Mana chetilo vunna rottenu tinadam PRAKRUTHI
Edutivaadi chetilo rottenu laakkuni tinadam VIKRUTHI
Mana chetilo rottenu edutivaadiki
pettadam SAMSKRUTHI..!!
That’s the divinity exuded by Sai
baba in the film Shirdi Sai. Puranas say that God takes many reincarnations
to restore world peace and to keep miscreants at bay. But the reason for Sai
baba’s reincarnation is different - He is here to say that there’s GOD is everywhere. For people, who believe in the misnomer – God and Human are
different – He’s here to bring them out of dark and show them light. These
stories were penned by Hemandpant when Baba was alive. He himself was in Baba’s
abode and listened to every piece from Satguru himself and thus created a
soothing saga. If anyone wants to present Sai Baba’s story on celluloid,
Hemandpant’s “Sai Sacharithra” acts as a perfect reference. They need not do
any additional research on that, but they can embellish these stories as did by K Raghavendra Rao in Shirdi Sai.
When a film-maker embarks to make
a devotional film, he’s got clear objectives: to mesmerize the audience; to
induce the ‘Bhakti’ element; and to make everyone happy. In this film,
‘Darsakendrudu’ Raghavendra Rao was successful in meeting his objectives. He
explored and unearthed different facets of Sai baba that are intrinsic. In the film, we see Sai Baba professing Sab ka maalik ek hai and we also witness him as the divine perpetrator
of world. In earlier Sai films, only certain shades of Sai Baba were shown but
this one is stupendous. You need to understand Shirdi Sai to the core to
re-invent his divine avatar.
The movie is also given some
fictional treatment. Ardent followers of Baba and avid readers of “Sai
Sacharithra” (the book can be placed next to Ramayana and Mahabharata, and many
people have read it millions of times) can point them out. This also raises the
ire of few who compare it with the book or the 80s Vijaychander's version for which Maestro Ilayaraja scored music. But it never dilutes the narration; it just tries to fill some
hitherto unfilled gaps in Sai Baba’s story.
Moving on with the fictional
elements – the one shown in the climax is important. Actually, Sai Baba’s soul
leaves his body at Dwarakamayi (masjid), but in the movie it is shown to be
happening at Butiwada (Samadhi mandiram). This is a deliberate effort by Raghavendra Rao to glorify the scene and
make it devotional. Baba’s words “Idi marana sayya kaadu, Saranu korini vaariki
karuna sayya” on the throne made the scene a tear-jerking one and his soul
leaving the body there shows the experimental genius of the director.
Nagarjuna casts a magical spell
with his performance. He has refined Baba’s character and does justice to the
role in every stage of Baba’s life. The true actor comes out of him when Baba
becomes old and his acting reaches pinnacle during the climax. In short, he has
redefined the role essayed by likes of Vijaychander and made a thumping
impression with every possible emotion he could garner from that role.
The technical department shines
all through the film. S Gopal Reddy’s deft camerawork coupled with decent set design creates the visual panache. Though some inevitable studio sets give a banal tinge to the locations, the overall packaging makes it picture perfect. Paruchuri Brothers have penned mighty
lines that are incisive as a sword and brings out the Bhakti element when Sai
renders them. After going through a lean patch for quite some time this film
can be their comeback card. CGI also made its presence felt in some scenes.
One of the disappointments is the
film’s music by M M Keeravani which is a sheer let down. He needs to check with
his selection of singers. Some songs by the female singers are mellifluous but
others lack sheen and do no good for the film. The other disappointment comes
in the form of the comedy track and unwanted drag of Sri Hari's episode (a British
officer who hangs a portrait of present Queen in pre-independence era).
Bottom-line: A great film for Sai Baba devotees. Watch it if you
are a devotee of Baba, or even if you are not, or even if you are in need of some
spirituality on screen. It's not magnificent, but it clearly meets the
objectives of the film-maker and the audience.
My Rating: Expectation – 8/10; Reality – 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment