Dr D Ramanaidu - A legend among producers

D.Ramanaidu’s contribution to Indian Cinema in general and Telugu Film Industry in particular doesn’t end with his cremation. The man has played a major part in the evolution of films as a mass medium to growing their appeal and even profiting from their continuing appeal. On face value, the statistics of his achievements as a film producer are staggering: over 150 films in 15 languages including English, debut chances for 21 directors and a few music directors and several technicians. His life is an outstandanding example of how to choose a field you love and then grow in that field to dizzy heights and more importantly, stay relevant and be in the thick of action till the very end.  At the time of his passing, “Gopala Gopala” produced by his son is still running in theatres and a blockbuster called “Bahubali” is in production stages in which his grandson plays a pivotal role.The legacy created by Dr.D Ramanaidu is not just the negatives of those films or the studio but the values which are continuing with his sons Suresh and Venkatesh and his grandsons. His contribution and overall impact on the film industry is a nonpareil in the world of cinema.

He made epic films with superstars of the day, cast them in dual roles (“Ramudu Bheemudu”), made scripts out of top-notch novelists of the day (“Premnagar”, “Secretary”,”Jeevana Tarangalu”, “Agnipoolu”), created modern-day multi-starters with both heroes (Krishna, Sobhanbabu) and heroines (Jayaprada, Sridevi) and also several low-budget films once the budgets started soaring because of hero remunerations. He started productions in the name of his eldest son Suresh and created a decent-scale studio which allows film producers to walk out with the first copy of the film if they have a script in hand - it used to be the tagline in nineties itself before Ramoji Rao came and changed the mindset of thinking from small to big. Dr.Ramanaidu also remade his films into Hindi and created big hits which helped launch stars like Jitendra and gave a second lease to actors like Rajesh Khanna and Anil Kapoor. His model of film production is that he treated it like a sacred business where all the team members are treated well but expected to be professional. There were reports in trade weeklies of how Dr Ramanaidu used to return extra copies of video cassettes or prints to some distributors in north who didn’t budget correctly. Coming from agricultural background in Karamcheedu helped Naidu to count the pennies so that he won’t become a pound-foolish producer.

If you study the careers of the people who preceded Dr Ramannaidu, it appears Naidu learnt his lessons from them too. The most famous example is Dr Raghupati Venkayya - in whose name the most famous and prestigious award for contribution to Telugu Film Industry is given - an equivalent to Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Dr Raghupati Venkayya made the first talkie in Telugu and started a production company with his son R.Prakash. But where Dr Venkayya erred was in not entrusting the financial affairs of the studio to his son. Subsequently, Dr Venkayya’s company was mishandled due to staff ineptitude and financial mismanagement. His company ran into debt and Dr Venkayya became bankrupt. In many ways, Dr Ramanaidu’s life is a mirror reflection of the very opposite of what Dr Venkayya did; Dr Naidu gave his first son free rein in running the production house and the staff were treated well but with rewards for performance and stick for slippages. Which is why, when a few years back one of the foreign production houses came to Hyderabad to buy out Ramanaidu Studios, lock stock and barrel, the offer came to a staggering Rs.1400 crores. Dr Naidu shot down any proposal to sell the studios while he is still alive.

Dr Naidu may have well had a point in holding out. He has little reasons to sell - unlike Padmalaya Studios which had elephantine debt before selling to Zee or Annapurna Studios which had been constructed on land pre-leased from Government. Dr Naidu’s family has ensured that they are a formidable force not only in film production and post-production but also in distribution. Towards the end of the last decade before 2000, they have started cornering the exhibition trade after tasting blood in distribution and production. Lease Rentals were hiked by 200 per cent which allowed several hundreds of theatre-owners to become part of the distribution chain of Suresh Productions - this was soon to become a trend that made many distributors lament but it created an apple-pie of a fabulous business model that dictated the content that is exhibited for the last decade. Even the most talented film-makers had to seek the powerhouse distribution chain controlled by Dr Naidu’s family whether it is “Eega”, “Ashta Chamma”, “Uyyala Jhampala” or the upcoming “Bahubali”. Very few production houses in the country wield so much influence at the box-office as D.Ramanaidu’s family did. Which is why, offers will never cease to pour in. Ramanaidu’s son Suresh has not only consolidated the family business towards safety but also towards a stronghold status in the way the rentals prop up a revenue model which was not even funded by banks until a decade back. Today, even working capital finance is given to his company and a few other companies. Venkatesh, his second son, went on to become the producer’s son who remains always a producer’s hero - he belted many hits in his career, became a safe hero, helped deliver one-sixth of his career hits in his father’s production banner and helped create many multi-starrer movies. Venkatesh and Suresh together held the flag aloft and created the most successful film business family in South or North India. Only Yash Chopra films comes close to what Ramanaidu’s family achieves but Yash Chopra hardly made films in South.

Despite a cult status and a towering influence, Ramanaidu never shied from public service and his recognition as a TDP MLA is proof of his love for politics and achievements as the best Parliamentarian in 2003. Many swear by the support and moral strength given by Ramanaidu in their personal struggles and careers, for many Ramanaidus’ business acumen and discipline in fiscal affairs was a guide and pathfinder. Producers like VB Rajendra Prasad, Murali Mohan, Achi Reddy, KS Rama Rao, MS Raju, Dil Raju and now Bandla Ganesh sought his advice on making successful films and staying solvent - many listened but few benefited from Naidu’s sage counsel. But despite the many highs of Ramanaidu’s career and filmography, if one must objectively assess the man’s impact on Indian Cinema, there are few facets that glare out. By treating film business as much like any other business of trading/speculation/profiteering etc, Ramanaidu has been an exemplar of seeking risk-adjusted returns. So, we find that except for a few at the initial phase, mid-phase and some in the last decade of 90s, most of his films were forgettable hits which didn’t have the class appeal of some of the other producers and makers who made fewer than one tenth of the films that Ramanaidu made - like Murari, Krishnamraju, Krishna Reddy, Aswini Dutt, ANR, NTR, Bapu-Ramana, Edida Nageswara Rao, etc.). His films had the most formulaic content and represented a hackneyed mishmash of the hollowest content which also had the stigma of obscenity, truth be told. Except in occasional films when a classy actor like Kamal Hassan starred in “Indrudu Chandrudu” or a Suresh Krishna directed “Prema”, Naidu’s films after ANR and NTR era were lackadaisical and hardly classics. Loud dialogues, crazy stunts, socialistic and anachronistic themes and puerile songs with belly-dancing and hip-shaking item songs were the mainstay of his films - until son Suresh and Venkatesh changed most of that since they took centrestage. The films he re-made in Hindi with Jitendra, Rajesh Khanna and Anil Kapoor and even those with Venkatesh were intensely feudal and mascochist which merely perpetuated the male chauvinist appeal of the audiences. Towards the last decade, he virtually moved out of production scene and tried to salvage the catalogue value with arty films and message-oriented films. The last good film from his involvement was “Madhumaasam”. 

Despite the flaws which are natural in any film personality’s colossal career, Ramanaidu is a life that will be revered and respected as long as indian Cinema stands. The man gave us a volume of output that will remain forever unsurpassed; he made films as a career and as a business more lucrative than any other film-maker. He had a well-lived life, long enough to deeply impact Telugu film industry as it stands in Hyderabad today with wings spread strategically to wherever it can next re-locate or consolidate itself. Yes, there are regrets too - that he never bought more land than the sprawling acreage of Ramanaidu Studios where you get the best vantage view of the city, that he never directed a film, that he never made a multi-starrer with Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan, that he never got a superstar after Chiranjeevi to act, that he couldn’t make a remake of “Ramudu Bheemudu” with NTR Jr. The list may go on like a litany but the legacy he left is richer than what the unfinished business could have achieved. Respect, for Dr.Ramanaidu always. R.I.P

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The Politics of the Hindi Language

The Politics of the Hindi language must never be extended beyond paying just lip-service. And there are many reasons for this even if you are tempted by the shenanigans of "national language", "national integration" and all that jazz. Nonsense.

To begin with, you cannot impose Hindi language as if it is a god-send or it has to be spoken by all of India's population. There are as many national languages in India as Hindi which are as beautiful, lyrical and classical, infact, more classical than Hindi. It is not heaven's exclusive license to Hindi to be spoken of highly and get multiplied manifold times. Down South, Tamil is one of the world's oldest languages and beats the pulp out of many others in the sheer volume of literature. Infact, it is more than 2000 years old language with wide variety and cultural richness. Telugu is equally old, dating back to atleast a thousand years of rich lineage. In a survey of the world's most beautiful languages done in 2011, judged primarily by three reasons - lyrical beauty, elegance of letters as they are written/printed and the richness of the alphabet, Telugu came second only to Korean language beating most languages in the world including Modiji's second-favorite language, Hindi (the first one must be his mother-tongue, I am just guessing). The Telugu film industry is India's largest segment in the number of films made per annum. Malayalam is another mesmerising language that has a cult followership across and outside India, aided by a race who have been migrant yet proud of its heritage. Malayalam's movies, warts and all, continue to dominate the film industry in India on matters of story-telling essentials. Malayalam's language itself resonates with most of the words derived from Sanskrit. Kannada, considered a mirror language to Telugu has a history that is co-terminous with that of Telugu. Scratch the surface and you will find many other languages in South India which are vibrant, exciting and alive - Konkani, Tulu are few examples of tongues which are equally vibrant and celebratory of the richness of life and language albeit without formal written scripts. Then you have the languages of the west and east - from Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Bihari, Bengali and Assamese - all have their own niche.

At the height of the Mauryan empire which ruled for three generations the whole of the Indian subcontinent from the edge of eastern Iran to today's Bangladesh, portions of South would remain outside its direct control. For most of the Mughal rule and the British rule, the Southern peninsula always enjoyed a halo of respect, identity and privilege to thrive in its atypical avatars and myriad hues. When the British ruled India, they understood that South cannot be reined in by imposing HIndi, so they indoctrinated English into the veins of trade and employment, creating a class of administrative army that kept their linguistic identities yet breathed fire into English. The intercourse with English created a renaissance but Hindi's rise was slow but not uniform. Given a choice of three languages, many South Indians still prefer to learn English rather than Hindi and there are historical reasons for that which have to be understood and empathised with. Even a docile prime minister Nehru understood the language divide that exists between North and South India. He created a Deputy Prime Minister post exclusively for catering to the interests of South - a tradition that continued until Shastri's rise.

Experts who do not understand this divide jump to conclusions that South is anti-nationalistic or anti-patriotic. Nonsense. It is just that language has always given a rare indemnity from colonial invasions and tortures to the South Indians; on some occasions it provided them quasi-independence or even satellite status while allowing a socio-economic resurgence on a scale that seldom was surpassed. Traditionally, it was the South that opened to the sea routes, developed maritime trade and allowed comprehensive mapping of the Indian Oceans between the Arabs and the Portugese, and later the next European powers that came calling to India - the Dutch, the French and the British. The South also adapted easily to Western influences faster than the North. When Vasco Da Gama came to India and hit the coast of Kerala first in 1498, he thought the people of Kerala were closer to Christianity than Hinduism because he felt the buildings looked like Christian churches rather than Hindu temples. Infact, the "Hindu" itself was a word the Europeans coined to describe the race from the valley of Indus. So much on the South-Indians.

PM Modi should realilse that Hindi has earned its spurs more from the proliferation of Hindi-speaking people who permeate the country and the world and the cultural exports of Hindi into Bollywood, the cuisine and the television. But it hasn't grown to become the language of the country in totality. Hence, that cannot be the reason to impose Hindi on the rest of the country. Hindi is a pulsating and lively language that is beautiful and simple but imposing it as a mandatory language has its down-syndrome. Yes we all love Hindi films and Hindi actors and Hindi writers and Hindi singers but know that no Indian language can be singled out as the lingua franca. For good or bad, the jury is out on which language is the best. Again, for good or bad, English has become the language of convenience and the language of business which cannot be replaced in many lifetimes. It is unwise to thrust your limitations of language on everybody else and re-invent the wheel. There is no long-term good now in learning a language at the cost of development and growth. Sooner or later, the French, the Germans, the Japanese, the Russians and the Chinese will realise that winning the battle against English is not the same as winning the war. It feels great to know that Spanish is the fastest growing language in the Americas, thanks to centuries of spanish invasions. But who cares for Spanish unless the world switches to Spanish. Ditto for the Mandarin. You may speak in Hindi addressing the Bhutanese and the Americans but the impact will never be the same as speaking in the language that rules the air waves.

Talk about language chauvinism, you must know this, DW - Deutsche World and RT - Russia Today, two of the state channels of German and Russian governments broadcast in English language are growing faster than the English channels of CNN and BBC - proof that language chauvinism serves little purpose in a world that almost became a global village with English. Also proof that the Germans and the Russians are eager to playing English. Play to your strengths but don't let language be a barrier to communication. The best way to build national pride is through building up levels of literacy, build up self-reliant people who are productive, skilful, employable or entrepreneurial and get global recognition not by getting chauvinistic about languages. The politics of Hindi language has always proved costly for a Union Government committed to restoring federal balance in India. I fail to understand why this time has to be different.

"Vikramasimha" (Telugu)/"Kochadiyaan"(Tamil) Film Review

This is one Rajanikanth film that is made for the family and it doesn't deserve the adulation and the anticipation built into it. A colossal waste of money and effort, in short. Made with lot of passion and talent and money riding on it - screenplay by KS Ravi Kumar, cinematography by Rajeev Menon, music by AR Rahman and of course, direction by Rajani's daughter Soundarya Aswin, the film is an animation film shot in 3D with motion capture technology - similar to what is used by James Cameroon in "Avatar". The only difference is despite having the money to spend in making a great film sound on technicalities, Rajani's team cut corners in editing, lighting, landscaping and set design and in the execution itself - resulting in a shoddy output that is below world-class.

The story is itself is nothing new - another fable from Chandamama folklore without drama and twist which straight-lifts scenes from some of the famous films that capture the cult of the colossal hero like "Braveheart", "Gladiator", "Ben Hur" and "Robin Hood". The story by KS Ravi Kumar, the most successful director for both Rajani and Kamal is a simple tale of rivalry, love, betrayal and revenge. The rivalry is between two ancient kingdoms - Kotapatnam and Kalingapuram. A commoner Vikramasimha (Rajani) rises from the ranks to command respect from Kotapatnam that armies cannot get. He becomes the most trusted and powerful man until one day he foregoes his army with Kalingapuram in a trade-off between their fight for survival and their slavery. Blamed for treason, the King of Kalingapuram (Nazar) orders Vikramasimha's beheading in the presence of his family and the people. Vikramasimha's son Ranadheera watches that and vows to get back the enslaved people of Kotapatnam. He achieves that and much more including the love of Deepika and the love of the people. This is the story but the screenplay, to be fair, runs in reverse to the order in which I have narrated. That is the most interesting part. The dullness is in the narrative and picturisation.

Director has failed in embellishing the story with the right visuals and richness. In every scene of the animation you see on screen, there are huge gaps - the battlefield sequences look unimpressive, the king's court assembly look like an Amar Chitra Katha cardboard illustration, the shots are mostly either dark or under-lit, and the animations of characters and objects outside of the screen characters are lazy and imperfect. With such a vast canvass of two mighty kingdoms and huge stadia fights, one expected better ouput on screen but the quality of visuals is a big let-down. Except for Rajanikanth as Ranadheera and Nazar as the arch-villain, the motion capture technology has failed to capture the right facial expressions of most characters. Yes, the famous legendary comedian Nagesh finds a reboot in the film but after initial promise, the characterisation fizzles out. Even for Deepika Padukone, this is a forgettable film, her portrayal shows her lacking in feminine grace, bewitching beauty and dancing grace - all of which made her famous in the first place. Characterisation apart, the film's biggest weakness is lack of entertainment and emotional connect with the audience.

The team should have consulted better screenwriters who worked on the best animation projects in studios like Pixar (more now part of Disney's) and Disney's. Today, an animation film in the West is made with a budget of $40 million which  is still more than what a "Robot" or "Enthiran" can collect in a first-run. Except for the pirates scene in the beginning and the bamboo sticks fight before the interval with Deepika Padukone, there is no wow factor in the film. Talk about music by AR Rahman, despite an energetic and exceptionally wide-ranging musical score by the Indian Mozart, the songs do not lift you much out of the dark monotony of the film. The dance movements by Deepika Padukone or second heroine Shobhana are in a world of themselves, out of sync with Superstar or too fast for the music. I wonder if thats a chronic problem with motion capture/performance capture technology. It is unwise to compare with "Avatar" alright but why attempt something with imperfections and expect a blockbuster out of it? If you look at Pixar, they made one smash hit after another from "Toy Story" to "A Bug's life" to "Monsters" to "Finding Nemo" to "Cars" to "Ratatouille" to "Wall-E" to "Brave" and their movies are becoming more Indian, more poetic, more emotional and less prosaic. Prosaic, thats the word that sums up "Vikramasimha" because it lacks that x-factor to make you want to go that extra mile to see and come back for more.

Are there any other redeeming factors from music? It is Rajanikanth who looks like a 21-year old Samurai - nimble, large-hearted, charishmatic and metrosexual. Like in "Basha", Rajani sprinkles aphorisms and pearls of wisdom in the opening song with Ranadheera and the song that comes after interval with the real hero in flashback - Vikramasimha or Kochadiyaan. Lovely references to Kriya Yoga, difference between ownership and leadership,  living long by waking up before sun-rise, the transcience of the world, the fate of being born to parents and the will of choosing right friends. Those pearls embody the personality and principles lived out by Rajanikanth - and find a place in the soundtrack too. On the whole, a film with mammoth effort but minimum impact. If you are a Rajani fan, you will anyway skip this review and go for the film. If not, you may suffer one anyways.  Is the film unwatchable? No, but it is not remarkable either.
My Rating: 2/5.

"Midhunam" Telugu Movie

“Midhunam” (Telugu) is a much-awaited film for the art-loving Telugu crowds who love clean, good cinema. “Midhunam” means “couple” in Telugu. It is based on a story by noted Telugu SriRamana (different from Mullapudi Venkata Ramana) by the same title released in a Telugu weekly in 1998, the story went on to became an instant classic – critically acclaimed and encomiums poured in from all sides – readers and legends in literature. Bapu, himself got so overjoyed reading that story that one fine day, he re-wrote the entire story running into about 6000 words in his own handwriting. It was re-printed in that famous Bapu font and became a best-seller. Director is Tanikella Bharani, one of the most talented personalities in Tollywood (he is a poet, theatre artist, dialogue writer and himself an acclaimed film actor noted for his unique timing and voice modulation). He was so taken up with the story “Midhunam” that he directed the film investing a lot of his passion and energies into the making of this film. Earlier this year, Bharani also released his famous couplets on Lord Shiva as an audio CD in his own voice which are selling well. As a writer first and a poet later, Tanikella Bharani is a unique personality who never loses an opportunity to propagate the grandeur and beauty of Telugu language. He loves Telugu so much that for the past 25 years, he insists his signature on bank cheques is also in Telugu and not English. Against this backdrop, “Mithunam” is quite an experiment which deserves the plaudits showered on it.


The story is about an aged couple AppaDaasu (S.P.Balasubramanyam) and Bucchilakshmi (Lakshmi) who live in absolute trance of the village life with an ecosystem of natural habitat full of organically grown vegetables, co-habiting animals and lush greenery all over. The couple’s five children are all settled abroad but the couple is nonchalant about pleasures and pressures of parenthood in twilight years. SPB keeps reminding his wife about “detached attachment” and being merrily and madly in sync with each other, they tune into the radio, help each other in various chores including pressing each other’s tired legs, make the rituals and rearing the cow and its calf and cultivating a beautiful horticultural farm a feast and a happy pastime. No TV, no freakouts, no secrets from each other and no other hang-ups in life except to occasionally spar with each other on issues best known to them. Everyday it’s a breeze and time flies because the elderly couple are busy with so much of work with their hands and legs – the manual work which gives villagers so much headway in health and happiness.Then there is a twist in the film with one of them passing out. You will have to find out which one. A simple story but there’s a third character in the film - the nephew who is witness to the old couple’s foibles and fracas with each other and funtimes together – that character is omitted by Bharani as he was keen to experiment the whole film with just characters. Infact, that is an amazing part of the film. For 123 minutes, the running time of the movie, there are just two human characters SPB and Lakshmi playing the two roles and Bharani has produced quite a stunning play of a range of Nava Rasas between the two with many shades and spirited entertainment. There is uproarious laughter, giggles, laments, weeping, anger and the occasional drama created between the two characters in their well-nuanced roles.

Not many films have come with just two characters; the ones I remember are “Show” and some movie in which Sunil Dutt plays it all himself in a B&W film. Such plots have to be sustained and thankfully, in this film he picked two veterans in the craft of acting and sometimes overacting – Lakshmi and SPB. While Lakshmi is quite apt and well-controlled, SPB carries always a shade of Tamil stars like Sivaji Ganesan when he acts but his pronunciation of the toughest but most mellifluent Telugu carries the day for his detractors. He can control the flow of words as they should occur and in “Mithunam” he gives a dignified uplift to his performance except for about three scenes where he overacts. Even if SPB the actor cannot stop himself, his performance alongwith Lakshmi elevates the film to a new level. In the original discussions about this film about star cast, one actor who would have sealed it had he been alive today is Gummadi – who wanted to play it badly after he read the story and reacted in public. Prakashraj would have been too theatrical and Chandramohan is way out of touch with weightier roles of late, so SPB was indeed apt choice, in hindsight.

Music by Swara Veenapaani is reasonably well-received especially the title song sung by KJ Yesudas. There are few other songs which take a leaf out of mythological classics belting out “Padyams” and lullabies and “funny”item songs. There is one song sung by lyricist Jonnavithula on coffee. It can be the best ever song on coffee which can elevate even brands like “Starbucks” and “Café Coffee day”. It celebrates the heady feelings one gets by drinking the home-made filter coffee of the typical South Indian family. There are few other songs which showcase the grandeur of the song-banks resident in our old movie classics and also showcase the richness of Telugu culture. Kids will probably love a short cartoon film running for 4 minutes about the ills of over-eating SPB style - no insult meant here, SPB himself reduced 27 kilos before this film. In order to break the monotony, Bharani uses repeatedly the All India Radio as a backdrop for various daily chores of the couple, and reminds the new generation that it is not FM Radio but AM 700-800 MHz which still runs with sundry programs in news programs in Telugu, Sanskrit, Hindi and a host of native plays, skits, songs and utility fare that resonates with those who tuned in religiously from 6am till 11pm. That routine of tuning to the radio from sunrise till an hour before midnight is the right time for keeping your biorhythms in tow with good health and good sleep. Bharani captures all these with a great sense of nostalgia. A few shots stand out giving lot of symbological messages; being a Shiva worshipper, everytime there is a bereavement in the film, it is shown as if its going back to Shiva.

On the whole, the movie is a visual treat and is watchable by family. Bharani has hunted for a 3-acre house that captures the enchantment of what SriRamana wrote in his novel about. Bharani found one finally and grew fruits and vegetables and trees for six months before commencing shooting. He has also shown a rare courage, thanks to producer Ananda M Rao, to retain the pure and richly prosaic standard of Telugu language used by Sriramana in the film. This film is sure to dot the film festivals with subtitles in English but if you belong to the Telugu fan club, this is a must-see anyways devoid of commercial drivel that vitiates our films. In October 2012, there was a world survey by the World Languages Institute in Thailand in which the jury sat down to judge more than 33 classical and modern language scripts around the world. While Korean language was judged as the best language according to various parameters including use of the language in scientific paper presentations, visual appeal when you write the language, the shape and metric beauty of the letters, the number of words and combinations that the letters can facilitate, etc. Voila! Telugu Language has beaten the likes of Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam in being judged as the second-most beautiful script language in the world. English, not my mother tongue, has come third or fourth. For anyone who wants to know more about Telugu culture, language and the lyrical beauty, “Midhunam” is a fine biopic to get introduced to, even if it has its flaws. I will give 3.75 on 5 making a fractional exception for a fascinating film to watch. I can guarantee you that if you have aged parents and grandparents, they will bless you forever for taking them to this film. It also has a message: No need to retire from life because you retired from work. And parents can have their own space even after their kids move on.

"David Billa" (Tamil/Telugu) Movie Review

"David Billa" is supposed to be a prequel to the "Billa" franchise. Directed by Chakri Toleti. Telugu folks should know this guy. He was the smiley kid who waits for Kamal Hassan's perfect "Bhangima" in "Sagara Sangamam". Yes, the sa me guy grew up and made "Eenadu" (Remake of "Wednesday"). And now, "David Billa" with Ajit Sir. To be fair, the movie has got everything on the face of it - a kill...er app franchise, excellent technical team of editors, screenplay writers and cinematographers. And some terrific music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. It has a less obese Ajit who is seen as less conceitful than what the character demanded in "The Gambler". To top it, a bevy of villains from Rahman to Sudanshu Pandey. Sudanshu Pandey is definitely a find - he is suave, intense yet subtle and stylish - combines the looks of Kabir Bedi with Mukesh Rushi. He is one of the reasons to see the film. But Ajit does monotonous acting - there is no improvisation and no new swagger and chutzpah that he usually embellishes his portrayal with.

The story unfolds the usual way a Don emerges - a refugee from Sri Lanka, odd jobs of smuggling, working as a retainer, and then climbing up the ladder. We have seen this movie before, you get the feeling. Chakri Toleti, no doubt, has got the talent for intelligent film-making but his sensibilities are more shaped by Hollywood than by native touches. So, the movie seems like a concise procession of stylish visuals with fancy massage girls, slush money, drug-levelled suitcases, and slick gunshots and neck-stabbings. The biggest drawback is lack of entertainment. Romance is also hugely amiss - atleast one of the two girls is good-looking but apart from giving avuncular glances and dont-mess-with-me looks, Ajith comes a cropper there. There seems to be some problem of re-inventing himself for the masses and plots like that of a Don wont help. Chakri Toleti should attempt varied plots to show his talent. The only redeeming feature for me has been Yuvan Shankar Raja - his BGM music is outstanding. You can give the movie a miss because its all gloss and no substance.

"Eega" (Housefly) Movie Review (Telugu)/"Makkhi" Movie Review

"Eega" means housefly in Telugu. Thats the name of SS Rajamouli's latest and most-ambitious film till date. Its the most common and harmless insect heavily spotted even in concrete jungles and unlike mosquitoes and other blood-sucking pests, it is not carnivorous and usually doesn't harm humans - it is a very fidgety creature and moves at lightning speed, hardly stays anchored at a place beyond few seconds. To make a movie on a housefly is itself audacious and insane, nobody has done it ever in Indian Films. In the west, there have been many superhero films and maybe movies on rats, monkeys, sharks, bears and deadly snakes, but not on an insect so insignificant as a housefly - its amongst the lowliest of the lot but has a picturesque body - an amber red head, two hairline whiskers, two mini hands used to navigate direction, two wings that seem to generate sound an equivalent of a helicopter taking off when in motoring mode, and an identifiable body and legs. It has the most athletic body in insect world and director Rajamouli has studied the world of houseflies to the core, except a few lapses which I will come to later. "Eega" is definitely worth a watch once for the fabulous effort to make a superhero out of an urban pest - the director has spared no effort to finetune the movie - in Special Effects, technical departments of art and cinematography, in performances by the lead starcast in which Kannada actor Sudeep excels himself, and in overall pace of the film.

Rajamouli generally lets the story line out in the pre-release buzz. So the story is well-known before: Boy (Naani) meets girl (Samantha). Both fall in love. Enter Villain (Sudeep) who lusts after the girl, kills the boy. Boy gets reborn as "Eega" and takes revenge. Quite a simple and ordinary story, isn't it? But the execution is grander and the classic three-act structure, which Rajamouli always followed, is present here too. The movie is actually a special effects movie and the effects have a running time of more than 100 minutes - that can sometimes tire the viewer. Most of the action sequences are between the "Eega" and the villain; the director applies good logicality to how a harmless housefly can wreak havoc and throw your world upside down if you mess with its lover - it will attack you at the most unexpected places when you are least prepared, like in a steam bath tub when your face protrudes out of the heat tub and all your limbs are dissembled to atttack the insect crawling on your face. Rajamouli creates more scenes like this - when the villain is driving at high-speed, making a board presentation, trying to woo Samantha, or just sleeping. "Eega" just buzzes around, pricks the sense organs and drives out the peace out of Sudeep's mind. Quite wonderfully captured these stunts with amazing detail and Hollywood-style craft. The director uses the well-known laws of physics and some aspects of biology and chemistry in the friction shown between the two characters - Eega and Sudeep.

Most of the movie, MM Keeravani (MM Kreem as known in Bollywood) has given an outstanding BGM score that heightens the impact of the SFX and the moods. Quite rarely, Keeravani stops himself, seldom seen in our movies, to let the foreground become background - meaning, the score becomes silent when the heroine Samantha tries to communicate with the hero-housefly or when the housefly is plotting the next move against Sudeep. Those moments of silence, and the early part of the movie which builds up the romance between Naani and Samantha are the cutest reels of the film. Very few lapses on the part of Rajamouli - his clarity of thought and execution, screenplay (with extended help), characterisation and pacing of the film are terrific. Where he fails is in the entertainment this time - he cuts the romantic part of the film, which he could have shown more with the "Eega" or Naani in relapse which could have endeared the masses. He cuts the most beautiful, melodious song of the movie (probably, the decade) - "Nene Naanine..." to less than two minutes, and allows just two other songs to flourish. He hasn't inputed any comedy track in the film, that can prove costly to its success. A Telugu film without comedy struggles to get repeat audiences. When you spend Rs.43 crores on eye-popping graphics, you should have atleast 15 minutes of comedy. Another drawback in the basic plot: the villain kills the hero first, but the re-incarnated hero with all his killer antics creates fear in the villain's mind but fails to kindle any sense of remorse or regret. Besides, the heroine, after knowing her lover has come back as the housefly, enjoys the company of the housefly. How does a woman co-habit with a housefly? To pun, how does a housewife co-habit with a housefly? Thats absurd.

Well, enough of hyperventilative analysis of a movie that is breathtaking in effects but falls short on practicality and comedy, excels in performances by Sudeep and Samantha. It is most definitely watchable once, and by all kids. Its a proud addition to the creative power of Tollywood. An experiment that earned its spurs for Rajamouli.

"Shakuni" (Telugu) "Saguni" (Tamil) Movie Review

“Shakuni” is an interesting title of Karthi’s new film named after the most interesting character in Mahabharata. Despite being a dubbed film (“Saguni” in Tamil), it was  marketed well by Telugu producer Bellamkonda Suresh and generated quite a buzz before other big releases lined up like “Eega” and “Julai”. Its worth the excitement and hype – “Shakuni” played by Karthi, is quite a combination of a convincing political thriller and a light-hearted comedy with romance getting short shrift.

Director N Shankar Dayal creates a credible story that has many layers, backs it with a racy screenplay and great characterizations. Just like Shakuni who, after being wronged by Duryodhana befriends him and eventually brings him to a war that destroys him and his clan, Karthi plays the role of a modern Shakuni. He takes a different path to dethrone Prakash Raj. But why? His only asset is an ancestral home that is now under threat of getting demolished due to a metro rail project awarded to a protégé of Chief Minister Prakash Raj. Karthi seeks the help of the CM but gets shunted out. He then realizes like all voters who vote for cash/expectations that its time to change the king – he pushes one pawn after another, motivates an auto-rickshaw fleet owner (Radhika) to become a corporator and eventually a mayor, then moulds a roadside soothsayer (Nazar) into becoming a Billionaire Godman (he funds the elections) and finally, resurrects the fortunes of a jail inmate in Chenchalguda (rings a bell?) - the inmate (Kota Srinivasa Rao) builds new cadre, fights the elections to defeat Prakash Raj and becomes the new CM.

The transition from a helpless youth to a master strategist in the political affairs of a state is essayed brilliantly by Karthi. As a brother of Super Star Soorya, he hasn’t got much to prove so far with films smacking of off-beat love stories and tribal roles but this movie shows him in better light. He uses his confusingly crooked smile and  confident screen presence with great effect. A role to remember for Karthi; Telugu dubbing in his own voice will endear him more to the masses and classes. A role that runs parallel to him throughout the movie is that of popular Tamil Comedian Santhanam – he is so under-stated, mellowed, raunchy and yet classy – unlike what we associate with Tamil comedians. This must be his finest performance till date. Kota Srinivasa Rao outshines Prakash Raj, and similarly, Radhika outclasses Nazar. Praneetha has got good screen presence but has to improve her looks, heroines have got to reduce the glare of their eyes if they have to connect with the masses.

GV Prakash Kumar, surprise, surprise, creates pleasant music in the film as well as above-par BGM. If the movie becomes a hit, I am sure it will be remade in Hindi, the plot is so irresistible and contemporary with most of its punctuation playing out in our political circles. Dialogues are terrific commentary and have the sharpness expected of a political thriller without being over-the-top. Even though 158 minutes is unusually long, the momentum gathered after the first half do not make it seem arduously long. If at all, the first 30 minutes could have been trimmed; Director tried to create a thin romantic track that is almost invisible in the drama of the politics that engulfs the second half.

After “Rangam” last year, I was quite excited to go for this movie and feel it’s a fine effort worth the time. Such films come but rarely from Tollywood directors – they rarely make story the real hero. This is a wholesome family fare.

