Naga Shaurya’s Lakshya is the first Tollywood film based on the sport of archery. After several delays due to the pandemic, this Dheerendra Santhossh Jagarlapudi directorial finally hit screens today.
The movie follows Parthu (Naga Shaurya) is a guy who grew up in the shadows of his grandfather Raghu Ramaiah (Sachin Khedekar). Raghu Ramaiah aims to make Parthu a world champion in archery, and for the sake of it, he does everything possible, even putting his deteriorating health at stake. But, one day, Raghu Ramaiah dies, leaving his grandson devastated. After that, the politics and the underhand tactics in the archery academy lead to Parthu becoming a drug addict, simultaneously resulting in his ouster from his much-loved sport. How he rises like a phoenix from the ashes and embraces archery again form the crux of the story.
Director Dheerendra Santhossh Jagarlapudi had a novel plot that revolves around archery and he succeeded in making it look simple and understandable even for viewers who are not well versed with the respective sport. But, the issue in the narrative is its lack of intensity in emotions. The archery competition sequences are lackluster and fail to hook the audience. The climax, which connects the dots of different layers of the story, does not provide any chance to feel empathy for the protagonist.
The saving grace of the movie is Naga Shaurya. He is just perfect in his role. His efforts to showcase the different phases of his character and his physical transition from one phase to the other deserve appreciation.