Jathi Ratnalu Movie Review: This Naveen Polishetty starrer is a blockbuster comedy

Movie Name: Jathi Ratnalu
Cast: Naveen Polishetty, Priyadarshi, Rahul Ramakrishna and others 
Director: Anudeep KV
Rating: 3

It's difficult for Tollywood to appreciate Jathi Ratnalu fully. It's because, in a significant way, the film mocks Telugu cinema. It's an unapologetic satire that has its lead man (Naveen Polishetty) deliver a hilarious monologue during a court scene, a segment that makes it clear that writer-director Anudeep KV, supported by producer Nag Ashwin (the director of the breakout biopic Mahanati), doesn't mind taking satire to the doorsteps of the cliches-obsessed film industry. The backdrop of the film could have been a film studio and the comedy would have worked just fine - the way Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om did. 

Srikanth (Naveen), Sekhar (Priyadarshi) and Ravi (Rahul Ramakrishna) are three silly friends who while away their time indulging in petty arguments and fights. Srikanth, who runs a bangles emporium in Telangana's Jogipet with his father, aspires to migrate to Hyderabad and land a respectable job. His two friends tag along with him. Once in the city, they get entangled in a serious crime when they are accused of attempting to murder MLA Chanakya (Murli Sharma), a Minister-designate in the new government. 

Naveen Polishetty, who was a cracker of a detective in Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya (2019), is a laugh riot from start to end. His repartees sound cool. With the vibes of a stand-up comic, he makes spontaneity look charming. Cameos by Keerthy Suresh and Vijay Deverakonda are interesting. 

Even when Jathi Ratnalu takes cinematic liberties to absurd levels, it keeps us rooting for its characters. It's because it is a satire and not just a mindless comedy. The three friends are facing an existential crisis and they are not conscious that they are being funny. It's because they are too dumb to realize that they never grew up in the first place. In Agent, Naveen played a comic investigator who ran FBI (Fatima Bureau of Investigation). His character laughed at himself in the film. Jathi Ratnalu leverages this image and milks his quirks to the maximum.

The film's idiosyncrasies are sexed up by the strong performances. The Neralu Ghoralu parody, which is in keeping with the film's exaggerated humour, is a slap on the face of sensationalism in the times of TRP-hungry electornic media. TV channels create a whole scam out of thin area and call it Operation Noodles. All this looks plausible because the audience understandably finds the media circus ridiculous. 

The situational comedy of the first half graduates to a healthy farce in the second half. That's evolutionary rather than forced. That's organic rather than contrived. 

Brahmanandam, who plays Justice Balwant Chowdhary, makes fun of Chitti aka Shamili (Faria Abdullah makes a confident debut), a rookie lawyer who subtly mocks the stock court scenes of Telugu cinema. VK Naresh tickles the funny bone in the role of a frustrated father with a classist attitude. Vennela Kishore, who plays a nostalgic culprit serving a jail term, is another plus. Then there is Mirchi Kiran, who, like in Venkatesh's F2, plays a politician's funny sidekick.

Radhan's songs, especially Chitti, are attuned to the zany mood of the film. The cinematography deserves a round of applause, especially the way the Jogipet segments have been shot. The ambience looks so lived-in, thanks to the right production design. 

ALSO READ: Sreekaram Movie Review: A mediocre film full of cliches and stock scenes

Watch Jathi Ratnalu trailer below: