A Colossus in Acting (Navarasa Natana Saarva Bhowma) departs – Long Live Kaikala Satyanarayana

 

Kaikala Satyanarayana is one of the original greats who rose from abject wilderness into a lifespan of limelight that never dimmed until his last breath. There are very few actors in world cinema who can be compared with his range of acting, his repertoire of characters and his filmography from the B&W era to the color era. Not a joke to act in 777 films and have his own inimitable stamp of assertive body language, a timber and tone that is longer than what you hear when a Texas woodsman saws a 350-year-old tree with his lumberjack, and it creates a long noise that’s heard for a long time. Satyanarayana’s laughter is equally intense and that has been the most imitated sound by mimicry artistes. That they could replicate the tintinnabulate sound is a tribute to KS but how he reproduced that sound in between lengthy dialogues are proof of his verbal capacity. At the age that he passed today, eighty-eight, he has outlasted almost all the Tollywood greats who travelled with him and departed before him from SVR to NTR to ANR to Savitri to Gummadi to the trinity stars of Shoban Babu, Krishna and Krishnamraju. His weight in the film’s success was always under-appreciated but nobody could gainsay the intrinsic weight he carried on his own shoulders. That’s why for most of the films where the titles rolled, if Kaikala Satyanarayana acted in the film, his name with all the sobriquets adorning it was usually mentioned at the end (Like “…And Pran”) or in later years, right at the beginning out of veneration to his body of work. It shows Satyanarayana’s stamp of authority on Telugu Cinema that whoever was there in the frame, he cannot be ignored; he was indispensable, and roles appeared custom-built for his versatile range of acting replete with all the nine emotions as they say.

 

Much has been said in the TV Channels and across the web about Satyanarayana’s astonishing film career. But some points must be noted in his honor for the record of his class and sustained success over sixty years of the Film Industry.

 

1.          Kaikala Satyanarayana transitioned from a dupe to a character actor to an anti-hero and later as a mighty mythological character or as a full-length comic character. Occasionally, he starred as a hero on request from well-wishers and willing producers, but he never let that go to his head. He realized that amidst stalwarts like SVR, Nagoya, Gummedi, Nagabhushanam and Rajababu, he needed to constantly learn and unlearn and improvise and bag roles that defied any classification or typecasting. For example, after “Taata Manavudu” (where he plays the hero along with Rajababu) he could have settled as a hero also with his tall and handsome looks but he chose to remain menacing and evil-minded on the screen because of the huge opportunity for such characters in the 60s and 70s. Somewhere in the late 70s and early 80s, Satyanarayana starred in another film as a hero called “Moratodu Naa Mogudu” (Heroine: Jayasudha) which became a blockbuster hit. Yet, he was grounded and never insisted on hero roles.

 

2.          KS straddled the world of commercial films as well as roles that made him an icon and a role-model hard to match. Whatever be the camera angle, or the storyline or the director’s cut - Satyanarayana always delivered be it as a rapist, sadist, eve-teaser, drunkard, silly son, wise father, father-in-law, irresponsible son, guardian angel, doting uncle, or a father-figure. The success he achieved in any role speaks volumes about his dedication to the acting craft, his theatrical strengths, his baritone voice, and his attention to detail.

 

 

3.          Very few actors in Indian Cinema looked the part as much as KS and lot of credit must go to his fussiness over makeup. Perhaps taking a cue from SVR and later, his screen buddy NTR, Satyanarayana had the best of makeup support team to distinguish himself on screen and make him a treat to watch whether he is playing Yama, Ghatotkacha, Sher Khan, Mentor (in “Simhasanam”), Duryodhana, Deceiver (“Brindavanam”), or as a charlatan in “Vetagadu”. His looks and his presentation were always a standout and a draw for the film though he never bothered to check how the credit to a film’s success got apportioned to him.

 

4.          During the tricky years of rivalry between NTR and Krishna when they were making films on the same theme such as Mahabharata, KS has the distinction of being the only actor who starred in both “Kurukshetram” (as Duryodhana) and “Dana Veera Soora Karna” (as Brim). Reports say he was as neutral and professional during this phase keeping confidentiality about the projects racing against time, finally released on the same day. In that sense, KS maintained the same stature and earned respect of every generation of heroes and eagerly welcomed them or encouraged them when they appeared on the screen. From NTR to Chiranjeevi to Mahesh Babu (in “Maharshi his last film), KS kept his tryst with every generation of actors. He never needed to lift his little finger to come out trumps against any actor because of his innate abilities in acting but he will leave you with moments and images of his persona in ways that will haunt your imagination while still appearing as non-threatening to co-actors.

