The crux of the Telugu film Mitrudu is that a horoscope invariably determines what fate has in store for a person and if there are obstacles and hindrances, there are pariharams (ways in which these can be overcome). The story by Vijayendra Prasad is filmed by debutante Mahadev.
Indu (Priya Mani) is the daughter of a rich businessman Sai Krishna (Ranganath) who is studying in Malaysia. She has a certain dosha in her horoscope which makes her along with her friend to go to an astrologer in south India. He predicts that she can marry a man having certain planetary positions and one who is fearless and does not bother about death. She sees such a man in Aditya (Balakrishna). There is something in his past which is kept under wraps.
Madhu (Deepak Bajwa) who 'pretends' to be lame does social work. He wants to marry Madhu for her property but there's something more to this guy. Indu loves him.
In the midst of all this, there is a baddie Munuswamy (Pradeep Rawat) who wants to get his son married to Indu but Indu's father humiliates him. He nurses that grievance and gets his son spy on Indu.
Who will Indu choose; Madhu or Aditya? Will astrology play its role? Watch the film for the answers.
Mahadev makes an earnest attempt to present something different. He tries to fuse an age-old tradition (astrology) with a modern marriage but somehow loses his grip over the narration to some extent.
There are few unwarranted scenes which border on vulgarity. The whole movie ultimately boils down to a blend of a bit of everything -- romance, sentiment and action.
The director presents Balakrishna in a new light but somehow the character lacks punch. He underplays his acting quite a bit to suit the character.
Priyamani displays all the subtleties necessary and has the effervescence too in the beginning. Deepak Bajwa suits the role well. Brahmanandam and Krishna Bhagavan provide the few moments of humour in the movie. Chandramohan is adept at playing character roles and he plays the role of Kesava (Indu's father's right hand man to the hilt) though there is a surprise element in his character too.
The second half of the film is heavy. Most of the action and melodrama is restricted to the second half of the film, while the first sets the pace for the story unfolding in Malaysia which suddenly seems to be a hot destination amongst the Telugu film fraternity. Kuala Lampur lends itself to be captured well in the camera by Balamurugan.
There is not much magic in Manisharma's music, however to capture our attention. Overall, Mahadev's Mitrudu has Balakrishna in a slightly different role but otherwise it offers the usual Telugu fare.
Rediff Rating: 
