'Pratinidhi 2', produced by Anjaneyulu Sri Thota, Kumarraza, and Surendranath Bollineni, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Chetan (Nara Rohit) runs a bold news channel that doesn't fear anybody. Finance Minister Gajendra (Ajay Ghosh) is exposed in an interview that feels like a rip-off of the famous interview scene from Shankar's 'Okkadu'. Chief Minister Prajapathi (Sachin Khedekar), who is known to be kind and genuine, is assassinated in a bomb blast, after which his son Viswa (Dinesh Tej) decides to become the CM. However, when the CBI (Jisshu Sengupta as the special officer) is sent to probe the CM's assassination, some shocking facts get unearthed. How is Chetan linked to the whole drama? That's the crux of the story.
Post-Mortem:
Director Murthy Devagupthapu stuffs the screenplay with regular talking points, often taking subtle potshots at a particular political leader. From a mining scam to sting operations, from a clandestine cabal to a botched-up investigation, the film is over-cooked. There are traces of films like 'Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu' and 'Sarkar' without a zing. When the Finance Minister of the State is asked about the per capita debt burden, he loses his tongue and is mad at the interviewers, thoroughly shooting himself in the foot.
When the going gets tough, the film falls back on low-hanging fruits like farmers' issues. There is a distracting scene in a Rythu Bazaar where an old man in disguise lectures about the need to remove middlemen. Talking of distractions, there is a forced dream song as well right in the middle of an interrogation scene.
Two fearless journalists who are supposed to anticipate an attack on their office after a sensational interview talk like youngsters in a park during the stone-pelting. Srikanth Iyyengar plays the special investigative officer's mindless sidekick who wants the assassination probe case to be closed in haste. No conversation between no two professionals is sensible.
Nara Rohit has been away from the silver screen for years now. He makes a return with this supposedly anti-YSRCP film that doesn't tap into the election fever. He gets to speak less in this film compared to 'Pratinidhi'. The second most prominent character hasn't been played by Dinesh Tej but by Jisshu Sengupta, who fits the bill as a professional from northern India. Sachin Khedekar is another artist who makes an impact.
Unfortunately, none else makes any impact whatsoever even though most of them are familiar to the Telugu audience. Ajay Ghosh behaves like a clown all the time. Ajay is supposed to behave like Prashant Kishor, the sought-after political strategist, but he ends up looking eerily suspicious. Praveen is irksome as the hero's sidekick at the TV channel, while Udaya Bhanu's character is dumbed down. The less said about others like Raghu Babu, Raghu Karamanchi and Prudhviraj, the better. Mahati Swara Sagar's background score is insipid.
Closing Remarks:
'Pratinidhi 2' is a missed opportunity. What could have been a well-written political thriller with an implicit message turns out to be a desperately dull story.
