“Inkokkadu” (Telugu)/ “Iru Mugan” (Tamil) Film Review

Chiyaan Vikram calls himself an actor and not a star in a recent interview to a Telugu channel and he wills all his scripts to let him stay that way. “Inkokkadu” is one more script in that direction where the uber cool actor can be seen in two different shades which underline his versatility and range of acting. One, is a character called Akhilan, an ex-R&AW agent who has “lost” his wife Nayanataara while fighting a deadly gang of chemical-using terrorist called “Love”. The second one, of course, is the character of that dreaded terrorist whose pictures are not available in police records - the evasive “Love” - a transvestite businessman-cum-silent-terrorist. 

In both shades, Vikram excels himself. As R&AW agent, he sports a dapper beard that is in sync with a mop of a hermit-like hairdo who regularly visits the barber something similar to what Jr.NTR looks like in “Naannaku Prematho” but leaner and fitter. He moves with piercing eyes and wears a punishing look of a man on mission who can activate a sleeping volcano whenever villainy presents itself. But it is the second role which makes its dramatic appearance at the 60th minute, literally a few scenes away from Interval bang which makes the film watchable - as “Love” the sweet-talking cross-dresser who makes a billion-dollar drug called “Speed” (known by the generic name of Pervatin) which makes ordinary mortals fight like Marvel-comic superheroes - denting metals and pulverizing armies of armed men. Vikram as “love” steals the show with a unique body-language and ibby-jibbies typical of sophisticated hermaphrodites who view the world as perverse with a sadistry unknown to men and women; he mints a new screen presence with a role that will get him as much fame as what he did in “Anyan”.

Supporting cast of Thambi Ramaiah as a comedian adds some relief to the film but the role of Nitya Menen as a cop makes no impact. Nayanatara as Vikram’s wife sizzles in a few melodious songs but having played herself many female-centric characters, she appears uncomfortable with the charms of Vikram in many scenes even if she looks a million-buck in each frame with a toned body at her ravishing best. Since Vikram plays both the hero and the villain, there isn’t much scope for performance by anybody else - most of the best scenes are those of conflict between “Love” and Akhil. These are well-picturised and dramatically shot which remind you conflict between an antangonist and protagonist is what can fire up the sceen - and it is not necessary that the hero should steal the thunder from the villain in every scene of confrontation; it is okay if the villain wins many hands against the hero before caving in finally.

Technically, the film is a visual feast with good musical and cinematographical inputs. Harris Jayaraj has given a good album and a BGM; atleast two songs score high on melody after a long time. The first half is brighter than the second half even if the film is long at over 160 minutes. Editing would not have mattered much as the problem lies with screenplay more than the scenes; director Anand Shankar has chosen a simple story of a seasoned Spy who brings a gang of villains to book and destroys his evil empire of malefic drugs that can devastate swathes of population. But what is not clear and logical is that the drug which activates and works for five minutes as a chemical tranfixed on human body doesn’t appear to kill the user. Or did it kill? We are confused because in the prologue to the film before the titles begin, an elderly Malaysian uses the Speed drug and wreaks havoc on an army of people at the Indian Embassy but he drops dead after 5 minutes of the drug’s tenure. We are never shown whether he is dead or autopsied. But throughout the film, we see about half-a-dozen instances when the drug is self-administered at will by the villain or the hero or even the heroine and they spring back to life after the inflammation of body and mind ends which makes them seem invincible during the duration of the drug.  This is a fatal flaw which takes the credit away from the director. It is not a science-fiction film because there is some truth about the usage of this drug during the second world war when Hitler used this drug on a mass-scale on the Nazi Army - a fact documented in the film’s narration. But if it is a fact as one believes it is, the effects have to be made abundantly clear - which we didn’t get to see. 

Among Vikram’s recent films which ended as disasters, this film is a better-made film which makes it half-watchable and if you condone the logical fallacies, you may still find it bearable for the performances of Chiyaan Vikram as the villain and the hero. It is now clear Vikram may perhaps never act in a normal film with a vanilla commercial flavor - he is caught in the web of delusions of grandeur and histrionics by use of different prosthetic makeups and variations of character.  We have to see how long this can go on - before Vikram delivers an unadulterated entertainer which reconnects with the masses like a “Gemini” or an “Aparachitudu” (“Anyan” in Tamil). For director Anand Shankar, the film is a neat attempt but he has a task cut out in fleshing more twists and drama in the second half which turns out to be a dull show. For fans of Chiyaan Vikram, the movie cannot be missed. For the rest of us, it is watchable once. Don’t go by the rating as the presentation is slick and different with a better visual sense of Malaysia than recent Tamil movies.

