Most Telugu films come in a package, loaded with varying degrees of action, emotion and romance. Then there's repackaging, which gives viewers the same old fare, with the odd change here and there.
Chinnodu is about crime, and how it affects those who come in contact with it. It begins with a young boy jailed for murder -- a boy born in jail to a mother who was also a criminal. As the offspring of criminals are often considered criminals too, it is an interesting premise. At least on paper, that is. As the film progresses with heavy doses of action interspersed with rather pedestrian humour, one wonders why the boy is sent to jail, and why nobody visits him. It takes over two hours to figure it all out.
Young Chinna (Sumanth) grows up in jail, where he hones his fighting skills. Following his release, he is thrown out of his foster home by his father (Chandramohan). Only his mother (Vinaya Prasad) is sympathetic to Chinna (she calls him Chinnodu), with the reason for this empathy revealing itself much later.
Then, Chinna meets Anjali (Charmme) and, as usual, Cupid strikes. The mandatory song sequences set in. After a point, the film begins to meander. Parts of it seem contrived, while the violence becomes hard to digest. There appears to be no redemption for the hero from his role of sacrificing Samaritan, until the well-done climax. To get there, however, takes two tedious hours.
Sumanth ably carries the film on his shoulders. His expressions are intense, particularly his eyes, which display a range from bad to good, shy to confident. His silence speaks volumes and his performance is possibly the film's highlight. It is a change of gears for the actor, after his sober and subtle performance in Godavari. He continues to prove his versatility, his earnest acting endearing the audience towards the hero.
Charmme tries to charm with her innocence. The parents portray their roles well, as do comedians Venu Madhav, Ali, Brahmanandam and M S Narayana. Rahul Dev, who plays one of the baddies, is made to look quite gentle (except when he is finishing off people and, even here, he is hardly intimidating).
Ramana Goggula's music is just about average, barring one track. Only Manasa (shot in picturesque Phuket) lingers in the mind on account of its melody. The fights are above average and some effort has been taken in the SFX department. The again, at times, the action is dreadful.
Director Kanmani has tried to put in everything in one basket and repackaged the film to cater to the masses. He succeeds to some extent but does not notch up a big winner. Chinnodu is for those who like action, but it is Sumanth who steals the show.
Rediff Rating: