By Galatta [ August 15, 2011 ]
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Talented actor Allu Arjun's much anticipated Badrinath, made by his dad Allu Aravind under the banner of Geetha Arts with a whopping Rs. 35 crore and with the best of the technicians in Tollywood, is a colossal attempt with a nonsensical storyline and a dull narration. Badrinath is definitely a big let down from Arjun after his debacle Varudu.

The film revolves around Badri (Allu Arjun), who lives in the Badrinath shrine. His guru Bheeshma Narayana (Prakashraj) had adopted Badri as a child to train him to be a Kshethra Palaka, a protector of Badrinath shrine. Alakananda (Tamannaah) visits the shrine along with her grandfather and falls in love with Badri.

After a while, Badri’s guru calls his parents to seek their approval to apoint the young warrior as his successor. This needs that Badri must practice celibacy for his whole life. Badri accepts this condition and promises that he would not break his word. The remaining story narrates how Alakananda and Badri unite against all odds.

Allu Arjun is excellent as usual in his dances and fights, but the script does not offer him much opportunity to emote. Tamannaah, who has been quite liberal in her sex appeal, looks bubbly on screen in songs and some sequences. Prakashraj is the perfect choice for the role of the guru. His voice enthralls. The villain's group has less screen space, but it is Ashwini Kalsekar who shines in her role.

The technical team has done a superb job, but the main weakness is the hackneyed and weak script. Ravi Varman's camera work, the sets designed by Anand Sai and the music by maestro Keeravani are outstanding. The technical standards of the film are really high. One of the highlights of the film is the locales, which many of us may aspire to visit but may not ever see (Badrinath town, the temple and its surroundings, the source of the holy Ganges,the Himalayas) and are able to see with great comfort, thanks to the team and cameranam Ravi Varman's wizardry. Despite the strengths in the technical department, Badrinath may not be remembered as one of Allu Arjun's best films, thanks to the weak script.

The weak climax sequence ends abruptly mainly because many action portions were chopped by the Censor Board which viewed the film twice and certified it for 'Adults only'. All in all, Badrinath will thrill Arjun Arjun fans and viewers who would like to visit Badrinath from the comfort of the nearest theatre.