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Showing posts with label Movie Reviews. Show all posts

"Iddharammailatho" - Movie Review

2:40:00 AM Add Comment
iddarammayilatho-music-review-389983211-618x290After the super success of ‘Julayi’, many people are eagerly waiting what Allu Arjun will do at Box Office, and here comes his action  packed racy entertainer with powerful director Puri Jagan.

The CONTENT

A Central Minister (Rao Ramesh) daughter Akanksha (Catherine Tresa) goes to Spain to study music and happens to read a diary that belongs to Komali Sankarabaranam (Amala Paul) who is an old resident of the room. Akanksha finds out how Komali has fallen in the love of Sanju Reddy (Allu Arjun), a guitarist playing music on the streets of Spain. Accidently, Komala films a murder on her video camera one day and the goons notice this. The goon leader (Shawar Ali) asks his brother (Subba Raju) to kill her and get the tape. After a couple of attempts, they finally kidnap her one day. All this happens to be the story in that diary, and from then all pages fall empty. When Akankhsa rushes and compels Sanju to reveal what happened to Komali, it is known that she is dead. So what is Sanju going to do now and what will happen to Akanksha, happens to be the rest of story.


The EFFORT :

On-Screen:

Allu Arjun is at his best as usual. As per the character designed to him, he maintained some lowness all the time, but has shown some kick-ass performance in fights and songs. He is simply amazing.

Amala Paul is good at expressing few emotions, and as a cute innocent Brahmin girl, she scored decent marks. But it is Catherine Tresa who steals the show with her glamour and performance. Also in dance, Catherine showed some potential by matching steps perfectly with Allu Arjun.

Brahmi and Ali are simply in their own domain, but failed to deliver what is expected from them. Rest of the cast, including on-screen villains Shawar Ali and Subba Raju did their part to support this sleek flick.


Off-Screen:

Pages are not enough to talk about Puri Jagan and his direction, but this time the other person inside our director will shock you for sure. Rather coming up with racy screenplay and just punch dialogues, Puri has shown his sleek style this time and his work reminds you of a typical Hollywood flick. Yet, Puri never missed his trademark dialogues. His one liners in romantic scenes are simply amazing, though his comedy episodes lack that comic thing.

Second hero of this film is the locations and the way this film is filmed. We should pat on the shoulders of cinematographer Amol Rathod for his beautiful work and splendid Color Grading work during Digital Intermediate. Rather going for ‘oora mass’ colours, Amol picked up nice texture like some English action movies.

Devi Sri Prasad has given chartbuster songs for the movie, but his background score is somewhat slow at places. Though the sound is muted intentionally, somehow Devi can’t get the streak right, albeit it sounded stunning. And all those choreographers who worked for this flick should be complemented for their work. Especially, Raghu did a superb job for ‘Top Lechipoddi’ song.

And, what simply mesmerizes your eyes is the brilliant and well timed action choreography of Thailand fight master Kechha. The five minute interval bang is simply adrenaline rushing for its master class work that is never seen before on Telugu screen.


The PLUSES:

·               Splendid action scenes, brilliant fight compositions

·               Dialogues in romantic scenes, including those satires on female lovers and explanation of  Kapu-Kamma-Reddy inter         caste marriages

·               Well filmed songs, with trademark choreography

·               Pawan Kalyan imitation bit and Gangleader title song scene



The MINUSES:

·         Little slow screenplay

·         Lack of Puri mark hero characterization

·         Brahmi and Ali’s comedy


BREAKDOWN:


Puri Jagan means energy and Allu Arjun means double energy. So, people who are accustomed to watching movies like Idiot and Arya will expect the same ammunition again. But the director and hero has taken the flick to some different world with a toned down characterization. Puri made sure that he will not repeat the same formula again and again, and this time changed the characterization of hero to a serious side. Because, all the time all heroes will not be effervescent and shouting loud is not heroism. What amazes one and all is the different attitude of Puri Jagan even though his hero is a big star like Allu Arjun. He has chosen rather sober setup, with racy action and conflict. If you are expecting a commercial entertainer with a different shade, then this is the flick you should watch, while it is a routine story with good screenplay.

Generally every director thinks that fans expect the same kind of dances, fights, comedy scenes and few big and loud ‘faction’ dialogues. But that is quite wrong conviction. No fans likes to watch same masala continuously and Allu Arjun has done a fabulous job in picking such a different line and style. Though hero’s character got no punch dialogues for villains, his openness to accept a caste tag (his name is Sanju Reddy in the flick and heroine keeps on calling ‘Orey Reddy’)and talking about inter-caste marriages is superb.

But what lets down many is some slow paced first half that establishes the love track of Allu Arjun and Amala Paul. However, the interval bang is simply amazing to hold breathe and though graph falls down at places in second half, from pre-climax it is a stunner again. What else you need?

Coming to Box Office collections, no doubt first and second week will go strong irrespective of talk and reviews. But we have to see what happens from third week, as family audience will miss entertainment quotient in Iddarammayilatho though youth got full meals.


The FINISHING Line:  This is fresh air, not regular masala!

 

 

Note:

***The ratings and analysis of the above reviews do not reflect the opinion of the audience. It is merely the reviewer’s perception and has no connection with the box office collections whatsoever.

"Sukumarudu" Movie Review

4:03:00 AM Add Comment
skDialogue King Sai Kumar’s son ‘Aadi’ is all set to hit the screens with ‘Sukumarudu’. The movie is releasing today across the world and it has Nisha Aggarwal as the female lead opposite Aadi. Superstar Krishna and veteran actress Sharada will be seen in crucial roles in this movie. G.Ashok has directed this film and Venugopal is the producer. Let us see how this movie is.

Story :

The story of this film is similar to the recently released ‘Greeku Veerudu’. A selfish NRI who does not care about his relatives back in India, suddenly decides to come and seek their blessings once property comes into the equation.

Sukumar (Aadi) is a selfish and extremely money minded young fellow who is very successful in life. He however needs some urgent cash to kickstart his dream project. At precisely this point, he comes to know that an inheritance worth 150Crores is waiting for him in his village.

He decides to travel to the village and meet his grandmother Vandanamma (Sharada), a slightly cranky old lady who is revered by the villagers. Sukumar tries to emotionally blackmail her for the property.

But his plans keep getting thwarted by history, his uncle Rao Ramesh and others. A romantic track with Sankari (Nisha Aggarwal) also comes in during this time.

Will Sukumar succeed in his plans or will his evil schemes be detected by the villagers? That forms the story.

Plus Points:

Superstar Krishna garu has a neat and dignified presence, even if it is only for a few minutes. Veteran actress Sharada has done a nice job.

Rao Ramesh has tried his best to make things interesting. Aadi is ok in the dances and fights department, but he needs to really improve fast in portraying emotions.

Minus Points :

Screenplay of this movie is terrible. There is no logical flow in the proceedings and the whole film has a very jerky feel to it. The director has attempted to tackle various themes in the film – father and son sentiment, grandmother and grandson sentiment, a clever NRI coming back to reform his village etc. The problem is, none of the themes have been tackled properly.

There are gaping loopholes in the plot and many sequences have absolutely no logic. There is excessive melodrama and needless over action in emotional scenes.

The film is way too long. At a few minutes less than 3 hours, the length becomes unbearable when there is basically no story to narrate.

The comedy tracks fail to work as the writing is cliched and very poor. Despite the presence of so many talented comedy actors, the loud sequences end up irritating viewers.

The romantic track between Aadi and Nisha Aggarwal is very superficial and incomplete. Their screen chemistry is not very good.

The placement of songs is very poor and they act as major speed breakers.

Technical Aspects:

Cinematography of the film is quite mediocre. Editing is atrocious and as I said before, the film has a very jerky feel to it. Dialogues are very average.

Ashok Kumar’s direction is quite poor and leaves a lot to be desired. Production values are mediocre.

Anoop Rubens has provided ok music but the background score is too loud, like the rest of the film.

Verdict:

Sukumarudu is a film that is painfully long and poorly made. You can safely avoid the film, unless you want to experience Sukumaramaina torture

"Thadakha" Movie Review

3:53:00 AM Add Comment
Thadaka-Movie-Wallpapers-8Naga Chaitanya is not getting huge successes these days despite attempting some good films. And Sunil is also waiting for a perfect masala potboiler to check his luck. Let us see what is ‘Thadakha’ made in this combination is offering.


The CONTENT


Two brothers, a coward elder one Sivaramakrishna (Sunil) and a brave younger one Karthik (Naga Chaitanya) lead a happy roaming life in a village, while their father K Madhava Rao (Nagababu) is a police Sub Inspector. For every hurdle, Siva feels cowardice and Karthik comes forward to beat goons for the sake of his brother. This keeps on repeating from childhood onwards. However, when Madhava Rao dies all of a sudden, coward natured Siva finds it difficult to take up his father’s job but Karthik convinces him to take that job and live in town. Meanwhile, in town there are two sisters, Andrea and Tamanna, living under the guardianship of their grandma (Ramaprabha). Andrea is a brave and daring lady, while Pallavi (Tamanna) is a gorgeous sister. A match is fixed between Siva and Andrea, while Pallavi flats for Karthik in the first look itself. When Siva is assigned to catch a kidnapped girl, Karthik goes there to fight and get back the kid, while the world feels that Siva has daringly attacked goons. As part of Siva’s job Karthik bumps into to dreaded rowdies Bhagga (Asuthosh Rana) and Kasi. Finally when Bhagga and Kasi came to know that Karthik is original and Siva is just a dummy police, they beat Siva to near death and give him warning. So what happens to Siva and Karthik from there, and how they face these goondas is the remaining story.


