Oxygen – Movie Review

What’s it about
Krishna Prasad (Gopichand) who comes to marry the daughter of businessman Raghupathi (Jagapathi Babu) finds that she is not entirely interested in marriage. After couple of songs and many teasing episodes, she (Raashi Khanna) agrees to marry him but then she comes to know the real Krishna Prasad. He has not come to marry her but to take revenge. Who really Krishna Prasad is? What his is mission? Why has he come to her home?

Analysis
Director A M Jyothi Krishna debuted with “Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu” a decade and half ago and later made two more movies but he is known more for his debut movie that had Tarun, Shriya and Trisha and also hit music from Rehman. The director took huge gap to make another one and his latest is this “Oxygen” that features Gopichand. The film was launched with much fanfare in 2015 but it ran into many financial issues and stuck in the cans for long time. 

The crux of “Oxygen” is about an operation called “Oxygen”. Hero Gopichand, a military officer, takes this operation to root out the illegal business of lethal cigarettes that cause severe cancer quickly which are being circulated all over India. The cigarette packs doesn’t carry the name of manufacturer. How this military officer finds out the manufacturer, why it has personally made him to take this up is told in regular commercial manner. While watching the entire first half of the movie, you don’t get the whiff of the actual story because the writer-director has stored this for the post-interval. The entire first half is filled up with silly and outdated romantic episodes on Gopichand and Raashi Khanna which are tiresome. 

Comedian Ali’s comedy, which reeks of 1990’s generation, induces boredom further. However, the interval bang is interesting though it was seen in recent commercial entertainers. The second half is handled far well but it doesn’t make us feel or rooted for the hero’s mission. That is the huge flaw in the narration. The so-called emotional scenes are also handled in mechanical manner. The lofty social message – kaala market of lethal-cigarettes is lost in this din of old-style mass sequences. 
Gopichand is okay. Jagapathi Babu has got different and meaty character. Raashi Khanna’s role and her performance is boring. Anu Emmanuel’s character reminds us of Asin in ‘Ghajini’. Brahmaji, Shaam and Abhimanyu Singh as Jagapathi’s brothers make their presence felt. 

Cinematography (Chota K Naidu and Vetri) and production values are decent. Music is huge let down except the melodious romantic duet “Telusa Manasa”. Editing is bad. 
Writer and director Jyothi Krishna has shown his mark in some episodes in the second half, but his screenplay is too clichéd.

Bottom–line: Jyothi Krishna directed Gopichand starrer ‘Oxygen’ is like watching two films on a single ticket. The entire first half runs on flimsy sequences. While the second half is handled fairly better way but by then we lose all interest in it. Uneven narration is major issue.