"Linga" (This is not a Movie Review)

What made Rajinikanth select a shallow story shows a grandson as a joker and the real hero as a a learned Raja Lingeswara? The contrast was not compatible with each other till the end.

Why the same makeup, hairdo and cowboy costumes used for both the dual roles? When you are showing two generations, the simplest copybook rule is to show contrast in characterisation.

Why does Anushka the heroine for the grandson Rajini insist on taking him to the village of his grandfather? What is her connection to the village or the legend of Linga? Not very well answered.

Was the film based on true story? Why does it give an impression it is based on the life of Sir Arthun Cotton  - who built a bridge, splitting the tributaries of rivers Godavari and Krishna which were anyway flowing into the sea and changed the livelihoods of Andhra farmers forever? Was there any king who built a dam like this? The nation wants to know.

Why was the film so low on entertainment? Why did we not have more of Santhanam in the second half?

Why director Ravi Kumar who relies on good story-telling and drama give such a weak characterisation for everybody? 

Who is the main villain in the film? Is it the Britisher who opposed Linga's efforts to build the dam? Is it Jagapathi Babu who abuses the people of Singanoor? If it is Jagapathi Babu, as he's lasted out, why is he under-utilised? Rajinikanth's best blockbuster hits have been movies where the antagonist gets equal if not meaty footage. 

Why are there so many lags in the film? What happened to director's sense of energy and speed in story-telling? Why do you have to show a museum robbery for 25 minutes? Why do you have to show a dam construction in such detail? Is this a documentary or a film on dam construction? Why is the shot selection so bad? Where did you highlight Rajinikanth? Did the director do justice to Rajinikanth's charishma and  one-liner witticisms? 

In the scene where Rajini and Anushka get ensconced in a close room, when Rajini tries to open up the locked door by using magnets to attract the keys up the path he navigates on the other side of a strong wooden door, does the director know that wood is not a magnet conductor? 

Why were there only one duet song with each of the heroines? While full marks for the lavish settings and the extravagant picturisations, why was there no other relief moments in second half with the heroines or atleast a mass song? 

What was Brahmanandam doing in a film with star comedian Santhanam? Why did Brahmi get such poor lines? Why did his appearance go waste?

Why is the interval so weak? Even if you use flashback for over two hours, did it not occur to the director Ravi Kumar to use current time period to bring a good interval block? Even inexperienced directors do not use flashback scenes for interval bang effect.

The period drama dates to 1939 when the ruling queen of England was Queen Elizabeth. But the pictures show Queen Victoria all the time. Why? You could have used Mona Lisa if you had to use a lady's picture. More masses would recognise her.

When the only conflict in the film is between the Britisher and Raja Lingeswara, why didn't the director concentrate more on that in revving up more emotional quotient - through feelings of patriotism, righteousness and fight against poverty? The only highlight of the film is the dialogues between the Britisher, his wife and of course Linga the Senior. That could have got more mileage and emphasis.

In the opening shot of the introduction of legend Lingeswara, Rajini sits cross-legged reading a seminal book rated amongst the most influential books ever released: Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces". The scene looks impressive with shots in the dark on a moving train where a group of bandits try to kidnap Rajini. The shot had all the elements of a firebrand sequence but gets lost in translation into special effects. Why? And why use a book which was originally published in 1949 when the period setting pertains to the last stage of the second war? But the book highlighted was good - it has inspired many film-makers world over.

Why were there so few songs in the film when the scenes lag? The resonation of AR Rahhman's music with Rajini fans is so good that there is room for more songs in a film dominated by too much flashback. The background music, as usual is good but the scenes were not dramatic for a commercial film. So Rahman's effort looks wasted. But the songs  - "Mona Mona" and the song with Sonakshi Sinha stand out in picturisation and feel of the sound.

The dam is in Singanur but the king Linga is from Gadwal. Agree it is a dubbing mistake. But what is the connection?

Director KS Ravi Kumar shows woman as strong and powerful characters. But in this film an over-weighty Anushka and a naturally plumpy Sonakshi Sinha are used as mere paper weights in visually-rich songs. Rest of the time, they have no screen presence. If you take the "Padayappa" or "Muthu" for Rajini or for Ravi Kumar's previous films with Kamal Hasan like "Tenali", "Panchatantram" and "Dasavatharam", the heroines got great screen-shares with the hero. Why? And why is Anushka over-dressed? And why is Sonakshi  so under-dressed?

Why make films with 2 hrs. 55 minutes? At the end of this unbearable duration, why are  commercial elements awfully missing? Where is the swagger of Rajini Kanth? Where is the style of the style icon? What is so creative about this film which got completed in less than 100 days?

Why am I writing such a long post-mortem for a dud fillm? Why are you even reading this?

My rating remains at 1.5/5

#Linga #LingatheMovie #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #Kollywood #Tollywood #SuperstarRajini #Rajinikanth

Music Director Chakri No More! If only...

Music Director Chakri's premature demise due to heart failure is a grim reminder to all of us  to take care of the address that holds the key to the length of our stay on this planet - our body. My doctor friend tells me that the heart is the only human organ that stops working just like that one fine day without telling us. But it gives us warnings. Yet, one third of heart attack patients never make it alive to the hospital, he says. Chakri's must be unfortunately one of those unfortunate one-third who had a fatal attack. 

I saw Chakri's live music performance at a family friend's Shastipoorthi birthday a few years back. He was lively and humble but rarely smiled unless people greeted him. But he showed greater resilience in his career of over 100 films composing some of the best chart-busters that created mass following. He embarked into film music at almost the same time as RP Patnaik but lasted a wee bit longer than the latter - scoring hit tunes for Ravi Teja, Nagarjuna, Allu Arjun, Nitin, Siddharth, Sumanth, Gopichand, Ram, NTR Jr, Prabhas, Venu,Tarun, Jagapathi Babu and lately for Balayya and Vishnu. Only Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu and Ram Charan did not sway to his tunes. Directors like Puri Jagannadh swore by him for a long time before moving on to others as it happens in a film industry seeking success than substance. But directors like Krishna Vamshee, YVS Choudhary, and Vamshee himself have hired his services as a composer where he belted out some amazing numbers - "Jagamantha Kutumbam Maadi..", "Neeve Neeve..." and "Vennello Hayi Hayi..".

Chakri's music had some essential qualities that ensured his tunes the staying power - rhythm, stylish arrangements, energy, speed, simple instrumentation, buzzwords repeated with hypnotic effect and the occasional melodies. It had an uncanny resemblance to old film tunes and hip hop music but rarely his music lagged. That is because in a career spanning films with so many directors bursting at the seams and so many stars, there was little room for error and Chakri fit the bill pefectly - even if his music had shades of Ilayaraja, Bappi Lahiri and several old film songs. For instance, remember that mass song in Ravi Teja's "Krishna": "Nee Soku Maada, Ammo Nee Jimmadaa..". I pointed out immediately while watching the film that this song is a fast-tempo replica of the famous Ghantasala song composed, sung and enacted by the legend himself himself: "Sesha Sailaa Vaasa Sri Venkatesaaa..". He had the knack of improvising songs like that - straight-lift some black and white melodies and remix them to modern settings. Perhaps this is what made directors like YVS Choudhary and Vamshee seek him out for giving some of the best hit films in their second innings. Nobody could mix up the Ileana item song in "Devadasu" from the old L.R.Maheshwari "Mayadari Chinnodu.". Even Vamshee sought his compositions and Chakri returned his faith with great numbers in some of his films which resembled the old magic of Ilayaraja-Vamsee tunes which had an atypical mixture of hummable melodies with simple dialogues and peculiar sounds created by mouth.

Amongst the new crop of music directors to enter Tollywood in the nineties, few have had such a run of success that Chakri had - with the only exceptions of MM Keeravani,  Mani Sharma, DSP and Thaman. Chakri seemed to have created his mark with clever remixes, smart composing and a legacy of hummable songs that had a modern tinge, simple rhythms and a melody mix that made him a sought-after for a major part of his career. If he had failures, that would have come only with his inability to handle success, not without an ability to persevere and re-adapt himself to the new demands and new heroes.  How else would you explain his awards from Filmfare to Nandi for "Simha" quite recently! His untimely death could have been prevented and he could have given more breaks to many other new singers like Kaushalya, Simha. It is a stark warning for all of us who die out empty in their brains every day  but may wake up dead one day in the body. Chakri may not be a maestro, may not have given us the best lyrics to be proud of or set the highest standards of composing  - but success sought him mostly before success took him away from us. May his soul R.I.P.

What is the legacy of his best five melodies? Methinks the following five:

1. "Jagamantha Kutumbam Maadi"  (Chakram)

2. "Rama Rama Rama Neeli Megha Shyama" (Sivamani)

3. "Vennello Hai Hai Mallello Hai Hai" (Avunu...Valliddaru Ishta Paddaaru)

4. "Konchem Gaaranga ... Konchem Kaaramga" (Chakram)

5. "Bangaaru Kondaa...Maru Malle Danda" (Simha)

NTR - Renaming after a Legend

I am not at all for either re-naming airports or universities after the initial signature is done. But people in both Telugu states should spare a thought or two for NTR as a brand name. He has done a lot for carving out an identity for Telugus in a world bisieged by South Indian motifs mostly thought of as Tamils or Madrasis. What is the legacy that NTR created for the Telugus?

