"Akhil" Movie Review (Telugu)

My review:

https://www.telugu360.com/akhil-review-a-complicated-debut/

"Focus" (English) Movie Review

The plot starts with the beautiful Margot Robbie getting trained by ace conman Wil Smith as a hooker who can pick pockets. Margot soon realises Wil Smith is not just the best conman or pick-up artiste in town but also the smoothest operator whose game sucks the wildest wits out of anybody. From running an empire of slick and artful pick-pockets who take the most prized possessions however skin-tightly worn, Margot Robbie is ensnared into the world of Wil Smith and his proteges all of whom interned in the art of subtle influence and subterfuge. The apprentice that Margot is, she falls into the honey trap laid out by Wil Smith as she falls in love with him. The feelings get mutual before Wil dumps her at New Orleans. Wil Smith's masterly art of deception plays out in the second half with a man who bets big on race cars but his self-forsaken love returns as an important lady in the overall scheme of things. Will will become Old Wily? Can he prime the pump yet again? Can he win it bigger than the last time he separated a Chinese millionaire off his millions  when betting changed from a superbowl game to predicting a section of the audience watching the game? 

As an action genre film enmeshed with a wacky plot of second-guessing and some maudlin Bollywood-style romance, "Focus" packs a punch in most of the 116 minutes with some good thrills of watching a trained persuader who makes gainful usage of everything that evolved influence into a science. Wil Smith is the self-trained Pro who uses subliminal subconscious programming, NLP, emotional "Atyachar" and ancient techniques of deception, auto-suggestions and reframing. The film seems predictable at times but surprises you on more than a couple of occasions in creating engima about what the schemer is out to achieve - you sometimes get tricked into believing that the memes are muted but the director gets you now, and lets you have your guess another time. The plot is a simple three-act story - romance, two episodes that get the hero's focus on parting fools of their monies, one of them at interval block and the other in the climax - and narrates itself easy. Though a notch below the stuff Wil Smith brings to the table, "Focus" brings old-fashioned tell-tale kind of screenplays back into focus. To appeal better with a story that can't be dumbed down for the discerning audience who love intelligent cinema, the film gives spectacular footage to Margot Robbie as the muse who moves the cheese for Wil Smith - they got some of the hottest scenes together on the same lines as "The Wolff of Wall Street" stuff that gets it an A-rating but the fun is not vulgar as in the former. While Margot looks stunning and adds much spice and substance to her role, Wil Smith takes backstage with a sloppy makeup and a terrible look - he seems to have pumped too much iron in the last few movies so looks tired. Hasn't lost his sense of humor and winky looks though. 

The film is shot in India, Russia, Japan, Argentina and of course parts of America and Europe. Watching the film however gets you a quaint feeling that directors in Bollywood, Tollywood or Kollywood are going to remake this interesting film into more dumbed-down version with massive doses of Masala. It has all the ingredients to make enough song and dance about it in Indian films. Though not compulsively engrossing, the opening sequence, interval block and the climax make it all worth it. 

Rating: 3.25/5

#Focus #WilSmith #MargotRobbie #Hollywood #MovieReviews

"Atharintiki Daaredi" (Telugu) Movie Review

"Atharintiki Daaredi" is a smashing film power-packed with terrific performances by Power Star Pawan Kalyan, Nadia, Rao Ramesh, Brahmanandam, MS Narayana and Ali. It is definitely the most awaited film of the year because it involves star director and ace wordsmith Trivikram who can make the screen dance with his style of comedy, emotions and words that stir your senses. After a long drought since Ravi Teja's film, Tollywood's magic comes back with "AD" and credit must go to the entire team that made a family entertainer dripping with action, comedy, romance and emotions. 

