Sarileru Neekevvaru is an action drama directed by Anil Ravipudi that has Mahesh Babu playing the lead role. The film has an ensemble cast featuring Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead, Prakash Raj as the antagonist, while Vijayashanti, Rao Ramesh, Rajendran Prasad and others play crucial supporting roles. The film is produced by Dil Raju, Anil Sunkara and Mahesh Babu himself under the banners Sri Venkateshwara Creations, AK Entertainments and G Mahesh Babu Entertainment respectively.
Mahesh Babu plays the role of Major Ajay Krishna, who is an orphan serving the Indian Army in Kashmir. His colleague, also named Ajay, gets injured in a mission and he has to go to Kurnool to convey the news to Ajay's mother Bharati (played by Vijayashanti). During the journey, he comes across Samskriti (Rashmika Mandanna) and also gets involved in a tussle with MLA Nagendra (played by a terrific Prakash Raj). How he manages to solve all these problems forms the rest of the story.
The very first scene of Sarileru Neekevvaru tells you that this is a film that is not going to take itself seriously. There's a bomb ticking and the way Ajay Krishna diffuses it tells the audience the same - leave your brains at home and enjoy the film. The film too does justice to the genre until a train sequence occurs in the first half. There was a certain hype to this sequence because of the trailer, but unfortunately it doesn't satisfy us as much as you want it to.
The sequence occupies a large portion of the first half and the screenplay gets stagnant. It not only affects the engagement but also makes you feel uneasy because of a fake rape scene. The scene looks out of place and sticks out of an otherwise convincing story. It is in this sequence where Ajay Krishna meets Samskriti. Her character's actions lack logic and becomes less enjoyable after a point of time because of its repetition.
Prakash Raj appears as a menacing villain role at the start, but as the film progresses his character become less threatening. Amidst all these issues, it is Mahesh Babu's performance that makes the film watchable. He dances, acts, fights, and more importantly delivers clean fun. He entertains you so much and that's probably the only redeeming factor. Among the supporting actors, Vijayashanti, Vennela Kishore, and Prakash Raj's performances stand out.
Ideally, had the film been treated the same as the first few minutes, it would have been a complete riot. But when it starts taking itself seriously, there is a sense of disbelief attached. The music by Devi Sri Prasad supports the film well but the placement of songs is a concern. The Sarileru Neekevvaru track gives a rousing feel and is perfectly placed, but the rest of the songs disrupt the flow.
The cinematography by Rathnavelu serves its purpose and is above par, especially during Mahesh Babu's introduction scene. On the whole, the film can be watched for Mahesh Babu's outstanding performance. A few scenes will certainly give fans the goosebumps as the fans can enjoy the Mahesh Babu's blast from the past.