns after they come to Hyderabad, where Srikanth meets Chitti (Faria Abdullah), and what happens when they find themselves embroiled in a big crime.

There is so much chaos throughout the film that it does not leave you with enough time to think. The writing is packed with hilarious one-liners, and there is something interesting happening in almost every scene. The film knows exactly what it is doing, and just keeps surprising you scene after scene because you never know how the three lead characters are going to handle the situation.

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Each one of them is unique. Ravi suffers from critical love failure repeatedly; Sekhar is more worried about rice and curries; Srikanth is the leader of the gang who keeps fumbling all the time. Anudeep uses their traits so judiciously even in the more serious moments that you cannot help but be amused when you least expect it.

The trio’s adventures begin the moment the car, mounted with bedding and a huge straw basket  heads to Hyderabad. Nothing goes as per plan and soon, Anudeep sets the stage for irreverent characters to keep popping up. He wants us to take absolutely nothing in the story seriously.

The Jogipet boys find shelter in a plush apartment. No, the story isn’t about the NRI house owner discovering them. Srikant falls in love with his neighbour Chitti (newcomer Faria Abdullah), but this story isn’t limited to a Jogipet guy speaking broken English falling in love with a girl from a well-to-do family. It’s a joy ride till the trio gets entangled in a crime involving politician Chanakya (Murali Sharma).

The fun wears out in the latter half and the one-liners get repetitive. The wafer-thin plot also doesn’t do justice to the issues that crop up along the way, like the corruption in the sports ministry or the predicament of a local electric company owner. The plot gets stretched in all directions, not making much sense.

However, Jathi Ratnalu redeems itself in the final courtroom portions and Naveen, who is the backbone of the film, makes every little expression and dialogue count. His brilliance leaves the judge (Brahmanandam) baffled and us, in splits. Naveen’s is a sparkling portrayal and giving him good company are Priyadarshi and Rahul, dependable as always.

Overall, Jathi Ratnalu is a film that needs during this tough time. And after a long time, we got a film which is seriously funny.