A decent remake

A decent remake!

Film: Godfather
Director: Mohan Raja
Cast; Chiranjeevi, Nayanathara, Satyadev, Murli Sharma and others
Rating: 3

Story: what will happen when the Chief Minister of a state PKR (Sarvadaman D. Banerjee) suddenly passes away? It leaves the ruling party in a political crisis! So who would succeed as CM in this squabble. It's Brahma's (Chiranjeevi) loyalties! And how he does it?

Godfather, is the official remake of Malayalam film Lucifer, starring MohanLal. The latter was an illustration of brilliant storytelling. Although Godfather doesn't fall in the same category, the film is still filled with action. The narrative has several loose ends and is cliched at times, but director Mohan Raja made sure that the narrative style proves to be a treat for Megastar’s fans.

In a game of loyalties, the clashes between Brahma and Jaidev (Satyadev) are neatly showcased. The director, too, every now and then, took some liberties to appease the fans with some alleviating scenes.

While Raja knows the strength of the original story, he had made a few changes to the script. This prompted him to give more scope for Chiranjeevi, Nayanthara and Satyadev.

Chiranjeevi is the heart and soul of the film. His salt and pepper look has been one of the highlights of the film. In fact, Godfather rides on his shoulders. His act as a 'Kingmaker' was evident in several scenes. Lakshmi Bhupala's dialogues (one-liners) are sharp. The dialogue ‘nenu rajakeeyam nunchi dooramga unnanu, kaani rajakeeyam na nunchi dooram kaledu (I am staying far away from politics, but politics does not stay far from me) got a thunderous applause in the theaters.

Throughout the film, Raja ensured that the screenplay is engaging and it is indeed refreshing even for someone who has watched the Malayalam original Lucifer. Chiranjeevi, as Brahma, exuded charisma and came up with a refined performance. His swag is a subdued one.

Nayanthara as a daughter, sister and wife was adequate while Satyadev as Jaydev surprised everyone with his performance as an immoral husband and power-hungry criminal.

And how can we forget the much-hyped Salman Khan’s cameo as Masoom Bhai? It definitely brings some fun to the table but one just gets the feeling that Salman is too big a star for such a cameo. Nonetheless, fans of both the stars enjoyed seeing them together in one frame.

Thaman's background score elevated the emotional appeal in several sequences. All in All, Mohan Raja has to be applauded for showcasing Chiranjeevi - exactly how fans want him to see. Godfather is a cool remake!