 

 

5.          Subhash Ghai had cast Kaikala Satyanarayana in one of his films. Perhaps “Karma” where KS plays as a bad man opposite Dilip Kumar. Something that shows his stature and his “star value” in non-Telugu films. In K. Viswanath’s films also, KS was one of the regulars and one can take a masterclass in acting from all the roles he played in K Viswanath’s films from “Jeevan Jyothi” to “Shubhalekha” to “Shrutilayalu” to “Janani Janma Bhoomishcha” to “Sutradharulu” and “Apathbandhavudu”, he will be seen in new light - sans swagger and extra-meanness and surrendering himself to the master director. Ditto in films with Bapu (“Sita Kalyanam”, “Sampoorna Ramayanam”, and “Rambantu”), Dasari Narayana Rao (“Thoorpu Padamara”) or K Balachander (“Rudra Veena”) or SV Krishna Reddy (“Ghatotkachudu” and “Yamaleela”). Very rare for an actor to get picked up by so many wonderful directors.

 

6.          KS got the Raghupati Venkayya award for his contribution to Telugu Cinema as an actor and as a producer (making films like “Kodama Simham”). Again, not many character actors received such an honor. Gummed and Allu Ramalingayya were the only other character actors who received this prestigious award. As the standards for the award became tougher, Satyanarayana earned it rightfully in 2011.

 

 

7.          It takes talent, discipline, and exceptional time-management to wrap up shooting roles in so many films - how Satyanarayana managed ought to be a case study in film studies. In the history of Telugu Cinema, Satyanarayana may have got over-shadowed in popularity by occasional spurt of villains who invent new idioms and idiosyncrasies in voice modulation like Rao Gopal Rao (modulation), or Prakash Raj (intonation) or Kota Sreenivas Rao (accent). But the reasons for eclipsing him are not because he vacated the space of villainy for new entrants. It can be interpreted that he never wanted to be the sole and permanent villain in the Film Industry; he wanted to experiment many roles, get imprinted in public consciousness by playing mythological characters (which requires special talent and demeanor). To that extent, because KS co-acted with NTR in over 100 films and with legends like SVR in over 20 films, he must have studied the art of mastering multifaceted roles from social to folklore to mythology to historical to devotional to comic capers.

 

8.          Tonight, many Indian actors and those who think they are urban legends will regret that they couldn’t act with this phenomenal actor called Kaikala Satyanarayana. For all those who cherished acting or collaborating with this handyman of Indian Cinema, it gives rich memories of a stellar filmography of close to 780 films. For the audiences who grew up watching him on screen and getting petrified or violated or moved or intimidated or scarred or motivated or regaled or deeply impacted by his characterizations, the fact that KS is no more is a big void that can never be filled. If Telugu Cinema is today hailed as the only film industry in the country that gives a sumptuous meal like a Thali meal, then KS has always been that one item or ingredient in the Thali who pulled punches and gave you money’s worth.

 

 

9.          KS proved that being a part of a film is more important than playing a meaty or a lengthy role. In “Kodama Simham” he can be hardly seen though he produced the film. In “Arundhati” you cannot ignore him as a Patriarch who is both afraid and respectful of Anushka. In countless films, K Satyanarayana entertained us with thrilling combinations - with hero, co-artistes, co-comedians, etc. Another great lesson for those who want to run everlasting marathons in silver screens.

 

It took 88 years for a man who played the God of Death to reach the afterworld of death. Peace to his well-lived life. Om Shanti.

 

"Arjun Reddy" (Telugu Film) premierre on Television

"Arjun Reddy" is finally telecast on Television Premiere yesterday. I dreaded how it will come across on TV because it was rated "A" when it released. Amazon Prime has no qualms about releasing profanity disguised as class wrapped inside a "Cult " film. But TV Premierre had to show a sense of responsibility higher than that. The original version released in theaters had almost eleven censor cuts with few minutes of mute in an unusually long film for a modern-day version of Devadas. I realized that from the day the sensational posters of the film got released that here is a film that is going to rock by catering to the youthful audience, the hostel variety. While I have been reviewing Telugu films, unofficially, since 1991 (while I was still a sophomore), I have never seen so much curiosity raised for a film like "Arjun Reddy" ever for a film review. Many of my kin and kith and fellows on FB have texted in multiple ways to ask me to review the film. I did see the film and followed all the heaps of praise that it garnered but I didn't want to review the film because of many reasons. One of the main reasons is that I wanted the boy to do very well - Vijay Devarakonda - I have interviewed him for Telugu360.com (https://www.telugu360.com/interview-with-vijay-devarakonda/) and have high respect for him for choosing different scripts and carving out a niche for himself in a star-struck tinsel town without any Godfathers.

