Movie Review – Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum – Mythology meets modern cinema!!

Life is full of questions and humans try to find answers for them. Some questions may open a lot of surprises and some may demand a deeper insight while you embark on an eternal quest to find an answer. So, in this course of life have you ever tried to find out the answer for a simple yet complex question - Who are you?

Welcome to the mystical world of Krish where you can find answers for all the questions to come!!

Gamyam was a man’s journey to find his love and in turn realizes friendship and finds himself.

Vedam was about a man chasing riches and in turn realizes humanity and finds himself.

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum is about a self-centred person who transforms into one who lives for others.

It is one of its kind movies where mythology ferries the plot. One might have never imagined this could happen in a commercial film. That’s the magical yarn spun by Krish. He masterfully linked Dasaavataras to the major events of the life journey of the lead character.

Matsya: Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish and steered Manu to the new world.

In the film, a new character pops up and changes the course of the narration.

Varaha: Lord Vishnu takes the form of a boar and restored earth’s place in the universe after an epic battle with Hiranyaksha.

In the film, this is linked to the fight for the land we live in and how to get it back.

Rama: Lord Vishnu takes the form of an ideal heroic man to fight evil.

In the film, the hero’s character is that of a common man and this is linked to him during the climax.

Krish has deftly chosen the archaic Surabhi theatre and used it as a brush to paint on the mythology canvas. What holds it upright is the weighty issue of Bellary’s illegal mining. On top of it he dabbled with multiple strokes of issues of social concern, atrocities to common man, Good vs Evil etc. Here, the brush was wielded by a thespian and a journalist. Some characters and scenarios were taken from Mahabharata. A parallel can be drawn for the predicament of Rana’s character in the climax to that of Pandavas.

 

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum is arguably Rana Daggubati’s best work till date. His character had lot of scope to display his acting prowess but he made a wooden face at many places. It’s high time he should hone his acting skills. Nayanatara exuded grit and charisma needed for a journalist. Some more screen space might have refined her character. The film is taken by storm by the performances of supporting cast such as Kota Srinivasa Rao, L B Sriram, Posani Krishnamurali, but Brahmanandam and other string of comedians were disappointing. Except Posani, who was darn entertaining in the role of a cab driver, others could not evoke chuckles from the audience.  

 

Music outshines other technical departments of the film. With Mani Sharma at the helm of affairs, the movie is replete with background score. Every scene became complacent with music. Thus it gave the much needed impact for the narration. The title track written by Sirivennela Seetaramasatry is the flagship one in the album (Read more about it here). One complaint is that certain BGMs are HIPed from Requiem for a Dream.

Camerawork is top notch. Chase sequences and locations were canned in a classy manner.

Editing is shoddy and it gives an impression of missing some pivotal connecting scenes.

 

Dialogues are awe-inspiring. They supply a lot of fodder to flex your cranial muscles. The ones that are part of the on-stage plays hold symbolism and those that are part of conversations are loaded with life’s lessons. The one that makes a thumping impression is Devudante Saayam. Krishnaavataram was called Gnana Darpanam by Sirivennela Seetaramasathry and I prefer calling the dialogues of the film as Jeevana Darpanam – Life reflects in every line!!

All that glitters is not gold. This flick is also no exception. It has its dismal moments. Character transformation of hero is not nurtured to perfection. The lead pair shared a poor chemistry and the romance between them remained a half-baked cookie. Interval block reminds you of many formulaic Telugu films and forces the narration into predictable scenarios. Some songs turned out to be impediments in the film's narrative. I am not against inclusion of songs but their placement in the film. Couple of songs are juxtaposed to scenes with dialogues and intense emotion and that marred the movie-watching experience and the audience could not imbibe those soulful moments.

 

The movie starts on an artistic note with lines such as Kaalanni maarche shakti kalaku vundi, Naatakam railu prayaanam laantidi. Okkadi kosam aagadu. Okkadunna aagaadu. But this string seemed to be broken midway and this concept meanders towards the end. At some places, I felt the sole purpose of placing the theatre troupe was to provide comic relief. The tribute to Surabhi theatre could have been much better and nothing was shown about revival of art and resurrection of Telugu theatre.

 

Bottom-line: Writer-director Krish delivers a socially-conscious film with a right mix of mythology and theatre. He has taken utmost care to keep alive the soul of the film amidst all the adornments he made to give it a commercial tinge. He artfully envisaged the scenes and characters that are thought provoking. Barring the logic at places and some cinematic liberties that stretch like chewing gum, this film is a must watch. This is an intense film that doesn’t let your hair down at the cinemas. Krish proves it again that his films are testimonies to the adage “Every film should be liable to society.”

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