Review: `Srimannarayana` is all style, no substance

Balakrishna is back with what he`s best at doing - playing a never-aging hero, with two heroines by his side, and lots of bad guys to kick. Unfortunately, "Srimannarayana" has turned out to be a disastrous follow up to the super successful mythological film "Sri Ramarajyam", in which the protagonist was seen playing Lord Rama with precision. In a never seen before role essayed by him, Balakrishna plays a TV journalist who fights for the plight of farmers. Based on a socio-political theme, "Srimannarayana" narrates the story of a righteous journalist and his battle against exposing the misdemeanour of three crooks - Bail Reddy, Pulakesava Reddy and Harshad. When found guilty and charged, the three vow to take revenge. Sri also gets to romance not one but two heroines - Isha and Parvati, forming a love triangle much to everyone`s revulsion. Although Ravi Chavali deserves some credit for handling a subject of such sensitivity, he`s to be blamed as well for not giving it a satisfying execution. His effort to show Balakrishna as a larger than life character seems to have taken away all his concentration from the script. With 97 films in his kitty, three short of a milestone, Balakrishna puts up a show that will definitely appeal his fans. However, he appears desperate in this endeavour as he`s ready to accept every film, irrespective of its quality, coming his way. As usual, this film is also packed with dialogues written specially for him and gravity-defying stunts that appear little far-fetched. Parvati Melton and Isha Chawla don`t have much of a role and are included in the film with a sole purpose to bare some skin. Parvati looks stunning after losing some weight. Of the two, Parvati`s part was considerable and she carried it with a lot of energy. The film stands strong on the technical front. However, it fumbles in the most important departments such as screenplay, cinematography and music. Balakrishna`s look in particular was a turn off and will leave you with the question - did he look in the mirror before going for the shoot? In essence, "Srimannarayana" is all style, no substance. Ratings: Two cheers for this!