Movie Review - Srimannarayana (Telugu) - Light at times, Heavy at times!!

Once upon a time, cinema used to be an integral part of the society. It acted as one stop solution for all our entertainment needs. Then came television, then came internet, and finally came facebook, posing lot of challenges for film-makers, who are still struggling to bring audience to cinemas. Earlier, we were under the impression that heavy-duty star cast gives huge openings to films, but that’s not the case these days. Yesterday, while watching Srimannarayana, we witnessed a silent Devi 70mm without the usual furore on the first day of a movie’s release. Where has gone the fire-crackerish welcome that movies used to enjoy on Day 1. Is it the heavy dose of entertainment from myriad sources acting as an impediment to movie-watching at theatres?! Or is it a regular fare at any Balakrishna movie these days?! Read on…!!

 

Director Ravi Chavali made some films before, but he’s known only for Samanyudu (*ing Jagapathi Babu). The expectations were sky high when he started making a film with Balakrishna. In Srimannarayana, our hero plays the role of a daring journalist who unearths scams easily and bashes goons mercilessly. The director chose a current burning topic and gave it a thriller tinge to engage the viewer till the end. But what falls out of place is he resorting to typical execution with formulaic scenes patented by Telugu cinema for decades.

The first half is entertaining with some flashy songs and two heroines. The SIM card/mobile phone analogy for Balakrishna’s dual relationship with damsels is hilarious. The dialogues are fun too. You feel that you finished watching the half in a jiffy amidst songs, laughs and fights. After a perfect interval block, the second half suddenly takes pace with many unfolding events. So, the viewer who’s relaxed while watching the first half is suddenly on toes and takes some heavy dosage in the later half. There are some creative touches in visuals esp. songs, and surprisingly, such effects never crossed the mind of great directors such as Shankar.

Coming to Balakrishna, he’s the lifeline of the film and looks much younger. Don’t be surprised to watch him use a combo of technology - video calling and GPS - to save his colleague from goons. Unlike Okkamagadus and Adhinayakudus of the world, he never went overboard with acting and maintained a perfect poise. Time and again, he proves that he’s tailor-made for portraying emotions on screen and no one else can match him. Parvati Melton plays the role of a journo with size zero – In one scene, Balayya says, “Bonguku pant shirt vesi natlu nuvvu, nee aakaram!!” The real show stealer is Isha Chawla, who’s more than gorgeous in the film.

Bottom-line: Srimannarayana is a much better movie than Balakrishna’s previous films of recent past. However, it remains another pedantic saga of Good vs Evil and how a hero weeds out wicked elements from a society and curbs their atrocities. Umpteen references to scams and Government/CBI’s inefficiency to stall them is shown in the film. Watch out for Balkarishna who shuns the routine superhero stunts and uses ingenious ways to finish the villains. The film is a treat for Balakrishna’s fans, and non-fans will be content with many elements of grandeur induced in the film, thanks to its lavish budget.

My Rating: Expectation – 6/10; Reality – 5/10

 

Movie Review - Sudigadu (Telugu) - Laugh till thou dropeth dead!!

What’s the best thing that breaks you into laughter?? – Tom and Jerry, Charlie Chaplin, SRK and his one-liners, or Spoofs of Telugu films!! Gotcha, you’re spot on. It seems that the last one in this series tickles your funny bone. But is it an entertaining fare or not, is on the audience to decide. What brings audience to theatres is sheer entertainment, and if comedy forms a major chunk of it then it’s a treat. But Sudigadu doesn’t fall into the shoes of an entertaining ensemble because the lion’s share is taken by comedy, leaving aside emotions, romance, characters, and other elements.

In the past, many great directors presented a satirical version of the society in their films, and Jandhyala was at the forefront in etching new characters and situations that generated some meaningful laughter. Ahanaa Pellanta, Rendu Rella Aaru, Baava Baava Panneeru are some of his classic comical gems that stay in our hearts forever. Then came the era of EVV Satyanarayana, where he followed the foot-steps of his mentor, but tweaked his style of film-making without losing its essence. Though comedy dominated the films made by aforesaid directors, other elements were also incorporated to make it a perfect blend. But in Sudigadu, director Bheemineni Srinivasa Rao was clear in his mind – Make us laugh and nothing else. This may lead to some disconnect with certain sections of audience.

