GOPALA GOPALA MOVIE REVIEW

One question that might come to your mind on watching Gopala Gopala is-which one came first? The hen or the egg? Hindi PK or the Telugu Gopala Gopala? The confusion over the dispute can be answered by a Gujarati stage play Kanji Virudh Kanji or even the Australian film, 'The man who sued the God'.

 

Gopala Gopala is a very genuine remake of the Hindi original ‘Oh my God’ starring Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. Even if you were exposed to the story, Gopala Gopala is fresh and entertaining. 

 

The film is about a common man who cross questions the God and sues the God for what he's been through. 

 

Venkatesh plays the timid man Gopal Rao, an atheist married to a staunch devotee (Shriya) of every possible form of god. Gopal Rao ironically owns a store that sells the idols of God. 

 

The highly experienced Venkatesh carries the role of a smart man easily. Be it the emotional sequences or the comical one liners or the heavy dialogues during the court scenes, he is at his best. He also proves, it is not just a Pawan Kalyan film but is also very much a Venkatesh film. Not just by the duration of time he is on screen, but also by the performance and the importance of his role. 

 

When Telugu cinema is criticized for prioritizing the cinematic liberty over the linear flow of the story, Gopala Gopala is to the point and crisp except for certain portions in the second half. The mock on organized religion, trust on supernatural powers, belief on the so called apostles of God, idol worship, baseless rituals and lot of other practices and factors associated with God are sensibly ridiculed here. Apart from the richness of the film and the effective work of the technical departments, Gopala Gopala impresses completely with the dialogues and the performances. 

 

When the wait for seeing Pawan Kalyan, sorry, Lord Krishna is getting too long, the director satisfies our expectation by giving a roaring intro to the almost demigod of Tollywood, the indomitable Pawan Kalyan. If lord Krishna can ride a 1000cc bike, wear the denims, look sophisticated and still look God like without the flute and the Shree Churnam on the forehead, then it has to be Pawan Kalyan. Known for his fanfare and larger than life image in the off screen space as well, Pawan is known for his underplay of characters. Here, he scores by being the cute and appealing Lord Krishna who's timely help saves the affected Gopal Rao. 

 

If at all, there had to be some negatives mentioned, the tacky graphics and the running time in the second half are the bothering ones. Having been in the Telugu industry for years, it is sad that Shriya is still not able to effortlessly pull off the dialogues, but manages it with her acting though. Gopala Gopala is a serious take on religion but with a star-cast that grabs all the attention. What you get out of Gopala Gopala is, let's just hope that this world becomes a better place to live. Let's just hope that everybody actually practices the Bhagavat Gita, the Holy Bible, and the Quran and not go behind immediate answers for their immediate returns.

 

Special mention to the background score and the music! Anoop does what is needed and gratifies the seriousness with the timely effects in the RR. Gopala Gopala is interestingly funny and emotionally serious. Like the attention given to the story and things like Krishna's bike numbered as OM 786 with a cross and even Krishna's lap-top having a peacock feather as a sticker. Gopala Gopala is also inspiring in a lot of other ways. This time, Krishna's wit saves the world from the clutches of the God-like evil spirits. Finally, if not a spoiler, Mithun Chakraborty reprises the role of the original version with utmost ease and valor.