The EFFORT :


On-Screen:

Naga Chaitanya showed lot of potential in this first action entertainer of his life. Earlier he used to mumble a little, but now he is flawless. His body language perfectly suited the mass characterization of the role.

No doubt Sunil is a superb actor and what all he needs is a nice role to show his energy. As a coward police officer in first half and daring one in second half, he brought life to this action entertainer.

Both Andrea and Tamanna delivered the required glamour quotient for the movie. Tamanna is as usual good with her expressions and dance moves apart from that milky hot skin treat.

Srinivas Reddy and Brahmandam haven’t got lengthy roles to take this flick on shoulders, but still they give some laughs though you don’t need on in this movie.

Asutosh Rana returned to Telugu after a long time and his performance is good as a villain. Though  he is a bundle of talent, it looks like director extracted only to a certain level.


Off-Screen:

Before talking about director Kishore, we need to talk about story provided by star Tamil director Linguswamy. Already the original version of Tadakha, Vettai, is a huge hit in Kollywood and Kishore succeeded in copying it frame to frame. Maybe one should praise Linguswamy for etching such a stunning mass entertainer. Though there are some altercations,  they are very small and the overall graph is borrowed from Vettai only. However it is not an easy task to remake effortlessly and director has done his part well.

Cinematography by Arthur Wilson is brilliant and it helped to give the required dynamic feel for larger-than-life characterizations of heroes. Though story is predictable at times, the look and feel of the movie will make those scenes passable. Thaman’s music is not a successful thing this time, but his background score elevates feel as usual.


The PLUSES:

·         Well conceived action scenes

·         Sunil And Chaitu’s bonding and chemistry

·         Nice popcorn comedy

·         Tamanna’s glamour in songs


The MINUSES:

·         Predictable story at some places

·         Lack of impactful dialogues


BREAKDOWN:

Like in the title of the flick, Tadakha shows the real energetic side of Naga Chaitanya and Sunil, and the movie got enough commercial ingredients to entertain audiences. For people who love Nayak and Racha kind of movies, Tadakha impresses a lot. However, our director missed out some crucial emotional things here in order to highlight Naga Chaitanya a lot. In original version, Sunil’s character (played by Madhavan) will transform from coward to brave when his brother (played by Arya) gets hit by goons infront of him. But here, blood spill of Chaitu is avoided in order to make him demi-god of masses, but the original scene looked quite impactful. Frame by frame executing of original might help Chaitu and Sunil score s decent hit at Box Office and the flick gives audiences the money they invest on ticket.

But the lack of proper promotions is going to affect the openings of this flick, which will surely entertain audiences quite well at B and C centres. While A centre audiences feel like watching a regular action film, others will simply love this flick at a time when there is no action entertainer in theatres.


The FINISHING Line:  Chaitanya And Sunil Showed Tadakha!

"Greeku Veerudu" Movie Review

5:06:00 AM Add Comment
Greeku-Veerudu-2Cast: Nagarjuna, K Viswanath, Brahmanandam, Nayanatara, M S Narayana, Ashish Vidyarthi and others
Music: Thaman
Cinematography: Anil Bhandari
Screenplay: Kona Venkat, Meher Ramesh
Story-Dialogues-Direction: Dasarath
Producers: Siva Prasad Reddy
Release date: 3rd May 2013


After experimenting with different genres for a while, hero Nagarjuna has finally returned to his favourite and lucky one, romance. And with Dasarath on fire for his family dramas like ‘Mr Perfect’, this latest film ‘Greekuveerudu’ got huge expectations. Let us see how they are.


The CONTENT


Chandu (Nagarjuna) is born and brought up USA and do not believes in sentiment and love, and never vows to go to India, where his father comes from. He uses girls for pleasure and later avoids them simply. Along with his uncle (MS Narayana) he runs an event management company, in which Maya (Meera Chopra) is his secretary. Chandu advises Maya to marry an old doctor Kamaraju (Brahmanandam) against her wishes, such that she can later apply for a divorce and sue him for one million dollars alimony. After marrying Kamaraju, Maya hatches a plan and flops an event show organized by Chandu. Chandu’s client (Asish Vidyarthi) comes to sue him in Court and then it is revealed that Maya is behind it. When the Court orders Chandu to pay a compensation of 10 million dollars, he thinks of going to India to meet his grandfather who is having 1000 crores worth assets. During his journey, he meets Sandhya (Nayantara) and flatters her, and when she comes to Chandu’s village she is mistook for Chandu’s wife. Intelligent Chandu convinces Sandhya and makes his grandfather (K Vishwanath) believe them and cons them for money. But when he is returning to USA, he feels like cheating his family and reveals the truth. From then, how Chandu corrects his mistakes in life and how he really manages to win the heart of Sandhya forms rest of story.


The EFFORT :

On-Screen:

Nagarjuna should be appreciated for his looks and he will dominate the show with them. He is good at comedy and witty dialogues, but missed the bill while delivering emotion part. Sometimes he looked artificial and sometimes he convinced. Still it is his show all the time.

Brahmandam plays the lead role again in second half of the flick, giving much needed comic relief. But his monotonous expressions and acts look jerky for a while, though everyone enjoys them. Also MS Narayana did his part well delivering comedy from other side.

Nayanatara is neither gorgeous in glamour department, nor stunning acting wise. She happens to be the heroine of this film and hence she performs what is given to her.

K Vishwanath is proven for doting and philosophical grandfather roles, while Asish Vidyarthi too is known for his critical expressions. Both did the same with perfection again. Meera Chopra has nothing to offer, while Kota Srinivasa Rao does a blink and miss role. Rest did their party whenever a scene called them for.

Off-Screen:

Dasarath tried to weave another story by simply altering the characters of Mr Perfect and holding the characterization intact. His dialogues are entertaining but the screenplay written by some other writers is simply boring. The very idea of portraying human relations and love is good, but if a proper screenplay is not etched for it, then results tumble. As a director, Dasarath failed to keep the momentum of the film high.

Only next technician you will notice in this flick is Thaman. He tried different kind of background score this time and is successful. But songs scored by him evince no interest. Cinematography by Anil is partly okay, but it looks like Color Grading guys at Annpurna Studios failed to maintain an even color palette. Choreography is not as stunning as said by Nagarjuna, and Ganesh Swamy master needs to improvise his compositions.


The PLUSES:

·         Popcorn comedy in second half
·         Slightly comical climax


The MINUSES:

·         Slow pace of entire movie
·         Lack of impactful emotional sequences
·         Dragged second half


BREAKDOWN:

Both Nagarjuna and Dasarath are very excited about this flick, but right from start one will get confused as to why this film is named ‘Greeku Veerudu’. Even their first choice ‘Love Story’ is not an apt title for this movie. Coming to content, Dasarath is not able to come out of Mr Perfect for sure. Maybe he can deliver same stuff with alternate screenplay, but the very basic things like impactful emotional scenes are missing. All the time, a scene is either elevated by background score or by simple dialogues, but there is no depth in characterization and screenplay. You cannot expect this one from the guy who wrote Santosham and Mr Perfect. At least a couple of commercial elements would have saved the flick, but Dasarath missed that one too. And scenes leading to climax look quite jerky and Ala Modalaindi kind of comedy climax is bringing both laughs and tears. On a whole Dasarath missed something right from beginning, a gripping narration.


A soulful music album with colourful songs would have worked but poor songs with poor choreography are never interesting. Somewhere in second half, this film turned love story from family drama and then family drama without proper journey of characters. For entertainment seekers this flick is going to be a bore Summer treat, while for fans it takes time to digest and cheer for it.


The FINISHING Line:  Just Average fare, strictly for fans!

(Disclaimer : This happens to be an opinion of one individual and it is no way intended to hurt or criticize anyone involved with the film or outside. Real movie lovers are advised to watch movie in theaters for cinematic experience rather reading review)

 

 

"Shadow" Movie Review.....!

1:59:00 AM Add Comment
shadowCast: Venkatesh, Srikanth, Nagababu, Taapsee, MS Narayana, Jayaprakash Reddy, Geetha, Aditya Pancholi, Subbaraju, Sayaji Shinde and others

Music: S S Thaman
Dialogues: Kona Venkat, Meher Ramesh
Story-Screenplay -Direction: Meher Ramesh
Producers: Paruchuri Prasad
Release date: 26th April 2013

It has been long time since Venkatesh scored a hit with a proper commercial entertainer. Also director Meher Ramesh is determined to give a blockbuster this time after delivering all commercial failures. Let us see what this combination has done with ‘Shadow’

The CONTENT

Way back in 1992, Raghuram (Nagababu), an undercover journalist, works as an associate of mafia don Nana (Aditya Pancholi) and prepares a file that contains all the data of Nana’s activities including 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts plan. He asks his brother-in-law (Surya) to handover that file to a magazine editor CP (Sayaji Shinde). But finally the file lands up at Nana’s den and he in turn sends goons to eliminate Raghuram and the evidences he might have saved at his home. Nana arrives at the scene to kill Raghuram, when his brothers catch hold of Raghuram. However before the attack has begun, Rajaram tells his son Rajaram to take care of mother (Geetha) and sister. While escaping, both mother and sister dies in bomb blast and Rajaram decides to seek vengeance against Nana and his gang.  Cut to 2012, a grown up Rajaram (Venkatesh) starts eliminating Nana’s men one by one, while sincere police officer Pratap (Srikanth) also tries to catch those goons. The story is about how Rajaram kills everyone and how Srikanth is also related to him.

