Story

Different story revolving around a palace called Gandharva Mahal belonging to the ancestors of Rayudu (Prabhu). A young man who comes as tenant falls in love with Rayudu's daughter Jagadha (Deeksha Seth). But however the young man faces reluctance from unknown sources. And here the story unwinds in to a fantasy filled history of Gandharva Mahal. The Palace was the beloved property of Raydudu's forefathers and prominent among them was Narasimha Rayudu (Balakrishna). He gets his sister married to Phanindra Bhupathi (Sonu Sood), unknown of his treacherous and foul character. Poor senior Rayudu also gifts Gandharva Mahal to his sister, but Bhupathi kills the sister and has a strong affair with a prostitute's daughter Amruthavalli (Lakshmi Prasanna). And he tries to bring her to Gandharva Mahal.

The senior Rayudu realizes the treachery of Bhupathi and kills him, in the process gets killed himself. But his love for the Gandharva Mahal never dies and he haunts the Palace, keeping others at bay. In short only people from his dynasty must live in Gandharva Mahal. The rest of the story is how the young man convinces the haunting spirit with his witty ploy, is quite interesting.

Analysis :

Uu Kodathar Ulikki Padathara, the main credit goes to the art-director and Cinematographer for making a splendid display of the Gandharva Mahal. Balakrishna appears for 20 or more minutes, but is the heart of the ploy. A daring initiative by the Manchu clan, especially by Manchu Manoj. Probably very less heroes would take this size risk. The character has many shades and gives necessary impetus for versatility. Music by Suman-Sulaiman & Bobo Shashi, is heart rendering. Story is also very good, but could have been handled better by debut director Sekhar Raja. The screenplay is on a roller-coaster ride and gives way at certain points. The necessary thrust in the dialogues of the antagonists was missing in the film. Two songs ‘Abbabba Abbabba’ song and ‘Pratikshanam Narakame’ might not be much appealing to the public, due to their ill-timing. Graphics at climax are outstanding. On the whole Uu Kodathar Ulikki Padathara is a daring effort by Manchu Manoj worth watching.

Performance :

The show-stealer(s) were undoubtedly Balakrishna and Manoj. The former needs no comments on his acting skills, as he is a seasoned actor with versatility at the peak. But this performance is different from all his earlier ventures and shall remain a memorable moment for his fans. However much has to be said about Manoj, whose character was envisaged with various shades and he excels in every scene. It is Manoj...Manoj...and Manoj till the last scene. A daring and brilliant effort by Manoj. Lakshmi and Sonu Sood made lesser impact as their dialogues were not well-timed. Brahmanandam, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam and Raghubabu have not made much impact on the film.

In a nutshell:Gandharvamahal is well sketched and Manoj steals the show. Balayya at his best. Music is pleasing.

Final Word: 'Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara' is a socio-fantasy with a variety.