"Atharintiki Daaredi" is a familiar phrase in Telugu which is played with babies held up close in arms - it begins with a few poetic lines and ends with an affectionate hug that tickles the baby. The film also oozes out the ticklish tone filled with one man's quest to find a place in the hearts of the people residing in his paternal aunt's home in India.  Siddhu (Pawan Kalyan) is the heir to a billion dollar industrial empire in Milan, Italy run by his father (Mukesh Rushi) and grand-father (Bomman Irani). His grand-father has become a vegetable on a wheel-chair but his only wish in life is to see his daughter who he threw out of his home because she dared to marry someone despised by him. That couple, Nadia and Rao Ramesh, now live in India with a huge family and their pretty daughters - Samantha and Praneetha. Pawan Kalyan vows to get his aunt back to see his grandfather. How does Pawan Kalyan charm the household by first masquerading as a Chauffeur and later on, as Siddhu as his aunt already knows is the story with a narrative that runs like a non-stop comedy show with a rich assemblage of characters  - the usual characters seen in a Trivikram film except two missing members - Tanikella Bharani and Dharmavarapu Subramanyam. A major plus is the music by DSP, almost all the songs including the one sung by Pawan Kalyan are hummable with high melody score, one song that shows DSP on screen with Pawan borrows the kinky style of Ilayaraja in one "Charanam".

Trivikram has returned to a thorough family theme that shows only the non-invasive villainy for the sole purpose of showcasing Pawan Kalyan in some fabulous stunts. Otherwise, the film doesn't have villains in a conventional sense, most of the screenplay is between the central characters of Pawan Kalyan, Nadia, Rao Ramesh and Bomman Irani. That's a healthy comeback for Trivikram because that puts him miles ahead of the rest of the pack of directors who tend to be caught up with crass commercial sensibilities. A Tollywood film today runs on few pillars  - narrative that runs with a straight bat, comedy that fires on all fours, characterisation that can run its full course with consistency and distinctiness for each principal and peripheral character that shows up as minutes pass, screenplay that ties you to your seat, technical mastery over the aspects that make up the medium- cinematography, shot selection, logicality, editing, aesthetics and of course, music. Besides all these, dialogues that sync so well with the many worlds we live in daily life. In almost all these aspects, Trivikram has been a pro who is at the peak  and this film is a fine showcase to all those who want to see him taste mega success. The thing with Trivikram, I noticed from his first film (Is that a film with actor Suresh, "Praarthana" or Venu ("Churunavvutho"?) that he has this ability to weave a narrative with a built-in thermostat that guides when to explode and when to stay under a leash, it is almost like a sleeping volcano that erupts only at the cusp of a major twist or defining moment of the story. Even if his filmography in the earlier films have been occasionally nativised adaptations from Hollywood films or best-seller novels ("Manmadhudu" was a Mel Gibson film, "Athadu" was a Sylvestor Stallone film, "Nuvvu Naaku Nacchaav" was a Ben Stiller film; try google out yourselves), his films have a shelf life that ensures repeat magic on successive telecasts on TV or your own DVD re-views. In this film, Trivikram falters only with editing  - he might have had constraints in chiselling huge portions which do not add value like that club song with Mumtaaz or those long Brahmanandam tracks which could have got shorter to make a point. Clearly, 169 minutes is a bit long even if the director, to quote his own words in the film hasn't told a "story of Ben Hur in Burra Katha format". 

Trivikram has ensured every character in the film gets a line that makes them stand out. For a change, he has breathed new life into the characters of MSN and Ali. Nadia as the title character "Athagaaru" has given a stylish and dignified performance making her role one of the most nuanced "Aunt" roles in Telugu Cinema, never once loses class in her portrayal. Rao Ramesh gives another well-articulated performance, he and Pawan Kalyan together get the best lines of the film, but more on Pawan later.  Brahmanandam's performance is sometimes puerile sometimes garrulous but overall just-above average. His best laughs come in the elongated skit of Ahalya, Gautama and Indra. Between Samantha and Praneetha, Praneetha has a better screen presence and looks more gorgeous even if she appears in one song. Samantha will fade out faster than a one-trick pony at this rate of exposure, pun unintended, even if she is a lucky mascot.