Films to start with - playing roles that nobody else would have enacted - as a eunuch, as the main villains in Ramayan and Mahabharat, as tragic poet who crooned over women and died a pauper, as an Indian Nostradamus, as the grandsire of Mahabharat, as the architect of the Vijaynagar Empire, many social roles and of course, as Lord Krishna and Rama. He was perceived as Vishnu-blue avatar long before we switched to color films. His image as Vishnu avatar got so much burned in South India that when BR Chopra was making the Mahabharat serial on DD, the maker team approached NT Rama Rao for playing the role of Krishna. NTR said," Chopraji, the roles I played as Krishna and Rama is the exclusive privilege of Telugu people. I don't want any other language to get access to that privilege." Of course, the critics panned it as old-fashioned parochialism or inability to wear grease paints to come out looking fresh as Krishna. But the point is made - NTR loved Telugu language and culture, sprinkled Telugu films with high falatun Telugu dialogues which almost run into pages for each scene.

Film theatres and amphittheatres. Apart from Tarakarama and Ramakrishna theatres which were top of the tree cinema halls in those times, he created the RK Studios and produced hugely successful films. He created an open theatre without entry ticket for the masses at Public Gardens known as Lalitha Kala Thoranam - but even that legacy is shamefully erased by the likes of T Subbirami Reddy.

Self-Esteem for the Telugus. He was quick to snatch the opportunity when Rajiv Gandhi rebuked T Anjaiah at the Begumpet airport. He spared no effort in entering politics because he felt the Telugu pride was wounded. Nobody else built a party in that short a period to get elected as CM. But of course, there is also ambition and delusions of grandeur behind this move as some would say. About an year before NTR thought of politics, he was asked to star in a short film on the great Indian Nostradamus - the 14th century Sage Veerabhrahmendra Swami from the Andhra who made many famous predictions. Amongst the many predictions he made were these: That a bania would bring freedom to India from the British. That a widow would rule the country. And NTR read  another prediction: A man with a painted face will rule Andhra. And he thought why can't it be him? Thats how some say he plunged into politics. And he went about it methodically. He hired the greatest tax consultant of the time - NA Palkiwala, filed his returns spick and span - distributed around Rs.125 crores of his networth at that time into eleven parts to his children, willed all his property and started Telugu Desam Party. The rest is history.

Love for Telugus died with him. All through his career in politics, the love for Telugus never dimmed. When the late PV Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister of India, NTR got a great chance to prove his love for Telugu pride. A contest was shaping up in Nandyal constituency as PVNR had to win to stay elected in the parliament as an MP and he was already a Prime Minister. NTR decided to give full support to Narasimha Rao even though he was from Congress-I. He said  the Telugus will not fight against one another in electing their beloved son. Rao got elected and expressed his gratitude to both NTR and Telugu people.

Video lessons on Telugu language. NTR loved Telugu language so much he wanted to create a lasting legacy for the next gen of Telugus. He asked the great Bapu Ramana team to create a video series on the language and its nuances. He gave a lavish budget and the duo went about diligently, created a master series on which the copyright is with the state government. It was 80 per cent complete but got stopped after the next incumbent government that came after NTR's loss in the 90s stopped the project itself. Thats how others think - they failed to see the thread of Telugu culture and heritage.

Telangana government should recognise this atleast - that NTR was a ubiquitous brand for the Telugus and raising holy hell over his name attached to the Airport terminal is in bad taste. As somebody said, if NTR is an anathema, you have to rename your son too. I am not saying NTR is a Yuga Purusha or a God, but he did his best to raise the market cap of Telugus in a world full of South Indian stereotypes dominated by others.

#NTR #RenamingRGIA #TeluguPride #Telugu #TeluguLanguage #TeluguCulture #NTRamaRao #HyderabadAirport

"Memu Saitam" : Gemini TV strikes back with a Winner.

"Memu Saitam" program on Gemini Television yesterday gave a new high in Star-struck  entertainment. The last time we got such a high from Tollywood was when MAA TV telecast the three-day fest celebrating the 75 years of Tollywood with a galaxy of talents including the venerable ANR who was alive then. "Memu Saitam" was a telethon  - a marathon on TV running for upwards of 13 hours - the longest in a single day. What struck me was the range and the repertoire - catching our stars doing what they are good at - entertainment all the way. The program itself was well-coordinated and orchestrated to near-perfection with plenty of interludes and breaks to mitigate any monotony from watching such a marathon.

