Banner: Jayant Fulcrum Cinergies
Cast: Mahesh Babu, Lisa Ray, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dev, Tanikella Bharani, Raj, Ashoka Kumar, Ravi Chalapati and Surya
Art: Ashok Kumar
Fights: Vijayan
Photography: Jayanan Vincent
Choreographers: Saroj Khan, Prasanna, Raju Sundaram & Raja Sekhar
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Music: Mani Sharma
Lyrics: Chandra Bose, Vennelakanti, Kula Sekhar & Bhuvana Chandra
Story - Dialogues: Satyanand
Screenplay - Production - Direction: Jayant C Paranji
Executive Producers: Vasant C Paranji & Sumant C Paranji
Cast: Mahesh Babu, Lisa Ray, Bipasha Basu, Rahul Dev, Tanikella Bharani, Raj, Ashoka Kumar, Ravi Chalapati and Surya
Art: Ashok Kumar
Fights: Vijayan
Photography: Jayanan Vincent
Choreographers: Saroj Khan, Prasanna, Raju Sundaram & Raja Sekhar
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Music: Mani Sharma
Lyrics: Chandra Bose, Vennelakanti, Kula Sekhar & Bhuvana Chandra
Story - Dialogues: Satyanand
Screenplay - Production - Direction: Jayant C Paranji
Executive Producers: Vasant C Paranji & Sumant C Paranji
Inspired by western cowboy movies, our Tollywood filmmakers have now and then come up with their own desi version. Probably the first of its kind was Mosagallaku Mosagadu followed a decade later by Kodhama Simham. This oldest and most enduring genre has hit the screens once again.
You have it all - cowboy hats, horseback heroes and villains, fast paced action, a traditional hunt for treasure and the battle between the good, bad and the ugly. And combine this with the usual Telugu film masala makes Takkari Donga is quite an ideal weekend treat.
Raja (Mahesh Babu), a petty thief who is on the most-wanted list of the sheriff, is capable of hood winking an entire battalion of guards to rob a train or a bank.
A good one-hour of the film is spent to show his machismo and encounter with the dusky petty thief Bipasha Basu. Life is a song for Raja until he starts out on a mission at the request of Veeru Dada. Raja sets out across the sun-kissed Grand Canyon to take Veeru's daughter Bhuvana (Lisa Ray) to Veeru's brother Dharma. The drama slowly unfolds as Rahul Dev, the past enemy of Veeru, comes hunting for Veeru and his family. Here we have the Telugu filmi background: Rahul Dev is a common villain having murdered the hero's father and sister in the past.
If you are an avid viewer of western cowboy movies, you may find this a trifle mundane. But considering the effort put in, the crew deserves applause for the slick production. The Amazon forests, the journey through the mountains, deserts and the final descent through the thundering waterfalls keep you on the edge. Above all, the cinematography by Jayanan Vincent paints a memorable portrait of the forests of Vikarabad, Nasik, Rajasthan, Chalakudi, Arizona and Grand Canyon.
Fresh after the success of Murari, Mahesh Babu delivers to expectations. He is completely at ease and shows marked improvement from his earlier films. Bipasha Basu and Lisa Ray just add spice. Rahul Dev is a huge letdown. Though he calls most of the shots in the latter half, his acting leaves little room for appreciation. All he has done is fret, fume and get on your nerves.
If you don't mind half a dozen songs slackening the pace of the film Takkari Donga is a complete entertainer. Go for it, but leave your thinking caps behind.