NTR Jr. has been on a leather hunt for a long time. Like many top heroes, he has been waiting for blockbuster by flipping movies with hit-directors. With "Temper", NTR Jr. and his fans will finally heave a sigh of relief. No, it is not a blockbuster but it is one of the above-average films for the talented actor which will lift his fortunes. In little over two hours, director Puri Jagannadh scripts a story that revolves solely around NTR Jr. as a police SI with shades of grey. That's not new as "Pataas" also has a similar treatment. The difference between "Pataas" and "Temper" is in the degree of seriousness that Puri builds into the plot in the second half - taking NTR Jr.'s performance to an inspiring level - not seen since the times of "Raakhi" or "Simhadri".
At a conceptual level, Puri Jagannadh is skilful in weaving screenplays out of wafer-thin, almost non-existent storylines. Most of his films are just an emotional roller-coaster ride giving the audiences entertaining bits of heroism, villainy, romance, comedy and tears. He writes dialogues, screenplay and directs the crew with punctuation points at opening, interval, pre-climax and climax scenes with an approach that seems to cover all elements of box-office success. He gets under the skin of the mass elements but mixes some class elements as well to create maximum impact. In "Temper", the film grammar he is known for hasn't changed but he has definitely mellowed down in lumping some of the cheap thrills and objectifications of women he is known to portray. He succeeds mostly in giving an engaging account of a police cop who is transformed from a "crony criminalist" into an upright officer who polishes off the villains when the 'right cause' gets triggered thanks to girl friend Kajol Agarwal.
The film's main objective seems entertainment but on tight leash and hence subservient to highlighting NTR in a career-redefining performance. So, Puri Jagannadh uses flashback technique and uses a reel-by-reel approach to elevating the character of NTR. He uses a side flunkie Posani Krishna Murali as a standout witness to NTR's journey from flippancy to greatness - like an audience's perception of how a hero is reborn. Posani's performance is one of the highlights of the film; he mostly gives a stare but when he speaks it impacts the audience about bonding with our feelings for the hero that change reel after reel. But for that, there are lot of forgettable scenes which are a big bore - like the scenes of romance with Kajol, the doggie scenes and the brothel scenes with Vennela Kishore. If they cut them out, overall weight of the movie might go up in terms of seriousness. Ali, who gets star treatment in Puri's movies gets a forgettable role; just a token presence. Prakash Raj gets a full-length role as a comic villain who wears half-pants and T-shirts all the time; his role gives a deja vu feeling but evokes good laughs here and there.
What thrills the audience is the refreshing accent, body language and the characterisation of NTR. Instead of using multiple accents as Mahesh Babu did in "Aagadu", NTR uses a consistent, high-decibel, short-'temper'ered tone that shows the volcanic anger of a policeman torn between morality and selfishness. His delivery of dialogues elevates his performance to a new high that could see repeat audience - because of the subtlety and novelty. By leaving out all the distractions that usually hamper receptivity to the acting prowess of NTR, Puri ensured this time NTR shines well taking the film entirely on his shoulders without the razzmatazz of star comedians and villains. Because of Puri's panache for restricting dialogues to preciseness, NTR never gives you a feeling of over-acting though occasional theatrical flourishes spring up in the run-ins between Prakash Raj and NTR. NTR couldn't have hoped for a better time than this film when the Nandamuri family is on a purple patch with hits like "Pataas". NTR's performance in the climax is altogether new and different than the fare before. Even if he hadn't shown his 6.5 pack (something extra) in a song, the fans wouldn't have minded. His dances were good but not different from previous films.
What pulls down the rating for an other-wise good film is music by Anup Rubens' music. It lacks melody and memorability - Puri's tastes in fine music have always been arbitrary and this film is no different in wasting an in-form music composer with a dud score. Mani Sharma gives an adept BGM score that compensates for Anup Ruben's unimpressive deck of songs. Puri also disappoints in the liberties and logic flaws taken in his approach. Like packing off dogs to Korea and shipping them back to India in 24 hours. Also, except in the last scene, NTR Jr. who is an SI never wears uniform, and uses a police jeep thats a cross between a Frontrunner and a Land Rover. The police station looks the same as that used in "Aagadu" and one never sees cops superior to NTR Jr. Wonder why nobody checks NTR's juggernaut of immoral antics until his own conscience pricks him. Next, under no circumstances does the court announce a capital punishment to gang-rape criminals within 24 hours of convicting the criminals. Puri hasn't really done a contempt of court but proves again his poor knowledge of justice system. In the climactic scene, NTR loses proof of evidence that will nail the culprits but couldn't Puri have the imagination to make NTR ask for an extra copy of the CD which may have been with the victim's sister? And when is TV5 getting aired in North America where the victim's sister is watching the proceedings? Puri also forgets that proceedings like hanging of criminals is not reported on an hourly basis. In dragging the scene in climax similar to Chiranjeevi's "Abhilasha" (where Rallapalli rolls on the floor crying hoarse "Aaapaaandeeeeeeeee..." to stop a hanging) Puri takes too many illogical cinematic liberties. Puri is known to skirt logic to prove his points but nevertheless makes an impactful, powerful film with an underlying message.The frailities take away some points but except for few lags, the film is eminently watchable for NTR Jr's tour de force performance.
Rating: 3.25/5
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