Ayurveda identifies 6 Tastes by which all foods can be categorized: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent. What happens if there’s only sweet in the meal? Does it taste good? Does excess intake of sweet makes the food palatable? Here we can strike a parallel between the comedy portions in Sudigadu with consumption of sweet food. Excess dose of comedy made the film bland, especially in the second half. The initial momentum provided by uncanny scenarios isn’t driven forward in the latter part. The movie has a string of great set of ideas, and deserved better execution, but it falters at many places. Some clichéd roles in cinema that were mocked to death are again showcased here.

The road less taken is taken for a reason. Sudigadu is a living testimony to that old adage. The movie embarks on a different journey and carves a new genre in cinema – MOCKUMENTARY!! All the credit goes to Allari Naresh and Bheemineni Srinivasa Rao for making this happen. The director did a stupendous job in bringing together some parody gems that were long forgotten. He tried to induce parody into every scene rather than into the movie. His meticulous research and eye for detail should be applauded. In bits and pieces the movie has many moments of glory, but it loses steam when you put all the pieces together. This main reason is its story that doesn't count - the plot is but a rickety base on which jokes are piled on.

The movie would have worked well had there been a decent story, and timely parodies become part of it. But here the entire film is a parody that wears the audience patience thin. Allari Naresh was part of many parodies earlier and with Sudigadu he goes overboard firing all the cylinders with his comedy punches. Some of the magical moments of the film are Omkar annaya episode, Bharateeyudu - the serial killer, and the scene with the stamp - “An S S Rajamouli weapons.” Directors such as S S Rajamouli, V V Vinayak, Puri Jagannadh, RGV, Trivikram, Raghavendra Rao, Shankar etc. are part of this film, and some of their movie scenes and stereotypes are shown to perfection.

Actress Monal Gajjar shows promise in her role. The songs composed by Sri Vasanth are full of beat and energy. For the first time, we are surprised to see such humongous openings for Allari Naresh flick, thanks to the pre-release publicity that created a lot of hype around the film. Bheemineni played safe with his statement where he asked the audience not to search for LOGIC in the film, so he can’t be blamed for all the mismatches and goof-ups. So, let’s make way for this genre-defying MOCKUMENTARY.

Bottom-line: Sudigadu is a film spoof that is more of a doting testimonial than a vile derision. There are some very blatant digs on famous films - Businessman, Dookudu, Gabbar Singh, Shiva, Tagore, Robot, Boys, Prema Desam, Ye Maya Chesaave, and a tiresome deluge of Seema/faction films. Some are so generic that they can be attributed to any film irrespective of the hero or the director. The comedy has some clever touches, and if you relate every parody scene to its original, the fun quotient becomes exponential. The film is as nonsensical as it gets, and every little banality that it makes mockery of is amplified umpteen times over – The series of bullet episodes need a special mention. COMEDY, thy name is SUDIGADU!!

My Rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality - 6/10

Movie Review - Ek Tha Tiger (Hindi) - An apologetic spy-thriller!!

A globe-trotting spy, pulling some gravity-defying stunts, and being archetypal himself - massive virility, with heart. That’s the right combination for a crackerjack commercial potboiler. And if Salman Khan is at the helm of affairs, it raises ones expectations sky high. But anyone, even a kid, who knows even the most inferior works in the spy-thriller genre, will realize that Ek Tha Tiger is a scar on the face of that genre.

The grand Independence Day/Eid attraction from Yashraj Films banner is a shard in the guise of an espionage film. The first time collaboration of YRF and Salman Khan seems to turn futile. The film neither got fodder for cranial nerves nor the much needed twists-and-turns element to qualify as a spy-thriller. Salman Khan as a RAW officer could not justify the two extremes of such a role - A hero with a moral edge or a ruthless spy. He’s just a mawkish, inane Intelligence officer who believes romance is a panacea that can cure even the worst of all problems and restore world peace. Director Kabir Khan has transformed the most laudable spy-film genre into a mere collage of action sequences.

Three people should be (dis) credited for making such a film. What was born as a story based on secret investigation in Aditya Chopra’s mind was given the shape of a screenplay by Neelesh Mishra and Kabir Khan. The writing falters in every scene and is the film’s biggest undoing, without leaving a trace of reality. Some unrealistic situations are conveniently thrown in to push the story and to make ground for some inevitable action sequences. The flaws in the script are easily fathomable. The film starts with a high-octane fight and chase sequence in northern Iraq and switches locations frequently and becomes a mundane journey of people caught in anticipated situations, out of which they escape in the most anticipated way.

