Pilla Zamindar sticks to the thumb rule in Telugu cinema – The hero shall never lose. Despite the predictable end, it’s the journey which is more important in such cases and Pilla Zamindar packs in the right dose of entertainment and sentiment. Directed by Ashok G, the film narrates the story about a guy who has to fulfill certain conditions before he can take over his grandfather’s property.

Nani stars as PJ (Praveen Jayaramaraju aka Pilla Jamindar), an arrogant young guy who looks forward to inherit his grandfather’s wealth. He doesn’t care about anyone and one fine day his dreams are shattered when he comes to know that his path to take over his grandfather’s wealth and legacy isn’t an easy one. The rest of the story is about how PJ undergoes a major transformation and learns to respect others and learns invaluable lessons about life.

The story’s format may have been inspired from a Korean romantic drama, A Millionaire’s First Love, but Ashok adapts the storyline to suit the nativity and takes us to a village where respect and honour are valued more than money. Nani has the best role in the film and he’s extremely good. His arrogance in the beginning of the film sets the right tone for the emotional breakdown as the film progresses. The conditions which he must fulfill lead to hilarious situations and the director Ashok keeps the entire first half on a lighter vein. The second half of the film revolves around PJ as he changes his outlook on life and realizes what’s more important to him. One of the best scenes in the film has Nani slapping his friend when the latter reminds him about one of the conditions at a funeral. In another scene, he’s moved by the poverty of his friend and his family, yet they manage to invite him for lunch.

Among others in the film, Rao Ramesh, Srinivas Avasarala and Dhanraj get due importance and they make their presence felt. MS Narayana, who plays a Telugu lecturer in the college, has a meaningful role and so do plenty of other character artists. On the other hand, Ashok chooses to sidetrack the romantic angle between PJ and Sindhu (Haripriya). Moreover, the characterization of both the heroines, Haripriya and Bindu Madhavi leaves a lot to be desired.

Sai Sriram’s cinematography is very good and he brings alive the village life through his lens. Selva Ganesh’s music is passable and Praveen Pudi does a good job with his editing. Ashok pens a simple story and although the twists in the film are kept to bare minimum, he has done a commendable job.

Pilla Zamindar is a film about human values and its strength lies in its simplicity. Yes, it’s predictable and the stakes aren’t too high but the beauty lies in the story’s journey as the protagonist connects to his roots and understands what’s important in life.

(This review was first published in ‘Hans India’ newspaper on October 16, 2011)

By

Hemanth

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