Gambler Movie Review

Behind the Movie Gambler: Ajith is a known face to Tollywood with past hits like Prema Lekha and Vaali has took a long break to arrive on Telugu screen with Gambler. Along with him are heroines Trisha and Lakshmi Rai generating quite a bit of interest on film. Let us see, how far this Aravam gamble worked out in Telugu?

In the Movie Gambler: Vinayak (Ajith) is a six months suspended cop. He starts working against the police in his own style running for money. Vinayak is in love with Sanjana (Trisha), daughter of local goon Samba Siva Reddy (Jaya Prakash) who runs a betting club. Assistant Commissioner of Police Prithviraj (Arjun), is the man given with a charge to erase betting mafia from Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile Samba Siva Reddy using his underworld links route Rs.500 Crore betting money for IPL finals through his club. His aide Sumanth (Vaibhav Reddy) along with friends Ganesh, a police officer (Ashwin); Mahant, a bar owner (Mahant) and Prem, an IIT graduate (Premji) hatch the plan to run a way with booty. Having known this, Vinayak too joins the gang promising them for equal distribution of money once they escape from police. 

Once Vinayak joins the gang, nothing goes as per plan and Prithviraj on his task catches one by one. Finally the game of gamble is on between Prithviraj and Vinayak. Who won it? How are Prithviraj and Vinayak, best friends in past? Forms rest of the movie

Values of the Movie Gambler: When every Tamil to Telugu dubbing movie is faring extra ordinary at Box Office, we too have thought of Gambler raking the moolah like Tamil ‘Mankatha’ but director Venkat Prabhu missed the target. He is no where near to connectivity of Telugu audience. Except slick picturization, there is no strength in screenplay. Even the dubbed dialogues to Telugu version seem to have done in a hurry with low quality. Sakthi Saravanan needs all praises for his stylish presentation of camera work. Editing by Pravin is not up to the mark in first half. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is good in background. Production values of Bellamkonda are high in standards.

Performance wise Ajith is greasy with natural white hair. He is handsome and aptly shouldered the character with ease. Especially in introductory scene and the romantic scenes, he is perfect. Arjun makes his presence strongly felt. Trisha is just for name sake and Andrea, Lakshmi Rao too got mini roles but they are hot in oomph show. Vaibhav Reddy, Premji, Mahant gave their best. Jayaprakash was also effective in his portion. Remaining others aren’t much known faces.

Out of the Movie Gambler: Venkat Prabhu, like his earlier film ‘Saroja’ which got critical applause in Tamil fared very badly in Telugu is to get the same result for ‘Gambler.’ Artificiality is added to each and every frame with no sufficient emotion to drive the actual movie forward. Lengthy first half mars the flow of story and second half is a bit saved by twists and turns.

Ajith might with the Telugu audience with his look. If you expect Trisha to sizzle through out, then you are to get utterly disappointed. On the whole Bellamkonda is set to get back his flop form after successful ‘Kanchana’ and ‘Kandireega.’ He is to loose the money for betting on odds.

Strictly speaking, Venkat Prabhu is the director of Tamil public and Telugu audiences are not at all his cup of tea. With no comedy and no intensity in narration, ‘Gambler’ fumbled through out. BO wise, this is a failed gamble.          

Cinejosh Verdict of the Movie Gambler: Strictly a Flop. (Tollywood has the first laugh over Kollywood)

                                                                          Reviewed by Srivaas