Harom Hara is a 2024 Telugu-language action crime drama film written and directed by Gnanasagar Dwaraka. The film has Sudheer Babu & Malvika Sharma playing the lead roles while Sunil, Jayaprakash, Akshara Gowda, Arjun Gowda, Lakki Lakshman, Ravi Kale, V.Srinivas, Kadambari Kiran, Praneeth H, Satish S, Praveen, Vikas, Maharshi & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Chaitan Bharadwaj and the film is produced by Sumanth G Naidu under Sree Subrahmanyeshwara Cinemas banner.
Story:
Set in the late 1980s in Kuppam, this story follows an ordinary man named Subramaniyam (Sudheer Babu) who after losing his job and facing severe financial difficulties, decides to make money by illegally manufacturing guns with the help of his friend Palani Swamy (Sunil). His illegal business eventually grows significantly, and in the process, he ends up making the entire poor population of the village his own family. The narrative unfolds as his involvement in this dangerous trade grows and grows, eventually leading him to become South India`s most notorious arms lord.
What about on-screen performances?
Sudheer Babu who always tries different genres and concepts, comes up with a massy action film this time. He looks solid in his mass avatar and gives out a nuanced performance as Subramaniyam. This is surely one of his career-best performances after ‘Sammohanam’ & ‘Aa Ammayi Gurinchi Meeku Cheppali’. He nails all his action sequences and is equally good in the emotional parts as well.
Malvika Sharma looks beautiful and does a decent job as the hero’s love interest, but her role doesn’t offer her any scope to look beyond that.
Sunil gets to play a meaty role in this film and he does full justice to the role. With his Chittoor accent and timid mannerisms, he adds significant value to the film as Palani Swamy.
Jayaprakash Narayana does a fair job and leaves a mark as the hero’s father.
Lakki Lakshman is fine as the main villain, but his role is very poorly written. The same goes with Ravi Kale & Arjun Gowda who are part of the villain gang.
Akshara Gowda also gets a weakly written cup role which doesn’t have any impact on the proceedings.
V.Srinivas, Kadambari Kiran, Praneeth H, Satish S, Praveen, Vikas, Maharshi, Kiran Macha & others are okay in their limited parts.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Gnanasagar Dwaraka is a routine rags-to-riches story which we have been seeing in quite a few films that have come out in the recent past. But it is the gun-making point and the whole setup in Kuppam is what makes this film an interesting watch.
The screenplay has its own share of ups and downs. There are a good number of elevation scenes as well as a few flat scenes in the middle portions which could’ve been blended in a much better manner.
The film starts with Sunil explaining the flashback to a cop and the lead character is introduced neatly. It is the first fight where the actual plot really kicks off. However, once the father-son emotional scene begins, a bit of boredom creeps in coz of the length and we get a feeling that much is happening without proper depth. Then it again picks up with the gun-making episodes along with a high-octane interval action block that makes the first half a decent watch.
The second half again starts with another superb action sequence with good elevations. But the villain scenes that come in this half are a big disappointment as they look very routine. The rise of the hero is portrayed neatly and there are good elevation scenes in this half which work well. The climax action block looks very lengthy and the final shot where the hero kills the villain looked a bit abrupt. Also, the use of machine guns doesn’t add any novelty as we have seen many films use the same.
Director Gnanasagar Dwaraka does an impressive job with his presentation. He has handled the scale of the film in a commendable manner and keeps the setup very authentic. The way he showcased Sudheer in a massy avatar also deserves credit. But had he had a few fresh elements along with some gripping drama that complimented the action parts, this film would have been memorable.
The dialogues are well written. The Chittor local slang is used neatly, although it looks to be a bit overly done in a few bits.
The songs by Chaitan Bharadwaj are good. ‘Kanulenduko’ song and the title track are superb. But it is his background score that takes the film to another level. His score in all the elevation scenes is perfect.
The camera work by Arvind Viswanathan is pretty decent although there are a few places where the camera focus looked out of track.
The edit by Raviteja Girijala is alright. The second half however needs a lot of trimming.
The production values by Sree Subrahmanyeshwara Cinemas are first-rate.
What’s Hot?
* Sudheer Babu’s Career Best Performance
* Sunil’s Performance
* Refreshing Setup Around Guns
* Elevation Scenes In Second Half
* Kickass Background Score
* Direction & Production Values
* Well Choreographed Action Scenes
What’s Not?
* Lacks Gripping Drama
* Few Lengthy Action Scenes
* Dragged Out Climax Potions
* Cliched Villain Characterizations & Routine Scenes
* Love Track Needed More Elaboration
* Akshara’s Characterization
Verdict: Overall, Harom Hara is a massy action film that will cater to its target audiences with good elevation scenes and a superb score but it lacks a gripping drama. This is one of the best films of Sudheer Babu’s career in terms of his acting, the film’s scale, and its content.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5