After completing the full run of a powerful show at the Box Office, and later, winning plaudits at Amazon Prime and finally getting aired on TV yesterday, I thought it makes sense to see the film for what it said and what it stands for. With all due respects to the makers of the film and the crew and the team, I personally feel "Arjun Reddy" is a freakish, once-in-a-lifetime intense account of a love story with a poetic ending. Any other interpretations would make us read more into it than what the director Sandeep Vanga Reddy himself never intended us to see in the first place. The film was aimed only at the youth audience, the go-getter generation who will their lives their way, stray occasionally, fall again and get themselves up even if they lose a phase of life or parts of themselves. There is no message here for the society because the character of Arjun Reddy is so intense and real that the story is told in tell-tale fashion with riveting authenticity of a self-obsessed medico who falls in love with a college junior and later loses her, loses himself to take to drugs, loses his way in home, practices as a surgeon, loses his grandmother - the only other lady who empathized with him, finds his father's affections again, re-spots the love of his life just as he embarks on a holiday, and finally rejoins with her and the unborn baby to lead a happy life - just where it started all over before marriage.
My issues in interpreting the film have got nothing to do with issues of a live-in relationship or consensual sex the hero and the heroine carry on in their lives but the contradictions that abound in the narrative which the director conveniently side-steps while giving us an impression he is honest. Every director dreams of a honest film, if he is not honest about his motives and objectives, what is a director for then? But in this film, the director creates situations and characters which do not lend consistency. Let me come to come to the facts straight away.

The hero is shown to be fiercely independent in the first few minutes and gets punished by the Dean of the medical school. He doesn't see any girl but the only girl he falls in love with, his junior, he goes over-protective about her, dotes on her, ensures her projects are finished on time because a lot of it is done out of his promise to be a Guardian caretaker as promised to the girl's father. And then it becomes consensual relationship. But he never shows any remorse that he has breached the trust given to the girl's father nor disclosed it when he has violated it first time (or every time!). Forget his own ibby-jibbies, he fails to even convince his father to go and talk to the girl's parents at a crucial juncture and mumbles to explain why his "father-in-law" is upset with him. While a decent relationship exists between Arjun's brother and grandmother, both of them fail to rein him in to fall in line with control of emotions and anger and suffering. If the hero is really so attached to the grandmother, the grandmother would have never told him, "All suffering is personal and let him suffer." Neither is she ever in a mood to counsel her grandson, neither is he in a position to ever listen to anybody - a lot of everything that greets the hero is self-inflicted. And a lot of problems that the hero gets in his life are all coming from lack of self-awareness and self-control. When you lack self-awareness, you live like an animal without any sense of good or bad, and then you rely on your instincts which without an overlay of received wisdom or avuncular guidance to rein them in, it leads to more and more disastrous consequences. This is what happened to the hero in the film: in an attempt to create a modern paradox of a Devdas, we see a hysterical control maniac who wants everything his way and doesn't use reason or sage counsel to help him. At a crucial juncture when someone tries to molest his love, he chases down the culprit to assault him into submission but later makes the same offender stand guarantee to ensure no further offenses happen. How bizarre!
Yet another gaping hole is when in an important moment, the hero's friend Ramakrishna is the one who introduces the hero to weed, coke and drugs. However, we find it is the friend who keeps bailing the hero out of trouble most of the times. If your best friend is the one who introduces you to drugs and then bails you out every time you land in trouble, is he your best friend? Which friend will make you lose your marbles and then stand by you each time you try to find your way? Then the hero in a bid to fortify the love of his life makes remarks about others commenting on fat air hostesses but he himself picks a fat girl as a roommate to ring-fence his girl from others' attention. The episodes about his medical practice are another thing and would have led to public outcry had the owner not belled the cat later. Is that a good example to the students again? And admitting to it, would it absolve the breach of trust earlier? All along, the hero plays such a bully in reel life and protects the girl but fails to build self-confidence in the girl so much that she doesn't retaliate at moments when they were about to get separated or she was about to get married. Can communication be so bad and yet the girl walks out on her marriage, to take care of the pregnancy. In another instance, the hero goes home after learning about the grandma's death and lectures to father that life is all about reaction to birth and death 90 per cent of the time and the ten per cent is all about those events of life and death. How silly! Is that all the wisdom the director wants to project about life? Is that the essence of life? Is being available to greeters of death the only thing that matters?

On the whole, I somehow couldn't relish watching the film though I enjoyed the narrative of the film in its full-blooded intensity and staggering length. If more commercial films are attempted with the tell-tale honesty of director Sandeep's approach, we will have more stories to experience immersively. In that sense, make no mistake, Vijay Devarakonda's performance is the performance of the decade, Ramakrishna's characterization is one of the most entertaining ones as a side-kick to the hero, and music by Radhan is one of the most enchanting scores to listen to. But the film has a disturbing straw to its narrative which makes you think which way the boys and the girls can stray into in ways which can affect your peace of mind. The director has done well to highlight a meme that infected the protagonist but it is a dangerous meme. Could any other director attempted this story differently, in more responsible ways? Like Shekhar Kammula or Nandini Reddy or Tharun Bhascker or Indraganti Mohan Krishna? I like to think so. The real test of Sandeep Vanga Reddy's mettle as a director is to immediately make his next film and then we will know whether "Arjun Reddy" is a freak film or the director has managed to shake off the experience of a character like Arjun Reddy in his memory.
Finally, the film grossed over Rs.50 crores in theatrical run and managed to stump everybody's projections. Does that make it a cult classic film? Is it like "Shiva" and "Sholay"? I do not think so. A cult film usually changes the perception of how movies are made by showing a new perspective, taking or style. A classic film is one that is universally acclaimed by all family audiences. A cult classic film is endearing to all family audiences and is clean U rated. "Shiva" was a cult film but not a classic because a section of audiences did not like the degree of violence in the film. But it was neat for all ages. Ditto for "Sholay". "Arjun Reddy" would be a cult film because of the way it let the mind of a director focus with a single-minded narrative of a character as real in flesh and blood as Arjun Reddy who is full of contradictions, surprises and shades of grey - that interval bang, for example of a hero pissing in his pants out of incontinence is a master stroke which no hero would ever dream of attempting. But Tollywood has talked about many cult films in the last two decades and every time a movie was hailed as a cult film, they said the industry is going to change for good. They said it when "Shiva" was released. They said when "Sitaramayya gari Manavaralu" got released. They said it again when "Pratighathana" was released. They said the industry has evolved when the film "Aithe" another cult film got released unleashing a new director Chandrasekhar Yeleti. They said it when "Anand" and later "Happy Days" got released. But cult films only last as long as the next style or signature of a newly-minted director is not yet in sight. But a classic film like a "Mayabazaar" or a "Shankarabharanam" or a "Sagar Sangamam" or "Athadu" or "Mutyla Muggu" they will remain in limelight forever. Unfortunately, "Arjun Reddy" is not a classic film because a. it is not a "U" certificate film and b. it is not a classic film, as simple as that.

I would have rated the film 2.75/5 if I have seen the film first time. And while I feel happy for the boy Vijay who has stormed the bastion of Tollywood (and all the aged and dynastic heroes who are pissing in the pants for the audacity of the new age youth icon Vijay Devarakonda), I hope he selects responsible scripts in future to consolidate his career.

Tollywood's Golden Year

The link to the latest article:

http://www.telugu360.com/tollywoods-golden-year/

ANR Rest in Peace! A Legend larger than Life and Films

ANR has lost out the in the last lap to the emperor of maladies but that should not take anything away from one of the most celebrated legends on celluloid the world has ever seen. I have seen most of his films, soaked up on his interviews and followed his core thoughts like life depended on it. No doubt, Akkineni is in many ways a nonpareil phenomenon in the world of acting and movies with lessons that usually accrue over many lifetimes.

What makes him a rare figure is his journey from an ordinary illiterate peasant beginning into a respectable personality that commands universal appeal. Whether it is taking on the fiercest adversary - late NTR - with his own strengths, or learning to speak in English on the very first sojourn to the US and Europe, acing up the learning curve in English throughout his life or taking a proactive approach to healthy eating and living or giving back to the film fraternity by building institutions that teach film crafts, ANR has shown the way to mould your destiny and transform yourself from rawness to near-perfection and live life with a stamp of dignity, class, financial discipline, health discipline and value system.

The area where Annapurna Studios is located today came into being from land allocated by government but the move itself set the ball rolling for Telugu Film Industry to flourish in Hyderabad. It was named as Jubilee Hills only after ANR came and then NTR followed suit so that the fraternity can churn out films that will become jubilee hits. Indeed Jubilee Hills today outgrew into Film Nagar or better known as Krishna Nagar and housed several studios and labs besides making the city a thriving cinepolis in South. 

