Movie Review - Shakuni (Telugu) - Politics made easy!!

The trailer says, "Five pawns and one king-maker" and sets a definitive momentum for what can be called a "political thriller," but, Alas!! the movie is less of politics and less of thriller. It can be called a breezy entertainer with some conversational comedy between two characters with a milieu of love and some political drama that's hitherto seen in umpteen movies. It can be also be a lesson to fledgling film-makers as how to dilute a strong premise with some forced comedy and love story, and how to give a thriller aura to a movie with some uncanny twists and turns. Enough said, now a walk through the movie. Read on.

Shakuni borrows its plot from some HIT movies of Tamil and Telugu, and shockingly, some scenes are blatant work of copy-pastism. Karthi carries the movie on his shoulders and he's the life-line for the movie. He wins hearts with his puerile charm in the first half and his matured look with some amazing dose of acting does the trick in the second half. Santhanam does a great job with his wisecracks and is in his usual comic self all through the movie. Both Karthi and Santhanam effortlessly pull the comedy track and they're magical together. 

Though the movie is not heavy on the palette as the title and the trailer suggests, but some decent performances from the supporting cast makes it worth watching. Roja, Radhika, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Prakash Raj, Nazar are placed perfectly in the movie and they essayed their roles with great poise. You'll be surprised to see Anushka and Andrea in cameo and they add a tinge to the comedy. That's a little dose of creativity from the director.

Despite the comedy and performances, the movie fails to impress because of the shaky terrain on which it's built in the first half. You expect something great to happen as everyone is fooled by the trailer but you are fooled again and again in the movie. It picks up pace in the second half but every unfolding event makes it too cinematic and indigestible. You'll realize that politics is an easy game and everyone can play it!!

Another chink in the armor is the inevitable Tamil nativity in the film. The makers made some efforts to shoot certain scenes in Hyderabad and change the text wherever necessary and tried giving it a Telugu flavor, but the way people dress, talk, some key elements and aesthetics are definitely Tamil. The harder you try the lesser you will make a connect with the film because it's body is Telugu but it's DNA is Tamil.

On the flip side, the movie is packaged with some breath-taking visuals, less violence and physical fights (that's hard to find in political thrillers), expect-the-unexpected kind of twists, different narration, and fine music by G V Prakash Kumar. Watch out for the song Manasulo, a nice rendition by Sonu Nigam.

Bottom-line: There's lot of hype surrounding this film and many big films postponed their release to stay in a safe zone. The director should realize that more you garnish a half-baked script, the more you unearth its flaws. Poor execution of the love story part with dismal performance of heroine is one such suicidal act. The movie has many entertaining moments but could not live up to the expectations and failed to spin a perfect POLITICAL yarn.

My rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality - 4/10

Watchlist - Le Havre (2011) - It makes you smile!!

A charming comedy/drama that won't fail to bring a huge smile on your face towards the end. Every frame of the movie is picturesque not to mention the powerful linear narrative of the story. Every character including the dog is lovable and the town's environment perfectly compliments the mood of the story. Definitely one of the best French movies released last year and it's Finland's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

Movie Review - Endukante Premanta (Telugu) - Love is in the air!!

What's the importance of an empty Coke tin in your life??

Some may consider this as silly question but it proves its relevance in Endukante Premanta. This little useless piece strikes a parallel to the micro-film in Hitchcock's North by Northwest, the paper cover in RGV's Kshana Kshanam, the russian doll in Delhi Belly, the notebook in Martin Scorsese's Hugo among others. The Coke tin pops up only in three scenes and make them the most defining ones. So, my advice to all the guys, next time when you find an empty Coke tin on road, just watch around and go for the mighty kick. Watch the movie to know more about the tin!!

The movie opens on an "expect the unexpected" note and perplexes you with its aesthetics. A great premise to set the tone for the movie followed by opening credits. The first song, my favorite, Nee Choopule takes you to another world and doesn't allow you to come back. The only disappointment is that it came in the form of a situational song and had it been a dream song with appealing visuals it would have been magical. The movie brings out the classy Ram after a long hiatus. He is happy go lucky and as usual casual in his approach. Tamanna lights up the screen with her gorgeous presence. She acts and emotes, and perfectly fits in her character's shoes. 