Pawan Kalyan seems to have a magical chemistry with Trivikram that sets the screen on fire. As a practioner of Vipassana meditation, martial arts and Zen Buddhism, Pawan has shown a lot of class, effort and style in this role with a body language that's a hit with his fans. His dialogue delivery has been a unique trademark that pack a punch in every scene, of course penned by the director; he seems to have outgrown some of his whimsical mannerisms as he gets quite comfortable under the skin of roles of a lover boy, responsible heir and a star performer amidst other comedians. His dancing skills, surprise, have also improved considerably even if he chooses to uncomplicate his movements, its a sign of a maturing actor who is aging but at peace with his world and his body chemistry. If "Jalsa" has been voted one of the best all-time Telugu hits, then "Athaarintiki Daaredi" will be another feather for Pawan Kalyan because his contribution if the film does well will be huge. Obviously, he has developed as an actor a quixotic mixture of non-chalance, innocence, poise and confidence that can sometimes ooze out more doses but so what if the fans like him. He has experimented with choking scenes in "Teenmaar" and he repeats more in "AD" which will connect with families well. In quite a few scenes of "AD",  like in "Jalsa", Pawan shows a repertoire of improvisations in acting that make him an explosive actor almost impossible to predict. His stunts have always held out a special charm because he is a warrior of sorts in real life too. In this film, Peter Hein composes stunts but the best stunts come later, the first two stunts are wasted. There is a jingle thats already popular sung by Pawan Kalyan himself in the film thats uproarious and electrifying that comes at a particular climactic comic scene with Brahmanandam. 

"AD" bears the stamp of Trivikram and the magic of Pawan Kalyan and makes it a riot  that will make it one of the most watched family entertainers ever. It is generally clean, upholds the traditions of entertainment of Trivikram  (even if some themes recur from his earlier films) and gives a rich treat of wholesome family fare. The triumph of this film will ensure directors and producers pay special attention to family themes. At a time when Telugu pride is wounded and at an all-time low, this is a proud showcase for a fun-filled, chimerical entertainer that makes you cry and laugh out loud.  My rating: 4.25/5

"Shirdi Sai" Telugu Movie Review

“Shirdi Sai” is a biopic starring Nagarjuna playing the title role of the mystical phenomenon of Shirdi Sai Baba who is revered by millions of devotees across the world. Shirdi will be thronged by scores of visitors just like ants drawn to sugar, said Sai Baba. It has become as iconic as places of worship of major religions like Jerusalem, Mecca, Benares, Tirupati or Rameshwaram today thanks to a continuing upsurge of devotion to Sai Baba almost in every generation since the passing of the Saint on 15th October 1918. There have been quite a few films on the phenomenon of Shirdi Sai Baba but the most talked works are one by Actor Manoj Kumar involving the best of the Hindi artists and one in Telugu directed by K.Vasu starring Vijaychander in title role. Both these films are etched in public memory and are quite difficult to dislodge because they were simple, true to the main story as spelt out in “Sai Sat Charita”. In case of the latter film (“Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mahatyam”), apart from evolved acting by Vijaychander and authentic direction without too much dramaticism there was timeless music by Maestro Ilayaraja. Normally, comparisons are quite repulsive but because of the choice of the subject and the fact that “Shirdi Sai” was most publicized before the release several months in the making, one cannot help compare the original movie with this movie.

If you leave out comparisons with the classic and also the overall essence of what made Sai Baba above any controversies, “Shirdi Sai” is good but not excellent by any standards. In fact, despite the huge cinematic exuberance shown by director K. Raghavendra Shankar Rao and the remarkable performance by Nagarjuna in giving an inimitable feel to the persona of Shirdi Sai Baba with his fitness, facial charm and charishma, the film doesn’t give a complete sense of the “Sai Tatva” or the characterization that that every devotee loves to see on screen, having read His Life Storyat least once or many times.



145 minutes is good enough time to settle all that there is to know about Sai Baba and to be fair, KRR tried his best to put forth the personality, the mystique and the salient snippets covered in books like “Sai Leela” and “Sai Sat Charita”. He has selected a reasonably good starcast but I felt that the storyline runs superfast and doesn’t register many scenes of the film like the essential grace, wisdom and guidance as a Guru that Baba gave throughout the fifty years he spent at Shirdi until his Mahasamadhi after entering the village as a youth two decades before the Sepoy Mutiny. He has chosen some lovely episodes to collapse into the narration which is edited beyond the brief. So, what I sense is that the pace of the film is so fast that for someone who has never read His Life Story as a “Parayan” (weekly reading for a wish fulfilment) or well-acquainted with His life, it doesn’t excite enough beyond a few exceptionally good songs and a neat performance.



