After "Arjun", teenage sensation Mahesh Babu continues his image quest in "Athadu", another action film.

Mahesh, looking for a huge hit after "Okadu", believes that action will be his forte. But unlike Bollywood, a trigger-happy assassin is alien to the Telugu audience.

Pretty Trisha, who swayed the audience with her wonderful performances in films like "Varsham" and "NVNK", opts for the routine role of an innocent village belle and impresses in just a few places.

Writer-turned-director Trivikram, who showed his flair for comedy in "Manmadudu" and "Nuvvu Nenu", now displays his skills for big action. But he could have chosen a better plot.

After "Super", Hindi actor Sonu Sood does another role with negative shades, but with less impact. Comedians Brahmanandam and Damavarapu Subramanyam evoke a few laughs. Rahul Dev, Brahmaji and Kota try hard to salvage their poorly etched roles.

The cinematography of Baidu is adequate. Mani Sharma impresses with a few tunes. National Award-winning editor Srikar Prasad's work is elegant.

The story is about orphan Mahesh growing up into a dreaded assassin, with Sonu Sood as an associate. When police chase Mahesh after witnessing a shootout, he accidentally becomes the cause for the death of a young man who is returning to his village. Mahesh impersonates the boy and enters his house. He falls in love with Trisha and his guilt feeling keeps nagging him. The rest is for the screen to reveal.