An interesting experiment on doppelgangers.

Amigos (Telugu)

• Cast: Nandamuri Kalyanram, Ashika Ranganath, Bramhaji, and Saptagari
• Writer-Director: Rajendra Reddy
• Producer: Mythri Movie Makers
• Music: Ghibran
• Runtime: 2 hours 19 minutes

Stories revolving around lookalikes usually end up being about identical twins lost at birth. But Rajendra Reddy’s Amigos is not that kind of clichéd tale of two lookalikes.

The three characters played by Kalyan Ram have nothing in common with how they have been brought up and what they do.

Additionally, one of Kalyan Ram’s characters has a mysterious aura about him. Kalyan Ram showed his penchant for choosing interesting stories with his last one Bimbisara.

In spite of the Rajamouli hangover, Bimbisara still had its own identity in how it dealt with the concept of time travel. There is a cruel and selfish king who ends up straddling two timelines.

Amigos is another different attempt by Kalyanram. Much like Bimbisara, this also lacks perfect storytelling. But still, it is worth your time.

The plot

Siddharth is a young man who runs a family business. One day, he is astonished to come across a website about doppelgangers.

On that website, he comes across two of his lookalikes — Manjunath and Michael. They meet up.

After a fun holiday in Goa, they come down to Hyderabad to help Siddharth with his love life.

The love interest here is Ishika (Ashika Ranganath), a girl who wants her husband to have superman qualities.

But things take a drastic turn with the entry of NIA. They are after one of the lookalikes. The rest of the story is about why NIA is hell-bent on catching this guy and how this affects the other two.

What works out and what doesn’t?

Amigos begins off on a slow note. The initial portions feel more like a setup and certain restlessness creeps up.

But things take a turn for the better when Siddharth meets his lookalikes.

The scenes in Goa are fun to watch. Scenes where Manjunath and Michael help Siddharth have their share of amusing moments.

The interval bang when the NIA catches up with one of Kalyanram’s lookalikes raises the stakes for a pulsating second half.

The second half is much better as there is an engrossing cat-and-mouse game between Siddharth and the antagonist. The antagonist is also played by Kalyanram.

Some tension-filled moments make the audience root for Siddharth.

The climax involving the doppelgangers is the biggest highlight of this enterprise. There is a certain joy that the audiences get when Siddharth gets rid of the bad guy.

The big issue with Amigos though is their formulaic nature in terms of the treatment. This is best reflected in the portrayal of NIA.

The NIA comes across as rather incapable on many occasions. On more than one occasion they look like buffoons. A stronger portrayal of NIA would have elevated the antagonist more.

The commercial elements of comedy, romance and action are a hit and a miss; particularly, the romance aspect.

More than the music, it is the background score that elevates the film. Ghibran provides a rousing BGM that adds to the characters, particularly in the scenes of Michael.

The remix of “Enno Ratrulostayi” deserves a mention here as it provides some relief.

The performances

Ashika Ranganath is pleasant but her character Ishika’s dreams of wanting a superman husband also come across as rather clichéd.

Amigos is mostly a Kalyanram film as the actor is present in almost all the frames. He is successful in showcasing the variations between the three characters.

He is most effective as the villain who would go to any lengths in his mission.

The actor also deserves appreciation for the distinct voice modulation in this part. His portrayal of Manjunath’s innocence also deserves appreciation.

Bramhaji is the only other actor who stands out. He has a lengthy part and the senior actor does well as expected.

Verdict

In a nutshell, this tale of doppelgangers will make you curious about finding your lookalikes even though it comes with its own set of dangers.