Very few film personalities in the world have built their careers brick by brick, growing with the phases of technology and commercial equations and coping with the highs and lows. What set ANR apart is his comfort in his own skin and choice of roles from a range of characters in history, mythology, romance, literature, mysticism and modernity. He knew his limitations, he knew his strengths and always played to his advantage or at best carved his own space even when he was sparring with the vibrant NTR. I think they acted in about 31 films together but ANR picked roles that helped him stand out against NTR. He played Chanakya against NTR's Chandragupta, Arjuna against Krishna, or Tenali Raman against Krishnadeva Raya. When he could not compete, he wouldn't just accept the role. Sometimes, the risk-averseness was high because he thought he  could not take chances with roles or responsibilities that he feared may backfire - like playing Savitri's brother (which role went to NTR in "Rakta Sambandham") or playing a transvestite Arjuna (again played by NTR in "Narthanasala"). He shunned politics all his life because he thought the rewards in politics came in films too, something NTR didn't agree upon. Yet, political connections were embraced by ANR - it is alleged he got sweet-heart deals in land because of affinity to Congress party. But by far, most of his fortune was built over the fifty plus years in the most assiduous manner - something that many of his contemporaries never learnt or practised. Those few that practised his precepts in money-management and financial discipline built reserves that outlasted their careers - late Sobhan Babu, Murali Mohan, Chiranjeevi, Rama Naidu, Krishna Kumari, Sowcar Janaki,  Jayachitra, Radhika, Venkatesh, his own son Nagarjuna, Saikumar, Rajanikanth. 

Anecdotally, ANR maintained that he gave timely, frank and unsolicited advice on financial prudence to many co-stars, producers, technicians and directors. While there were many who listened and thrived, some ignored and paid a price with costly mistakes. Into this sorry category fall names like late Kantha Rao, late Savitri, Kanchana, Vanisri and so on. Tollywood's history is almost commensurately covered by ANR's career. Some of the most sordid tales of reckless financial squalor or ill-health due to lack of moderation stared in ANR's face in his journey from "Dharmapatni" to "Manam" which have made him wiser as he grasped from other people's mistakes. Chittoor Nagayya, Relangi, Raj Babu, Padmanabham, Savitri - all of them had riches to rags endings and many more cases of callousness and living beyond means dot the film world. ANR is one of the few exceptions to the folly rule but there is nothing accidental about it - it must be burnt in the consciousness of everybody: Make Hay while the sun shines but when the sun stops shining keep some haystacks away from consumption. 

ANR also helped nurture the industry grow with a co-axial anchoring with NTR and others who joined in later. He backed good scripts, scripts with novels written by good writers, engaged with directors who made engaging and timeless classics and respected everybody and above all, respected producers like a God. Because he lacked the animal charishma and outrageous screen presence like that of NTR, he took his beginning chances with few directors like Adurti Subba Rao and his direct or indirect disciples like K Vishwanath, Mullapudi Venkataramana and Bapu and producers backing star wives like Anjali Devi or Bhanumati or star producers like Rama Naidu and VB Rajendra Prasad. That set the ball rolling for a career that soared because it had the best harvest of characters - Salim, Kalidasa, Vipranarayana, Jayadeva, Tenali Ramakrishna, Devadas, Tukaram. He produced block busters too but made films with a conscience. Films like "Sudigundalu" and "Maro Prapancham" are masterpieces and relevant even today even if they failed at the box office. ANR never stopped making such films though. I remember a film called "Theerpu" an audacious plot where a righteous father kills his corrupt and criminal sons who are breaking law -something that is not irrelevant in the age of "Nirbhaya" delinquents.

Marshall McLuhan said in a book: "Medium is the Message". ANR personified this to the hilt. He understood the secret strings that endeared the masses to their matinee idols. Thats why, his lip sync with Ghantasala or Ramakrishna or SPB was the most perfect one in the industry. He had a body language that was toned down, dignified and less intense- something that became a butt of jokes by mimicry artistes. But he knew songs with the right notes made all the right noises. Even in the last film we saw recently, "Sriramarajyam", he requested Bapu to keep a song for him as Valmiki but that will make his role more memorable. It also speaks about the judgement of ANR in making himself evergreen. I remember this judgement helped him cast the die well for shaping the career of his son Nagarjuna too in the early stages. When the film "Gitanjali" was made by Mani Ratnam, no distributor came forward to buy as they thought the film lacked any spice. The story goes, ANR negotiated on behalf of producer CL Narasa Reddy. He asked the distributors to only see the songs in the film and decide. That sealed it - the distributors bought it and the film turned out to be one of the biggest hits in Nag's career, closely followed by "Shiva" again made by a new talent homegrown in Annapurna Studio corridors.

