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Tamil Star Jiva, who scored a good hit with Rangam in Andhra Pradesh, is back with ‘Mask’. The movie has released today in TN as ‘Mugamoodi’ and Pooja Hegde is the heroine. The movie has been directed by Mysskin, who is known for his critically acclaimed films like ‘Anjathe’. Let us see how the film is

Story :

Anand aka Bruce Lee (Jiva) is an unemployed BSc grad who is very good with Kung Fu. He does not want to lead a regular salaried life, much to the chagrin of his parents. While he goes about his normal life, the city of Visakhapatnam is under attack from a notorious gang of masked robbers who ruthlessly kill their victims. This gang is very intelligent, does not leave traces and targets only homes with a good amount of gold or jewellery.

To apprehend this gang, a special officer (Nasser) is brought in. Pooja Hegde is seen as the daughter of Nasser and Bruce Lee falls in love with her. He goes out every night in a masked avatar to try and please his lady love. During one such nocturnal adventure, he crosses the path of the gang of robbers and helps the police in catching hold of one member.

This act impresses Pooja. But just when things seem to be going good, tragedy strikes and Bruce Lee gets into big trouble. He also learns that his Kung Fu teacher has a past. To overcome all these obstacles, Bruce Lee must learn a new form of Kung Fu, become a vigilante and outclass his opponents. He takes the help of his grand pa (Girish Karnad) , who is a kind of mad scientist. How he does that and whether he is successful forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points :

Jiva is a Kung Fu practitioner in real life and that has helped him immensely in this movie. He has ease and grace in the action sequences. Pooja Hegde is promising and she has the glamour required to become a star.

Narain does a decent job as the villain. Girish Karnad and Nasser are class actors and they show their mettle once again with a good performance.

Some of the stunt sequences and a few VFX scenes were good. The scenes involving Jiva and Girish Karnad are nice

Minus Points :

The movie’s narration is very slow and can end up testing the patience of viewers at times. Some of the scenes defy logic and seem too outlandish. The romantic track between Jiva and Pooja Hegde does not strike a chord with the viewers. It is very superficial and the emotional warmth is missing.

The voices used for the Telugu dubbing of some of the actors could have been better and they do not sound nice.

The movie does not progress in a linear fashion and there are gaps in the plot, which one does not expect from a director of Mysskin’s calibre.

The movie will be tough for casual movie lovers to absorb, as there is virtually no entertainment for them.

The suspense element could not be sustained till the end. If you go expecting a Spiderman or a Batman kind of action flick, you will be sorely disappointed. Also, like all dubbed films, this film suffers from the time honoured problem of ‘lack of nativity’.

Technical Elements :

Cinematography is good and most of the action is seen in nocturnal shots. Despite this, visuals have been pulled off well. Editing is a bit jerky. The film’s music is nothing to speak about.

Action scenes have been choreographed well in places. Mysskin fails to keep the interest of the viewers going and better screenplay could have helped.

Verdict :

Mask does not offer much for an entertainment seeking Telugu movie lover. The narration is very slow and there are issues with the plot. A sub-par romantic track does not help either. A few good action Kung Fu action sequences and some good technical values are perhaps the only attractions for the film. If you want a Batman or Spiderman kind of action thriller, Mask will disappoint you.

123telugu.com Rating – 2.5 /5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru

Click Here For ‘Mask’ Telugu Review

Legend:

5 – Flawless
4 – Must Watch
3 – One Time Watch
2 – Wait for the DVD
1 – Stay Away