Pottel is a 2024 Telugu language action rural drama film written and directed by Sahit Mothkhuri. The film has Yuva Chandra Krishna & Ananya Nagalla playing the lead roles while Thanasvi Chowdary, Ajay, Noel, Priyanka Sharma, Srikanth Iyengar, Chatrapathi Sekhar, Jeevan, Ring Riyaz, Jaya Naidu & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Shekar Chandra while the film is produced by Nishank Reddy Kudithi & Suresh Kumar Sadige under Nisa Entertainments, Pragnya Sannidhi Creations & Sahit Mothkhuri Writingss banners.
Story:
The film is set in Gurrangattu, a remote village in the Telangana region before the partition of Telugu states and before the government stopped the Patel system. Gangadhar (Yuva Chandra) is a devoted father and the caretaker of a sacred sheep which is used in the Village’s traditional rituals. Gangadhar has only one profound dream—to provide his daughter with a better future through education. But he has a hurdle in the form of the village chief, Patel (Ajay), who is determined to keep the underprivileged away from educational opportunities. Will Gangadhar be able to break through the barriers imposed by Patel and secure the education that could transform his daughter’s life? Needs to be seen in the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Ajay who plays the village head, Patel is undoubtedly the standout performer in the film. It is surely one of the best portrayals of a villain character in recent times in Telugu and Ajay does a fabulous job with his performance. He is terrific, especially in the scenes where he acts as Balamma in the lady get-up and is perfect with his look and dialogue delivery.
Yuva Chandra Krishna is honest as Gangadhar and does a good job with his debut film. His performance as a father who will do anything for his daughter’s education is very natural and believable.
Ananya Nagalla once again shines as a village belle and gives out a good performance as the wife of Gangadhar. Her act is something similar to what she has done in ‘Mallesam’ but she gets a much meatier role in this film. Her innocence adds well to her Bujjamma’s character.
Thanasvi Chowdary who played the little kid, Saraswati is superb with her act. She gives out the right kind of expressions required for the role and passes with flying colors.
Srikanth Iyengar in the role of a teacher and Noel as the heroine’s brother leave a mark in important supporting roles.
Priyanka Sharma, Chatrapathi Sekhar, Jeevan, Ring Riyaz, Jaya Naidu & others are fine in their limited parts.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Sahit Mothkhuri is realistic and very rustic with rooted emotions of the Telangana culture. The way the whole Balamma track is connected with the education backdrop and the Pottel subplot is appreciable. The screenplay is pretty half-baked.
The characters are written well with a decent arc but the scenes needed more sharpness. In fact, many scenes in the movie have shock value but they do not give the same effect in the theater coz it lacks the finesse in the writing. Also, the basic logics go for a toss at many places in the narrative.
The film starts on a fine note. The whole first half introduces the village & its customs along with the characters in a neat way and also has a dull love track of the lead pair. The marriage scene where the hero goes to stop the marriage is one good example of bland writing. Also, the second half is dragged out unnecessarily with too many unwanted scenes.
The whole cycle chase and the hero getting beaten up by the villagers is one good example of the dragged-out sequences. The climax sequence is fine with a raw and rustic sequence which looks a bit over the top too. Director Sahit Mothkhuri does a neat job with his presentation but his narration could’ve been a lot better with more clarity in the proceedings.
The way he highlighted the societal issues in the villages, the caste differences, and showed how far a father can go for his daughter’s education is commendable. Having said that, a better screenplay and a crisper second half could’ve made this a more memorable film. The songs by Sekhar Chandra are decent.
They blend in with the narrative in a neat manner. The Nagiro song is the best track of the album while the Bujji Meka song though is good to hear, it affects the flow of the film with its inappropriate placement towards the end.
Sekhar Chandra’s background score is good too. The cinematography by Monish Bhupathi Raju is first-rate. His lighting is apt and his camera work gives the film a big scale.
The editing by Karthika Srinivas R is fine but could’ve been more crisper in a few scenes, especially in the second half.
The production values by Nisa Entertainments, Pragnya Sannidhi Creations & Sahit Mothkhuri Writingss are adequate.
What’s Hot?
* Ajay’s Performance
* Yuva Chandra & Ananya Nagalla’s Performances
* Authentic Presentation Of The Village Culture
* Balamma Portions Of Ajay Are Fresh On Screen
* Good Message Related To Education
* Decent Songs & Good Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Half Baked Screenplay
* Few Logicless Scenes
* Weak Love Track In The First Half
* Unwanted Songs In The Second Half
* Stretched Out Climax Portions
* VFX/Graphics In The Animated Parts
Verdict:
Overall, Pottel is a sincere attempt with a few real-life incidents revolving around the village’s superstitions and how the weaker sections of the village are oppressed even in today’s times. It also gives out a good message on the importance of education and shows the resilience of a father in a nice manner. Worth watching in theatres!!