Talk about awards - no film personality has got as many awards from Dada Saheh Phalke Award to Padma Vibushan in the most diligent and chronological manner as it can ever be. It could be argued such a reap of awards couldn't come without political neutrality but merit cannot be taken away from ANR's museum of awards. Having won every award in the country, he started his own ANR award which has been rewarding the most legendary names in the world of cinema. 

His approach to food, moderate eating and health beats the likes of Dr.Atkins and GM diets. He believed in preventive rather than curative approach to health - something he rigorously followed till his run-in with cancer. He has studied life in its subtlest nuances without attending a university or reading books. He applied life to himself and applied himself to life and the magic grew every day until he became a university or an institution himself because once he tapped into his own reserve, the wisdom that poured out of that reserve proved handy for everyone who touched him. Looking at the DNA of ANR, I feel if he had chosen any other field of calling, he would have been as perceptive, diligent, analytical, happy and positive-minded. ANR has inspired millions of Telugu fans with his acting and paradigms of life. My guess is, he will continue to inspire the film-goers and film folks because his life is his message. Rest in peace, Akkineni. 

As I wind down this tribute, here are my top ten picks from a filmography of 256 films.

1. Seetaramayya Gari Manavaralu

2. Mahakavi Kaalidasu

3. Tenali Ramakrishna

4. Buddhimanthudu

5. Bhakta Tukaram

6. Maro Prapancham

7. Jayabheri

8. Andala Ramudu

9. Vipranarayana

10. Bahudurapu Baatasaari.

Uday Kiran - Promise cut Short by Self

I am surprised by Uday Kiran's suicide. All of us get our share of hard knocks in the school called life. Uday Kiran had been at the receiving end of high-handedness of some of the high and mighty of Tollywood. His death has also exposed the core issues of oligopoly dominating Tollywood which are being endlessly speculated upon on Telugu channels. Whether there is truth in that or not, whether or not the guilty will ever get punished or not, the laws of Karma will catch up with everyone one day - you can see the glimpses of such Karmic consequences in the way some of the family members of the "errant" powerful family suffered in their own personal lives too - somebody has married thrice, somebody else has ended a marriage too soon. Peace of mind will never return to them, neither will wages of sin be escaped ever.

Whether the speculation on dominating the Tollywood industry ceases or not, the days of oligopoly may soon be over because history teaches us that everytime a few people gang up together to stifle newcomers or corner the profits in the entire value chain from theatres to distribution to satellite rights, a tipping point like this occurs which will upstage the existing players who are calling the shots. 

In Hollywood, this happened from the times of Goldwyn Mayer till the times of Steven Spielberg. In Bollywood, it hapened with the original trio of RK-Dilip-Dev to Rajesh Khanna to Amitabh Bachan to the three Khans. Amitabh's over-dominance has bled the Bollywood industry with series of mega flops because the industry was revolving around the angry young man's machismo, it made the industry starve for good scripts, look for cheaper alternatives like Mithun Chakraborty and Anil Kapoor and eventually unleashed a new creative revolution that makes Bollywood the most celebrated industry in the world today - churning out regularly Rs.100-200 crore hits. Look at Sandalwood - Karnataka's film industry - which roared under Raj Kumar's mega stardom, driving creative composers, villains, heroines and producers out of Karnataka because they could not survive the big star-centric universe. It took many years of vacuum, government sops and renewed vigor to make people watch Kannada films again. Of course, though the film standards have gone up a few notches, the industry has gone back to more monopolistic days - with Raj Kumar's sons now being at the commanding heights of Sandalwood in distribution, content and production. Tamil Nadu used to be a leaf out of Andhra Pradesh in being oligopolistic but that has changed recently with Madam Jayalalitha seizing control of the trade by breaking up the segments concentrated upon by rivals from DMK family and restoring the order for small films to breathe free. 