Though the action sequences in Ek Tha Tiger are slick, they fall flat with the repeated use of Bollywood's stereotypic tool - slow motion frame. Aseem Mishra’s cinematography, in terms of scale and depth, has some moments of glory. But in visualization it falls prey to banality and misinterpretations. Every international location is bound to have a postcardish introduction: Havana – An azure blue sky with a smoky tinge; Istanbul - Bazars and mosques; Dublin – Bagpipes and Scottish costumes. Technically, Ek Tha Tiger looks damn expensive for visuals and locations, but there is no intrigue or novelty. As ardent fans of Hindi cinema we watched such artificial colors, cuts and frames many a time. If the cinematography department have had expanded its horizon the movie would have been a seminal work in film-making in the respective genre.

In the first half, Salman Khan looks cool-as-a-cucumber and has some endearing moments that tickle the funny bone. This is an improvement over the brawny persona he portrayed in his previous films in recent past. But as the movie reaches the end, the primitive Khan emerges out and his new avatar quickly fades out. Katrina Kaif gets a role that’s almost equal in length to that of her co-star, but she could not pull it off with poise giving her a dumb-wittish shade. In spite of the superficial mystery in her character, she does not surpass the Barbie doll image she’s patented all through her films. The supporting cast does not need any mention for their sheer redundancy. Ranvir Shourey's character only exalts Sallu bhai's heroism and does nothing else. A great actor such as Girish Karnad is wasted for craving daal fry and telling Salman – “Apni dil ki nahi dimaag ki suno.”

Bottom-line: Ek Tha Tiger is one of the screenwriting nightmares of Bollywood. If there’s an Indian version of Razzies, the film will be unanimously awarded the “Worst Screenplay of the year.” What starts as an adrenaline rushing entertainer transforms into a saga of dull romance. Now I feel that Agent Vinod lives up to its name and can be called a classy spy-thriller, and is better than Ek Tha Tiger. The action sequences in Ek Tha Tiger may rake in the moolah and also give some whistles for their deft execution, but that’s not enough to stop it from being a damp squib. Adding insult to injury amidst all the mismatched set pieces is the message of Indo-Pak peace. Watch this film if you are a fan of Salman Khan and for its visuals, locations, Mashallah song (if you've got patience to wait till the end credits) and well choreographed action sequences. This film will stay till eternity in the annals of Bollywood history as Ek Tha “Ek Tha Tiger”

My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 4/10

Movie Review - Devudu Chesina Manushulu (Telugu) – One ticket, Two movies!!

Tokkalanti cinema… Kaadu Kaadu… Tokka nadipina cinema!!

A film without story is akin to a body without soul, and no one likes a dead body. It seems Puri Jagannadh is not aware of this fact. He’s created the much needed hype around the movie calling it an experimental story, err, experiment without a story. He also walked an extra mile saying that successful movies can be made without a STORY. In Devudu Chesina Manushulu, he does the same. Albeit the movie starts on a story-telling note with a socio-fantasical premise where Lord Vishnu narrates/shows a love story of two orphans to Lakshmi Devi, this movie lacks the STORY.  In the end, everyone tries to give their version of climax and makes it hard to stomach.

The screenplay is different but not new to Telugu/South cinema. There’s a 90s movie, Adrustham, starring Naresh, with the same screenplay. In Tamil there are some movies with such a screenplay. Pawan Kalyan starrer Kushi directed by S J Surya, and  Prabhas starrer Darling directed by A Karunakaran; more or less fits in the shoes of this type of screenplay. In Hollywood we’ve got many distant cousins who use such a snowball effect that leads to some unrelated events falling under the ambit of the movie’s screenplay and drive the plot further. I hope John Woo’s Paycheck (*ing Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman) started ringing in your mind.

Puri Jaganaddh’s secret of success is SPEED. May be right from his school days, he’s thrown the quote “Slow and steady wins the race” in a trash bin. He shows lightning speed in script work, casting, execution, wrapping up shooting schedules etc. But he should realize that story development and screenwriting takes time or else what come out of his stable are half-baked bricks such as DCM. Though this film moves at a rapid pace, like every other Puri's film, it leads to loads of confusion.

The movie starts with a note from the director - “Devudunnadani poorthiga nammi ee cinema choodandi...” Avunu sir meeru kuda Devudunnadani, Ilaanti cinemani HIT chesthaadani poorthiga nammi ee cinema teesinatlunnaru..!! The movie’s title has the word “Manushulu,” but none of the character behaves like a “Manishi.” The protagonist of the movie is the BANANA PEEL and is instrumental in showing the audience two movies for the price of one. The rest of the movie is haphazardly set around the series of events that follow – “What happens if you step on a banana peel and what happens if you don’t?”

