Movie Review - Shirdi Sai (Telugu) - Anthaa Sai Mayam!!

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

 

 

First Look - Jab Tak Hai Jaan - A Yash Chopra Romance!!

Finally, the curtains are pulled on the intrigue that revolved around Yash Chopra’s yet to be named venture. Today, the first look of the film, replete with Gulzar’s poetry, flooded on the front pages of national dailies. The poster of Jab Tak Hai Jaan shows SRK in army fatigues riding a Royal Enfield (Is Yash Chopra making a Veer Zara again?! – Fingers crossed).

 

In this love triangle, SRK will be seen romancing Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma – Can’t say who will be his leading lady in the past and who takes the baton in the present. And some visuals remind us of the archetypal Raj patented by SRK. So, let’s hope to see the primitive Khan and let’s welcome him back to the LOVE STORY genre.

The USP of the film will be its music and background score, composed by Oscar winner A R Rahman and the icing on the cake will come in the form of Gulzar’s lyrics/poetry. ARR with his sheer brilliance will carve this album into an aural fantasy. And, hold your breath to witness breath-taking visuals, post-card like locales, and a glossy-template of sets through the lens of Anil Mehta.  

Now that Yash Raj Films is riding the crest of success wave with its earlier films, this film is all set to become another gem in its repertoire.

 

Movie Review - To Rome with Love – An unpolished city franchise!!

Hollywood heretic Woody Allen makes a sardonic poke calling his films as ‘foreign films’ – in his latest offering To Rome with Love. This ‘city film’ in the series comes as no surprise where Allen plays the role of Jerry, a retired opera director. What humiliates him is the mid-air turbulence, fear of death that comes in the form of retirement, and what lurches him is his future son-in-law Michelangelo whose mind is infested with communistic ideology. Allen should be cognizant of the fact that we have seen such bored-with-life, distraught self-portrayal in his earlier films – something nurtured to perfection in his film Hollywood Ending. Judy Davis plays Allen’s wife, Jerry, a psychiatrist, who deals with her husband’s neurotic condition with an inscrutable pessimism. Had she handed over her husband’s case to Sigmund Freud, he would term him not as a man with ego or superego, but a man with multiple identities.

Hope you have noticed the depth in my writing; the same is the case with Woody Allen’s characters in To Rome with Love.They become invariably enigmatic at times leaving no scope to delve into them. If you are a fan of Allen and his works, you involuntarily compare this film with his previous works that showcase cities with an impeccable eye for detail. Be it the discerning Vicky Cristina Barcelona or the entrancing Midnight in Paris. But Allen’s tribute to Rome lacks fizz, even half-cooked, because he has no contemplation on the city itself - Mr. Allen, couple of Italian middle-class couples don’t make ‘the colossal’ Rome. For that matter they can be pegged in any backdrop – New York, London or New Delhi.

 

Despite all these you can see the classy touch of Woody Allen. This man with the multiple hues of a writer, director, actor and playwright has been making films for four decades, and all these movies have his consummate hallmark. It seems he finally found his muse in ‘city film’genre. Out of his films, many are reveries on urban phoniness and the ever-lasting combat between novelty and non-conformism, creativity and commercialism, dampened with astuteness that acerbically caricatures the real/imaginary worlds he belongs to. A cinephile would be elated that Woody Allen is still honing every possible film-making element of his and delivering surprise after surprise. 


Let’s fling back to the film. With an array of characters living in (or migrated to) the city of Rome, the film is a mosaic made out of seemingly discordant tiles, all of which come together to form a thing of beauty that remains joyful for some time (unlike John Keats’ ‘joy forever’). Four stories run in parallel tracks but are not necessarily interwoven. A successful American architect, another fledgling yet idealistic architect, a live-in girlfriend, her female friend played by Ellen Page (who gets some meaty dialogues to play around with). Allen stupendously etched Page’s character as an intelligentsia-meets-emotionally spurious or orgasmically spurious one (tongue-in-cheek). This character with its distilled and simplified presence shines as other Allen’s uncanny interpretations of nouveau riche and neo-artsy world.

Enough of revelations and no more probing into characters – Let’s keep some surprises as surprises and allow them unleash on screen!! The bone of contention in the film is the beautiful city of Rome whose presence was hardly felt. When Paris and Barcelona could get a poetic testimony from Allen in his previous films, what’s the problem with Rome? Here the pristine city is lost in its global camouflage. May be Allen used someone else’s eyes to detail the city!! The rib-tickling elements are sharp and startling, and they come with a dose of fancy and slapstick. Ultimately, the movie boils down to an average Rom-com with Allenish touch of genius.

Bottom-line: In To Rome with Love, as Woody Allen is committed to the idea of paradigms he ridicules and rejoices at the same time, the movie watching experience becomes akin to having a fine wine with a wrong choice of cheese. At times your intellect takes the longest leap and at times you feel there’s nothing to incite the remotest corner of your cerebral garage. Your craving for an exotic dish gets accentuated and assuaged owing to lackadaisical unfolding of cinematic glory on celluloid. In a nutshell, you just like everyone and everything about the film, but CONDITIONS APPLY!!

My Rating: Expectation – 8/10; Reality – 6/10

Film music - Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu (Telugu) – A touch of genius!!

It's Maestro Ilayaraja magic all over. The songs are just brilliant, and you have no clue what you will be subjected to when you listen to the album. TRANCE is the word for the phenomenal experience. In a short time frame the music goes through multiple metamorphoses. You will be hearing Western Classical to Rock, Indian folk to melodious tunes to Carnatic, and most of the time, all blend together forming an immaculate ensemble!! The album gives a vicarious feeling – It takes you to London for Beethoven’s Philharmonic orchestra, and in few seconds the experience shifts to Carnatic Classsical music. And amidst the entire musical downpour, there’s some 80s Classical Rock falling as a drizzle and giving an interlacing effect!!

 

 

Every piece of music blends into a new mélange pumping a new spirit into listeners!! Ilayaraja is definitely taking the film music to next level and giving us a coming of age musical experience. Just do a favor to yourself. Please buy these songs and you will come back and thank me. All songs from the album are recorded by 108 piece orchestra at London. Enjoy the sheer brilliance of Isaignani Ilayaraja – It feels like HEAVEN!!

 
 

 for india :http://www.flipkart.com/neethaane-en-ponvasantham/p/itmdcwzwxpdfzvtr?pid=DGADCWYGZUED7PAH
telugu songs link :
http://www.flipkart.com/yeto-vellipoyindhi-manasu/p/itmdcwzskk9uwuxj?pid=DGADCWYGFDTQQJEB&ref=97d2ec2b-d948-4c62-b742-32134fad1859 links : for india :http://www.flipkart.com/neethaane-en-ponvasantham/p/itmdcwzwxpdfzvtr?pid=DGADCWYGZUED7PAH
telugu songs link :
http://www.flipkart.com/yeto-vellipoyindhi-manasu/p/itmdcwzskk9uwuxj?pid=DGADCWYGFDTQQJEB&ref=97d2ec2b-d948-4c62-b742-321

Links:

Telugu:http://www.flipkart.com/yeto-vellipoyindhi-manasu/p/itmdcwzskk9uwuxj?pid=DGADCWYGFDTQQJEB&affid=rajasatgma&ref=97d2ec2b-d948-4c62-b742-32134fad1859

 
Tamil:http://www.flipkart.com/neethaane-en-ponvasantham/p/itmdcwzwxpdfzvtr?pid=DGADCWYGZUED7PAH?affidrajasatgma

 

Watch the making of the album in this video.
 

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