The programs were light on content and crisp on delivery  - most of them except the two dud shows by the ruling music composers - Thaman and DSP who were stuck in old-world ways of boot-licking their demigods. What was Thaman doing when a CM was gracing the audience I could never get. Or, what was he really thinking in insisting on his nautanki drumbeats with every passing hero or director he worked with I failed to realise. DSP could have sung the latest songs from "Legend" etc. but he is stuck on the much-repeated song of "ShankarDada MBBS".

Moving away from those few jarring notes - the rest of the programs deserve a five-star  rating - the well-contested Kabaddi matches with refereeing by Mohan Babu and the outburst by Brahmanandam, the cricket games with the lightest ball and the lightweight overs - 6/6 format. Comedy inputs by Brahmi, MSN and others was impactful. Balayya's feat at showing his multiple talents outside of acting was neat and entertaining. All the other music directors but for DSP and Thaman who got their six minute hall of fame were dignified and mature enough to present their better songs for the occasion - Mani Sharma, Koti, Ramana Gogula, RP Pattnaik, Raghu, Srilekha etc. Interview by the giggly girl Samantha with Mahesh Babu was becoming quite frivolous and personal until director Trivikram intervened and brought the much-needed seriousness to the show. Yet, it was one of the better off-beat interviews seldom seen of Tollywood superstars - it had spontaneity, fun and the surprise elements in a tete-a-tete.

Two segments stood out taller than the rest of the program in terms of their uniqueness and innovation - one was Nagarjuna's short program on some of the silent heroes behind the HudHud relief efforts - it resonated well and elevated the program to a worthy level. The other program that wowed you with content and delivery was the culinary competition set by the producer of blockbuster in making "Bahubali" to the team that is making the film  - Rajamouli and Gang. Set in poetic motion, the struggles by the various pairs from the Bahubali team in coming up with award-winning delicacies was brilliantly shot and set to lovely music by Keeravani - the maestro who will hang up on the high of the movie's soundtrack release in December 15.  That program was the most creative one not seen in recent times anchored well by the ruling Divas - Suma and Jhansi.

On the whole, for a film-crazy public, the rewards of watching a Sunday full of entertainment is its own reward. The collections so far of around Rs.16 crs. are better than the individual awards announced in the immediate aftermath of the program. As the competition hots up on the Telugu satellite space, GeminiTV strikes back with an ace of a memorable program by the who's who of Tollywood for the HudHud victim relief. I won't be surprised if yesterday's "Memu Saitam" gets one of the highest TRPs.

#MemuSaitam #Gemini #SunTVnetwork #Tollywood #TFI #TeluguFilmIndustry

Raghuram Rajan is Right in post-poning Rate Cuts

The markets can take a walk for today but they will come back to re-appreciating what RBI Governor Rajan did when they can. Even if Rajan hadn't made the signal announcement on rate cuts, we better listen to what he says. In the 15 months since he took over, currency has stabilised, stock markets have rebounded to lifetime highs, bond markets have seen bigger FII participation than stock markets, gold imports have fallen until recently, and bond yields have fallen over 150 per cent insinuating a big fall in sovereign borrowing rates which should augur well for the borrowers generally. Today, the INR Bond has become one of the best fixed-income investments in the world - giving positive dollarised returns - better than many G8 economies. Even if the Fed Taper is pre-dated in 2015, Rajan is leaving no stone unturned to ringfence the economy from shocks coming from hot money flows. Remember the last time he warned a few quarters back: "We must use this window of capital flows to strengthen our economy". The markets were not expecting a rate hike then. He hiked for a solitary reason to attract short-term inflows and prevent a run on Indian bonds. Again, two quarters ago, he warned the world is not yet out of the woods as if he got premonition about a second crisis coming. The last time around, he was the only one who saw it coming  - earning the wrath of Gods like Greenspan and Goldman CEO. This time not many paid heed to his warning again but we just saw the European unravelling and the rumblings in the US and Japan forcing most Central Banks in the world to think independent of each other, to fend off their wounds. 

