A1 Express Review - Mediocre sports drama with commercial template

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A1 Express Story:

Sundeep Naidu (Sundeep Kishan), a promising young hockey player is banned from playing the sport for 5 years after assaulting the district hockey coach. He has a very strong reason to beat up the coach. A few years later, Sundeep goes to Yanam and incidentally meets Lavanya. The duo develop good chemistry right from first glance. One day, Sundeep comes to know about the iconic hockey ground in the area and the controversy and antisocial forces surrounding it. The rest of the story uncloaks Sundeep’s efforts to protect the ground from unlawful acquisition.

A1 Express Performances:

Sundeep has matured as an actor and he carries the complex and arguably challenging role with good composure. He moulds his body language to portray a hockey player and he does a fine job at it. Lavanya as a dynamic and strong natured diva is good. Rahul Ramakrishna, Priyadarshi, Murali Sharma, Sathya, and Mahesh Vitta play supporting roles and they add value. Rao Ramesh plays antagonist and he is at his usual best.

A1 Express Review:

A1 Express was extensively promoted as the first Telugu film made on the sport of Hockey and it partially succeeds in living up to the tag. Sundeep comes up with a very good performance in the lead role and he shoulders the film. But the problem is with unnecessary subplots which don’t add zest to the proceedings. There’s a 5-minute long fight sequence in the second half which tests the patience of the viewers. Had the duration of this action sequence been cut down, the film would have carried good tempo towards the penultimate and climax sequences.

The love track between the lead pair is fresh and appealing. Sundeep and Lavanya share a sparkling chemistry and this works in favour of the film. The flashback scenes featuring Priyadarshi, Sundeep and Rahul Ramakrishna are good. The establishment of the core plot which is the unlawful acquisition of the iconic hockey ground is poor. Related scenes are artificial and do not pack the desired impact. The hockey match in the climax is picturized well but the result is predictable. Hip Hop Tamizhla‘s soundtrack is the biggest asset of the film. He elevated many scenes with his brilliant compositions. The director Dennis Jeevan uses a commercial template to narrate the film and it works to an extent. More attention should have been paid to the establishment of the main plot.

A1 Express Verdict:

A1 Express is a mediocre sports drama which has more of a commercial touch to it when compared to the original, Natpe Thunai.