The EFFORT :

On-Screen:

Venkatesh is as usual natural in his performance in this stylish role of ‘Shadow’. In action scenes he is perfect in physique and delivers needed strength. At the same time his other side of making comedy too clicked quite well. His comic sequence as a memory-loss patient is hilarious.

Srikanth too delivers a serious performance in the role of a sincere IPS officer Pratap. All the time, he maintains that police discipline and fits the bill perfectly.

But it is MS Narayana who sets the theatre crackling and bursting with laughs in the role of Psycho Sreenu aka Donga Srinivasa Rao, Psychologist. His comic timing through imitation of other star heroes when delivering one-liner dialogues is quite exciting.

Taapsee is as usual glamorous and she has nothing to do with her role but in songs she shows her potential. Her glamour gives superb relief for the slow songs composed by Thaman.

Krishna Bhagawan, Srinivas Reddy and Nalla Rajesh succeeded in delivering entertainment, while Subbaraju, Madhurima and Dharmavapu got some meagre roles.

Off-Screen:

Meher Ramesh is always successful when delivering stylish looks and needed comedy. This time too he made ‘Shadow’ look quite interesting with his superb visuals. He is able to make some gripping screenplay this time but not an exciting one. For the content that is there on paper, Meher’s direction has done justice.

Thaman once again proved that he is king of re-recording and his background score holds value in delivering this suave flick. But his songs are not up to the mark and except title song and Naughty girl song, rest are enjoyable but we cannot remember after stepping out of theatres. Thaman should be blamed for this.

All other technicians did their part to compliment Meher Ramesh’s work.


The PLUSES:

·         Venky’s looks and action sequences

·         Imitation of Gabbarsingh Antyakshari scene

·         MS Narayana as Psycho Seenu

·         Taapsee’s glamour in songs



The MINUSES:

·         Formulaic old story with no twists and turns

·         Routine screenplay and uninteresting dialogues


BREAKDOWN:

Meher Ramesh is still tumbling to deliver a decent commercial entertainer. His earlier movies got huge and interesting storylines but lacked punch.  This time he got punch, but the story lacked freshness. A remix of movies like Dookudu, Baadshah and other Telugu flicks is a boring juice to drink. Of course that might have happened due to writer Kona Venkat who happens to be the writer of all these flicks. All the time story is predictable as to what happens next but Meher’s stylish way of executing scenes will hook you to seats. Most of the time characters come and go, but as a whole they are not appealing as a story because of poor screenplay. Some interesting screenplay touches and avoiding silly loopholes would have made this routine movie look fascinating.

However Meher has decided to induce comedy well into the movie whenever there is a boring moment. We have to say that he succeeded quite well in delivering all required commercial elements though graph is little bit shaky at times. He made full use of MS Narayana and Venky to deliver comic sequences, while he made sure that Taapsee looks like a glamour-doll all the time to entertain frontbenchers. But he failed to bring intensity in Venky’s character and his dialogues evoked whistles only at places. Still Meher has to improvise his story a lot if he wants to settle here as master film maker.

If the movie is not made with some escalated and over-shot budgets, then it will give producers some profits and audience a value for their money. And Meher Ramesh should take Venky’s bike used in the film and start searching for a new producer!

The FINISHING Line:  Only if you have free time, watch ‘Shadow’

"NH-4" Movie Review

5:50:00 AM Add Comment
nh4Lover boy Siddharth’s last outing, Jabardasth failed to reach the audience expectations. This time around, he is back with an action thriller in NH4. Directed by Manimaran, this bilingual stars Ashrita Shetty as the female lead and has hit the screens this week. Let’s see how it is.

Story:-


Prabhu(Siddharth)a young guy from Anantapur, comes to Bangalore to finish his graduation. He gets admission into a famous college and falls in love with his junior Ritkika(Ashrtita Shetty). The couple spend some good times and during one of their outing, Ritika’s dad comes to know about their affair.


With the intent of keeping his political track record clean, Ritika’s dad decides to eliminate Prabhu. He hires a professional killer in Manoj Menon(K K Menon) to finish Prabhu. As Prabhu comes to know about this dangerous plot, he decides to elope with Ritika and marry her secretly.


Rest of the story is as to how Prabhu manages to get away from the professional killer and what happens at the end.


Plus Points:-


Siddharth makes a u-turn from his regular lover boy roles and does a tricky action thriller. He suits the role well and has done a remarkable job. Ashrita Shetty looks gorgeous and plays her part well. KK Menon is the highlight of the film. He looks awesome as the professional killer and also adds humor to his character.


Comedy scenes set in the college create a lot of humor. Romantic track between the lead pair has come out really well. Some scenes where the cops use technology to keep track of the couple have been captured well.


Minus Points:-


Story of the film is quite ordinary. Director tries to handle NH4 with some gutsy screenplay but falls flat on his face. As every action entertainer promises to have lots of twists, thrills and turns, this movie has some ordinary episodes.


The basic suspense element in the film is gone after a while after the twists are revealed pretty soon. First half of the movie has been dragged out and the movie unfolds only during the the second half. Those who are looking for song, dance and romantic dialogues from Siddharth will be highly disappointed.


Technical Aspects:-


Except for some romantic scenes the camera work is just ordinary. If major scenes in the first half could have been edited, the film would have been more crisp. G V Prakash’s music is just mediocre and so is the background score. Only saving grace in the film are its dialogues. Manimaran’s direction is just about OK and it could have been lot better.


Verdict:


On the whole, Siddharth’s attempt to be a angry young man is just an average affair. A slow first half and not so engaging thrills go against the film completely. Watch this film without any expectations and you would be decently entertained.

"Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde" Movie Review

5:09:00 AM Add Comment
gun

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Swathi

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Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde Review:


wins hearts


Love has no past or future. It has to be enjoyed in the present. That’s the plus point for love stories. There is some magic in love stories. Many love stories may have come, many people may have narrated them in different ways, still there will be something left to said. Though its an old story, if polished and narrated in a different way, it will win audience hearts. It does not matter what we are telling, only how we are telling matters. Phone friendships and loving without seeing each others is not new to Telugu films. But director gave a new angle to the story by making it triangle love in ‘Gunde jaari gallanthayyinde.’ NItin-Nitya’s Ishq is still fresh in memories. Though same pair came, with same story, they have created a new feel. Let’s find out what makes ‘gunde jaari gallanthayyinde’ win audience hearts.

Karthik is today’s youngster. He lives life on his terms. He loves Isha Talwar at first sight. But does not know her name or contact number. He gets her number with the help of his friend Pandu(Ali). In a hurry he saves wrong number. That is Shravani’s (Nitya) number. She has her own opinions and interests in every matter. She is also very studious, even in the matter of love. She is looking for a guy who loves her without demanding any changes in her individuality. Karthik gets close to Shravani on phone believing her as Shruthi. Meanwhile Shruthi falls in love with some other guy. How these love tracks get entangled and how these people come out of them, forms the crux of the story.

Yandamuri has shown phone love long back in ‘Vennello..Aadapilla.’ That novel came as movie. Loving without seeing at each other is Premalekha style. When key point is old, scenes picturisation and characterisation has to be new. Director Vijay Kumar Konda has done the same thing here. He has started film entertainingly and maintained pace, without appearing boring at any point. He has presented comedy of errors nicely. Nitin’s characterisation and scenes have been refreshing. It’s known that Nitin is Pawan Kalyan’s fan. Earlier he used to imitate Pawan Kalyan. In this film he changed as Pawan and showed his fanside. He has perfectly used Toliprema song. By showing Pawan in graphics in the song, he attracted audience and Pawan fans. He has even taken Bhumika’s navel scene from Kushi. In fact, even mega family has not used Pawan’s stamina and star power like Nitin. All these factors will give bonus entertainment.

Second half starts on a slightly slow pace. The danger of losing first half’s pace appears at a moment. Exactly at this juncture, story again gets interesting with Nitya’s revenge drama. Nitya once again proved that she is a performer. Nitya deserves praise. Nitin and Nitya took forward this movie on their shoulders. Their chemistry has once again worked. Though we can expect the climax and coming scenes, we enjoy each scene. That’s the mystery of love stories. If director has the talent of engrossing audience in the story, he can do magic.

