A.K. Kambhampati’s Chinna Cinema (2013) Movie Review

Ramu’s (Arjun Kalyan) dream is to go to America and earn dollars. He struggles a lot and finally reaches America. He works there in a grosser shop. Ramu also has another goal in life. That is to marry Janaki (Sumona Chanda). What did he do to achieve his ambitions and goals is the main story. Gopi following behind Geeta, an NRI producer wishing to rule the Telugu film industry, Four old age people with no work to do, Dancer Manjari 50 years old flash back in India… all these stories linking up to the main theme forms the rest of the story line.

The plot in ‘Chinna Cinema’ is so flimsy that it’s almost invisible. The entire film that has a running time of about two hours tells a story that could very well be narrated in a matter of fifteen minutes. And again, there is nothing spectacular about this tale that demands a depiction of it on the big screen.

The script of the film is absolutely banal at times, and the characters are mostly stick figures. There is such a carelessness when it comes to the portrayal of some of the minor characters even, that it’s downright funny. Thus ‘Chinna Cinema’ never fleshes any of its characters out beyond the bare minimalism that they demand. The execution is nothing spectacular either. The predictability is something that works against it as each moment passes by, and at the end of it all, it almost feels antiquated, if not anything else.

Performance seem to be a very bigger word for what the lead pair displayed on the screen. They got every thing wrong, the expressions, portraying emotions and every thing. Arjun Kalyan is very ordinary, Sumona Chanda fails to create any impact with her presence on screen. Vennela Kirshore, RJ ghajini are funny as Critic Sri and Aspiring Director. Komal Jha is red hot with her short presence in the flash back episode. Rest of the characters try hard, comes up with a very unconvincing performances.

Music is ordinary, Puttadi Bomma the first song in the film was well shot. Cinematography is average. Dialogues are just okay. Editing is adequate. Production values of the movie are neat.

The first half of the film has nothing to offer. The story starts in the interval and drags till the climax. The only console in the film is episodic comedy in the first half and couple of songs . This film has no soul. On the whole, ‘Chinna Cinema’ does nothing except smoothly add itself to the long list of disappointments to have hit the screen this year.