Film: Gopala Gopala
Cast: Venkatesh, Pawan Kalyan, Shriya, Mithun Chakrabarty, Posani and Krishnudu
Director: Kishore Kumar Pardasany
Rating: 3.5
The Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan starrer Gopala Gopala – the official remake of the Hindi film ‘Oh My God’ released this week to cash in on the Sankranthi holidays.
The story hasn’t changed much from its Hindi original. Gopala Rao (Venkatesh) is a helpful, middle-class man with a small family. Though a non-believer himself, he runs a shop that sells idols of various gods. On the other hand, his wife Meenakshi (Shriya) is a strong believer. An earthquake damages Gopala Rao’s store (leaving everything else intact) and when he tries to claim insurance, he is turned down as the earthquake is an “act of god”.
Rao then files a petition in court against God and drags all religious gurus to court, seeking compensation from them. Then God himself (Pawan Kalyan) enters Rao’s life to help, and the rest of the film revolves around how the legal battle ends.
Director Kishore has stuck to the original plot though in the Telugu version, the dialogues are more powerful and makes one think.
When it comes to the performance, Venkatesh once again proves that he is one actor who can play a middle-class person perfectly. His dialogues in the court scenes are brilliant.
Pawan Kalyan as God enters before the interval and he actually carries the film right up to the second half. He is charming and his dialogues are perfect. For example, the dialogue “Nayakudu ane vadu nadichevadu kadu nadipinchevadu, gelichevadu kadu gelipinche vadu (A true leader leads people from the front; he never tries for his own victory, he always tries for others’ victory),” suits him perfectly.
Though his role is short, Pawan actually steals the show. The dialogues between Pawan Kalyan and Venkatesh are entertaining and it’s a treat for fans of both these actors.
Like in the Hindi film, Mithun Chakrabarty plays a godman and does a great job reprising the role here too. However, the way his character behaves might not suit the Telugu audience. Posani as another fake godman gets a few laughs. Krishnudu is Venkatesh friend adds nothing new. Shriya, who plays Venky’s wife has a brief but role that is qiute comendable.
Anoop Rubes has provided the music and the song ‘Bhaje Bhaje’ picturised on Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan is impressive. Jayanan Vincent’s cinematography is also nice. The dialogues are entertaining, philosophical and at the same time thought provoking.
There are, however, some flaws. The movie starts slow and the audience waits for the entry of Pawan Kalyan. The scene where Venkatesh gets emotional after seeing his destroyed store does not seem natural.
In the second half, the film drags a bit, especially the swamijis’ scenes. The climax is also a bit boring. But, if you haven’t seen the original Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar starrer Oh My God, then you must watch Gopala Gopala. Pawan Kalyan fans will love the film and it’s a treat for them with two big stars sharing screen space.
