Cast: Ravi Teja, Charmee, Prakashraj, Lakshmi Manchu, Subbaraju, Sunil, Brahmanandam, Brahmaji etc
Music: Sathyam
Cinematography: FX School and VFX
Producer: Natti Kumar, T Rama Satyanarayana
Banner: Shreya Productions
Direction: Ramgopal Varma

Story Line:

Sudhir (Ravi Teja) and Rani (Charmy Kaur) are husband and wife. The couple plans to attend their friend’s marriage and they take a short route to reach it. But their vehicle breaks down midway and they decide to take shelter in a resort. The receptionist (Subbaraju) first denies room to them, but the manager (Supreet) orders him to give them room No. 8, as he gets attracted to Rani. After getting in, Sudhir orders for lunch. But they say that nothing is available. The manager gives him the car keys to go to a nearby village called Amalapuram by leaving Rani in the resort, as a deposit for the car. But Sudhir refuses to leave his wife. Meanwhile, Rani hears some noises from the adjacent room and the receptionist tells her that there was ghost in it. But the manager says it is not a ghost but a thief. Frightened at their gestures, Sudhir and Rani tries to get out of the resort, but the manager, receptionist and a servant (Brahmaji) hold them captive and keep Rani in Room No. 9. What happens next should be seen on-screen.

Performance:

Ravi Teja is at his usual best as hero of the film. In fact, there is hardly anything to perform in the movie but has to emote to suit the situation. Charmy has emoted well in frightening scenes and chases. Supreet, Subbaraju and Prakash Raj are okay and Brahmanandam has once again has tried to tickle the funny bones of the audience. Of the entire film, the character of Subbaraju and Sunil were not necessary. Prakash Raj has played the role of comedy villain in this film. Lakshmi Prasanna is needed to show the presence of police, as the film talks about a group of gangsters.

Final Analysis:

First things first, Ramgopal Varma must be appreciated for his self conviction in thoughts and beliefs. The very idea of coming up with a film in barely 5-6 days and that too with a paltry budget is commendable. Added to that, the making is technically efficient and it is on par with the regular mainstream cinema.

However, what Ramu must realize is audience is choosy and when a brand like him is coming up with a project, the level of expectation is high. While the experimental thought is acknowledged, Ramu should also realize that there is an aspect of entertainment, content required to give the audience their money’s worth.

The first half of the film is packed up with patience-testing monotonous scenes. Ravi Teja walking from room to reception and reception to room loosens grip on audience. And second half introduces many good artistes like Lakshmi Manchu, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam and Sunil but the director failed to extract what the audiences expect from them.

Overall, the team must be appreciated for their efforts and the cast for their convincing performances despite a hollow script. At the same time, this is not a film meant for the regular audience or those who seek formula films.

Technical:

The director’s main idea to explain to the world that a film need not have a whole bunch of technicians but could be done with just a Canon 5D cameras and FX school students. He has revealed his idea at the end of the film with a sub title ‘The making of Dongala Mutha’. How the students has used the hand held cameras and shot the film without using regular cranes and other machinery. The director himself has looked after everything instead of making use of assistant directors, associate directors, managers and make-up artistes, light boys and others. He has penned the dialogues to the characters and has tried to derive comedy by repeating the same dialogues between the characters. Even the action choreography is also handled by RGV himself. It is almost a one-man show.