Anup Ruben’s music is a big plus for this movie. His tunes will enthrall audience. He remixed Toliprema song without losing its pace and beauty. He even excelled in re-recording. Cinematography and editing have been perfect. Every department has worked sincerely for this film. Visually also Gunde jaari gallanthayyinde looks very rich. Isha Talwar is wrong choice for this movie. Both her looks and acting are forgettable. Jwala Gutta appears very awkward. Don’t know what advantage Jwala brought to this film. Some obscene dialogues have got unheard under beep sounds. Though entertaining, Mada character goes overboard. If these minuses have been taken care of, film would have become much more better.

At last Nitin realised which characters will suit him. He faced series of failures with action and mass films. He changed his track and achieved hit with Ishq. Ishq showed what result he will get, if he selects characters suitable to his age and image. Gunde jaari gallanthayyinde will continue his hit run. Summer holidays have started and youngsters are looking for good cinema. Gunde jaari gallanthayyinde will satisfy their desire for a good love story.

"Gouravam" Movie Review

4:59:00 AM Add Comment
gouraThe time has come for yet another member from the mega family to arrive. This is Allu Sirish and whether his debut has been successful or not let us see.

Story
Arjun (Sirish) comes to his home village after many years with an intention to setup a plant. To his surprise, he discovers the village is still ridden with caste clashes.

In this process, he also discovers that his close friend Shankar (Madhu) who comes from a lower caste has gone missing after he eloped with the daughter of the village head Pasupathi (Prakash Raj).

Arjun along with his friend (Sricharan) starts enquiring about Shankar and he is helped by Yamini (Yami), a local girl. What are the challenges he faces and whether he is successful in his attempt or not forms the rest of the story.

Performances
Allu Sirish didn’t have anything special to offer. He needs to groom a lot to fit into the requirement of Telugu films. But he was sensible enough to choose a role which fits the character in the film. But it would take a long time for him to find acceptance.

Yami Gautam is a vision of beauty. Whenever she is onscreen, it is difficult to take eyes off her. On performance front, she is very natural in her expressions and has very good ease. She will grow big.

Prakash Raj was matured and elegant. As such, his screen time is not that much but whenever he was there he made his presence felt.

Sricharan brought few smiles, Elango Kumaravel was natural, Anupama Kumar was apt, Brahmaji was good, Nasser was very brief, L B Sriram was excellent, the others did their bit as required.

Highlights

  • Direction

  • Theme

  • Yami Gautam


Drawbacks:

  • Serious subject

  • Overdose of emotional drama


Analysis
The concept of caste system is chosen as backdrop for this film. The concept is obsolete and the execution is old fashioned.

The very theme of the film revolves around honor killing and it has to do with caste differentiation which is rather high in the rural areas of our country. While the solution has been shown as it lies the hands of youth and students, it must be said that this has been an age old problem in our nation and no solution has come so far. Though the plot is old the director has shown his mettle by narrating it in a gripping manner and keeping the suspense element on.

In a way, this is a safe bet for Sirish and he didn’t try to be a hero. Instead he just merged into the story and just contributed his part. The director has also scored in the technical departments in terms of cinematography, background score etc.

The film takes off on a shaky note but as it progresses it starts getting the attention of the audience. On the flip side, the subject and its essence is quite serious. Also, it may not be one of the regular films that a typical Telugu audience would like because entertainment is zero and seriousness is high.

Since the film is a bilingual it could work well with the Tamil industry. Overall, this is a film which deals with a society based subject and is rather sensitive given the caste flavor.

Bottomline: Cannot hook the audience interest

"Bhaadhshah" Movie Reivew - Totally Entertainment

8:38:00 AM Add Comment

bhadhshahYoung Tiger NTR’s ‘Baadshah’ is all set to hit the screens tomorrow (April 5th) in a big way. We have been to a special screening of the film and this is the first and exclusive review of ‘Baadshah’, specially for 123telugu.com readers. The movie has been directed by Sreenu Vaitla and Bandla Ganesh is the producer. Expectations on the film are sky high, so let us see if the film lives up to the hype.


Story :


Baadshah (NTR) is the youngest and most aggressive player in the international crime syndicate headed by Saadhu Bhai (Kelly Dorji). Baadshah’s father Ranjan (Mukesh Rushi) operates a very profitable casino in Macau and he is a trusted aide of Saadhu Bhai. Baadshah’s intelligence, ambition and aggression soon put him on a collision course with Saadhu Bhai and the Don wants to finish off the young upstart. With the help of rival Dons Crazy Robert (Ashish Vidyardhi) and Violent Victor (Pradeep Rawat), Saadhu tries to eliminate Baadshah and his family.


Saadhu also plans large scale terrorist attacks in all the major metros of India. Baadshah vows to foil the plans of Saadhu and to do this, he takes the help of Janaki (Kajal) and her father Jai Krishna Simha (Nasser). Jai Krishna Simha is the Police Commissioner of Hyderabad and he is a very strict head of a joint family that also includes Padmanabha Simha (Brahmanandam).


As the story progresses, it becomes clear that there is more to Baadshah than what meets the eye. He has a tragic past and a powerful motive for taking on Saadhu Bhai. What is that motive? Who is Baadshah? How does Padmanabha Simha fit into the plans of Baadshah? That forms the rest of the story.


Plus Points :


NTR is simply brilliant as Baadshah. The character demands aggression, style and ruthlessness. NTR displays all three qualities in abundance. His comedy timing is spot on and the sequences with Kajal in Italy are very entertaining. In the second half of the film, he changes his appearance and dialogue delivery effortlessly, to transform into someone else (I don’t want to reveal more details). NTR’s dances in ‘Sairo Sairo’ and ‘Rangoli Rangoli’ are fantastic.


The film will be a feast for fans. There are some special sequences that have been designed to delight them. Special mention must be made of NTR’s brief appearance in the Justice Chowdhary getup. The resemblance to his legendary grandfather is just too much. In the second half, there is a very entertaining sangeeth episode based on a medley of Sr NTR’s popular songs.


Superstar Mahesh Babu’s voice over comes in at a number of crucial junctures in the first half and it is effective. Brahmanandam is hilarious as Inspector Padmanabha Simha and he is a major asset for the film. His scenes with NTR and Nasser are rib-tickling. Sreenu Vaitla has cleverly used the ‘living out a dream’ concept from the Hollywood flick ‘Inception’ to come up with Brahmanandam’s comedy track.


M.S. Narayana is perfect for the role of film director Revenge Nageswara Rao and he will make you laugh. The character has an uncanny resemblance to Ram Gopal Varma but it is not offensive. M.S. Narayana takes care of the comedy in the first half along with NTR, Vennela Kishore and Kajal.


Kajal entertains with her ‘Banthi’ philosophy and corny one liners. She looks quite glamorous in the movie. Suhasini is neat. Navdeep has done well as an evil cop. Hero Siddharth has a very small but very crucial role in the film. Nasser is effective as the strict police officer. Pragathi has come up with a surprisingly effective and entertaining dance in the sangeeth ceremony sequence.


The second half of the film is packed with entertainment. Fast paced narration, superb comedy sequences and three peppy songs (Banthi Poola Janaki, Welcome Kanakam and Rangoli Rangoli) will keep viewers happy. All the songs have very rich visuals.


Minus Points :


The film has certain similarities to a number of Sreenu Vaitla’s past projects.Talented actors like Jayaprakash Reddy, Brahmaji, Tanikella Bharani, Master Bharath, Chandra Mohan and Thagubothu Ramesh did not receive characters fit for their abilities.


The movie slows down a little as it approaches the interval. A fight sequence should have been chopped off to speed up things.


Technical Aspects :


Four different cinematographers worked for the film and it is difficult to say who shot what. But the visuals look very rich and colourful. Editing could have been better in the first half. Thaman’s background score is effective and lends good support to the proceedings.


Choreography is good for all the songs. Sairo Sairo and Rangoli have the best steps. Dialogues are hilarious and the one liners are very effective. Credit must go to Sreenu Vaitla, Gopi Mohan and Kona Venkat for this.


Sreenu Vaitla scores at the Box Office because of the entertainment quotient in his films. ‘Baadshah’ is no different. He has come up with some good comedy sequences in the movie. He has used Brahmanandam and M.S.Narayana effectively.


Production values are very good.


Verdict :


Baadshah is a very effective entertainer for the summer holidays. Brilliant performances from NTR, Kajal, Brahmanandam and M.S.Narayana coupled with a highly entertaining second half are major plus points for the film. Despite similarities to Sreenu Vaitla’s past projects, the film makes for a very enjoyable watch. Catch ‘Baadshah’ this weekend. Entertainment is guaranteed!

"Aravind-2" Movie Review

4:34:00 AM Add Comment
aravind2Sekhar Suri, who made the well received ‘A Film By Aravind’ many years ago, is back with ‘Aravind 2′. The movie has Srinivas Avasarala, Kamal Kamaraju, Madhavi Latha, Adonica and Sri in the lead roles. Sri Vijayabheri Productions banner has produced the movie. Let us see how the movie is.

Story :

A movie production crew sets out to shoot a film in the Dandeli Forest. The hero (Kamal Kamaraju), second hero (Sri), Heroine (Adonika), Director (Srinivas Avasarala) and Producer (Anchor Vijay) rent out a guest house and wait for their backup crew to arrive.

A psychotic masked killer roams around in the forest and his sole aim is to kill any unfortunate person who crosses his path. As you can imagine, the psychotic killer now sets out to finish off the production crew one by one.

It so happens that Sri has a separate motive for joining the production team. He is on the lookout for his missing friends.

What happens in the end? Will the crew survive the killer’s madness? That is the story of ‘Aravind 2′.

Plus Points :

A lot of effort went into the making of this film and this is quite apparent.The remote locations and the physical nature of the action require a lot of effort. Srinivas Avasarala, Kamal Kamaraju and Bannerjee have performed well. Madhavi Latha looks fine. Adonika is ok.

One or two killing sequences have been executed well. The movie picks up a little pace towards the interval. A few sound effects are nice

Minus Points :

Screenplay is terrible and the writing is atrocious.

When your team-mates go missing, you are expected to show some concern and worry. Someone forgot to tell this to the actors in ‘Aravind 2′. People keep getting killed one by one but the actors continue to behave and act as if everything is fine.

Sree is a terrible misfit for the role of Aravind. He does not have good screen presence and his diction is very bad. He ends up irritating viewers with his performance. There are so many loopholes in the plot and some scenes are just outrageously illogical.

The emotional justification given for the killer’s transformation from an ugly boy into a deranged psychopath is very superficial.

The film’s runtime is way too long and will test the patience of viewers.

The climax episode is terribly handled. Viewers were sniggering and booing the actors towards the end.

The film aims to be a thriller, but for the most part, it is boring and tepid.

Technical Aspects :

K. Rajendra Babu’s cinematography is nice. Editing is terrible and the film does not have a very smooth feel to it. Music and background score are forgettable. Background music is extremely crucial for a film like this to succeed. In this movie, it ends up being loud and cacophonic

Sekhar Suri fails completely as a director in this movie. This movie is not even half as good as ‘A Film by Aravind’.

Verdict :

‘Aravind 2′ is a poor excuse of a thriller. A lot of effort went into the making of this movie but all that is wasted because it is badly written, poorly directed and terribly edited. Logic goes for a big toss in a lot of places.If you go in expecting a thriller like ‘A Film by Aravind’, you will be sorely disappointed.

"Jaffa" Movie Review

4:26:00 AM Add Comment
jaffaBrahmanandam who rules the roost in comedy has now arrived as a hero once again after a long hiatus. He has teamed up with Vennela Kishore for this one. Let us see whether this attempt was successful.

Story
Jasmine Falguda (Brahmi) shortly known as Jaffa has become a sought after convict but in reality he happens to be a software engineer who has a sadistic boss (Melkoti).

Few unexpected events land him in jail and with his brainy ideas, Jaffa becomes famous in the jail. Even the jailer Nikki (Vennela Kishore) takes suggestions and tips from Jaffa to solve his problems.

One incident puts Nikki in trouble and Jaffa decides to help him out with an escape plan. Whether that works or not forms the rest of the tale.

Performances:
Brahmanandam is a high potential actor and he has shown his versatility in every way possible. Despite his age and image, he still has the ability to carry a film on his shoulders.

Vennela Kishore was natural and more spontaneous. His strength lies in his timing and dialogue delivery. Though his role was lacking depth he gave it enough energy to withstand.

Ali was alright, Sravan was standard, Dhanraj was good, Melkoti was moderate, Venu was upto the mark, Harish did his bit as required, Ahuti Prasad came and went, Raghu Babu was confusing.

Highlights:

  • Brahmanandam


Drawbacks:

  • Second half

  • Screenplay

  • Dragged scenes

  • Weak energy


Analysis:
Generally dreams appear senseless even for a healthy human being. Just imagine how the dreams of a mad man appear. And if you can’t, go and watch ‘JAFFA’.

No one knows why there’s a Church Father in a Jail. And no one understands why 3 prisoners always play dirty games in prison. It needs a sense beyond logic to connect to the coffin episode. It’s neither surrealism nor straight nor symbolism nor anything. It’s a new genre, yet to be named.

Unlike Hollywood, the Indian cinema has been going around with conventional genres like romance, action, thriller, horror, comedy. But in the recent past, few filmmakers have dared to venture with experimental genres and we are already seeing such ones being made in Bollywood. Vennela Kishore is one actor/director who has attempted to break the barrier and come up with something according to his conviction in Telugu. This is one such effort. But it’s hard to digest this for Telugu audience those are habituated to watch formula films.

As such, the thought process of the director (actually he is an actor) is creative beyond a limit and there is a good streak of comedy in him. But in order to get the audience attention for two plus hours, certain technical rules need to be followed. For instance, the screenplay should be consistent and keep the viewer hooked to the plot. Secondly, such cult comedies require good energy and pace, the scenes have to be brief and quick. It is because these elements were not strong the film fizzles out after a while.

First half is crisp and short and hence sounds reasonable despite senselessness rules through out. But second half marred with lengthy narration. It got extremely monotonous and boring. This is mainly due to jarred screenplay.

Overall, this is a film which will have strong openings due to the positive hype created and the Brahmi factor. It may not be a commercial failure but a content failure.

Bottomline: Sounds like a mad man’s dream

"Swami Ra Ra" Movie Review - Decent Watch

3:35:00 AM Add Comment
Swamy-Ra-Ra_review-300x200‘Happy Day’s fame Nikhil who has been working his way up the ladder has teamed up with Colors Swathi for a new entertainer with a new team. Whether it was good enough, let us see

Story
Surya (Nikhil) is a pickpocket and he works with his gang (Pooja, Chanti) like a professional. One incident gets Surya to come across Swathi (Swathi) an innocent and cute girl and he falls in love with her. But Swathi doesn’t know Surya’s background.

Meanwhile, an idol which gets stolen from Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala changes hands and finally lands in the hands of Surya. This is being chased by the notorious Shankar (Ravi Babu).

How that idol came to Surya and what happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Performances:
Nikhil gave a contained performance and unlike his previous flicks where he goes overboard with his body language trying to be a mass hero, he played very sensibly and showed maturity.

Swathi is cute as usual and though her role was subdued she ensured that she made her presence felt wherever possible. She also entertained with her trade mark punches leaving audiences on the roads of laughs.

Pooja is there in almost all scenes and she has sex appeal written all over her face and body. She has done a decent job in acting and if she can plan her moves carefully she can groom her career.

Chanti did his bit as required, Ravi Babu was adequate, Praveen was up to the mark, Jeeva was standard; Bhanu Avirineni (one of the ace film publicity designers ‘Anil and Bhanu’) was a surprise package. He has revealed an actor in him so he can do more onscreen; Jogi Brothers were very brief but good. Others contributed effectively.

Highlights

  • Screenplay

  • Artist performances

  • Background score

  • Cinematography

  • Concept


Drawbacks:

  • Clichéd Pre-Climax

  • Slow pace in few scenes


Analysis
‘Swamy Rara’ reminds the following films to the audience:

  • Kshana Kshanam (money factor)

  • Anaganaga oka Roju (pre climax confusion in dog house)

  • Govinda Govinda (divine idol factor)

  • Donga-Donga (chasing sequences)


The talk about a new era of filmmakers entering Tollywood has been on and true to that, there have been a series of debut attempts happening. But most of them have been focusing only on hitting marks at the box office and not hesitating to use any form of adulterated content and ‘Boothu’ formulae. However, it looks like there are those men who have a passion for the craft and believe that good content will always get good quantity of audience.

This director seems to belong to that school. Right from the first scene to the end of the film, he has done his homework properly and his visualization of the story, the shot division, scene composition and extracting performance from the actors has been very professional.

Most importantly, the entire film has been shot in and around Hyderabad which only goes to show how he has budgeted the film in an optimum manner. This is what we call a true wave of new age filmmaker. Ideally, the plot is serious but the director had the ability to depict it with less burden and more entertainment.

This light hearted approach was well supported by the technicians especially the music department and cinematography. The film takes off pleasantly and as it progresses it gets the audience involved into it.

The interval bang was interesting and the second half faltered in the pace but it picked up at many places. This film has shown that if one can think of a good subject, associate with a good team and project it with right eye for sharp and subtle narration then the product is going to be fruitful.

Bottomline: Sensibly narrated entertaining tale

Back Bench Student Movie Review- Slow and Boring

6:31:00 AM Add Comment
Back-Bench-Student-Movie-Poster-Designs-1It is not a rule that those who don’t study cannot come up in life, there are many who were not educated sufficiently but reached great heights. Madhura Sreedhar’s attempt was to convey the same through this film. We have seen many flicks in that genre but by putting an attractive title ‘Back Bench Student’ and revealing that the student failed 16 subjects, he managed to raise curiosity. Let us see if he made the film in such an interesting way.

Story
Karthik (Mahat) is not interested in studies and he fails in 16 subjects in engineering. His girlfriend Priyanka (Archana) goes to US for doing her MS. Though he is not good in studies, Karthik is good in ethical hacking and with the help of his friend Chaitra (Piaa) he gets a job in her company. Karthik and Chaitra fall in love. But Priyanka returns to India discontinuing her MS to get back to Karthik. Who will Karthik choose forms the rest of the story.

Performances
Mahat doesn’t have Hero features. The director must have felt a hero is not required and Mahat will be a good fit. Keeping aside his physique, looks he needs to have the skill of acting. But if he goes to an acting school Mahat will definitely be a ‘Backbench Student’ there.

Both heroines are okay. More than Piaa Bajpai, the performance of Archana Kavi is better.

Ali did his best to do justice to the role but he was not given the right scenes or dialogues to bring humor.

Brahmanandam came in climax and tried something like comedy. Audience has seen him thousands of times and there are rarely instances when they get irritated with him. That rare instance has happened through his character ‘Kareena Kapoor’ in the film. Both audience and Brahmi had a tough time in this attempt to comedy.

Sarath Babu, Pragathi, Banerjee did standard parents characters. The artists who worked as friends of the hero and heroines did a good job.

Highlights

  • There might be something in the backbench


Drawbacks

  • All benches in front of backbench got filled with them


Analysis
Generally people becoming ‘something to something’ stories tend to attract. Someone who is useless achieving something big is definitely acceptable and ‘achievers’ stories are always inspiring. The point that Sreedhar chose has material but the narrative was not appealing.

The poor screenplay led to total boredom from start to finish. None of the characters were developed properly. Everything happens quickly. There is no spice in the romance track between hero and heroine. It is all about him failing 16 subjects and the second love track also goes stale. Here, the routine heroine was made an orphan and her love towards orphans locks the heart of the hero. There is no valid reason why he left the girl he loved for 4 years. The less we speak about romantic track the better. No words can also describe the ‘talent’ of hero’s hacking. Instead of making it a routine end, an attempt was made to satisfy audience using Brahmanandam but they expected something and result was something else.

You might get tempted to run away watching Brahmi’s comedy. There is no point in the cinema wherein we can connect or smile heartily. There is not a scope for even grace marks. Even the technical team didn’t contribute. Director must be held responsible because he failed to extract work from them rightly. Having experience of making two films, he should have known what to expect from his team.

Dialogues are very bad. Words have been written just to fill the scenes. Sometimes background score gives some life but Sunil Kashyap made a mess of the whole film.

Everywhere he created noise even when unwanted and tested the patience of the audience. One can dedicate two full pages to explain how pathetic his background score was.

Nothing much in cinematography, editing, they were mechanical. Sreedhar had many backlogs in script stage and he could not do a convincing work. Overall, the student turns out to be hopeless and proves he does not qualify to pass.

Bottomline: This student ‘tests’ your patience

Gundello Godari' Review: More Troughs Than Crests

6:35:00 AM Add Comment
ggLakshmi Manchu’s ambitious project, Gundello Godaari, has released today across the world. The movie has been directed by Kumar Nagendra and Ilayaraja has composed the music. Tapsee, Aadi, Sundeep Kishan and Lakshmi Manchu have played the lead roles. Let us see how ‘Gundello Godaari’ is.

Story :

The story of the film is loosely based on a novel named ‘Godavari Kathalu’, written by BVS Rama Rao. The film is set in 1986, in a remote village near Rajahmundry. Malli ( Aadi) and Chitra (Lakshmi Manchu) are a newly wed couple who are forced to battle it out against a devastating flood. They lose all hope of survival, so they decide to narrate the darkest moments of their lives to each other.

Malli is an honest and hardworking fisherman whose life ambition is to buy a fishing boat of his own. He works under Sambasivayya, a fishing merchant. Sarala (Tapsee) is Sambasivayya’s daughter and she lusts after Malli. A frightened Malli tries his best to fend off Sarala’s advances, but succumbs in the end. His simple life is shattered when Sambasivayya comes to know about the matter.

Chitra is a simple village girl who grows up admiring Suri (Sundeep Kishan). She works under Dhorababu (Ravi Babu), who is a womaniser, and is constantly forced to fend off his lecherous advances. A misunderstanding with Suri shatters her life and she is left all alone. Just when things seem to be taking a turn for the better, fate deals her a crucial blow. She is forced to choose between her modesty and Suri’s life. What does she do?

Will Malli and Chitra survive the flood? What happens after they confess their secrets to each other? That forms the story of ‘Gundello Godaari’.

Plus Points :

The film’s flooding sequences have been shot superbly. There is an air of authenticity around the sequences and the production team needs to be commended for this effort. Aadi is very effective as the fisherman Malli. He looks raw and rugged. Tapsee’s characterization in the film is very interesting and she has played her part as a seductress to perfection.

Lakshmi has done a neat job. Sundeep Kishan is ok. Ravi Babu is effective as the womanising Dhorababu.

The first half of the film is pretty good and the scenes between Tapsee and Aadi are quite entertaining. It felt good to listen to some blockbuster Telugu film songs from the 80′s once again (They could be heard in the background, on radios etc).

There are some nicely written dialogues in the film and they will work well with mass masala lovers.

Minus Points :

The romantic track between Sundeep Kishan and Lakshmi in the second half could have been written better. There is no linear characterisation for this part of the film and most of the scenes seem superficial.

The pace of the movie can get slow at times, especially in the second half.

There are a lot of unexplained gaps in the plot. Why and how did Aadi and Lakshmi end up getting married? Who fixed their alliance? What happened to Aadi and Tapsee after their lovemaking episode?

The sentimental scenes in the second half are a little melodramatic and predictable.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography by M.N.Palanikumaar is outstanding. He has managed to capture the natural beauty of the godavari delta very effectively. Ilayaraja’s background score is excellent in the film. The songs have been influenced by some of his past works. Editing could have been better in the second half.

Kumar Nagendra is a promising technician. If he can improve his command over narration and script, he has the potential to make good films.

Verdict :

‘Gundello Godaari’ is a commendable effort from Lakshmi Manchu. The movie has its share of strengths and weaknesses. A brilliantly shot flooding sequence, good cinematography and a nice first half work in the film’s favour. A below par second half spoils the experience a bit. Overall, the movie can be watched once for the superior technical effort that went into the film.

Mr.Pellikoduku Movie Review - Dull Wedding

2:07:00 AM Add Comment
mr.Sunil and Isha Chawla’s ‘Mr. Pellikoduku’ is releasing today. The movie is an official remake of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and Devi Prasad has directed the Telugu version. Veteran music director S.A. Rajkumar has composed the film’s music. Mega Supergood Movies banner has produced the film with a decent budget. A premiere show was held yesterday night (Feb 28th) at Cinemax in Hyderabad and we have been to that. Let us see if Sunil strikes with ‘Mr. Pellikoduku’

Story :

Buchi Babu (Sunil) is an NRI who owns a boutique. He returns to India after a gap of six years in order to select a suitable bride from the options shortlisted by his parents (Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam and Tulasi). His first ‘pelli choopulu’ is with Anjali (Isha Chawla), the daughter of Sugar Subbaraju (Ahuthi Prasad). Buchi Babu instantly falls in love with Anjali and she appears to reciprocate the emotion. The parents are elated.

But Anjali reveals a shocking truth and displays her wild side. A shocked Buchi Babu drops the proposal and goes off in search of other potential bridegrooms. But he can never truly get Anjali out of his heart and mind.

As fate would have it, Buchi Babu’s friend Naayar invites him to Kerala for a wedding and Anjali also happens to come there. Once again, love blossoms in our hero’s heart. With the help of his friend Bachi (Ali), Buchi Babu tries to win back the heart of Anjali.

Will he succeed? Is there someone else in Anjali’s life? That forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points :

Some of Sunil’s dances are superb (Please note the word ‘some’). During some comedy sequences, he tried to bring back memories of a vintage Sunil. Isha Chawla did a good job in the film and she looks beautiful. She has the glamour and the talent to make it big. Her characterization is quite interesting and she has managed to pull it off well.

Ali manages to bring a few smiles. Ravi Babu, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam and Ahuthi Prasad are ok. There are some funny moments in the first half. The humorous fight between Sunil and Ravi Babu will be enjoyed by most people.

Some of Sunil’s ‘Pelli Choopulu’ scenes are funny. The ‘Inuparekulu’ serial episode will strike a chord with family crowds.

Minus Points :

Care should have been taken regarding Sunil’s look and appearance in the movie. The hairstyle, the makeup used and the hideous pink lipstick make him look very odd. He had natural charm when he was heavy and one misses the good old Sunil of ‘Dhee’, ‘Sontham’, ‘Manmadhudu’, ‘Santosham’, ‘Nuvvu Naku Nacchav’ etc.

While some of his dances are truly good, some are so bad that they are almost funny. The ‘belt step’ in the second half left me scratching my head.

The movie goes for a toss in the second half. There are just way too many songs and they keep coming in one after the other. And because the songs are atrocious, viewers may experience restlessness.

The sentimental scenes are melodramatic, poorly scripted and lack depth. The cliched dialogues and pathetic background score make things worse. Outdated comedy adds to the misery.

Some of the scenes appear forced and have no proper justification. For example, the shirtless climax fight is very artificial and you can make out that it was inserted solely to show off Sunil’s body.

Tanu Weds Manu worked because of some good music and clever writing. Sadly, both attributes are missing in the Telugu version.

