Agnyaathavaasi Review - Exhausting!

The much expected Agnyaathavaasi (Prince in Exile) has released all over the world today. The opening has been thunderous, needless to say. But with the underwhelming content on offer, it'll be hazardous to predict anything positive regarding the long term prospects of the film.

The story has revenge at its core and elements such as comedy, family sentiments, romance and action are woven around. The template is tried and tested in umpteen Indian commercial films. The overall feeling is definitely one of disappointment, given the high hopes from the PSPK (Pawan Kalyan) - Trivikram combo, which has delivered blockbusters like Jalsa and Attarintiki Daredi.

After coming to know about the death of his father and brother, Abhishekta Bhargav (AB) returns from his life of solitude to resolve the mystery and avenge the death of his dear ones. Pawan Kalyan tries hard to infuse his charm to a stale film but he also looks jaded. He flourishes in parts, particularly the enjoyable 'Kodaka Koteswara Rao' song in the 2nd half, the action scenes when he shows his slick martial arts prowess and the moments when he takes charge of the situation. Among the numerous support actors, it's Khushbu who makes an impression as the stepmother who is waiting for her son to restore order and take control. But, she also appears tired!

Keerthy Suresh and Anu Emmanuel are the heroines, with the latter oozing glamour and style. They obviously fall for the hero in quick time. They get a song each with PSPK in exotic foreign lands. They also have a silly cat fight in the 2nd half!

Aadhi is the lead villain. He brings out sophistication and swagger in the little space he gets to play. Boman Irani, Tanikella Bharani, Rao Ramesh, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Sampath, Naren, Jayaprakash, Raghu Babu complete an ensemble cast. Each of these proven actors just gets a scene or two in the overall scheme of things. Their characters take care of elements like sentiments, drama and comedy.

Anirudh's classical touch in some of the background themes is impressive. His songs sound great but on screen, they have been positioned unimaginatively (4 songs in the first half, 2 in the latter). Hence despite the glossy visuals, the songs don't work. Manikandan is the cinematographer and the frames look pleasing. The film's big budget shows in the visual department. Nothing to fault! The VFX work in some of the action scenes is tacky. The run time of close to 160 mins adds to the viewer's agony.

Bottomline:

Agnyaathavaasi provides its share of comedy and the dialogues work in parts. The story is anything but new and the treatment is also templated. With a larger than life hero and a proven Hit director on board, the film falls way short of the expected levels! Keep your expectations really low while entering the cinema hall.

Rating: 1.75/5