'F3', produced by Dil Raju and Shirish on Sri Venkateswara Creations, is out in theatres.
Story
Venky and Varun Yadav are cash-starved friends who are constantly hoodwinked by Harika and Honey, two money-minded sisters and their elders in the family. When each of the four major characters is in need of loads of money in a desperate situation, they eke out separate plans to get rich through foul means. What follows because of this thinking is a life-changing experience for each of them.
Performances
Venkatesh makes us forget the intensity of 'Narappa' and 'Drushyam 2' despite the paucity of constant humour in the dialogue. Since the audience is aware of the world of 'F2', it doesn't take us long to get attuned to Venky's style of over-the-top comedy.
Varun Tej, as someone with a stammering problem, relies on the slapstick more than his male co-star. Tamannaah Bhatia somehow looks less motivated than she did in 'F2'. Even Mehreen Pirzada is less sweet and 'honey' in comparison with her rib-tickling 'F2' act. Sonal Chauhan is wasted in a track where she has no dialogues almost.
Raghu Babu outshines both Ali and Sunil with his ease. Rajendra Prasad is elbowed out by the screen presence of Vennela Kishore and Satya. Murali Sharma, Tulasi, and Pragathi are routine. Y Vijaya, Annapurnamma, Sampath Raj, Prudhviraj, and Srikanth Iyengar are also seen, with none of them making much impact.
Technical aspects
Devi Sri Prasad's songs are not memorable, although the background score fits into the comical soundscape of the film. The songs ('Lab Dab Lab Dab Dabboo', 'Woo Aaa Aha Aha', and 'Life Ante Itta Vundaala') are not always well-placed and it is the last of these songs, shot on the lead men and Pooja Hegde, that really stands out for its peppiness.
Sai Sriram's cinematography is functional at best. Tammiraju's editing is jarring.
Analysis
'F3' has been designed as a loud comedy involving a series of gags. There is no cohesive narrative despite the film's firm final message (and it is not unpredictable).
Writer-director Anil Ravipudi's excessive reliance on his actors, both stars and comedians, proves to be a disaster after a point. The first half sets up the story and the mindless characters do elicit laughs here and there. The film introduces a crime element and the narration turns slightly meandering at the interval.
'F3' would have absolved itself had the track involving a wide range of characters, including Murali Sharma's character, delivered strong laughs in the second half. The writing is superficial at best here, with no exciting idea coming off. Even Vennela Kishore and a minor track involving a gangster don't make the cut.
The climax injects a forced comical stretch that pays homage to films like 'Narappa' and 'Bheemla Nayak' in a forced manner. The comedy hardly works here.
'F2' adopted a far more cohesive, mainstream, family-centric style. 'F3' would have none of it.
Closing Remarks
'F3' falls flat after a decent first half. The second half goes for a toss, thanks to its excessively idiosyncratic nature. There are also a few routine tropes that rob the film of its integrity.