Although the movie is not a standardized love story template used by many directors, the tone reminds you of one of Karunakaran's earlier films with the most definitive pre-interval twist. May be he's trying to nurture some of them to perfection by spinning different yarns with the same thread. Like his other films, the picture-perfect camera work takes all the applause. Andrew's cinematography showcases the beauty of Paris with top-notch visuals and it's all his lens that does magic in the first half. The song, Chill Out, looks uber cool and stylish with right dose of colorful set design, graphics, smoke effect, excellent choreography and some cranky camera. The only complaint can be lodged against the editing department for some redundant scenes and the length of the movie.

The USP of the film is its music that's a mix of melodious ones and foot-tapping numbers. The background score mesmerizes you and casts a never ending spell. As I said earler, Nee Choopule takes you to another world with its divine lyrics. A two minute single-shot showing ways to date, impress and propose a girl marks the creative genius of both the director and the composer. G V Prakash Kumar proves his mettle as a great composer with this stupendous work. His knowledge in classical piano exuberates in every piece and every scene. One can't imagine some key scenes between the lead pair without the BGMs.

Bottom-line: The movie gives a fresh feel in the first half and strikes the emotional chord in the second. The director delivers an experimental collage of a love story coupled with fantasy with an ensemble team of actors and technicians. As the movie meanders through the twists and turns, it sets the stage for some uncanny happenings, but they are neutralized with the music and visual panache. The climax is out-of-place and it would have been better if there's an alternate ending wihtout challenging the viewer's intellect. But, after a series of roars, noises, and gravity-defying acts in recent past (our team fell prey for one such act last week), this movie brings a relief with its romantic aura. Watch it to feel the lighter side of LIFE and LOVE!!

My rating: Expectation - 6/10; Reality - 6/10

Django Unchained - Official trailer - The witty dialogue is back!!

Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention!!

This Christmas brings loads of joy and Tarantinoish aura to the celebrations because Django will be off the chain. Let's welcome Quentin's tale of life, liberty and the pursuit of vengeance along with Santa Claus on that day, and remember "D" in Django is silent!!

Song - Nee Choopule Naa Oopiri (Telugu) - Awestruck Dumbstruck!!

From the man who's mastered the art of making love stories, A Karunakaran, and from the man who's redefined the music in love stories, G V Prakash Kumar, here comes another musical treat slated for release tomorrow, Endukante Premanta.

The song Nee Choopule Naa Oopiri puts you into trance and you never stop swaying to the lilting tune. For all those who believe that 'Gen X' songs lost their lyrical value, this one adds a fresh dose of life. The moments of glory in the song are its lyrics, Chitra's vocals and the second interlude. One can propose a gal by taking bits and pieces from the lyrics and I bet she won't say NO. Tadupari janmakaina jaali choose veelundante, Ee kshanaana oopiraapana. Ramajogayya Shastry, take a bow.

The movie prides itself as a coming of age MUSICAL and is extensively shot in Paris, so let's hope this song is packaged well with picture-perfect visuals. I can't wait to watch this on screen. Come tomorrow and another "First Day First Show" experience is on cards!!

Watchlist - Pan's Labyrinth - Eerie but captivating!!

If you haven't watched Pan's Labyrinth, well, you haven't watched movies at all. Do yourself a favor and watch this the next time you plan to watch a movie. I personally can never bored of it. This movie should probably be included in a 10 year old's school curriculum!!

Cult classic - Fight Club - Need for anarchy!!

Secretly, it's a desire most men harbor: to beat the living daylights out of somebody, take out all their frustration and anger physically, without any repercussions. Fight Club introduces this concept and runs with it - all the way into chaos and anarchy.

The climax and conclusion will leave you stunned and perturbed, and what you see is not what you actually see!! Extolling the virtues of need for anarchy, it has mesmeric performances by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. An edge of the seat thriller!!

Happy Birthday S P Balasubramaniam

A walk down the memory lane

1) SPB and K V MAHADEVAN

SPB won his 1st National Award for this song.

2) SPB & LAXMIKANT-PYARELAL

SPB's 1st Hindi film Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981) and he won his 2nd National Award & nominated for Filmfare Award for this song.

3) SPB & MAESTRO ILAYARAJA

SPB won his 3rd National Award for this song.

4) SPB & A R RAHMAN

SPB won his 6th National Award for this song.

