Mythri Movie Makers and B4U Motion Pictures’ Waltair Veerayya (dubbed from the Telugu film of the same name; UA) is the story of a fisherman in Visakhapatnam.
Waltair Veerayya (Chiranjeevi) is a fisherman at Jalaripeta in Visakhapatnam. He is the go-to person for solving problems of all kinds. Veerayya is in need of money to fight a court case. It is for this reason that he takes up an assignment from Seethapathi (Rajendra Prasad).
K.S. Ravindra has written an out-and-out routine story which has no novelty whatsoever. He has included romance, emotions, action, comedy etc. to make the story wholesome, but the lack of freshness sticks out like a sore thumb. The screenplay, penned by Kona Venkat and K. Chakravarthy Reddy, is replete with clichéd scenes. Not a single scene gives a high to the audience who, therefore, watch the drama unfolding on the screen, as silent spectators. The screenplay appears to be unnecessarily stretched to a point where it bores at times. Dialogues are routine.
Chiranjeevi does well in the title role but offers nothing new to the viewers. Even his dances and fights are of the kind one has seem in his earlier films. Ravi Teja is appealing in the role of ACP Vikram Sagar. But the scenes of Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja together, lack fire. Shruti Haasan is quite nice. Catherine Tresa doesn’t impress much. Rajendra Prasad is good in the role of Seethapathi. Prakash Raj has done well, as usual, but even he doesn’t get to surprise the viewers in the character of a drug lord. Bobby Simha is so-so as the drug lord’s brother, Solomon Caesar. Nassar lends decent support. Sathyaraj is quite effective. Vennela Kishore has his moments. Pradeep Rawat leaves a mark. Urvashi Rautela looks sexy in an item song-dance. Srinivasa Reddy, Sapthagiri, Shakalaka Shankar, Prabhas Sreenu, Rajendran, John Vijay and the others provide average support.
K.S. Ravindra’s direction, limited as it is by the dull script, is just about fair. Devi Sri Prasad’s music is average. His background score is better. Lyrics are ordinary. Song picturisations are good but they are like so many earlier song-dances. Arthur A. Wilson’s cinematography is of a fine standard. Action scenes are thrilling but they seem repetitive because one has seen such stunts in the past too. A.S. Prakash’s production designing is proper. Niranjan Devaramane’s editing leaves something to be desired. Dubbing is good.
On the whole, Waltair Veerayya will not be able to make a mark at the Hindi box-office.
Released on 13-1-’23 at Maratha Mandir (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Grand Master and B4U. Publicity & opening: dull. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak everywhere.