Koratala
Siva is a director who believes in making meaningful commercial films with an
underlying message. His previous films “Mirchi” and “Srimanthudu” have met with
huge success even if the initial response has been slow to muted. What sets him
apart from the usual mongrels directing commercial films is the unhurried pace
of narration, and honesty in story-telling. Even the audio tracks of his films
released have a touch of this honesty. Many times, the audience keeps guessing
on the order of songs in the audio CD because the makers juggle the order of
songs. But from the film “Mirchi” onwards, Koratala Siva insists the songs on
the catalogue appear in the same order they appear in the film – that’s quite
remarkable. It is proof of the director’s intent to never cheat you – either by
meaningless side-shows or flippant comedy for the sake of it. How does Janata Garage fare? First half of the
film sizzles with good romance, towering performances, great songs and impactful
scenes. But the second half loses its way after a brilliant scene in a
government office starring NTR Jr. and Rajiv Kanakala.
For NTR Jr.
the film is one major step in the right direction – of moving away from
lineage-heavy dialogues and mass-image roles – of becoming a metrosexual, uber
cool actor who will pack a punch with subtlety and method acting. He excels in
his dances and gives another career-best performance by staying true to the
mood of his role as a nature-lover and environmental activist who tames
villains. The best part of NTR is he takes a backseat in few crucial scenes to
elevate the Superstar Mohanlal wherever he needs to – right from titles (where
Mohanlal’s name appears) to the last scene of the film (where again Mohanlal
finishes off). In a film with mighty starcast from Mohanlal to NTR to Saikumar
to Sachin Khandekar to Samantha and Nitya Menen, rarely do you find the hero’s
introduction delayed by 21 minutes after the film starts.
The story
is not new: Mohanlal is a self-made repairman who builds a giant garage called `Janata
Garage’ in Hyderabad repairing all wheeled vehicles. He also attends to the
worries of people and hence the caption “All things repaired here” which brings
his troop of men in direct conflict with a billionaire called Mukesh (sounds
eerie, right?). NTR, on the other hand, lives in Mumbai with his uncle Suresh’s
family pursuing his interests in nature conservation. Destiny and family
history eventually brings NTR into the portals of Janata Garage but there are
some hidden sources of conflict from within which pull the story. Even though
the story is familiar, the treatment and the characters built into the story
build it out for a watchable though predictable narrative - something that is bereft of regular formula
stuff.
What pulls
down the film is the second half with a heavy dose of violence, an item song
(that is avoidable and deplorable) and monotonous. It smacks of lazy writing and
momentary lapse in clarity that pulls the graph dramatically lower than the
feeling you get at interval time. A lot of ends which could have got tied up in
the second half hang out loose – the character of Samantha who cutely tailgates
NTR in the first half peters out, Suresh and Sitara who doted on NTR never come
back in his life again, the environment activist in NTR who is so vocal in the
first half goes to sleep once NTR takes up the causes of JG in the second half…It
is things like these which make the 162 minute film a little less savory than a
four-course meal, it is okay to skip the desert but don’t take the breads away
from the table, the audience may ask. However, what redeems the film is the
measured characterisation of the principal and side actors in the film –
Mohanlal, NTR, Sachin Khandekar, Unni Mukundan (as Mohanlal’s son), Saikumar,
Suresh, Rajiv Kanakala, Ajay and Bhargavi.
Of all, the surprising elevation
comes from unexpected characters like Rajiv Kanakala and the subtle romantic
track between Ajay and Bhargavi. Rajiv’s character also elevates the crux of
the message that Koratala Siva wants to spread through the film about
principled and integrity-based living. Ajay’s characterisation leaves you with
a heavy heart. Almost all the rest of the pack from Saikumar, Suresh and Sachin
Khedekar make their moments of impact on screen. Unni Mukundan, the Malayali
actor who plays Mohanlal’s son stands out with a good performance that shows
calibre – there are shades of the film “Shakti” (Dilip Kumar and Amitabh
Bachchan) in the way his role develops. Interestingly, Sachin gets to dub his
own voice in Telugu whereas Mohanlal (who dubbed himself for “Manamanthaa”) borrows
another baritone for his role. Of all the roles, Mohanlal’s role is consistent
throughout the film – he stays in the zone of a comatose, good Samaritan and
can fire up a lighthouse without even a twitch on his chubby cheeks, his eyes
have that magical power. Even the way he takes to stunts ought to be a lesson
for NTR and other macho heroes – you don’t need to bash up baddies till they
crumble like nine pins, you just need a symbolic fight once, the rest is
banality. That’s what makes the film a bore in the second half. After a
dramatic fight by NTR showing the five elements of nature in a demonstrative
fight with the baddies, he keeps using his brawn instead of brain in the second
half to tame the villains which dilutes the intensity of the original character
– a cardinal mistake.
On the
whole, the film dazzles in technical departments – dialogues, cinematography
(Thiru), music (DSP) and set design. Thiru’s cinematography is great but if
greatness is all about showing “yellow” colors oozing out of every frame, then
the eye clamors for more. Music by DSP is just about apt both in the BGM and
songs – he uses silence more at crucial screen moments which build a subtle
tension in the film. The song, set design and choreography in “Apple Beauty”
make it a visual treat to watch with B&W images of fallen motifs from modern
wonders of the world. The song showing a nature trek by the hero and the two
heroines Nitya and Samantha can ensnare anybody into love for nature and
serenity. Had the editing been sharper in the second half, this film would have
got a blockbuster status but for that to happen, the excessive stunts, the item
song on Kajal (what a waste!) and a few dragging scenes should have got
mercilessly chopped. NTR’s twelve minute oration in the Government Municipal
office will become the most famous scene in his career and that itself is a
paisa vasool scene for me which can rebuild foundations of a moralistic society
in a corruption-free India.
Finally,
one needs to assess this film differently despite scant comedy, lack of fan-hungry
entertainment, incomplete romance or a lousy climax. In the past, class
directors used to get atleast a dozen films or more to establish their
credentials as makers with a different idiom and style and who are here to
stay. Nowadays, the directors get only two or three films to establish what
they stand for and how they mould their film templates. Koratala Siva has
established himself as a meangingful director in just three films – and despite
flaws, deserves praise for making a film worth watching once. NTR Jr. too is
directionally moving correctly towards a mass-affluent image and this film
underlines that intent one more time after “Naannaku Prematho”. He may have
erred on the overall finishing of the plot because he doesn’t have the benefit
of a mega family where about half-dozen people hear a script before okaying it with
more modifications. But that doesn’t make the film less worthy. It can be
watched with family too.
Rating: 3/5
