Movie Review – Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu (Telugu) – A languid love story!!

What’s GVM’s favorite adage?

Slow and steady wins the race.

It’s good to stick to the aforesaid adage but there should be a steady flow of events. If you make the movement a bit unstable then the movie will be rechristened as Yeto Vellipoyindi Movie (Hopefully the new expansion for the acronym).

What are GVM’s favorite words?

Déjà vu and Nostalgia.

We all like moments of déjà vu and nostalgia so GVM with his dubious distinction invoked the scenarios, characters, locales from his earlier movies. This time audience took it with more than a pinch of salt.

If I had written the review of Ye Maya Chesaave (YMC), I would have simply replaced the lead actor and music director with the new ones and pulled off the review of YVM. Alas!! I didn’t do that, so, I wrote it all a fresh.

Hope I was able to drive home the right point.

What’s common to YMC and YVM: a confused heroine, a hero who’s torn between love and career, the same guy playing the hero’s best bud, ego clashes and ‘All’s well that ends well’ climax. Be it the characterization, subtle references to the film’s Tamil version, Jiva’s cameo, everything was borrowed from YMC.

GVM presented an insult to the injurious ‘waiting woes.’ Everyone was so badly waiting for this film and it had been touted as a path-breaking love story. The makers even promoted it as “This could be your love story.” For that matter, it can also be called “This could be your CAT story.” But what came from the stable of Photon Kathaas is a half-baked cookie that lacked novelty and imagination.

YVM is a compilation of moments from the love story of Varun and Nithya. The narrative flowed flawlessly into time, weaving together on its way the lives of the lead pair. It all started when they were 8 years old and then moved on to 14, 16, 20 and finally sealing the innings when they were 24. The film starts on an impressive note and the heroine is introduced in a poetic way. The way Nani’s character switches between the male and female voices while singing Kammani ee prema lekhale from Guna makes every gal fall for him.

GVM tried hard to make the characters look natural and the film look real. There were few references to Mani Rathnam and Ilayaraja in the film. May be a fan boy, he pays a perfect homage to the legends. Most of the film was shot on the terrace of the apartments where the hero lives, and the entire set-up looks so real that you fall in love with that place. Singing and debate competitions at college fest - Amalgamation - are some magical moments in the film to which youngsters easily get connected. GVM should be applauded for an endearing climax. Albeit it’s a bit long, the way he has woven humor into a sad scenario so beautifully proves his classic touch.

The film’s simplicity lies in its simple dialogues but GVM went overboard in stretching every conversation between the lead pair like a chewing gum. So the simplicity is shattered by skewed screenplay. Though he admires us with an amazing 5-10 minute single-shot in the pre-interval sequence, he beats us to boredom with the lengthy dialogue and the camera placement that’s not able capture the facial expressions of the actors in a pivotal scene. Many such scenes in the film run longer than their ideal run-time. 

 

Nani as Varun shined all though the film as a school kid, the guy next door, a B-school graduate. He’s portrayed the character’s transformation with aplomb. Samantha as Nithya looked cute and beautiful, but reprised her role from YMC. You have seen her doing that before so there’s nothing new she has to offer in this flick. Krishnudu and Vidyulekha induced some laughter in an otherwise boring saga and with some more screen space they would have out-shined the lead pair.  

The music in the film elevates the mood consistently. The songs were appropriately placed and give the required flow for the film to qualify it as a Musical. Maestro Ilayaraja's music sure strikes the right chord, and gives a pleasant feel for the film. At times the background score looks underplayed but as the film is more dialogue based, Maestro used the needful background score only when needed.

 

The BGMs were especially wonderful for the sad sequences, and speak mountains about the emotions involved. Some of the music pieces were merely the instrumental versions of the song tunes, but they were used in variations aiding the situation in the film. Being Maestro Ilaiyaraja's film the audience might sure expect more grandeur as far as music is concerned, but the music was appropriate for the theme of the film.