Technical Aspects :

Sameer Reddy’s cinematography is ok. Nandamuri Hari’s editing is not very satisfactory. Music and background score provided by S.A. Rajkumar are huge minus points and they do not lend any strength to the proceedings.

Devi Prasad’s direction is bad. Screenplay could have been a lot tighter in the second half. Dialogues are good only in a few areas.

Verdict :

‘Mr. Pellikoduku’ is a poor remake of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’. Bad Music,outdated sequences and Sunil’s odd makeup are big minus points for the movie. Isha Chawla’s glamour and some humour in the first half may not be enough to save this flick. I am going to watch ‘Sontham’ now to see the good old Sunil in action.

"Jabardasth" Movie Review - A Desent Entertainer

3:09:00 AM Add Comment
jabardhasthSiddharth and Samantha’s ‘Jabardasth’ has released today across the world. The movie has been directed by Nandini Reddy and Bellamkonda Suresh is the producer. Thaman has composed the music. The film has been getting a decent buzz due to the presence of Samantha and due to Nandini Reddy’s previous film ‘Ala Modalaindi’.

Story :

The story of this film has been heavily inspired by the Bollywood hit ‘Band Bajaa Baraat’. Bairraju (Siddharth) is a perpetually bankrupt fellow who wants to get rich fast by trying his hand at various businesses. To escape from his creditors, he runs away to Bihar but his fortunes don’t change there either. He runs into trouble with the local strongman (Shayaji Shinde), who wants Bairraju to marry his sister. To escape from that scenario, Bairraju comes back to Hyderabad after a gap of 5 years.

He comes across Shreya (Samantha) at a wedding and secretly listens to her business plans. Shreya wants to set up a wedding planning agency and comes up with a scheme to learn the tools of the trade under top wedding planner Pinki Sharma. Armed with this information, Bairraju also approaches Pinki Sharma and reluctantly teams up with Shreya.

As time goes by, the duo decide to set up their own wedding planning company and they name it Shreyas Media. Business booms for a while but Bairraju’s extremely commercial nature creates differences between him and Shreya. A miffed Shreya kicks Bairraju out and he decides to start his own venture named ‘Bairraju Bampar Manazement’ (yes, that really is the spelling).

As competition between the two firms heats up, Saraswati ( Nithya Menon) comes in like a breath of fresh air into Bairraju’s life. Life looks rosy for Bairraju until fate throws in a cruel twist. What is that twist? Whom does Bairraju end up with? That forms the story of ‘Jabardasth’.

Plus Points :

Siddharth has tried his hand at mass comedy for the first time and he has tried his best. His dialogues in ‘butler english’ are funny. Samantha looks gorgeous as always and she has done a very good job in this film. Samantha has the power to steal hearts with her smile and she uses that to great effect in this movie.

The star of the film however is Nithya Menen. She is just brilliant as Saraswati and has commanding screen presence. In the song ‘Meghamala’, she looks just like veteran actress Savithri garu in Mayabazaar. The movie has good pace as long as Nithya is present and her character is what keeps the film alive.

Srihari, Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, Thagubothu Ramesh, Telangana Sakunthala, Shayaji Shinde and Vennela Kishore entertain to a certain extent.

All the songs in the film have been shot very colourfully. Picturization is particularly good for ‘Meghamaala’ and ‘Ninnilage’ songs.

Minus Points :

If you have seen ‘Band Bajaa Barat’, you will find ‘Jabardasth’ to be extremely predictable.

The interval block and the subsequent twists in the romantic track between Siddharth and Samantha could have been handled more effectively. There is no emotional depth in this love track and that is why it fizzles out towards the end.

The climax block is a bit slow, melodramatic and cliched. Some of the comedy scenes are not very effective.

Srihari manages to bring a few laughs as Don Javed Bhai, but this episode just does not gel with the rest of the story. The concept of bringing two Hyderabadi wedding planners all the way to Malaysia, to organize the wedding of the Don’s sister, seems a bit far fetched.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography of the movie is good. Editing could have been better in the second half, especially in the closing stages of the movie. Dialogues are humorous. Production values are ok.

Nandini Reddy has only partially succeeded as a director this time. She has conceived a superb character for Nithya Menen but the brilliance seen in ‘Ala Modalaindi’ is missing. Screenplay could have been better.

Verdict :

Siddharth’s fresh characterization, Samantha’s glamour and Nithya Menen’s sterling performance make ‘Jabardasth’ a one time watch. The film’s predictable story line and lack of emotional depth prevent it from rising above the ordinary.

"Chammak Challo" Movie Review - Love Psychology

2:33:00 AM Add Comment
chammakNational award winner Neelekanta is back and this time he has chosen something different to entertain the audience. Whether he is successful or not let us see.

Story:
Kishore (Srinivas Avasarala) is an aspiring moviemaker and in his search for a proper love subject he comes across lecturer Apparao (Sayaji) who shares with him the love tale of Shyam (Varun) and Anshu (Sanchita), students in his college.

They get engaged and marriage is due in 6 months, Shyam gets a job and goes to Bangalore.

There he meets Sunaina (Catherine) who is more like his dream girl. This gives rise to few complications and what happens after that forms the rest of the tale.

Performances:
Nothing new has come from Varun Sandesh. Barring those 2-3 standard expressions and his anglicized dialogue delivery, not much to look from him, it is about time he stops being stereotype and doing stale stuff.

Sanchita Padukone is not much of a looker. She has decent confidence in front of camera but except the side angles and her smiles, she cannot catch attention.

Catherine is the life and soul of this movie. In fact, it is only after her entry that the film gets into some momentum and makes things interesting. She has the potential to grow big.

Srinivas Avasarala is a talent who needs to be explored, he deserves more opportunities. Sayaji Shinde was standard. Vennela Kishore was outright hilarious, he is too good in roles like these. Chinmayi was hardly there but she is also a good option to check out. Surekha Vani was alright. Brahmaji looked too young to be a father. The rest did their bit as required.

Highlights:

  • Catherine Tresa

  • Second half

  • Screenplay

  • Chandamama Tho.. song


Drawbacks:

  • First half

  • Varun’s styling and look

  • Background score

  • Dialogues


Analysis:
Neelekanta is called as the king of script writing and a master in screenplay, that has always been his strength and the other plus is, the subjects he chooses is quite interesting dealing with human psychology and relationships. Here again, he has attempted something similar but this time there is a difference. Neelekanta has adopted the masala ingredient and he has induced few elements which will appeal to the youth and commercial audience.

All said and done, it is important that a story needs to have the right kind of energy and support from other departments like music, production values etc. that way, though he had good content and material in his subject, he could not conceive it to the fullest level of audience satisfaction. The problem is that the first half lacks in tempo and background score marred it a lot. The actual interest for the audience starts from just a few minutes before interval.

Especially, the film takes off on a rather mild note and the first half is rather slow with certain sequences being quite contradictory to logic and reasoning. Well the director tagged the line ‘love ki logic ledu’. But that doesn’t mean that he can shun the logic of film narration as well. And even at the climax part, it’s no way convincing why a young man should accept a girl who holds his shirt and demands widening her eyes, “You should keep begging mercy from me for ever”. In fact, the hero does no harm to her. At such moment where audiences get irritated by the heroine’s attitude, hero accepts her love. And there ends the film.

Not sure why Neelekanta felt Varun can do justice to this role. However, the second half made up for all setbacks with a good pace, sizzle and some emotional depth. The strokes of his brilliance were seen in few places but not everywhere.

And except ‘Chandamamtho Kundela..’ no tune has youthful appeal in it.

In fact, this film can be watched by the teens those relish the beauty of Catherine and some lighter and heavy moments of love.

Bottomline: Not as jazzy as the title

Pizza Movie Review

8:52:00 PM Add Comment

pizza‘Pizza’ is a very successful Tamil thriller which has now been dubbed into Telugu. The film is releasing this Friday in theaters and we have been to an exclusive premiere show in Prasad Labs. Karthik Subbaraj directed this thriller which stars Vijay Sethupathi and Remya Nambeesan in lead roles. Let us take a look and see if this Pizza is worth having.


Story :


Michael a.k.a. Mike (Vijay Sethupathi) is a pizza delivery boy who lives a quite normal life along with his girlfriend Anu (Remya Nambeesan). Anu is a wannabe novelist who is deeply interested in paranormal phenomena, ghosts and other such stuff. The couple have a live-in relationship and things get complicated once Anu gets pregnant.


As a confused and scared Michael grapples with the news of this pregnancy, he comes face to face with his Boss’s daughter who seems to be possessed by an evil spirit named Nithya. A thoroughly frightened and disturbed Michael goes out to deliver a Pizza, without realising that his life is about to take a very ugly turn.


Strange and scary things keep happening in the bungalow that Michael goes to. What does Michael encounter there? How does he confront his issues? That forms the story of ‘Pizza’.


Plus :


‘Pizza’ is one of the finest Indian thrillers I have seen in recent times. The screenplay never loses tempo and the sustained sense of suspense will keep you on the edge of your seats. Vijay Sethupathi has excelled in the role of Michael. His performance as a scared and shellshocked pizza boy is very realistic. Remya Nambeesan looks ok.


The film’s biggest assets are sound effects, cinematography and a very clever screenplay. Director Karthik Subbaraj needs to be applauded for coming up with a superb effort for a first film.


