Debutant director Venkat's much-hyped 'different' love story, Modati Cinema, has neither a novel plot nor can it boast of an interesting screenplay. It's just a routine love story with a heavy dose of lewd comedy and poor performances. Even a band of comedians -- including the likes of Brahmanandam, Venu Madhav and Krishna Bhagwan � can't salvage their poorly etched roles.

Here's the deal. Poonam leads a painful life due to the ill treatment meted out by her stepmother. Even her neighbours sympathise with her. Rich kid Navdeep helps his friends and is looking for a suitable lover. He instantly falls in love with Poonam and befriends her. Before she can express herself though, she loses interest in Navdeep thanks to an astrologer's predictions. Meanwhile, her father finalises her marriage with an NRI. Watch the film to know the rest.

Agreed, it's a familiar plot, but it could have been a winner with interesting narration. It isn't. Worse, the director's unnecessary effort to justify astrology as a science could boomerang, since 'belief' is a relative term. Real-estate giant Ramana Reddy has done enough pre-release publicity but has, unfortunately, bet his money on a wrong horse. Navdeep should wait for another good script to score his maiden hit, while new find Poonam is disappointing.

Up and coming Navdeep, who was pinning hopes on this story after two duds like Jai and Manasumatavinadu, picks a wrong script again. He is a good dancer, but this clich�d tale of a rich kid who falls in love with a poor girl could scuttle his dream of a break.

Poonam, who claims to be Miss Pune 2004, disappoints with her amateurish performance as an ill-treated daughter. Neither does she emote well, nor is she a graceful dancer. Her ill-conceived role spoils the whole film.

Comedian Raghu Babu plays a eunuch, while Brahmanandam, Krishna Bhagwan, Sunil, Ali and even much sought-after Venu Madhav try and salvage badly written roles. The Times of India reporter Mohan Rao also appears in a regrettable cameo.

After a dud like Muthyam, Ramana Reddy of KSR constructions banked on this novel concept to establish his banner. Unfortunately, he has picked a 'moronic' plot once more. Composer Swaraj conveniently rehashes hits of Illayaraja, but makes a poor copy of everlasting numbers. Capable cinematographer Sameer Reddy captures serene locales well though.

Debutant director Venkat claims to have no previous experience, and it is evident. He relies on lewd and slapstick humour but fails to discover a unique plot. He shows a taste for glam songs but requires a crash course in working on a screenplay in order to secure a place in the highly competitive industry.

Prior to the film's release, he urged scribes to throw up interesting questions. Now, he has given them a chance to rip him apart.