My rating: 2.5/5

“Janata Garage” (Telugu Film Review)

Koratala Siva is a director who believes in making meaningful commercial films with an underlying message. His previous films “Mirchi” and “Srimanthudu” have met with huge success even if the initial response has been slow to muted. What sets him apart from the usual mongrels directing commercial films is the unhurried pace of narration, and honesty in story-telling. Even the audio tracks of his films released have a touch of this honesty. Many times, the audience keeps guessing on the order of songs in the audio CD because the makers juggle the order of songs. But from the film “Mirchi” onwards, Koratala Siva insists the songs on the catalogue appear in the same order they appear in the film – that’s quite remarkable. It is proof of the director’s intent to never cheat you – either by meaningless side-shows or flippant comedy for the sake of it. How does Janata Garage fare? First half of the film sizzles with good romance, towering performances, great songs and impactful scenes. But the second half loses its way after a brilliant scene in a government office starring NTR Jr. and Rajiv Kanakala.

For NTR Jr. the film is one major step in the right direction – of moving away from lineage-heavy dialogues and mass-image roles – of becoming a metrosexual, uber cool actor who will pack a punch with subtlety and method acting. He excels in his dances and gives another career-best performance by staying true to the mood of his role as a nature-lover and environmental activist who tames villains. The best part of NTR is he takes a backseat in few crucial scenes to elevate the Superstar Mohanlal wherever he needs to – right from titles (where Mohanlal’s name appears) to the last scene of the film (where again Mohanlal finishes off). In a film with mighty starcast from Mohanlal to NTR to Saikumar to Sachin Khandekar to Samantha and Nitya Menen, rarely do you find the hero’s introduction delayed by 21 minutes after the film starts.

The story is not new: Mohanlal is a self-made repairman who builds a giant garage called `Janata Garage’ in Hyderabad repairing all wheeled vehicles. He also attends to the worries of people and hence the caption “All things repaired here” which brings his troop of men in direct conflict with a billionaire called Mukesh (sounds eerie, right?). NTR, on the other hand, lives in Mumbai with his uncle Suresh’s family pursuing his interests in nature conservation. Destiny and family history eventually brings NTR into the portals of Janata Garage but there are some hidden sources of conflict from within which pull the story. Even though the story is familiar, the treatment and the characters built into the story build it out for a watchable though predictable narrative  - something that is bereft of regular formula stuff.

What pulls down the film is the second half with a heavy dose of violence, an item song (that is avoidable and deplorable) and monotonous. It smacks of lazy writing and momentary lapse in clarity that pulls the graph dramatically lower than the feeling you get at interval time. A lot of ends which could have got tied up in the second half hang out loose – the character of Samantha who cutely tailgates NTR in the first half peters out, Suresh and Sitara who doted on NTR never come back in his life again, the environment activist in NTR who is so vocal in the first half goes to sleep once NTR takes up the causes of JG in the second half…It is things like these which make the 162 minute film a little less savory than a four-course meal, it is okay to skip the desert but don’t take the breads away from the table, the audience may ask. However, what redeems the film is the measured characterisation of the principal and side actors in the film – Mohanlal, NTR, Sachin Khandekar, Unni Mukundan (as Mohanlal’s son), Saikumar, Suresh, Rajiv Kanakala, Ajay and Bhargavi. 

Of all, the surprising elevation comes from unexpected characters like Rajiv Kanakala and the subtle romantic track between Ajay and Bhargavi. Rajiv’s character also elevates the crux of the message that Koratala Siva wants to spread through the film about principled and integrity-based living. Ajay’s characterisation leaves you with a heavy heart. Almost all the rest of the pack from Saikumar, Suresh and Sachin Khedekar make their moments of impact on screen. Unni Mukundan, the Malayali actor who plays Mohanlal’s son stands out with a good performance that shows calibre – there are shades of the film “Shakti” (Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan) in the way his role develops. Interestingly, Sachin gets to dub his own voice in Telugu whereas Mohanlal (who dubbed himself for “Manamanthaa”) borrows another baritone for his role. Of all the roles, Mohanlal’s role is consistent throughout the film – he stays in the zone of a comatose, good Samaritan and can fire up a lighthouse without even a twitch on his chubby cheeks, his eyes have that magical power. Even the way he takes to stunts ought to be a lesson for NTR and other macho heroes – you don’t need to bash up baddies till they crumble like nine pins, you just need a symbolic fight once, the rest is banality. That’s what makes the film a bore in the second half. After a dramatic fight by NTR showing the five elements of nature in a demonstrative fight with the baddies, he keeps using his brawn instead of brain in the second half to tame the villains which dilutes the intensity of the original character – a cardinal mistake.