The picturization accentuated the songs considerably. Most of the songs are played in pieces to give a musical feel to the film. The way Nani’s feelings were captured in Koti koti taarallona and Samantha’s in Atu itu choosukodu gaa are the most defining moments in the film. The icing on the cake is the song Yedhi Yedhi, a visual treat that comes right after Samantha expresses her love.

 

Bottom-line: YVM is bound to draw mixed reactions from the audience. Some may cherish the realistic treatment of the film and some may whine about it for boring them to death. Nani and Samantha didn’t act like lovers, they behaved like them. The lackluster script topped with fine acting by the actors, created on screen something that we had perhaps witnessed many times. Even the emotional scenes evoked chuckles from the audience. Watch YVM for the music of Maestro Ilayaraja and if you are expecting something else, please stay away from it. The film is replete with soulful music but it lacked soul – The story.  

In a nutshell: YVM is a wave with IVM as its crest and GVM as its trough.

Glossary:

YVM - Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu

IVM - Ilayaraja's Versatile Music

GVM - Gautham Vasudev Menon

P.S. GVM sir, it’s not “An Maestro Ilayaraja Musical.” Please use the right article.

My Rating: Expectation: 8/10; Reality: 5/10

Movie Review – Talaash (Hindi) – A genre-defying noir thriller!!

There was lot of hype surrounding the release of Talaash and everyone swarmed cinemas to find the answer that lies within. Some sources said the delay was due to some striking similarities between Talaash and Kahaani, so the team had to re-do most of it. Some say this and some say that, and finally the movie has hit the screens. Then what followed are spill-the-beans status updates on social networking websites which sent negative vibes across clusters of cinephiles who haven’t yet watched the flick. I, amidst all such spoilers, tried to avoid a few and gulped a few, and finally watched the film. What I got after watching the film is a mind-boggling experience that made me shun all the garbage that Bollywood gave us till now, and enabled me to draw a parallel between Hindi and French cinema.  

What is Talaash??

Noir, thriller, drama, melodrama, suspense drama, psychological drama, murder mystery, romance, tear-jerker, horror, a tale of who-done-it? Or simply a newly carved genre – FAR – Farhan+Aamir+Reema!!

It’s really difficult to categorize this movie under a particular genre because it brings shades of many engulfed in one. It’s a search for something by someone that translates into a search by everyone. If your sole purpose of watching Talaash is to understand “What’s the mystery about” then you’re going to be disappointed.

What’s in store??

You have to get trapped in the complex web woven by Farhan Akthar and Reema Kagti, and experience the flights of fantasy. They color it with a right mood and ambience, and then nourish it with a noir-ish texture for which you revere the movie. The film is a riveting combination of multiple layers that glue the narrative and the multiple characters that pop up surprises when the layers get peeled off. Involuntarily you root to the characters on-screen and empathize with them.

Get set go

The opening track of the movie slowly sets the mood for the rest of the film. It’s a rare one unlike other filmy title tracks showing svelte females donning skimpy apparel and crooning – something that’s archetypal for Bollywood. Cinematographer K U Mohanan deftly captures the night life in the grubby streets of Mumbai and you can hardly move your eyes away from the screen, and Ram Sampath with his music creates an aura that’s de rigueur for such set-up. The songs are ingrained in the narrative and don’t break the flow. Not to forget the impeccable production design of Sharmista Roy.

Game of cluedo or even more??

A typical way of watching a who-done-it tale is like playing a game of cluedo. In the game you are restricted to a mansion and here you traverse across the multiple layers and characters unearthing the clues and connecting the dots. The film throws many surprises and you shift gears from one character to the other to zero in on the suspect. Talaash is neither a perfect end for your quest to find a classy who-done-it nor it throws an insurmountable problem. It simply manages to engage you for 2+ hours with doses of chills that allows you to expand the horizon of your imagination.

A rare equilibrium

You will be surprised, at times shocked, by the twists and turns that completely engross you into the story. It very well portrays an individual’s belief in something which he doesn’t believe at the start but made to believe due to a volley of events that culminate towards the climax. But what surprises you more is how it engages the audience in a balanced manner with its equilibrium - Cause and effect, Good and evil, Revenge and justice, Life and death.

Hi-Fliers

Aamir Khan proved it again that he can play the role of a cop to perfection. He did a great job in Baazi, Sarfarosh and now in Talaash. The film has a gripping screenplay that hooks you to the seat. Despite knowing the whole story, you still go and watch Talaash that's the magic Aamir khan creates in one’s mind. Storytelling rules the roost along with brilliant performances by all. One fun-filled moment is when Aamir says “Tu comedy accha kar leti hain. Magar problem yeh hai ki mujhe aasaani se hasi nahin aati.”

The director plugged in emotional scenes to show her ability to capture Aamir and Rani’s acting prowess. Both outshined each other in the process. The real show stealer is Nawazuddin Siddique who embraced the challenges thrown in his way. Kareena Kapoor with her oomph factor did justice to her role of a hooker and her dialogues are striking and heart-touching – “Saala dukaan kholi nahi ke curfew lag gaya” - Coutesy: Farhan Akthar and Anurag Kashyap (additional dialogue).

Low-Liers

Though Talaash explodes as a smart, well-written thriller, the smoke trail dissipates slowly. At times you have to bear with the sluggish pace of the film. In the second half, the initial few minutes are occupied by lengthy conversations resulting in plight and boredom on the audience faces. Some of them get killed much before the suspense. The final scenes are again extended to bring tears to your eyes - In a way a good and in a way a bad move by the director. The psychological drama and the emotional tapestry woven around it was taken from the heart-breaking, award-winning Italian film The Son’s Room, and the other plot elements were borrowed from our western cousins - Fight Club and The Sixth Sense. One of the scenes in the climax is HIPed from What Lies Beneath.

Bottom-line: Talaash is definitely not the finest suspense film ever made but it’s a good one-time watch. It creates its spine-chilling moments by taking a peek into the dark side of the mind, and that makes it an unusual film. You may not like the film if you are expecting a high-octane thriller for a who-done-it film. The film stands out with its power-packed performances, taut screenplay and brilliance generated by its technical departments. We have taken enough junk from Bollywood this year, so let’s make way for this film and allow it to cleanse our system.

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

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

Theme song – Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (Telugu) – A lyrical wonder!!

In the barren land of Telugu lyrics infested with Kevvu Kekas and Kolaveri Dis, here’s a fresh breath of life in the form of Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum. Trivikram rightly said “Sirivennela gaaru prekshakula sthaayini penche rachayitha.” Now, this is a National award winning song written by him. I never went into such detail in understanding Dasaavataaras, Ashta Siddhis before listening to this song.

Evaru raayagalaru ilaanti paata. Evaru oohichagalaru tana cinemalo pettaalani ilaanti paata.

Thanks Sirivennela Seetaramasastry, S P Balu, Mani Sharma and Krissh for giving this wonderful gem.  

The text in italics is the song lyrics and that follows is an explanation/meaning. 

Jaruguthunnadhi jagannatakam

Jaruguthunnadhi jagannatakam

Puraathanapu puraana varnana paiki kanapaduthunna kadhanam

Nitya jeevana satyamani bhaagavata leelala antharaardham

Jaruguthunnadhi jagannatakam

Jaruguthunnadhi jagannatakam

Jagattu ane natakam jarugutu unnadi..

Paiki Neeku kanipinche kadhanam anthaa okappudu puranalalo vivarinchabadinade..

Cheliyali kattanu thenchukoni

Vilayamu vijrumbinchunani

Dharma moolame marachina jagathini

Yugantham edhurai munchunani

Satyam vrathunaku sakshatkarinchi

Srushti rakshanaku cheyoothanicchi

Naavaga throvanu choopina matsyam

Kaalagathini savarinchina saakshyam

1. Matshyavataaram

Tana kattubatlanu tenchukuntu vilayam (disaster, esp. flood) vijrumbhistundani, tanani nadipinche dharmaanni marchayina prapamchaanni yugaantham munchiveyunani.. satyavratuniki kanipinchi, srushti rakshana kosam tanu padava la maari trovanu choopina aa matsyam (fish) kaala gathini bhagavantudu marchutaadu anataniki sakshyam ga migili unnadi.

Cheyadalachina mahatkaaryamu moyajaalani bhaaramaithe

Pondhagorina-dhandhaleni niraashalo angaaripothe

Busalu kotte asahanapu nittoorpu segalaku neerasinchaka

Otamini odinchagaligina orime koormamannadhi

Ksheera sagara madhana marmam

2. Koormavataaram

Neevu cheyadhalachina pani moyaleni baruvugaa maarinappudu, neevu sadhinchadalachinadi neeku andatam ledane niraasha lo neevu kooruku poyinappudu.. Neepai adhikaaram saadhinchaalani busalu kotte asahanam prayatninchetappudu... Neerasinchi pokundaa otamini odinchagaligela ninnu nadipe opika aavashyakatanu telapadame koormavataram.

(Ksheera sagara madhanam: Devathalu, rakshasulu ksheera sagaranni madhinchataniki kasta padutu unte, kavvam la nilavalsina mandhara parvatam prathi sari munigi potu untundi. Alaanti samayam lo Sri Maha Vishnuvu koorma (tortoise) roopam lo vacchi mandhara parvataanni tana veepu pai mosi daanini nilakadaga vunchutaadu)

Unikini nilipe ilanu kadalilo kalupaga urike unmaadammunu

Karaalla damsthrula kulla ginchi

Ee dharathalammunu uddharinchagala

Dheerodharitharana humkaaram aadivaraahapu aakaram

3. Varaahavataaram

Nee unikini kaapade tatuvanti bhoomaatanu samudram lo kalipeyalani prayatninche viparitamaina unmdanni (Hiranyakshudni) tana poduchukochina dantalato nashanam chesi, ee bhoomini tana dantaala pai nilipi unchinabheekaramaina tiraskaram to kudina yuddha bheri shabdam vantide ee varaha avataram

Edhi ekkadara

Nee Hari daakkunnadera bhayapadi

Bayataku rammana raa

Edhutapadi nannu geluvagalada balapadi

Nuvvu nilichina ee nelanu adugu

Ee naadula jeevajalammunu adugu

Nee netthuti vechadananni adugu

Nee oopirilo gaalini adudgu

Nee adugula akaashannanudugu

Neelo naruni harini kalupu

Neeve naraharivani nuvu thelupu

Unmattha maathamga bangikathu kakavikathi

Hantru sankrathanee krudanee veedanee jagathi

Ahamu radhamai yethike avanikidhe asali nihathi

Aakatayula nihati anivaaryamavu niyathi

Shitha hasthi hatha mastha kaarinaka savakaasiyo

Kroorasi krosi hruthadaya damstula dosi masi cheya mahitha yagnam

4. Narasimhavataaram

Ekkada Unnadu Nee Srihari.. Bhayapadi dakkunna nee Srihari naa kalla munduku rammanu.. nannu geliche dhairyam unte na munduku rammanu ani savaalu visiraadu Hiranyakashyapudu

Nuvu nilabadi unna ee nelani adugu – Earth (First Element)

Nee naraalalo pravahinche jeeva jalaanni adugu - Water (Second Element)

Nee raktham lo unna vedini adugu - Fire (Third Element)

Nee oopiri lo galini adugu - Air (Fourth Element)

Ne anuvuna daagi unna aakashanni adugu – Sky (Fifth element)

Pancha bhootatmaka maina nee shariraanni, ninnu nadipinche Srihari tho aikyam cheyagaliginappudu nuvve ugra Narasimha roopam ga maaragalugutaavu.

Kavitvam tho varnincha lenatuvanti pattaraani aavesham to kottinappudu tagile debba vale

Prapanchaanni vadili velli poyetattu ga kopam tho mukkalu mukkalu chesi samharinchee

Ahaanni (Ego) radham ga chesi edigetatuvanti bhoomiki tagile pidugu paatu laa

Aakataayilu chelareginappudu avasaramayye paddhati vale

Velaadi mandhi chesina praardhanala phalamga vakramaargana potunna murkhudni (Hiranyakasyapudni) samharinchataniki

Krodhapoorithamaina garjanalu chestu Ardha mruga (Half animal) avathaaramai swami avatarinchaadu (Narasimha avataaram)

(Hiranyakshudu, Hiranyakashyapaudu vaikuntamlo dwaarapaalakuluga vunde vaaru. Oka saapam moolanna ee avatharralu ethutaaru. Vaariki saapavimochanam kaliginchadaaniki Sri Maha Vishnuvu tana dasaavataarala loni Varaaha, Narasimhavataaralalo vaarini samharisthaadu)

Ameyam anohyam anantha vishwam

Aa brahmaandapu sookshma swaroopam.. Ee maanusha roopam

Kubjaakruthiga buddhini bramimpajese alpa pramaanam

Mujjagaalanu moodadugulatho koliche kaivikrama vistharanam

Jaruguthunnandhi jagannatakam jaga jaga jaga jaga jagannatakam

Jaruguthunnandhi jagannatakam jaga jaga jaga jaga jagame natakam

5. Vamanaavataram

Kolavataniki, oohinchataniki vasham kaanatuvanti ee anantha vishwam yokka sukshma swaroopame ee manishi roopam..

Chinnadi ga kanipisthu manalni bhrama ki guri chese alpapramaanam adi moodu lokalani moodu adugullo kolavagala maha shakti kaligi unnadi aa avataram

Paapapu tharuvai pudamiki baruvai perigina dharmagylanini perugaka

Parashu ramudai bayadha bheemudai

Parashu ramudai bayadha bheemudai

Dharmagraha vigrahudai nilachina

Shrotriya kshatriya tatvame Bhargavudu

6. Parashuramaavataram

Papam oka maha vrukshamula perigi bhoomiki bhaaramga marinappudu,

Perigina aa adharmamane vrukshaanni vellatho saha pekalinchi veyataniki..

Maha shakti kaligina goddali tho udbhavinchina sutrikarincha badina kshatriya roopame Parashuramudu.

Ey mahimalu leka ey maayalu leka

Nammashakyamu gaani ey marmamu leka

Ee mahimalu leka ee maayalu leka nammasakyamu kani ee marmamuu leka

Manishigane putti manishigane brathiki

Mahitha charitaga mahini migalagaligemaniki

Sadhyamenani paramdhaamude raamudai ilalona nilachi

7. Ramavataaram

Etuvanti Mahimalu, maayalu , marmaalu lekunda, oka saamanyamayina manishigaa putti,

manishi gaane brathiki kuda charitra putalalo nilichi poyela jeevinchadam saadhyame ani choopinchadaniki Srimahavishnuvu Ramavataaram lo ee bhoomi meeda janminchenu..

Inni reetuluga inninni paatraluga ninnu neeke nootna parichithuniga

Darshimpajeyagala gnana darpanamu krishnavataarame srushtyaavarana taranamu

Animaga mahimaga garimaga laghimaga praptigaa

Pragamyavartiga isatvammuga vasitvammuga

Neeloni ashtasiddhulu neeku tanbattagaa

Swaswaroopame viswaroopammuga

8. Krishnavataaram

Enno rakalugaa inkenno paatralugaa ninnu neeke kotha vyaktigaa parichayam chesthu ninnu neevu kanugonela cheyagala gnaana darpanamu (mirror) ee krishnavataramu.

Neeku asta siddhulani andinchataniki vishwaroopanne tana swantha roopam gaa udbhavinchina avataarame – Krishnavataram

Ashta Siddhis:

Animā: Reducing one's body even to the size of an atom

Mahima: Expanding one's body to an infinitely large size

Garima: Becoming infinitely heavy

Laghima: Becoming almost weightless

Prāpti: Having unrestricted access to all places

Prākāmya: Realizing whatever one desires

Istva: Possessing absolute lordship

Vaśtva: The power to subjugate all

Naruni lopali parunipai drushti parupaga

Talavanchi kaimorchi sishyudavu neevaithe

Nee aarthi kadaterchu aacharyudavu neeve

Nee lo daagi unna maroka vyakti (manassakshi) pai dhrusti saarincha galigithe, bhakti tho talavanchi sishyudilaa maaradaniki nuvvu siddham ayitene, kastaalni tolaginchagalige nee guruvu neeve..!!

Vande krishnam jagadgurum

Vande krishnam jagadgurum

Krishnam vande jagadgurum

Krishnam vande jagadgurum

Vande krishnam jagadgurum

Vande krishnam jagadgurum

Krishnam vande jagadgurum

Krishnam vande jagadgurum

Prapanchaniki guruvayina oh Krishna neeku vandanam!!

The lines from this song are heard all through the film and they relate the lead character’s life journey to the essence of Dasaavataaras. A cinematic wonder chalked out by Krissh.

You can listen to the song here.
http://soundcloud.com/krish-music/03-krishnam-vande-jagadgurum

Movie Review – Damarukam (Telugu) – Visual Wonder, Content Blunder!!

There is a lot of freedom attached to ‘Socio-fantasy’ genre as there’s no place for logic here. Film-makers can expand the horizon of their imagination and show whatever they feel that fits in the story. They can go overboard in every possible way, but there’s a method in which they have to make the end-product palatable. Though this genre defies all the logic, there should be a logical flow of events. The moments of glory come in the form of the visual grandeur and the series of events that unfold to drive the narration allowing the viewer to wear an imaginative cap. Their beliefs should be exalted and not enervated, esp. when this genre has a divine element in it. In the past, all the socio-fantasy films that were successful stayed true to the aforesaid facts.

Damarukam begins with an impressive narration - coupled with animation – of our mythology and takes you into the story. The fatal flaw in narration lies here and the premise falls flat miserably. After watching the first 15 minutes of the film, you will understand what’s in store for the next 2+ hours and that leads to zilch imagination at the viewer’s end. When everything is out in the first few minutes, the story demands a taut screenplay for an engrossing experience but with so many loose ends in its narration this film garners many ill-mouthed superlatives.

King Nagarjuna makes a macho entry in a Jason Statham like The Transporter role but that is not taken forward in a better fashion. Later on, in the movie, he’s shown doing nothing. So it’s only for his introduction that sequence has been forced. That shows the undercooked characterization of the writer – director. Nag looks stylish but his poor dancing skills again become the bone of contention and few mass numbers bite the dust for this very reason.

Anushka gets a decent role and the entire story revolves around her. Her introduction amidst vedic chants is elegant. Though she gets a lot of screen space, there are only few likable moments of the actress. She is a bit de-glamorized compared to her earlier outings, but blasts her way out in the songs. She sizzles on screen in the foot-tapping number Kanya Kumari and the baton is passed over to Charmee in Sakku Bhai.

Ravi Shankar in the role of Andhakasura steals all the brownie points from other actors. His appearance intimidates Anushka (in the film) and the viewers alike. He is near perfect in his histrionics, body language, and pulls off his performance with aplomb.

Prakash Raj with his radiant smile shines all through the movie as Lord Shiva, but the way he is thrown into some forced situations makes things horrendous. A demon challenging the God is one such inane moment in the film. The scenes involving him and Brahmanandam are lackadaisical.

The comedy track is bland. Neither Nagarjuna nor the bunch of comedians manages to evoke laughter. Except the spoof on Teleshopping ads directed by 30 years industry experience director Pitchi Kaki and the witty timing of Krishna Bhagawan there isn’t much to offer from the comedy department.

The film’s lifeline is its visual panache and esp. the graphics work that gives an out-of-the-world experience in the last 20 minutes. You realize the effort put in by director Srinivasa Reddy and the VFX team in creating such a marvel. Cinematography by Chota K Naidu is classy and welcoming. The DI work, sharp imagery, canning the exotic locales in Nesthama song takes all the applause. Gowtham Raju’s editing looks ordinary – Just after the hero’s intro fight, the way the scene cuts to Sakku Bhai tea center makes you recall loads of such shoddy works in the past. 

DSP is the USP of the film. His golden jubilee offering comes with lot of surprises. The BGMs are phenomenal and with lot of usage of damaru in his score he stays close to the movie’s theme. Songs on Lord Shiva along with the god-pleasing numbers rendered by Shankar Mahadevan are full of devotion. With its rhythmic soul Laali Laali sweeps you off your feet. In Nesthama Nesthama Devi Sri Prasad displays his mastery over the craft with his ability to play with strings. He strikes gold with his core competency of churning mass numbers - Sakku Bhai and Kanya Kumari – leaving many text book examples of usage of flute and veena in such songs.

Bottom-line: Watch Damarukam for its visual-grandeur replete with graphics, striking camera work and commendable re-recording. Poor screenplay, lack of romance between the lead pair, left-in-the-middle sister sentiment, no proper connection among some scenes result in an excruciating movie watching experience. But the movie is a laudable effort in terms of bringing bits-and-pieces of Hollywood flicks such as Indiana Jones, The Fifth Element, The Mummy and many others rolled into one Telugu film.

My Rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality – 4/10.

Book review – Conversations with Mani Ratnam – Straight from the heart!!

Myth:

The conversation format may not be suitable for an entire book.

The interviewees can go overboard and try to masquerade the narrative with their tailor-made analysis.

The interviewers can be restrained in their questions and try to sound forcibly amusing.

Reality:

Conversations with Mani Ratnam by Baradwaj Rangan strikes like a lightning and sheds all the aforesaid myths.

Right from the word go, the author and critic Barawaj Rangan prefers the tale to the teller, and he chose conversations format to know film director Mani Ratnam better. Rangan reinforces the distinct position of the director by saying “marry what you want to do with what the audience may be willing to accept”— this book has a rehearsed impulse. Following a different approach, the interviewer never really tries to pull YES or NO answers from the interviewee by placing him on a shaky terrain, and as the author traverses through the inner pages, a congenial casualness grows between the two.

 

It might have taken several sessions for the conversations to grow and expand. Rangan started the proceedings like a fanboy and eventually brought out the best from the film-maker. Mani Ratnam walks back in time and narrates his experiences, and Rangan gets connected to them for their amoral, artistic flair of 1980s. In the first few pages, Rangan sets the stage for the reader by introducing all the movies and narrating his personal experiences surrounding those films. He states Ratnam’s 80s films as Madras movies and labels Roja as a bridge between Tamil and Hindi films, and from there Mani Ratnam started painting on the national canvas. The director’s works re-defined the identity of Tamil cinema in that era, and Rangan has particular attachment with that identity.

Rangan is initially embarrassed to sit across the man who made Nayakan, Roja among others and ask why he makes films. Ratnam wears a satirical tone when he talked about his over-analysis of his screenplays and characters. When Rangan asked him about Mounaragam and the reason for no duet between Revathi and Karthik, he retorted saying Karthik’s character was not present in the original script Divya (the working title of Mounaragam) and was introduced later on. He thus opened a bag of surprises that revolved around making of the film, and reiterated his proximity to the institution of marriage and the sentiments attached to it.

