Lakshmi Manchu: She was natural and at her original best. She was an indeed the best pick for the role of Lisa Smith, a super model in low ebb. She was absolutely adorable. And wish her character could have been given more to deliver!

Kishore: We know he is an able actor but this film has only added a feather to his cap. It was an endearing watch to see him play characters like ‘Sarathi’ (a writer) with subtle and sensitive emotions.

Krishnudu: He tries to tickle your funny bone with unmarried tale but was underutilized.

Naresh & Aamani: They were the key pillars of the film. They both have put up some stunning chemistry much needed to the film.

Abhijith & Richa Panai: They both were impressive as a couple and share a great chemistry.

Krishna Chaitanya & Shamili: They did their best to make this film appealing enough.

Naga Shourya & Amitha Rao: They both are certainly the most promising couple of this generation.

Krishneswar Rao: He is the new supporting artist available for the industry. He was very real, natural and brilliant as a beggar in the film.

The rest of the characters did a decent job to keep the viewer engaged. 

Praveen Sattaru has never shied away from experimenting and this is seriously a very good attempt. He chose to tell 8 different tales at a single go. Though these were pretty much old, they have a purpose and emotion to be told. 

Merits:

• A good storyline with 8 different individual tales.
• Some good performances by the lead cast especially by Lakshmi Manchu, Kishore, Chaitanya Krishna, Krishneswar Rao etc.
• Good Music and brilliant background score by Mickey J. Meyer that actually pumped life into the film.
• A highly engaging second half with an impressive screenplay.
• Good realistic characterization with actually a character each.

De-merits:

• The lethargic screenplay that turn out to be a patience test in the first half.
• Though the storyline was unique, not all the stories were appealing.
• The interval is pretty much predictable.
• The film looked rather over boarded with routine stories. A less number with more intense scenes would have been more impactful.
• The editing was slack in the first half.
• Dialogs weren’t effective neither in the intense scenes nor in the comedy ones.
• Lack of separate comedy tracks and other commercial entertainment might not impress the mass audience.

In a nutshell, the second half was way better than the first half.

The audio by Mickey J Meyer is amazing meeting his director’s needs and measuring up to his standards and the back ground score has pumped life into the film.

Cinematography by Suresh Ragutu was decent enough while Editing by Dharmendra Kakarla can be much pacy especially in the first half and in the Payaname song and the car sequence between Naresh and Aamani did look banal.

Chandamama Kathalu is a good and indeed an unique attempt in Telugu cinema. After a long time, you can have your brains, hearts and watch the film. Though not a commercial entertainer, it is a worthwhile one time watch while we shed hundreds on other commercial potboilers all along the year. Take a break and watch Chandamama Kathalu!