Vijay Maddhala’s Green Signal (2014) Movie Review
Cast: Revanth, Rakshitha, Manas, Manali, Ashutosh, Dimple Chopde and Shilpi Sharam
Director: Vijay Maddhala
Producer: Rudrapati Ramana Rao
Music Director: JB
Cinematographer: Swamy
Censor Certificate: A
Run-time: 146 Minutes
Watched at Tarakarama Cineplex, Hyderabad
Green Signal is a dra-medy about four bachelors (Manaas, Revanth, Ashutosh and Gopal Sai) of different dispositions trying to find a soul mate. Four insipidly introduced male protagonists come together to share a room. Traditional boy-next-door Google (Gopal Sai), gets attracted to his student Sweety (Manali Rathod), who exploits him for monetary gains. The flirtatious Sandeep Kumar aka. Sandy
All four tracks have some moments. Yet the one involving Manaas – Shilpi Sharma and Manaas – Dimple Chopde are the most interesting. The Manaas – Shilpi Sharma track is made immensely watchable because of lovely Shilpi Sharma, who is faithfully solid and believable. Manaas is supremely natural and is the best actor in the male league. Naidu does an average job, but his scene of outburst in front of the group is funny (Click Here) probably works better as the scene has been well written in the original. Dimple Chopde acts with an admirable ease and impresses a lot. Rakshita makes an ordinary attempt. Manali Rathod is not a heroine material. Gopal Sai, Ashutosh and Chandra are marred by weak characterizations. Shravya Reddy Cameo is nice. Madhurima Banerjee looks red hot in the special track.
The story of Green Signal is inspired from Bollywood rom-com’s Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Dil Tho Baccha Hai Ji. The screenplay tries too hard to be funny but becomes bland and repetitive after a point. The pacing is too mellow, proceedings too foreseeable and the graph of the narrative never picks up. Vijay Maddhala almost takes an hour to set up the plot, even longer to take it to the conclusion. Knowing its Maruthi brand cinema, it comes as no spoiler that there will be a fun unlimited and twists by the end. So while each guy works towards getting his girl, neither does their relationships work nor does the slipshod screenplay. The viewer can clearly see this coming much in advance thereby rejecting the surprise factor that the screenplay struggles to have in store for them. But what is shocking is that the director, in desperate attempt to end the film on a comic note after the predictable melodrama, gets in three consolation prizes for the lovelorn males in the form of lackluster female special appearances. Gay sequences are worst possible scenes in Telugu film industry. The Music of the film by JB is average. The background score doesn’t complement the scenes at several instances. The length is certainly long and editing could have been better. Cinematography by Swamy is okay. Production Values of SLV cinema is fine.
This film could have clicked big time. With perhaps an extensive rewrite of the Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji script, focusing on three characters rather than wasting time on Gay relationship – a brutal edit to give a shorter running time – Promising end to the relationships would have helped the film in some way. This could have perhaps been a good break-out film for Vijay Maddhala, only if he could have worked on some refreshing subject rather spoiling some well made Bollywood films. As it stands, Green Signal isn’t one to rush to the cinema, but instead best enjoyed in parts on DVD or Telecast.
Survi Review: 0.5/5
Theatrical Trailer:
on which site this movie is available, to watch or download