On the whole, the film dazzles in technical departments – dialogues, cinematography (Thiru), music (DSP) and set design. Thiru’s cinematography is great but if greatness is all about showing “yellow” colors oozing out of every frame, then the eye clamors for more. Music by DSP is just about apt both in the BGM and songs – he uses silence more at crucial screen moments which build a subtle tension in the film. The song, set design and choreography in “Apple Beauty” make it a visual treat to watch with B&W images of fallen motifs from modern wonders of the world. The song showing a nature trek by the hero and the two heroines Nitya and Samantha can ensnare anybody into love for nature and serenity. Had the editing been sharper in the second half, this film would have got a blockbuster status but for that to happen, the excessive stunts, the item song on Kajal (what a waste!) and a few dragging scenes should have got mercilessly chopped. NTR’s twelve minute oration in the Government Municipal office will become the most famous scene in his career and that itself is a paisa vasool scene for me which can rebuild foundations of a moralistic society in a corruption-free India.

Finally, one needs to assess this film differently despite scant comedy, lack of fan-hungry entertainment, incomplete romance or a lousy climax. In the past, class directors used to get atleast a dozen films or more to establish their credentials as makers with a different idiom and style and who are here to stay. Nowadays, the directors get only two or three films to establish what they stand for and how they mould their film templates. Koratala Siva has established himself as a meangingful director in just three films – and despite flaws, deserves praise for making a film worth watching once. NTR Jr. too is directionally moving correctly towards a mass-affluent image and this film underlines that intent one more time after “Naannaku Prematho”. He may have erred on the overall finishing of the plot because he doesn’t have the benefit of a mega family where about half-dozen people hear a script before okaying it with more modifications. But that doesn’t make the film less worthy. It can be watched with family too.

Rating: 3/5

"Ok Bangaram" (Telugu)/ "O Kadal Kanmani" (Tamil) Movie Review

When it comes to romance, Mani Ratnam has an uneven advantage in making even the mundane plots dance on screen with unblemished technical brilliance and undiminished attention to the nuances of love. “Ok Bangaram” passes the test for Mani Ratnam  and it is no mean feat for one of the finest masters of Indian Cinema. He has made a memorable romantic movie in every decade since the 80s that gets burnt in our psyche. “Mouna Raagam”, “Gitanjali”, “Sakhi” and now “Ok Bangaram” joins that league. Even if the plot is not something unfamiliar and the treatment lacks wow factor at few places, the finesse of the film with all the visuals, the rich music of AR Rahman and the tracks between the lead pairs (there are two pairs in fact) transport you into trance. Roping in such technical stalwarts like PC Sreeram, Sharmistha Roy, Sreekar Prasad and Rahman, Mani can heave a sigh of relief that his product, after a long gap, will taste some success at the box office. 

Indeed the plot is mundane and much cited on silver screens - a live-in relationship between two mature professionals - Aadi  (Dulquar Salmaan) and Tara (Nitya Menen) who are spectacularly in love with each other while keeping an eye on their fledgling careers. Dulquar is a gaming guru who conceptualises  imaginative online games that rake in the millions and Nitya is an architect who is seeking her Masters in Paris. Dulquar stays as a PG with an elderly couple  - Prakash Raj and Leela Samson. Love grows between the two young pros with faultiness often arising from live-in expectations. It goes through a roller-coaster ride before a familiar climax with many moments of truth inspired by the geriatric couple of Mrs and Mr Ganapathy (played by Prakash Raj and Leela Samson). But Mani Ratnam doesn’t believe in a riot of love without a cause, so you see a romantic track with the duress of a success-seeking professional and the affections of your immediate family, however dysfunctional or the care of those who need. In 138 minutes or so, Mani Ratnam’s old magic of story-telling returns without any temptations of narcissism of the craft or visuals that rush up your adrenaline. With good screenplay, stunning visuals and a commendable starcast, the movie deserves a once-watch even if some familiarity with his treatment creeps in at many points. In many ways, the old film “Sakhi” still remains unsurpassed because of the beauty of a sober plot that has many uncharacteristic twists and pathos moments. 

Yet, “OK Bangaram” scores high because of the freshness of the pair. Nitya Menen takes the cake in the movie with an effortless performance that will win hearts, she is at once vulnerable yet measured, cute yet cold-blooded with her mother, innocent but also volatile in moods. Wearing dresses that she might wear on a day of no-shooting, Nitya strikes a delicate balance with versatility and grace unbelievable for a South heroine. The only thing that takes away marks in her performance is the  inconsistency in her characterisation; she first turns down a lover who is interested in her estate but with Aadi, she gets distracted all the time falling for the same tricks that she believes boys play before getting fresh with girls. Aadi, played by Dulquar Salmaan is exciting. The boy who won all the hearts in “Bangalore Days” is the most promising youngster that Mani Ratnam has re-launched for an audience far removed from Mollywood (Malayalam movies). Whether in control of emotions in love or losing it, in anger and poise, camaraderie at work or sympathy for an elderly landlady, Dulquer smarts ahead with a great show of talent - something that comes easily to him from father and superstar Mammooty. His characterisation is the most consistent and worthy of a protagonist coming of age. Kudos to Actor Nani for lending his inimitable voice to Dulquer in the  Telugu version. Nani’s voice has amplified Dulquer’s character for the masses - it is a great idea and a good sporting gesture. Normally, Aalap Raju or Srinivas Murty are the only voices you hear for all Tamil heroes in Telugu versions but this is a delectable experiment - must be at Dil Raju’s bidding who produced the movie in Telugu. Prakash Raj gets such a meaty role in this film, after “Iruvar”that he should thank his stars for a spotless role which will re-ignite his career in that space where he was virtually unchallenged. If Jayasudha stole the show in “Sakhi”, Prakash Raj did it in “Ok Bangaram” with shades of “SVSC” performance. Leela Samson gives a soulful performance as a lady losing her way in life with Alzeimer’s. Her lines linger on and give the depth to an otherwise elementary story. 

