Macherla Niyojakavargam Movie Review: A dated story that doesn't rise above its clichés

The trend of unfolding faction feud love stories began with Venkatesh-starrer Preminchukundam Raa (1997). Ever since, we have seen countless films, including the recently released The Warrior, revolving around similar tropes and getting varied outcomes at the box office.

Cast: Nithiin, Krithi Shetty, Catherine Tresa, Samuthirakani
Director: MS Raja Shekar Reddy

Continuing the trend, Nithiin's latest release Macherla Niyojakavargam, too, revolves around a love story that is set against the backdrop of factional violence. However, the only novel factor about this film is that instead of Rayalaseema, the action shifts to the Palnadu region.

There are many reasons why Macherla Niyojakavargam is a difficult film to sit through, but major among them is its predictability and old-school narration. The core flaw is that it is a poorly written film. As with most films of this kind, one always knows that there would be really little to deal with in terms of events.

The 80s-style action entertainer sees Nithiin as Siddharth Reddy aka Siddhu, a sincere IAS officer, who dispenses his own unique brand of justice, which includes a faceoff with the politicians, landing a whack on the face of rowdies or flexing his muscles to wallop the villain's gang. His nemesis in the film is Rajappa an evil politician and rowdy of Macherla, played by Samuthirakani, who delivers an over-the-top loud performance.

The flimsy plot showcases the IAS officer's tireless crusade against a tyrant-like political leader, which sees him clashing with the system. There's also an obligatory romantic track between Siddhu-Swathi (Krithi Shetty) and Siddhu-Nidhi (Catherine Tresa), but the film's strength, to an extent, lies in the comedy of Gunthalakadi Gurnadham (Vennela Kishore). Interestingly, Kishore gets more screen time than the leading ladies of the film.

Despite some high-voltage action sequences -- including one in which Siddhu smacks the goons in his office and in the heart of the town -- Macherla Niyojakavargam wears you out over the course of its 122-minute runtime because it all seems so familiar. With Nithiin's character, debutant director MS Raja Shekar Reddy seems to have offered his dreamy take on the lover boy-turned-angry government officer. But the film doesn't have the smartness to be a likable action entertainer and ends up as a routine power-greedy and corrupt politician subplot, and comes loaded as the celebration of a formulaic fare.

All of this has a visible impact on the performances as well. Except for Vennela Kishore, the entire cast of this film grates with annoying performances. Samuthirakani, despite being a promising actor, just can't seem to save the film. It's time Nithiin begins to work on his diction and pronounce words clearly. Sometimes he speaks so fast that no one can understand what he is saying. It is frustrating to see his efforts going down the drain with poor script selection.

Macherla Niyojakavargam is painfully predictable and ridiculously repetitive, even as the film's second half is punctuated by over-the-top action sequences, endless confrontations, and the so-called 'punch' dialogues. The film is crowded with Telugu film clichés and flogging off moments from several hits of the yesteryear. As a result, it is difficult to determine exactly who the film was made for!