Movie lovers fancy this book and make it an essential one in their collection. Rangan elucidates the great works of Ratnam – most of them belong to ‘personal genre’ (as stated by the author) - through 300 pages of conversations filled with detail. The director presents a practical approach of all his works and explains ‘why he did what he did.’ The book throws light on creative collaborations of Mani Ratnam with Balu Mahendra, P C Sriram, Santosh Sivan, Ilayaraja, A R Rahman, Ram Gopal Varma etc. Whether it’s on how the theme song of Nayakan changed from being rustic in the beginning to a more polished one in the middle or the different ways in which Ilayaraja and A R Rahman compose music, Ratnam strikes the right chord.

The book takes us through Ratnam’s understanding of human relationships and how he presents them to perfection on screen. The book also mentions his denial to use films as a medium for straight political comment. Ratnam says the political views that are present in the first draft gradually get diminished and what remains is “how much the film can take.” He is known for his commitment to aesthetic values in films and explains that he does not always want to communicate what he thinks. He says the most emancipating thing about being a film-maker is “You can be what you’re not.”

For Ratnam, the flights of fantasy come in the form of transition from the stage of script work to that of filming. He describes his association with actors and how he leaves certain liberties to them on the sets to glorify a scene. For example, in Nayakan when the cop drops Kamal Haasan off at the slum and leaves, there’s a very instinctive thing Kamal does, when the residents of the slum gather around him. He sprinkles his blood on the kids and makes them giggle. There is some magic that happens and Ratnam attributes this magic to Kamal Haasan. This is the heart and soul of Ratnam’s finesse. He said he never assisted anybody before, so he wanted to be sure that what he did was grammatically correct with proper punctuation. However, he wanted to be accepted or rejected for the substance (content) and not for the style (grammar).

The book is divided into 17 chapters – Ratnam’s first three films are part of chapter 1 and his other films are devoted a chapter each – and each chapter revolves around the director’s experiences during the film-making process. The foreword by Oscar winner A R Rahman is a perfect homage to his guru. Rangan takes the film-maker through scenes, music discussions, technical nuances, dialogues, transitions, and at times asking him to dissect a single shot and explain, thus offering a vicarious feeling to the reader. Some conversations entail the problems of translation, visualization of songs – he envisages musical score as something lateral and not just supportive – sound design aspects (esp. in Thiruda Thiruda) and using live sound in India.

Mani Ratnam’s odyssey gives out the influence of fine commercial cinema. Next time when you are stuck in the middle of a debate – Why simplicity does not essentially metamorphose to exquisite?, or why the mammoth Indian film with song and dance sequence is as dominant as a sober, subdued and sparse European one? – This book and the masterly works of Mani Ratnam come to your rescue. After reading the book you show reverence to Mani Ratnam for his worldly movies and also to Baradwaj Ranjan for unearthing such gems from an otherwise reserved director, impeccably striking a balance between a fanboy and a critic.

“Quote Unquote” from the book:

‘A superb addition to the library of books celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema. It’s a pleasure to see that Mani Sir, usually reticent, has spoken with such candour’ – Gulzar

‘Mani Ratnam designed the essential bridge between old and neo cinema that we all helped build… making possible the kind of cinema we really wanted to see” – Kamal Haasan

‘One of the international-standard film-makers in India. This wonderful book is a tribute to his genius’ – Rajnikanth.

‘Once I went to Mani Ratnam’s office to narrate a screenplay. I couldn’t look at him. I mean, how can you? He‘s the man who made Nayakan’ – Gautham Vasudev Menon

‘Mani Sir carefully selected the pearls in me and made a garland of them. Until three or four years ago, I would send him every album, like a student seeking his guru’s approval’ – A R Rahman

You can buy the book here:

http://www.flipkart.com/conversations-mani-ratnam-0670085200/p/itmddsyhzy676wud?pid=9780670085200&affid=rajasatgma