24. Okkadu; movie review

 

OKKADU

Cert 15

171 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence

Oh, wow! Okkadu is one of the best Indian movies I have ever seen and I am so glad I caught up with it on its 20th anniversary.

From the wonderfully choreographed West Side Story-style opening to its finale, it had me entranced.

Its song and dance routines are some of the most vibrant I have seen and the storyline is so well constructed that I was gnawing my fingernails in anticipation of what would happen next.

Importantly, when it was released there was no superstar distraction or actors playing inappropriate roles.

Of course, its cast has since become very well-known 

It stars Mahesh Babu as Ajay - a young and talented Kabaddi player who hangs around with a loyal bunch of pals.

They are in regular dust-ups with another gang, usually over women.

Meanwhile, Ajay is forever trying to keep out of the way of his high-ranking police officer father (Mukesh Rishi).

The early part of Gunasekhar's film surrounds the metaphorical tug-of-war between home life and Ajay pushing the rules like most young fellas.

But things become much more serious when he visits Kumool with his Kabaddi team and sees a girl (Bhumika Chawla) being mistreated by a man (Prakash Raj) in the street.

He saves her, unaware that the thug is a notorious crime lord and that he has his heart set on marrying the unwilling girl.

Thus, our hero saves her but finds himself being chased by the criminal and his goons as well as his own father.

Aside from the music, songs and romance, the joy of the movie comes from the tense but sometimes funny attempt to evade capture.

Mahesh is a great lead, showing off the impetuousness of youth, and has a lovely chemistry with Bhumika while I particularly enjoyed Prakash's delicious villain. I have never seen him so unhinged.

Overall, it is just a great movie and a wonderful advert for Telugu cinema which certainly passes the test of time.

Reasons to watch: A vibrant classic

Reasons to avoid: Overly melodramatic

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Okkadu has been remade into Tamil as Ghilli (2004), Kannada as Ajay (2006), Bengali as Jor (2008), Hindi as Tevar (2015), Odia as Mate Aanidela Lakhe Phaguna (2008), and in Sinhala as Kabaddi (2021).

The final word. Mahesh Babu: "Hats off to the producer MS Raju for blindly investing 12 crores of money by putting faith in the team."

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