"Devasthaanam" Movie Review (Telugu)

Devasthanam" is a spiritually awakening film and soul-satisfying. It has a good starcast of actors in their twillight years - K Vishwanath (who directed "Sankarabharanam"), SPBalasubramanyam and Aamani. It is directed by Janardhan Maharshi, a writer who had his share of fame in the 80s; he even essayed a famous role as a living corpse-brother of Brahmanandam in a hit comedy film which I fail to recollect. What's good about "Devasthanam" is despite the religious name, it is not religious and not too preachy. It distils the most basic teachings of Hinduism which are secular in nature - love and live well the human life, live for others if you want to avoid the cycle of birth and death, don't chase money if you want peace and be responsible of the consequences of your actions and love everybody - rich and poor.


The story revolves around K Vishwanath who is a do-gooder and helps all in his circle of living and he bumps into SPB one day to take a promise from the latter that SPB should perform his last rites because he has no family. SPB believes in none of that stuff - he doesn't believe in taking a daily bath, doesn't go to temple wilfully, doesn't care a hoot about anything else except loving his ageing but beautiful wife. He also doesn't mind conning women customers who come to his Saree Shop with psychological tactics. SPB only believes in the theory of instant gratification, his immediate family and his business profits. Until, Vishwanath through his deeds and spiritual intelligence removes the layers of ignorance, attachment to the material things and selfishness to oneself and family. Janardhan Maharishi must be credited with working out a tough subject to explain with amazing clarity and conviction. The subject is so serious yet the treatment given is comical and light-hearted especially some scenes involving Kovai Sarala (the lady customer) and SPB and again mostly with SPB and KVishwanath. Such a story hasn't been on celluloid in recent times - of interweaving complex theories of Karma, Re-incarnation and Siginificance of Human life. Music by debutant Swara Veenapani is outstanding and divine sounding - no complex music arrangements just melodious notes involving raagas and simple percussions.

Ramanachary, the art-patron has done a cameo in the film with an effect that will haunt anybody who is having a roaring career and business without a prickly conscience. It takes guts to release this movie just before the Summer onsalught of movies like "Dammu", "Daruvu" and "Raccha". We went to Screen 5 of Prasads expecting a handful of people aside of the movie projector team - we were pleasantly surprised it was houseful. Towards the end, the movie becomes a bit sententious but thats the only way to end a movie with this character. Telugu used in the movie is quite extra-ordinary - not so simple and not so complex but enough to clear the wax in your ears. "Sasha Bhishalu" and "Nivrutti" are not words you read nowadays even in "Swati" and "Navya" - it will do your mother and mother-tongue immensely proud and happy to see this film. I wish other languages also get to see such films with sub-titles. Catch it soon with your seniors because it will be gone soon from the statistically-calculating multiplexes. Good movie to watch if you want small dosages of practical spirituality and art-of-living advice.

Makara Sankranti and its Significance in India

Happy Makara Sankranti to all my Telugu friends, Happy Pongal to my Tamil friends. May you all have the best of the harvest in the coming year - of meeting your personal and family goals, and successes and joys. Even though all in my family get our status and livelihood from service economy activities - Sankranti is one festival we treasure coming together. There is something of this agricultura...l festival thats pure joy and bliss to us - something thats closer to our family roots and rich heritage and culture. Love the Rangoli, the kites, the sonorous sounds of Haridasu, the salutation to the only God who goes "live" - Sun God - for a bountiful year of crops, the assortment of dishes for Sankranti, the sweet dishes, the Bommala Koluvu, the Kanuma and the Bhogi festivals, the usage of cowdung with both hands as an anti-pollutant, the reverberations on top of the terraces with mike boxes and latest songs amidst "Kaate" and "other sirens", the new clothes, the exhibition or fairs and site seeing with the biggest gang of cousins and elders and brothers-in-law, the new movies, the works... Except for the last two generations, my family has always been agrarian in its pursuit of economic activities - but Sankranti is an annual reminder of where we come from and where we finally belong to. We may be a remittance economy and a tertiary superpower, but Sankranti is a pure lifestyle-charging festival thats a package of many worlds in three days. No wonder, Andhra Pradesh which comes alphabetically first in every listing - never mind the boos for the time being- sees a bird-migration of sorts where folks everywhere go back to their villages for 3 days. In Hyderabad alone, it is rare to see a "bird migration" of almost a crore. I hope and pray nothing in the world can take away the pleasures of celebrating this unique lifestyle festival with a God that we see everyday - Sun. And to top it all with the movies. The Sun transits every month into a new Zodiac sign but its transit into the Northern hemisphere is always an auspicious beginning and a special moment in a year - a sign of things waiting to get into momentum mode, to get serious, to wake up and smell the coffee. I hope the same momentum is gathered and seen by everybody who believes in this festival and even by those who do not believe in this festival.