The movie starts off with an exceptional title song that raises expectations, then wastes a lot of footage on his early origins in Himalayas and other nomadic travels and then alternates between a sketchy narration of Sai Baba’s meteoric rise as a Miracle Saint and unnecessary excursions into silly comedy with Shinde and Ali and gang. In the bid to make it entertaining, Raghavendra Rao has made it very elementary at times and fails to convey the subtler aspects of spirituality that Sai Baba has embraced all his life. Most of the film tries to be entertaining and the characterization of all the people who form part of Sai Baba’s closest disciples are shown hurriedly without extending the impact of His appeal and web of interactions with them for greater wisdom. Obviously, in an exercise of this nature, you have to be selective of the episodes that showcase the Seer’s magic but that’s what KRR should have done - if the movie is made for the current generation, there should have been more interesting elements weaved into the narrative – there were examples from Baba’s book of stories which could have connected with the young and old. For example, there was a story on Bhagawad Gita’s interpretation by Nana, there was a story of a boy who is counselled by Sai Baba not to believe in astrology when writing examinations, there is a story of how the cycle of birth and re-birth can affect our lives and our actions… My point is, a golden opportunity is wasted in most by selecting themes which are more populist in nature and appeal to a wide majority – like the unity of religions, being seen as the universal God by every visitor in Shirdi and being kind and large-hearted. The director could have done better if he had cut down on some characters like the Britisher Wales (played by Srihari blatantly imitating Mohan Babu), Brahmanandam and few others.

Out of 145 minutes of the film, atleast 30 minutes of the film is taken away by repetitive comedy which is not required in a film of this genre, another 20 minutes of the film goes in some cinematic shots of showing celestial skies, origins and establishment of the character, then the story with characters gets built quickly almost like a précis of the book without highlighting aspects that people would have loved to watch – how Baba spent his day, how he lived, how he created the customs that are followed in Shirdi today, how Shirdi looked like in those days, and how he mentored and touched millions of lives. Because of little time for maneuver in the way of the treatment, he had summarized most of the aspects in song format leaving the audience to pick what they can. It doesn’t take even two minutes to explain what are the nine paths of devotion that Baba explained to one of his closest disciples Lakshmibai Shinde, as recounted in the Sat Charita, but we have none of it that way. Baba just hands out the nine coins to Lakshmibai and then tells her to remember the nine paths of devotion (these are actually, listening, devotional music, remembering, worship, obeisance, service, friendliness, self-surrender and feet worship). There are quite many scenes like these which make less impression on a mind never exposed to Sai Tatva. What redeems the film is music by MM Keeravani and performance by Nagarjuna and Srikanth and few others. Keeravani’s music doesn’t have the trappings of Ilayaraja but it has a unique hummability that give his music the enchantment it deserves. However, one of the best songs of the album “Maanava Sevee Madhava Senani…” is cut out in the film disappointing music-lovers.

To be fair, Raghavendra Rao has done better than his previous films in this genre by sticking to near-authenticity and above all, neatness on a scale never done before – he has captured only the simplest essence of Shirdi Sai Baba and made a poetic film within a concise format without too much authenticity or care to endear to all. For example, instead of showing Queen Victoria’s portrait in a police station, we see Queen Elizabeth-II. Instead of Rotis, we see Butter Naans. And so on. Because it is neither “Mahatyam” nor “Katha”, and the title is “Shirdi Sai”, he has shown a non-linear procession of how a Saint became a Miracle Man and later became deified for generations. There are many omissions and commissions but it didn’t create the urge to want to visit Shirdi as it did in me when I watched the older films on Baba few decades back. Nagarjuna, however, should be proud of his achievement and delivers an unblemished role as Baba – if the movie clicks mostly despite the shortcomings of the director, it is because of Nagarjuna that one must feel compelled to see it atleast once. That makes this movie get rated 3 instead of 2.5. It is a good movie but no way excellent.