Tollywood has always been peculiarly haunted by somewhat singular film fraternity right from the days of Akkineni Vara Lakshmi Prasad (Late LV Prasad) who ventured into films from agricultural surpluses and built the modern Telugu film industry as we know today. That has led to more and more industrialists with agricultural background turning to film-production and direction - most of the themes till today therefore, resonate with feudalistic fervor. Over the years, the domination attained unassailability with the Kammas entering the fray and building stardom upon stardom. At the height of his glory in 1980s, after his coronation as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, late NT Rama Rao took a decision that at that time was taken with a regressive intent: kill any competition that can allow the next Superstar to rise up again. NTR took a measure to introduce the slab system of charging entertainment taxes on the basis of assumed occupancy rates - that effectively sealed the fate of small films and low budget films. ANR, Krishna, Shoban Babu and Krishnam Raju were just dividing their stardom and Chiranjeevi was yet to see the megastardom. He wanted to see a bright future for his son Balakrishna and ensure the oligarchy continues. It led to wipe out of many small films because the halls refused to screen films which did not guarantee a minimum attendance. It also led to more and more such theatre-owners get into the clutches of producers who made big banner films and ensured minimum eye-balls for their family heroes. It led to more consolidation at the top end forcing more and more small producers capitulate. It led to concentration of stardom but distribution and production returning to the likes of the few that rule the industry. Major distributors like Lakshmi Films got annihilated. Producers who made high-quality family fare like Navata Krishnam Raju and K Murari withdrew from film-making. Creativity has hit new nadirs although the market cap has expanded - that has widened the gap between the mighty and the meek. Yes, you are still making more films but fewer hit films. 

Last year, according to one producer, there were 13 small-budget films which became superhits  whereas only 9 big-budget films became hits. That means, despite the channels of exhibition and distribution being at the mercy of a few, audiences are clamoring for new content. Eventually, the audiences will move on from one megastar to another but the appetite for imaginative and innovative content will grow with maturing of audiences across the ages. Only then, when all-round talent is harvesting a bounty will the industry expand. Bollywood is in that sweet spot today - with atleast three heroines and a dozen heroes commanding a gross of Rs.100 crores. Tollywood in its 82 years is making hopelessly 200 films plus but only now has crossed Rs.100 crores. A Rajini and a Kamal have routinely crossed Rs.150 crores in recent times, from a neighbouring Kollywood, which is reinventing itself to expand markets yet cut its teeth into new and expanding cakes overseas. Zombie films will atrophy and take down the majority of the makers who continue to swear by them. New Order will emerge from those few who are not being wholeheartedly backed today. Film Industry after Film Industry has escaped this fall however big. Look at the biggest studio in South India- Ramoji Film City. It's valuation is up because of TV serials and tourism activity, not because of film shoots planned there. A few years back, one of Hyderabad's biggest Star Producer studios came up for outright sale - this is the studio that made some golden hits for ANR and NTR and made over 100 films in all Indian languages and created a Guinness Record. According to reports, the valuation came to around Rs.700 crores and that hasn't come from film negatives but from the land parcels embedded within the studio limits. Doesn't it tell you that if you continue making stupid masala films, it doesn't get  you anywhere?  Or, just because you are Mahesh Babu or Pawan Kalyan doesn't augur well for all the producers in Tollywood? My point in this excursion is to give a consumer's analysis of where the industry is going and whether that direction is desired by one and all. Thats a limited point to the main discussion. 

Which ought to be really, why Uday Kiran had to give up so soon on his life. When you give up on your life, you are giving up on what can work from you from the next moment you stay alive. Acting is not the sole objective of life, if you are an actor. There are many actors who came to terms with what's not happening in their lives and then took charge of some things that made it happen in different ways:

Actor Tarun still acts in youthful roles,  runs a restaurant and retains his zest for life.

Actor Raja is waiting for the perfect small-budget film and converted to Christianity. He finds more solace in his new religion.

Actor Rajendra Prasad has matured into mellowed roles and winning accolades with his versatility. 

Actor Naresh has been experimenting with character roles and playing key roles in relation to the ruling heroes and heroines of Tollywood.

Actor Navdeep has not given up on himself and has played noticeable roles against superstars and also starring in small budget films.

Actor Pradeep, yesteryears hero in Jandhyala films, has reinvented himself as a top executive in an IT company.

Last heard, Uday Kiran has actually got a chance to hear four new stories from casting agencies I know of. Instead of listening to the new stories, he kept repeating his sob story, it seems. If only he has listened to new ideas and realised that life is not all about just acting...If only he realised that being alive offered infinite possibilities to his potential outside even films - as a restaurateur, TV serials, second heroes, character artist, sports coach, life coach...anything. Uday Kiran, R.I.P. You had so much potential but you limited life with your limitations, my friend. If only...

Pawan Kalyan and the Cult of the Colossal in Tollywood

"Gabbar Singh" is on its way to becoming a blockbuster in Tollywood. Its the first superhit for Power Star Pawan Kalyan in eleven years since "Khushi" movie was released. Now, offers are going to pour in for Pawan Kalyan. Goes to prove that Tollywood's obsession with the cult of the colossal is very much on. No other film industry has so much patience in kowtowing to matinee idols who fail to fire in so many movies. Flop after flop after flop, and then one hit, life's back to normal for the Star. The threshold of patience is highest in Tollywood which is ruled by few top heroes. That kind of patience is non-existent for the ones who are not the chosen ones. Many examples, there - Uday Kiran, Tarun, Raja, etc. Of course, they may say, those who have the talent will be always given a chance. True, it holds well but chances and half-chances don't come to the unsupported heroes just like that. You should either have financial backing like Nitin Reddy who delivered a superhit after 14 flops - "Ishq" (Nitin's father is a film distributor Sudhakar Reddy) or you should be like Pawan Kalyan with a monstrous fan following. Either way, the market cap of the top heroes goes on unabated.

The patience with heroes is one thing. The lack of patience with other elements in a Telugu movie - that is something else. Its almost legendary. From heroines to stunt directors, from directors to music directors, patronage is showered mostly on those who give the heroes instant success and stardom - the rest fall by the wayside. I will discuss later in a separate post on the number of music directors who have almost ended up like flashes in the pan. Goes to show that despite making the second-highest number of films in India, Tollywood is still oligopolistic and highly concentrated industry - a few call the shots, and the chosen few get quintals of patience from producers and fans while the rest languish.

"Gabbar Singh" Movie Review (Telugu)

"Gabbar Singh" is the name of  India's most entertaining villain from the immortal movie "Sholay". It surprises me why nobody ever thought of the title "Gabbar Singh" considering the phenomenal following Amjad Khan has had for portraying that character. Pawan Kalyan has now starred in the movie "Gabbar Singh" which is a a remake of "Dabanng". Director Harish Shankar, a protege of RamGopal Varma, adapted the movie "Dabanng" and the script penned by Dileep Shukla, altered some crucial characters in the original film to suit Telugu nativities and packed a punchy and boisterous output. Its a thoroughly entertaining and hugely likeable story that will regale all audiences, especially Pawan Kalyan fans who are famished for a decade searching for that elusive hit. They've had a half-chance with "Jalsa" but now they can feast on the dollops of fun and frolic and the ruckus and laughter riot created by Pawan Kalyan almost single-handedly. I rate this movie a few notches above this year's "Businessman" because of wholesome fare and masala entertainment thats quite neat.


Of course, the story of a cop who acts like a goon must be unappealing for many in the society. But so be it - if you liked "Dabanng", you better like this one too. I even dare say, to all my Hindi friends, to try this movie - you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of monstrous fun, action and comedy created in "Gabbar Singh". I find it as good as the original and refreshingly cooler than "Dabanng." Its a coup for a remake. Credit must go to the whole team - Editor/Dialogue-writer (Director himself)/Cinematographer/Choreographer - for a clean output. DeviSri Prasad once again scores hummable and foot-tapping songs that will set crowds  foot-loose; his BGM score-ability is also becoming an additional strength, of late. (Which makes him a sought-after BGM specialist like Mani Sharma or AR Rahman). After a long time, I found songs where Pawan was at ease in dancing as much as his other family kin, new and old. Shruti Hassan may have got lucky in the movie with the role as she doesn't have the same cuteness and star-struck appeal of Sonakshi Sinha despite donning the same costumes. She gets to sing lines in only one of the many songs. Malaika Arora, who stars in the "Kevvu Keka" looked better and dignified aftera long time - otherwise she can grate on you.

Easily, Pawan Kalyan's performance is the best and the brightest in the movie - he shines in every frame, packs a punch in every fight and dialogue and shows a remarkable resilience in lifting his own fortunes with one fiery salvo in this film. The role gives him the luxury of showing all the shades of a villain, hero, comedian and a mature character actor who can occasionally step back for others to hog the limelight. The "Anthakshari" scene with criminals post-interval will get more eyeballs than the item song - it is well-crafted and seat-shifting laughter. For all those who have given up on watching Pawan Kalyan (including myself), its time for lot of "Khushi" and some gum for this film. Dialogues by Harish Shankar sound incredibly classy while awakening massive "fan" shouts. If remakes are made like this, you can buy any originals for any price. Well done, Gabbar Singh.