Sita Movie Review: A good premise weighed down by a flawed script

Director Teja's Sita, featuring Kajal Aggarwal and Bellamkonda Sreenivas, is constructed around an intriguing premise but the narrative lacks the zing, it should have ideally had. The film features Kajal in the titular role as a modern woman, who is consumed by greed, and likes to live life on her own terms. She is selfish, and focuses only on ownership and wealth. She signs an agreement to be in a live-in relationship with MLA Basava Raju (Sonu Sood) for a month for the money.

She tries to gamble with Basava Raju, who is lusting on her and he makes things difficult for her. She needs a large chunk of money to challenge Basava Raju and this is where Sita meets the protagonist of the film, Ram (Bellamkonda Sreenivas), who lives in a monastery in Bhutan. Sounds familiar?

Cast: Kajal Aggarwal, Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Sonu Sood
Direction: Teja

A blatant rip off of American dramedy, Rain Man (1988), the film focuses heavily on one character and subsequently, the other parts end up being underdeveloped. Once the conflict (of a greedy woman trying to manipulate a saintlike man) is established, the film has pretty much nothing else to do or say. 

The protagonist is introduced as a man-child, who is cut off from the real world, and leads a saintlike life. Having been raised by the monks, he doesn't like to harm anyone (even if its as trivial as a fly). At times, he behaves like a treasure trove of knowledge (knows 26 languages, all the Indian laws, etc) aka Chitti: The Robot. He follows a routine and likes to have butter biscuits in the middle of legal proceedings, and acts crazy when he doesn’t have a cup of tea at a specific time. The character is uneven, and after a while,  it becomes hard to root for him. 

The first hour is okay, but soon, the film's slow pace starts playing the villain. It's hard to feel anything other than frustration watching the film unfold, given the potential.it had. What could have been an engaging drama is reduced to a one-size-fits-all 90's commercial potboiler loaded with romance, comedy, action, and an overdose of melodrama.

Kajal's performance is completely in sync with the mood of the film. It seems she has benefited from her previous experiences of working with the director and her mentor, Teja. It's refreshing to see Bellamkonda Sreenivas in a role that doesn't want him to perform gravity-defying stunts. Although he plays his part well, he seems out-of-place in this melodramatic setup.

Sonu Sood, who portrays a stereotypical 80s Tollywood villain, comes across as awkward, attempting to match the movie’s sensibilities. Among the supporting cast, Tanikella Bharani fits the bit well, while Bithiri Sathi disappoints. Payal Rajput's special number, Bulreddy, also seems unnecessary.

To summarise, Sita is intended to be a romantic drama, but the script never quite gets around to achieve that. Except for a few moments, there’s little to like in the film.