Like most people, Chintakayala Ravi, the central protagonist of the Telugu movie Chintakayala Ravi tells lies for a good cause -- his mother. This is the central thread of the film which is essentially a romantic comedy in the mainstream genre directed by Yogesh.

The movie does evoke a few laughs considering the presence of quite a few comedians in it.

The story goes thus: Chintakayala Ravi (Venkatesh) hails from a village but goes to the United States to study computers and become a software engineer according to his mother, Seshamamba's (Lakshmi) wishes.

His mother fixes his marriage with Mamidakaiyaa Lavanya (Mamta Mohandas). Lavanya agrees to the match as the groom is from the United States and she can also be with her friend Sunita (Anushka) who is also in the US. Lavanya asks Sunita to check out Ravi and his credentials. Then the twists and turns in the story occur and the triangular love story comes to the forefront. Who will Ravi marry? Will his mother know his real job status? Will her heart break on hearing this?

Yogesh churns out a proper commercial family entertainer keeping in mind Venkatesh's image. The film has enough song and dance, romance and sentiment to pull the audience into the theatres. Plus, there is no violence.

If Adavari Matalaku Ardhale Verule explored the father-son relationship, Chintakayala Ravi focuses on the mother-son ties and the extent to which the son goes to keep his mother happy. Yogesh ensures the character of Ravi is lovable, innocent with a comic streak in him.

If one does not mind the length of the film (thanks to the songs) and the pace (tedium sets in between), the film is watchable. The story denouement is definitely within the regular pattern.

 Venkatesh steals the show as Chintakayala Ravi. He is good and the comic strain in him is an added bonus. He is effortless in his portrayal of the character.

Anushka and Mamta are refreshing to watch on screen. Besides upping the glamour quotient of the film, both of them have showcased their acting prowess too.

Veteran actors Lakshmi and Chandramohan put in convincing performances. Comedians like Brahmandam, Ali, MS Narayana, Venu Madhav and Sunil are enough to keep the rib-tickling comedy going now and then. One only wonders why NTR Jr decided to appear in a cameo in a song as it does not make much sense.

Vishal-Shekhar, who make their debut in Telugu with this film, have done a good job with some peppy and lively tunes -- quite southern in tone. A large part of the movie is set in the pulsating, happening New York and a bit of that comes through in the film.

With the holiday season in, Chintakayala Ravi provides some decent entertainment for the whole family.

Rediff Rating: