OTT Review – Sathi Gani Rendu Ekaralu

Mythri Movie Makers is one of the top production houses in Telugu cinema with back-to-back hits. They are now venturing into the OTT space with Sathi Gani Rendu Ekaralu which is now streaming on Aha. The film has Pushpa fame Jagadeesh Bandari in the lead role and is directed by Abhinav Danda. Read our review here.

Plot

Sathi(Jagadeesh Bandari) is a small-time auto driver who is in need of 25 lakhs to save his daughter’s life as she has a hole in her heart. Due to his poor condition, Sathi decides to let go of his two acres of land and make some money. But things change for Sathi as he chances upon a briefcase filled with costly stones. He decides to sell them but has nowhere to go. So, he takes the help of a local thief in his town and starts the process. This is also the time the owners of these precious stones go after Sathi. What will Sathi do now? Did he sell the stones? What issues did he face? and did he save his daughter’s life? To know the answers, you need to stream Sathi Gani Rendu Ekaralu on Aha.

Performances

Pushpa fame Jagadeesh Bandari turns hero with this film and gives a sincere performance. His look, body language, and the illiterate emotions he showcases in the film are good to see. The full-length character gives him ample scope to showcase his talent. Mohana Sree plays his wife and she is decent in the role of a nagging wife. Raj Tirandasu plays the thief and he was okay. Bithiri Sathi plays a cop and he is bad. He overacts for no reason and whenever he comes on screen, the audience gets frustrated. Vennela Kishore does well in his role but his track is also filled with ridiculed scenes.

Technicalities

Jay Krish has composed the music and it is decent. None of the songs disturb the flow of the film and are used nicely in the narrative. Sathi Gani Rendu Ekaralu looks rich thanks to the grand production values of Mythri Movie Makers. They have not compromised on the visuals and the frames and locations used look bright. The editing is a tad dull as there are so many scenes of Vennela Kishore which look repeated. The cinematography is excellent and so were the dialogues. The story lacks novelty and the twists showcased are silly.

What’s Good

Jagadeesh Bandari Performance

A few comedy scenes

What’s Bad

Silly Narration

Lack of depth in emotions

Too many subplots

Analysis

Sathi Gani Rendu Ekaralu is a village comedy-drama with a mix of emotions. A thriller angle is added to the narrative to give the film an extra push. But sadly, nothing works here. The comedy showcased is silly and the thrills do not entertain you one bit. One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is the chapter of the little girl with a hole in her heart, which is neglected throughout the film. 

Each of the characters has a backstory that makes no sense and drags the film for no reason. The main lead is looking to sell the stones and starts the process. But once this starts, the director does not give any conclusion to it. Only in the climax, he wraps up the proceedings in a jiffy, and that too which makes no sense as the main villain and owner of the stones is a big joke on the audience. 

Vennela Kishore’s character has not much weight in the film though he has a lot of screen time. In the same way, Bithiri Sathi’s cop episode irritates you for no reason. There was so much scope for director Abhinav to play with the situation and create a lot of thrills. But he fails to use the situation and narrates the film in a very dull manner. Scenes wise the film looks good in a few areas but collectively put together it does not make any sense. 

Rather than focusing on the emotional depth of the characters, director Abhiva Danda gives it a fun treatment that fails to register. In the end, it is Jagadeesh Bhandari who keeps a sincere face and enacts his role to the best of his capabilities but the rest of the cast and narration is insipid and fails to entertain. Finally, the film lands in a no man’s zone as it is neither a comedy nor a thriller and is aimless, to say the least.

Bottom Line- Fails to Entertain