Ravi Teja’s does the age old act of buffoonery for which he is known for, and Puri has reached saturation in carving a niche to his characters. One can see traces of Prabhas’s character from Ek Niranjan and other past heroes of Puri’s films in Ravi Teja’s character in DCM. Ileana donned a new look but the beauty of Puri’s Ileana can’t be seen here. Again, her character is a photocopy of her role in Nenu Naa Rakshasi. Surprisingly, Prakash Raj's forced to emote and do a lot of over-acting esp. in the sister sentiment scene which's dragged to death perturbing the audience.

Bottom-line: In DCM, both the stories (tokka meeda kaalu vesthe, tokka meeda kaalu veyyakapothe) compete with each other on distastefulness. And the, post interval, pathetic Story 2 effortlessly wins over Story 1 in the first half. Puri shines at places as a dialogue writer, but fails miserably as a director. Apart from the screenplay, that’s partly engaging, and the comedy scenes between Ali and Lord Vishnu & Lakshmi Devi (Again Puri might land into trouble for touching the sensitive issue) there’s nothing worth watching and everything else is run-on-the-mill stuff. The use of a modified version of S S Rajamouli's Chatrapathi's theme in the background gives us some laughs. Watch it if you have nothing else to watch or better watch Julayi again!!

My Review: Expectation - 6/10; Reality - 3/10

Watchlist - A Separation - Emotionally stirring!!

One of my favourite films by far. A Separation is an emotionally stirring film, rooted in Iran. Delving into the realm of a breaking family, the film explores how economics, religion, morality and Alzheimer's intermingle with the dynamics of the family and complicate matters beyond repair. Deeply layered, this film is a must watch!!

 

Movie Review - Julayi (Telugu) - Writing RULES, Execution FALTERS!!

Life ante HIGHWAY
Gelupu ONE-WAY
Short-cuts ki NO-WAY!!

From the word GO, “Maatala Maantrikudu” Trivikram makes a thumping impact in his latest offering Julayi. Fasten your seatbelts and join Inside the Celluloid in the journey to disinter few more gems from this Trivikram’s celluloid!!

Let’s start the innings with relating our experiences during online shopping, esp. when we book railway tickets, with that of watching this movie.

1. You wait all these days and finally breathe a sigh of relief when you are in front of the computer/laptop/iPad (based on the riches you possess) at 7:55 AM a day before your journey and wait for the TATKAL booking to begin.

You wait for two years for a Trivikram’s film (the last one was Khaleja in 2010) that’s packed with loads of surprises and you are longing to watch them unleash on screen.

2. You traverse through the site with some hiccups and umpteen REFRESHES of the page and finally you hit the payment gateway screen.

During the course of your cinematic journey, at times you touch the valley of death and at times you summit the peak and garner some outlandish, hitherto unseen experiences. You will learn that Trivikram is not just for the auditory, and the touch of genius proves its mettle in gluing your eyeballs to the screen with his detail for aesthetics and visual panache.

3. Finally, you feel that you’ve struck gold. But Alas! Online railway ticket booking is not that easy and now it’s time for the moribund moment of your shopping experience. There comes in a flash, an excruciating message – TRANSACTION FAILED!!

What starts as an enthralling movie takes the course of an entertaining one in the middle and again it tries to take the enthralling route to the end, but fails miserably hitting the abyss. After the magnanimous second half with some convolutions, the movie suddenly drops you in quick sand. There you battle for air and finally get buried with the climax. With some loose ends still left after THE END, the movie goes awry.

Trivikram has always been “Expect the unexpected,” and in Julayi he sticks to his patented style of film-making. In the act that follows the opening scene and hero’s introduction, he tries to present the story with a "Christopher Nolan meets Guy Ritchie" perspective. The way he executed the plan (no spoilers here) is very Nolanish (with allusions to The Dark Knight) and the deductive logic used by Allu Arjun’s character to nab criminals is very much Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes. The audience gets aghast with the uncanny narration in the first 20 minutes of the film (AIR and Bhairava Kona will linger on your mind for long). It tickles your mind and you pose a question to yourself – Am I watching a Tollywood flick or a Hollywood one, or a cross-over of Holly and Tollywood??!!

Allu Arjun delivers an awesome performance. He’s funny, witty, and emotional and has got everything required for a Telugu hero. Thanks to Trivikram for etching his character so well. Ileana plays the role of a “behenji turned model,” and when she appears on screen it’s evident that’s a song is imminent. After ages, Rajendra Prasad is seen in a full-length comedy role. The supporting cast takes the laugh riot forward with Brahmanadam at the helm of affairs.