5) SPB & RAAM LAXMAN

SPB won his 1st Filmfare Award for this song.

6) This is SPB's 1st recorded Tamil Song.

7) The most prized possession - The Platinum Disc received from "Maestro" Ilayaraja.

The seven glorious moments are like "Saptaswaras" in the musical journey embarked by SPB. Happy Birthday to "Gaana Gandharva" S P Balu garu. Your songs stay in our hearts from here to eternity.

Happy Birtday "Maestro" Ilayaraja and Mani Ratnam

A walk down the memory lane

Geethanjali (1989) - An eternal love story by Mani Ratnam.

The film won the National Film Award (Golden Lotus award) in 1990 for "Best Popular Film providing wholesome Entertainment" and also won Nandi Awards (AP state film awards) for Best Film, Best Cinematography (P C Sriram), Best Story writer (Mani Ratnam), Best Art Direction (Thota Tharani), Best Comedian (Sutti Velu), and Best Choreography (Sundaram master).

The film's music and background score were composed by "Maestro" Ilayaraja. Talking about the greatest combinations Tamil cinema has seen, the Mani Ratnam - Ilayaraja combination will be right on top of the list. They created magic together.

The movie was made with lesser dialogues, thus relying on visuals and music alone. P C Sriram had shown Ooty like a dreamland and he had set the trend of shooting in semi-darkness. At a time when there was no digital intermediate, most of the scenes were captured naturally by P C Sriram. How he used the wide-angle lenses to capture the serenity of Ooty and soft lenses to present lead players like a dream will be a lesson for anyone interested in cinematography. In fact, a book can be written on how fog & mist will enhance a shot so beautifully, based entirely on this film alone.

The movie is replete with so much of love infusing the divine feeling of romance throughout. This movie is second on my Mani Ratnam favorites list, first being Nayagan. Watch it and feel the love. Here's a lovely song from the film.

Movie Review - Adhinayakudu (Telugu) - Tiresome Threesome!!

Indian History can be divided into three phases - Ancient, Medieval and Modern. On the same lines Balakrishna's role in Adhinayakudu can be divided into Ancient, Medieval and Modern. Don't be shocked or surprised; it's just a nomenclature to define the triple role essayed by him. An actor earns laurels when he is successful in converting non-fans into fans, but Balakrishna is against the regular stuff. He still believes his fans are his saviors and this time he goes horrensdously wrong. Poor openings, lack of excitement among the audience (fans and non-fans) and most of the Telugu land is not aware of the film's release. This can be another milestone in the actor's career. Enough said let's get into the movie.

The film opens with a glimpse of Ancient Balakrishna and the focus suddenly shifts to Modern Balakrishna where he's seen playing golf. He keeps you hooked with his idiotic screen presence till the interval and then pops up the Medieval Balakrishna with some dialogues against the ruling party and explains what leadership qualities are?? and who's a true leader?! With this film he opens another chapter in gratifying his personal political aspirations. The modern one in the first half is either romancing the heroine or fooling the naive Brahmanandam. He occasionally fights injustice and bashes goons. Lakshmi Rai sizzles through the movie exuding the right dose of sensuality and Saloni's presence is limited to one song.

The second half is convoluted and revolves around the Ancient Balakrishna. On one side the modern one is a misfit but the ancient one perfectly fits the bill and he's the only saving grace for the film. He's shown as a messiah of masses and his screen presence in that role is magical. But Alas!! Only one role played by the actor can't save the film. The music, glitzy songs, tacky costumes, mind-numbing choreography adds another note to the already existing noise in the film. I'm surprised why SPB and Mano rendered their voice to such songs. Kalyani Malik like many others should take lessons from DSP on "How to compose a mass number??" 

Bottom-line: Heard of product placement in movies?? This movie is a notch up and can be termed a promotional film made to increase the sales of Saridon. After watching this film some of the audience went into shock and some into coma. Lucky few like me and my friend came out with an unbearable headache. If you are non-fan, avoid the movie, and even if you are a fan, avoid the movie. The movie digs its own grave and consolidates the position of Gabbar Singh and Daruvu. Despite all this poignant piece of writing if you are still interested to watch the film, please don't forget to stash your bag with Saridon and other pain killers because they are not available at theatres. 

My rating - Expectation: 6/10; Reality: No comments