76. DJ Tillu; movie review

 

DJ TILLU

Cert 15

121 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, sex references, domestic abuse, drug misuse

If I ever manage to watch every film in a year, there are likely to be a lot of trips to Ilford in East London.

Its branch of Cineworld tends to show Indian movies which may not be available or have completed short runs elsewhere in the country.

This was true of DJ Tillu, so Mrs W and I drove 120 miles for the Sunday afternoon showing.

The problem was that its quickfire humour probably didn't translate that well into subtitles.

Vimal Krishna's film stars Siddhu Jonnalagadda as the title character - a full-of-himself DJ wannabe who has the clothes, the attitude but not the gigs.

He falls for the beautiful Radhika (Neha Shetty) after watching her sing in a nightclub and, after a couple of dates, she asks him back to her apartment.

However, the fun really starts when it transpires she already has a boyfriend who is lying dead in her flat.

Circumstances mean that Tillu could be implicated if he reports her so, very unwisely, he agrees to help her dispose of the body.

Inevitably, it turns out that a private detective, and the police are quickly on their case.

Meanwhile, Radhika, despite her quiet allure, is not always as she seems.

Krishna's film is deliberately loud and brash and both Mrs W and I found Siddhu's characterisation more than a tad grating.

But there are intriguing nuances to DJ Tillu and its conclusion certainly sprang surprises.

Reasons to watch: Offbeat comedy romance

Reasons to avoid: The jokes go over the heads of non-native speakers

Laughs: None for us, many for those who understand Telugu

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know?  Siddhu Jonnalagadda made his lead debut with Praveen Sattaru's Life Before Wedding and then in between he did a Tamil film Vallinam (2014), and Ice Cream 2 (2014) before playing the lead role in Sattaru's Guntur Talkies (2016).

The final word. Vimal Krishna: "During my initial days in Hyderabad, I happened to meet and interact with a few DJs and was really bowled over by their conversations, attitude and body language. They carry a different persona and each one is his own boss. I have infused these characteristics and developed Tillu’s character. " New Indian Express

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