The scenes in the ‘Smitha Bungalow’ are spine chillingly effective and they are some of the scariest you will ever encounter among Indian films. For about 30 minutes prior to the intervaland 20 minutes after that, the film can rival some of the best horror thrillers out there.


The second half is the life and soul of this film and the climax sequence has been executed brilliantly well. Viewers will try their best to predict the outcome after the first shocking twist hits home, but virtually no one will see the second twist coming.


The sound effects and the pulsating background score need to be experienced in a proper theater with good sound. Only then will you be able to appreciate the fine work that Santosh Narayan has come up with.


Minus Points :


Remya Nambeesan’s make up and look should have been better. Perhaps, the director intentionally went in for a look devoid of glamour but Telugu viewers will not like that.


While the background score of the film is terrific, the songs are a big letdown.


The film may not appeal to viewers who seek casual entertainment as there will be nothing in this film for them. Commercial elements like comedy, masala moments etc etc are nonexistent and this may limit its Box Office appeal.


As with all dubbed films, this movie also suffers from Tamil nativity and lack of familiar faces.


Technical Aspects :


Gopi Amarnath’s brilliant cinematography is a major asset for the film. His camerawork inside the haunted building is what really brings this film alive. Editing is almost flawless. Dialogues are ok and do their job.


Karthik Subbaraj scores full marks as a director for coming up with a very fine effort on his debut film.


Verdict :


It is tough to slot ‘Pizza’ into a genre. Is it a romantic thriller? Is it a horror thriller? A thriller it most definitely is and a very fine one at that. Go watch ‘Pizza’ this Friday if you want to catch a film that is impressive, genuinely intelligent and scary at the same time.

"Ongol Gittha" Movie Review

1:48:00 AM Add Comment

ramEnergetic Star Ram and Kriti Kharbandha have teamed up for ‘Ongole Gitta’ and the film has been directed by ‘Bommarillu’ Bhaskar. BVSN Prasad is the producer of this film and it has released today in Andhra Pradesh. Bhaskar has attempted to make a mass entertainer this time, so let us see how he has fared.


Story :


White (Ram) – yes that really is his name, is a dynamic and arrogant Mirchi trader and he operates out of the Ongole Mirchi yard. His fearless attitude and intelligence earn him the respect and adoration of his fellow traders in the yard. The chairman of the yard is Adikesavulu (Prakash Raj), a benevolent and caring person.


White soon falls in love with Adikesavulu’s daughter Sandhya (Kriti Kharbandha) and asks Adikesavulu’s permission to marry her. As this saga unfolds, the local MLA (Ahuthi Prasad) hatches a conspiracy to shift the market yard to a new location for his own personal gains.


This move is resisted by the traders and they now look up to White and Adikesavulu to solve the problem. That is when the story takes a twist. Both White and Adikesavulu have a past and a personal agenda. Both of them are connected to the Mirchi Yard’s former chairman Narayana (Prabhu).


What is that past? What connection do Adikesavulu and White share with Narayana? That forms the story of this film.


Plus Points :


Ram delivers yet another energetic performance and he looks dashing in his white shirts. He has danced well in the last song of the movie ‘Chalu Chal le’. Kriti Kharbandha looks gorgeous in this movie and her performance is neat. She has upped her glamour quotient considerably with this film. Ram and Kriti share good chemistry on screen.


Prakash Raj delivers yet another knockout performance in this movie. As Adikesavulu, he manages to keep viewers completely entertained and he shows terrific variations in emotions. He is a major asset to the film. Veteran actor Prabhu is neat.


Raghu Babu, Ali and Kishore Das do their best to bring about some humour but they are only partially successful. The first 25 minutes of the movie is decent.


Minus Points :


What was Bhaskar thinking when he made this movie? There is utter confusion in both the script as well as the screenplay. And the film suffers from excessive Tamil nativity, especially from the interval onwards.


The emotional bond between the father and son was not established strongly enough and as a result, viewers will find it tough to connect to the story.


There really was no need to showcase Prakash Raj in the buff multiple times. That too, a full frontal nude scene. Even if Bhaskar wanted to convey some sort of vile emotion in Prakash Raj’s character through this scene, it just did not come across well.


The climax is extremely predictable and I actually heard people say “mike on chesi untadu ra” as the scene was unfolding. You will understand when you see the film.


Abhimanyu Singh has been sacrificed once again with a terribly written character. He is made to look like a joker. Ajay and Ahuthi Prasad are wasted in a poor roles. Ali’s female costumes are not tasteful.


There are too many loopholes in the plot. The way in which Narayana was betrayed and his subsequent ouster seem very superficial. Placement of songs is poor, especially for the last song.


Technical Aspects :


Cinematography is decent. Editing is not upto the mark and it should have been much sharper in the second half. Bhaskar has attempted to infuse some double meaning dialogues into the comedy scenes but that is not his forte and the end result is not satisfactory. Bhaskar falters completely in the departments of direction and screenplay. As I said earlier, what was he thinking?


Verdict :


With Ongole Gitta, one gets the feeling that Bhaskar desperately wanted to break into the ‘mass director’ mould. Sadly, the movie ends up as a below average entertainer. Ram’s energy levels, Prakash Raj’s performance and Kriti Kharbandha’s beauty are the sole redeeming factors. A poor script and a messy screenplay take a huge toll on the film.

"Vishwaroopam" Movie Review- Elegant Terror Tale

3:34:00 AM Add Comment

vishwaroopamUniversal Star Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroopam’ is all set for a massive worldwide release today. The film will not be releasing in Tamil Nadu and a few areas of Hyderabad(for today only) due to objections from certain Muslim communities. Vishwaroopam has been made with a massive budget and the film has an ensemble cast that includes Kamal Haasan, Shekhar Kapur, Rahul Bose and Pooja Kumar. Let us see how the movie is.


Story :


Vishwaroopam is a multi-layered story that is set in USA and Afghanistan, over a period of many years. The movie starts off with Vishwanath (Kamal Haasan) and his pretty young wife Dr. Nirupama (Pooja Kumar). Vishwanath is a dainty fellow who teaches Bharatanatyam and does not have any of the masculine qualities that Nirupama, who is a nuclear oncologist, desires. As a result, she starts developing feelings for her boss Deepak.


But she soon discovers that Deepak is not the suave and intelligent fellow he seems to be. He is a shady operator who has links with a terror outfit headed by Omar (Rahul Bose). As she gets into trouble, she also discovers that her dainty husband Vishwanath has more to him than what meets the eye. He has a past, and he hooks up with Nirupama for a reason.


Vishwanath and Nirupama soon get entangled in a dangerous plot that seeks to explode a dirty bomb in the heart of New York City. Can they stop Omar and his gang of thugs? What is Vishwanath’s past? That forms the story of ‘Vishwaroopam’.


Plus Points :


As usual, Kamal Haasan is brilliant in this film. He just excels in whatever he does and being a method actor, he brings so much realism into his performances. The man’s passion towards cinema deserves respect. Sekhar Kapur is dignified and delivers a classy performance. Rahul Bose is highly effective as the terrorist boss Omar.


The surprise package of the film is Pooja Kumar. She delivers a nice performance as the naive nuclear oncologist Nirupama. There is something very charming about her and the voice used for her Telugu dubbing suited her role perfectly. Andrea Jeremiah is ok.


The film’s look and feel is on par with Hollywood flicks. Especially the cinematography and the action sequences. They are outstanding and credit must be given to Kamal Haasan for taking Indian cinema forward in these areas. The scenes shot in Afghanistan and the interval firefight with the US Army stand out for their superb execution.


Screenplay is excellent in the second half. I really liked a narration technique used by Kamal in the film for revealing key flashback episodes, where the camera freezes in Matrix style, and takes the viewer back in time.


A lot of work has gone into making this movie and it is apparent. The locales, the chase sequences and the scenes involving the US Army require tremendous logistical planning.


Minus Points :


The film is slow, sometimes quite painfully. This is more evident in the first half, where Kamal is shown for a while as a dainty fellow with feminine traits. These scenes will not go down very well with entertainment seeking movie lovers.


The songs in this movie do not really gel with the film and they should have been avoided altogether . They merely act as speed breakers.


This is primarily a spy thriller, but the gripping narrative that is required to make such films effective is missing here.


Technical Aspects :


Sanu Varghese deserves special applause for his brilliant cinematography. Afghanistan has been shot beautifully. The dusty mountains, the deserts and the vast expanses of wasteland – they all seem so majestic in the movie.


Editing could have been sharper, especially in the first half. Background music is good, though it seems to have liberally used a few sounds from ‘The Dark Knight’. Choreography of the action sequences is fantastic.


As a director, Kamal Haasan excelled in the technical aspects of filmmaking. But he should have speeded up the pace of narration in the first half.


Verdict :


Vishwaroopam is a technically brilliant movie, but its Box Office appeal will most likely be limited to multiplexes and A centers. Brilliant cinematography and superbly shot action sequences are major assets for the film. A very slow pace of narration at times and some poorly placed songs spoil the overall effect. Kamal Haasan deserves respect for having the courage to mount the film on such a scale and with such high technical values.

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