A funny Honeymoon!

You know that laughter which comes out of sheer brilliant scenes and quick witted comedy? That laughter has really taken a backseat for a while in the Telugu cinema industry. What you see instead is a contrived buffoonery that uses humiliation a way to make people laugh. But ‘Chandamama Lo Amrutham’ comes as a breath of fresh air providing a wonderful journey full of meaningful laughter. There’s a child inside every one of us that craves to come out into the open once in a while and ‘Chandamama…’ ensures it pulls the child out.

Director Gunnam Gangaraju’s TV series, ‘Amrutham’, of which this is a spin off, was a light hearted, warming experience loved by many. If you have watched ‘Amrutham’ and have always wanted something a lot more from it, then here’s your dream come true. Without making caricatures of our favourites – Amrutha Rao, Anji and Appaji – the director makes a wonderful film that will keep you glued to your seats through the length of it and will ensure you will not regret the money spent from your pocket.

We have a simple story about two best friends – Anjaneyulu (Harish Koyalagundla) and Amrutha Rao (Srinivas Avasarala) who become rich by chance. And then the same richness helps them land on the moon with family in tow. But then there is a lingering danger that is set to follow them all the way from moon to earth!

148 minutes of non-stop fun is what ‘Chandamama…’ promised. And it delivers. The best part about the film is that there are no stars and all we have are endearing characters who feel close to you. The asset of the sitcom ‘Amrutham’ was its simplicity and meaningful humour sans any vulgarity – a trait that seems to be the style of today’s cinema. And ‘Chandamama…’ lives up to the same. In fact it exceeds expectations and proves to be a delight.

Though it begins at a slow pace after 15 minutes into the film there are hardly any moments where you wouldn’t be laughing out loud. The laughing saga reaches its peak after the moon enters the picture and it continues to elevate every moment till the end. There are some noteworthy scenes like ploughing fields on the moon, a space suit for a buffalo (no kidding this!), a ‘silent’ marriage sequence and we could go on.

The biggest asset of ‘Chandamama…’ is the fact that the director doesn’t elevate any character more than required and keeps them simple. Srinivas Avasarala has comedy written all over him. His expressions are enough to make you laugh. Added to his charm is Harish’s comic timing which is impeccable. Performances by Rao Ramesh, Shivanarayana, Ahuti Prasad, Dhanya Balakrishna et al just complete the film.

The film doesn’t really have any songs but uses some old classics to make the story move forward. Surprisingly the story moves so smooth that you don’t realise the absence of any songs till the end of the first half. Making the ‘first space comedy of Indian cinema’ is the best ever decision director Gunnam Gangaraju ever made. He has proved time and again that he is one of the finest filmmakers the Telugu cinema industry has ever seen. And it’s about time we give Gunnam Gangaraju his due! And how? Just run to the theatres… now!!!! And finally if living on the moon would be so much fun, we wouldn’t mind booking our tickets right now! In the meanwhile, you should waste no more time and book yours for this film too.