Movie Review: Tillu Square

Tillu Square, the much-awaited sequel to Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s DJ Tillu, is finally here after facing numerous delays. The Telugu audience, who have learnt by heart each line that Tillu utters in the first movie, have been waiting with bated breath to witness in what direction the movie team has taken this sequel.

Let’s delve into the complete details right away.

Story

On the back of the super hit success of his track ‘DJ Tillu’ on YouTube, Tillu (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) sets up an Event Organizing company that is run by his family and friends. Tillu is still the DJ for all the events the company takes up. One day, an unknown customer (Murali Sharma) calls Tillu and books him for an event. Later, Anupama Parameswaran’s Lily enters the scene as she meets Tillu at a pub. The two of them hit it off right away amidst some hilarious one-liners typical of Tillu. After they part ways the next day, the girl and her father appear a month later asking Tillu to marry her, alleging him to be the cause of her pregnancy. Tillu who had already fallen for Lily agrees readily.

Tillu is soon met with a typical DJ Tillu twist where it is revealed that Lily is in fact a secret agent and has trapped him only to prompt him to kill Murali Sharma’s character, a mafia don. As Tillu is already set to play at Murali Sharma’s event, the agency tries everything to convince him to do the job. They even bring back Radhika from DJ Tillu to try and persuade him to carry out the assassination. Does Tillu agree to the job? Does he succeed in this endeavour? Is the Mafia Don fooled so easily? What trouble does Tillu face in the process? Is Lily’s love for him true? Has DJ Tillu finally found his true love? The answers to all these questions can be found out at the theatre.

Screenplay and Analysis

The amount of entertainment this movie packs is unreal. Siddu Jonnalagadda has truly gone above and beyond to make this sequel a success.

The titles open with a smartly edited montage of one-liners from the first part. The screenplay then takes some time to set up the new storyline. After 15-20 minutes into the movie, the hilarious ride of one-liners and Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s typical delivery can be witnessed once again until the interval. The interval bang itself has a huge twist that keeps the audience occupied till the break is over. Not a single boring moment in the whole of the first half.

The second half has a mix of reused punches and situations from DJ Tillu, in a manner of paying homage to the original film and not in a bad way. But ‘Tillu Square’ features a more serious story this time, with many twists and breathtaking moments along the way. On the whole, the second half surpasses the first in providing non-stop entertainment. The climax is built up in the same manner as ‘DJ Tillu’ where Siddhu (Tillu) takes sweet revenge over the girl who deceives him, by out-foxing her in her own game. The climax could have been a little bit better, but it may work for most people, taking into account the amount of fun the movie generates till that point.

Tillu Square has the most entertaining and pacey Tollywood screenplay in 2024 so far.

Actors:

You can say only one line about Siddhu Jonnalagadda. He has once again shown that he is a force to reckon with, especially as the street-smart and quick-witted Tillu. Just like in ‘DJ Tillu’, Siddhu carries the whole movie on his prowess of dialogue delivery and swag.

Anupama Parameswaran as Lily entertains as a secret agent carrying out some steamy scenes with Tillu paired with slick action and serious looks.

Tillu’s father role played by Muralidhar Goud is given prompt screen time in the sequel as well. Muralidhar Goud returns with his quirky complaints and reactions to Tillu’s troubles in navigating life. The father-son comedy duo works wonders for the movie once again.

Prince Cecil (Shannon), Murali Sharma (Mafia Don), Neha Shetty (Radhika), Praneeth Reddy Kallem (Marcus) and all others have done brilliantly.

Technical Departments:

• The direction and cinematography of ‘Tillu Square’ are crisp and to the point. Technically the movie feels less experimental and more traditional in the making than ‘DJ Tillu’.

• The edit patterns and camera moves are also not as flashy as in ‘DJ Tillu’. But, all the technical departments have done well to take the story forward at every step.

• The songs by Ram Miriyala and Sricharan Pakala are the highlight of the movie. The album is on par with the ‘DJ Tillu’ soundtrack.

• BGM by Bheems Ceciroleo has delivered big time.

Plus Points:

• Siddhu’s one-liners and dialogue delivery
• Fresh twists in the story
• Excellent songs and BGM
• Non-stop entertainment
• Anupama’s acting and glamour
• Radhika’s sudden cameo

Minus Points:

• The first 15-20 mins take time to establish the set-up, which is understandable
• Some may have a slight problem with the climax twist and how it is played out
• DJ Tillu’s innocence is missing, which is logically correct, as he is not new to facing troubles anymore

Punchline:

Tillu Square = (DJ Tillu Entertainment) + (Fresh Twists) + (2 Radhikas)