Cast: Akhil Akkineni, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Jagapathi Babu, Ramya Krishna, Ajay.
Director: Vikram K. Kumar.
Akhil Akkineni gets “full pass marks” with Hello, after the disappointing debut with Akhil. Father Nagarjuna handed the baton to Vikram K. Kumar for Akhil’s comeback, and he justifies the trust. The movie also sees the debut of director Priyadarshan’s daughter Kalyani. Hello starts with the Nagarjuna’s voiceover about destiny and the obstacles in the path of two people meeting. Orphan Seenu (Akhil) and Junnu (Kalyani) meet as children and like each other. Junnu’s father is transferred to Delhi, and she leaves after writing her phone number on a Rs 100 note. Seenu loses that note, but gets a new life after being adopted by Jagapathi Babu and Ramya Krishna. They name him Avinash, and Junnu becomes Priya in Delhi. They grow up and begin searching for each other.
Vikram Kumar who has helmed films from varying genres — Ishq to Manam to 24 — is known for his skill at narrating a film. Hello is a simple love story but Vikram manages to make it interesting. The director introduces Tollywood to parkour, seen in films like Casino Royale, Prince of Persia and the Bourne series. Parkouring is a sport where the participant moves rapidly using urban furniture by running, jumping and climbing. Hello is a modernised version of the story of lovers separated at childhood, like Manasntha Nuvve and Nee Manasu Naku Telusu. The last half an hour is gripping.
Akhil has moved forward from his debut with Hello. He is good especially in the action scenes. Kalyani does a commendable job with the ease of an experienced actor. Ramya Krishna and Jagapathi Babu play important roles, carrying off the emotional scenes effortly. Ajay gets a small role as the bad guy. Cinematographer P.S. Vinod needs special mention for his excellent visuals. Anup Ruebens’ music is good and a few songs are catchy. For anyone expecting the lead pair cavorting in foreign locales, there are no duets. There are a few weak spots, including some scenes between Ramya Krishna and Jagapathi Babu, and the flight episode of Ramya Krishna and Kalyani. The child episode streches to nearly half an hour and Akhil is reduced to a cameo in the first half.