The music is already on top of the charts. The background score complements the movie and Devi Sri Prasad leaves no stone unturned in the music department. The beautifully shot "Oh Madhu, Oh Madhu" and “Osey Osey” makes you groove and "Mee Intiki Mundho Gate" overflows with energy and creativity. But the black sheep in the movie is the song “Pakado Pakado.” The much touted one falls prey to improper placement and poor execution.  

There’s a mention about writer’s block in the film in a funny scene, and now it’s time for us to learn about DIRECTOR’S BLOCK that’s a menace for most of the film-makers.

Why everyone has got the material only for a power-packed first half and runs out of steam in the second.

Why always we appreciate the writer Trivikram and pay less attention to director Trivkram.

When you intentionally want to save something for the later half then why should that be shown as a fallacy in the pre-interval scene.

Why can’t we have movies that are enthralling and entertaining? Is it a death knell for seamless entertainers?

Try to find answers for these questions after you watch the film. Trivikram rules our hearts as a great writer but his directional prowess is still debatable.

Bottom-line: Julayi is a mélange of power packed performances, happy-go-lucky characters, sumptuous dialogues, rib-tickling comedy, colorful and creative songs, and a MESSAGE. But all that glitters is not gold; the movie watching experience is akin to driving an Audi A8 at 100 KMPH on a road with intermittent speed bumps and potholes. If you are a fan of Trivikram, with every new film you want to take your adoration to high skies, but with Julayi your FLIGHT gets restricted only to certain heights!!

My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 7/10

Movie Review - Jism 2 (Hindi) - Less EROTIC, More ERRATIC!!

We ran a contest wherein we asked the audience to pen down a review for Jism 2 in two words. And these are the popular responses we’ve got.

Damp Squib

Soporific Surprise

Naïve attempt

Sleazeless Saga

Dumbo Bimbo

After many deliberations we chose this one - Awesom Bosom!!

One thing that ruled the roost is American porn star Sunny Leone’s gravity-defying bosom. It’s shown with utmost precision using every possible camera moment and angle, and still she was effortless in making the film sleazeless!! Shocked or surprised?! Read on to taste some flash in the pan moments that could not maneuver the sinking ship to the shore. C’mon guys, we can’t blame the poor little iceberg every time.

What could have been a love story with elements of suspense, eroticism, and spine chilling moments turned bland and soporific. It’s time Bhatt family can open a clinic to treat insomnia patients with their wide array of recent films. Thanks to Pooja Bhatt and her dismal execution. When you can’t handle one department properly why poke your finger into production design, production and other areas. Hope she learns this valuable lesson the hard way.

Mahesh Bhatt should be giving credit for writing loosely etched characters, effusive dialogues, weaving an awkward chemistry between the characters etc. The film revolves around three characters: Isna (Sunny Leone), Kabir (Randeep Hooda) and Ayan/Karan (Arunoday Singh). Isna is not a character, just a piece of garnish to make the meal palatable. Other have equally half-baked characters that follow the footsteps of Isna.

Incidentally, Sunny Leone plays a porn star in the film, and that’s a ploy by Bhatts to justify her stance and make her callous during sexual encounters with many men. The audacity with which she portrays the role without spunk, spite, humor and the much needed oomph factor is commendable. The sheer inconceivability showed by other members of the cast makes them mere caricatures rather than solid characters.

What do you expect from the sequel (they call it that way) of a film that has some “moments of glory” steamy scenes in the history of Bollywood?? Maybe a better offering or something that’s on par with its forerunner. But Jism 2 got neither. One striking commonality is that the writer deliberately tried to plug in the word “Jism” wherever possible to build the sensual aura. Another big let-down, unlike other Bhatt films, is the music. Not a single song stays in your mind and the background score dilutes the scenes rather than creating an impact.

The humongous amount of money pumped into publicity and the controversies of blood-testing and photo shoot with Natalie Kaur created the much needed hype and hoopla surrounding the film, but they can’t rescue it from biting the dust. It’s difficult to stem the high tide that’s an aftermath of poor writing and worst execution.

Bottom-line: A porn film that can’t get a theatrical release and therefore does not indulge in pretence of sugar-coating sex with the guise of storytelling, is a greater achievement than a hotchpotch like Jism 2. Please don’t forget to drink a huge mug of coffee before watching this film as you need something to KEEP YOU UP through its excruciating length!!

My Rating: Expectation - 6/10; Reality - 3/10