"Something Something" (Telugu Film Review)

Some stars hitch-hike their way to stardom doing the same star-turn again and again and hope for re-alignment of luck or fortune. Little do they realise that fortune favors the brave or the new or those who try out different roles. Atrophy sets in sooner for actors who play the same kind of roles. Siddharth is the star to talk about in this film "Something Something", his screen roles are less than half as exciting as his off-screen romantic tracks, maybe he should make a film on that like "Autograph Memories". This film is no different.  "Something Something" is a story borrowed from the film "Choti Si Baat".

 Kumar is an IT Geek who can't talk to girls, let alone woo them. Everyone in his office has a fling or two and are having a blast in office. Into this office steps in Hansika, the trainer. Kumar (Siddharth) lightens up, loosens his libido and makes many false starts to converse with the girl. Somebody advises that he needs the expert guidance of Premji (not Aziz Premji, just love Guru Premji). Premji (Brahmanandam) enters and starts his tutorial with Kumar. He succeeds, despite competition in the fray and all that. He gets paid by the minute and the hour like some Intellectual Property lawyer of Amarchand Mangaldass & Co. It is this chemistry between Brahmi and Siddharth that gets some genuine good laughs and punchy one-liners.

The only twist in the film is at break-time where Premji learns that Hansika is his own niece. He decides to move into reverse gear and starts a campaign that will antagonise Kumar. This is the part that is dreary and deadpan. Entertainment reaches a crescendo in the first half but fails to sustain the momentum in the second half making it an average film on the whole. Comedy with Brahmi and others is above-average and intensely situational; its been a long time since he is enmeshed with the main storyline and shows up till the end. But age is not on his side and had it been a younger comedian like Venu Madhav or Srinivas Reddy or even Sunil, the output would have been fiery and effective. Music by Sathya is new-sounding and not uniformly melodious. Director Sundar hasn't done his best in crispening the film. What peppers the film with a weak storyline are special appearances  by Rana Daggubati and Samantha, his current hearthrob.  Hansika is happy to be dressed like a princess who keeps looking at her own image in the mirror, she cannot act. On the whole, Siddharth tries to rope in the magic of Brahmanandam (Santhanam in Tamil) to turn his luck on. But this is unlikely to be a big draw in Telugu because he has no role to kill for and the film is just about average despite being a clean entertainer which families can watch. 2.5 out of 5 is my rating.

"Love Failure" Movie Review

"Love Failure" is an Indian euphemism usually branded for emotional wrecks and one-sided lovers. Siddharth, who loves giving breaks to debutant directors has starred in a fantastic movie that must become another career-defining milestone after "Bommarillu". Dil Raju surely might regret missing a chance to back Mohan (director) and Siddu the third time because this film has universal appeal universal applause. Siddharth has boldly backed himself and the script and silences all his critics of the past half a dozen movies. The only way to answer your critics is to let your work speak loud for itself. An untried and fresh-looking starcast, a sans-makeup Amana Paul, a plot about two, no, many Engineering students and infact several couples of diverse traits and different age groups as to how they think, act and feel towards each other - all these could happen because Siddharth after many flops has chosen to trim his anchor role and make way for many others to perform and entertain. For most part, Siddharth runs a narrative staring at the audience trying to talk like a John Gray - getting under the skin of lovers as to why they break up and bid farewell. For the first time, Balaji Mohan attempts an honest overview of the state of mind and thinking pattern of today's generation in a way that will surely bridge generation gap. All this with minimum hassle and maximum clarity - thats the high point of the film.


There is occasional comedy again from unconventional-looking freshmen and right-dosed sentiments from under-exposed character actors - so they all stand out. Music by SS Thaman, surprise surprise, is enchanting and melodious without any mass strains of pied piper tunes that he has been, of late, playing. Thaman has created a different texture to the sounds in the film with BGMs and songs unconventional. Balaji Mohan's work and class in scripting, shot-selection, screenplay and mature handling of the subject of Love and Relationships smacks of a lot of promise in the freshness he brought. Movie's length also an advantage as its done with in two hours. Though there is a didactic touch to the movie because the hero (Siddharth) narrates as the main interpreter of maladies that besiege love. He metastasizes love as a serial with many characters and couples who run to the edge of divorce. What's impossible feat in the film - No fight, no item song, no action stunts, no sleaze, no exotic sets or SOTC world tour packages - there is not even a trace of a duet between Siddharth and Amana Paul but still the sparks are flying! Refreshing and welcome break from formula fares. Siddharth deserves a high-five after a long time for a bold and engaging script.

"Oh My Friend" Movie Review

Oh My Friend" is one more addition to the clean family fare DVD collection being built by Dil Raju since "Bommarillu" this time with Venu Sriram - one more Asst.Director turned Director Venu Sriram. This time, he casts Shruti Hasan and Siddharth as childhood chums who share a platonic love that confounds people around them, even their respective lovers. Is it possible for a man and woman who gro...w up to as thick friends to remain mentally close and physically un-attached? This theme was explored half-heartedly in "Nuvve Kaavali", and whole-heartedly in "Vasantham", "Iddaru Mithrulu" and in many recent English and Hindi movies. So, the story is not new but the director's take is cool and breezy and manages to get some good performances by Shruti Hasan and Navdeep and Tanikella Bharani. Frankly, I couldn't notice the screen presence of Siddharth (Hasn't he done these kind of roles since birth almost?). The good points of the film - Shruti Hasan- she is the soul of the film. Length of the film-it wraps up just about the time you want to get up though belabours the underlying message often and loud. Good Music by debutant and clean lyirics. Great BGM by Mani Sharma. Uncluttered characterisation. Quite a few heart-rending scenes- you may be tempted to cry. What are the faults? Intensity is missing - director takes a path of non-cinematic liberties to drive home the point which doesnt come out as effective as it should have - deserved greater thought and fleshing out as modern society evolves. Climax is weak and abrupt - he could have built it to a fault. There's average fun in the film with no comedy to laugh out loud. Its watchable once but will you remember it like "Bommarillu" - Never. I like to usually delve into the economic output of a film at the Box Office - will it click there - is this a gold-digger? Unlikely - it may be a near-miss. NRIs may love the film but college-goers and Sidhu fans expect more from Dil Raju.