What endears the film is Mani Ratnam’s mature handling of the themes and visuals he wants us to go home with. He could have been tempted to show cliched scenes of fights to elevate heroism or sympathy to pad up the love story etc.but he shows great restraint by sticking to responsible and refined cinema. In the film, for example, the heroine’s mother uses her influence to subject the hero to police torture. Any other director would have shown the scene  - right from Shankar to Rajamouli but Mani dismisses it as an aside plainly told by the hero to the heroine, matter-of-factly. Similarly, a love story doesn’t fire up without a customary item song or a drunken scene or fights. Cleverly, quite deftly, Mani shows none of these banalities - instead, he uses the montage of the gaming animation to show stunts and other chutzpah - skip it or snooze, the story doesn’t jar you. Heroism for the heroes and glamor for the heroines - both these get redefined by Mani in the film, a lesson somewhere for master manipulators of emotions in Tollywood. It is good that successive failures and biting criticisms of Mani’s previous films have made him mellow in his love with the craft versus attempt to tell a good story. 

Mani has told a good story with a familiar message though - with conventional trappings and some deja vu moments of bitterness and celebration in love and life. But the effort shows and leaves you with a nice aftertaste unlike some of his forgettable films in the last decade. Helping him to get a breather again are technicians who worked closely with him in several films. PC Sreeram, that ace cinematographer proves  a nonpareil when it comes to catching fire with screenshots. This time, he choses Mumbai’s lesser-highlighted imagery - torrential rains, jerky rides  on bike, high seas of the Arabian Sea with up-close shots of the ships that keep a vigil on the coast at night and many other shots like that. Sreeram’s work is itself paisa vasool for the film and makes it above-average viewing. Of course, his lighting is legendary - and while he makes the lead pair sizzle in their chemistry and screen presence, he has highlighted the old pair in the moods that Mani wanted them to be in, Leela Samson’s shrinkage from a carnatic musician to a forlorn patient is captured well by Sreeram as also the shots in the trains in which lot of Mani’s films revel. AR Rahman’s music has been a chart-buster before the film released, now it will egg you on more since the film is a treat to watch. With nine songs rich in variety and orchestration, Rahman has given the season’s best songs and BGM. And Mani hasn’t fully done justice to their picturisation;  he hasn’t subtracted though from the music with his visual output. Visually, the song on the gaming concepts that greets you on titles has the raciest groove in the score. The carnatic  number sung by Chitra is the only song abruptly cut short by Mani. Otherwise, almost three or four songs which are good audio tracks are extended in the second half which increase the hummability of the songs. Songs by Rahmanand the music co-scored by Rahman and another troupe take the experience to a new high. Mani’s imagination is not commensurate with Rahman’s perceptible instrumentation reserved for “Mani Sir’s films”. The only song that stands out is the duet in the lodge in Ahmedabad where the young lovers feel the physical temptations of love but don’t give in yet. Dubbing-wise, you don’t feel this is coming from Tamil, the quality and the Telugu diction  is so good. Also, references to local towns and a couple of politicians make it credible. Sirivennala’s lyrics make the Telugu songs enchanting and classy compared to some of the hopelessly inapt lyrics penned in Mani’s previous films dubbed from Tamil. Instead of using words like “Gunde Kinda Needocche” and “Kuriseti Gadiyaaram”, Sirivennala uses lilting words which are also sensible. Dialogues by Kiran are in the same metric length of Mani Ratnam - crisp and business-like. Despite many moments where you feel the lag of a director who is not able to outgrow his favourite love scenes and hurrah moments, “Ok Bangaram” will get Mani’s fans happy again. Here’s a master who gets his mojo back. It is not brilliant and not the best of his movies - but he re-presents the timeless paradigms of skin-deep love for another generation confused in online chats and careerist obsessions with reinvigorated craft and squeaky clean touch of class. Watchable, for sure.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

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