I followed his press conference closely today and feel there is a lot he says that is still work-in-progress before India can expect a rate cut even if the path is now more or less visible. His concerns are valid: Core Inflation is still high, we got relief on Crude Oil prices yes, but we may again see a sharp shoot-up in gold prices putting pressure on the current account deficit, we have yet to see the clouds lifting on the road ahead for savers and producers, we have yet to see the big banks cut rates despite bank rate lowered some time back, we have to still clear the projects on Infrastructure and clear the cobwebs on coal and power issues,  the issues of reducing the fiscal deficit, we have to address the issues of accountability of big promoters running away with bad debts (a quick rate cut will once again make the banks run with the wolves again) and we have to address the whole issue of return of confidence on financial market investments. Anyone who read the book "Faultlines" by Rajan, especially the chapter on India will find all these concerns well-highlighted by him. I am sure he is not going to give away the concessional cuts Corporate India unless he addresses these bottlenecks or fixes themfor good. He has talked about why growth is crucial for India but he wants to see growth on a sustainable path - a path that will not just appear as a false-start but run course for several years taking the step-up approach from 5.5 to 6.5 per cent and beyond in GDP growth. 

Unlike the previous RBI Governors, Rajan has an immaculate gentlemanly nature to explain how his policy translates into action and what it means for all the stakeholders in the economy. He was not talking down to the audience today like Dr.YV Reddy,  he didn't make it sound like rocket science like Dr Rangarajan and he was not sounding amateurish and out-of-control like Mr Subba Rao - although all of them gave RBI its much-revered autonomy better than three-fourths of the world central banks. Indians in general and markets in particular should weigh his words more seriously because this is a home-grown talent that is being sought after by world leaders. When the BRICS Bank was set up early this year, the Chinese Premier sought our PM's green signal to make Dr Raghuram Rajan its first Chairman. Modi rightly said no because Rajan has been a lucky find for India. Let's not push our luck fast by pressurising Rajan to do tokenism. He is capable of more than that. Let him decide that. If he has his way, now that his batchmate has joined Ministry of Finance as Minister of State Jayant Sinha, then the duo will herald a golden era for Indian Banks and Financial Markets and also restore the confidence of the savers and investors in the Indian Rupee assets. Amen.

#RaghuramRajan #RBI #CreditPolicy #RBIMonetaryPolicy #RBIGovernor

"Brother of Bommali" (Telugu Film Review)

In a film industry dominated by male chauvinism, a team of new writers pair up with director Chinni Krishna to give a heroine-oriented role. Allari Naresh must be lauded for agreeing to share the screen with Karthika - the tall, dark and muscular daughter of yesteryears' star Radha  calls the shots all the way in a fresh story not seen in Allari Naresh films of late. 

The story goes like this: Naresh and Karthika are twins born seconds apart but they grow up differently. Contrary to the pink brain-blue brain syndrome seen in twins of a girl and a boy, Naresh and Karthika turn out to be gender-atypical extremes; Naresh is a sheepish boy and a non-confrontist. Karthika is  tomboyish, no-nonsense girl who is at once abrasive and aggressive. She is the shield protecting her elder  brother infact. Naresh falls in love with a cute girl and is about to settle down. That is when their parents force him to postpone marriage until his sister ties the knot. It is interval time and the suspense moves at fifteen nautical miles per hour with Karthika revealing she has, o wonder of wonders, fallen in love with a boy Harshavardhan Rane. The twist takes a new level post-interval when the boy Karthika falls in love with is about to marry a girl who is loved by the real villain of the film who keeps running into Allari Naresh - his name is Abhimanyu Singh - that intense-looking guy last seen in "Ram-Lila : Goliyon Ki Rasleela". The girl he is in love with is none other than the "Varudu" girl - Bhanu Mehra. With all these twists, there has to be one man who will be needed to bump the villains and straighten the gang that acquieses to the perfect marriage of hearts. Thats when Brahmanandam enters and brings the story to the end as predictably as he is good at. 

On the whole, "B/o Brahmali" is an entertainer mostly with 143 minutes of comedy and dramatic scenes of women empowerment rarely seen in Tollywood. The second half lets you down with lot of lags and needless scenes that remind you of "Kandireega" and Sreenu Vaitla's films. Yet, the film makes an impact because of freshness in treatment in the first half and the dialogues that pack a punch in ever scene. Music by Sharath Chandra shows lot of variety usually missing in his recent output. Allari Naresh has done an EVV Satyanarayana act by starring in a film scripted to back a heroine more than the hero. That heroine and the sole fulcrum of the plot is Karthika  - she may not have the looks but she carries the film right through. I found she has better screen presence than Naresh. The film has gaping holes - the familiar flaws of Tollywood plot, of tomfoolery, over-simplicity in plots, hyper-comedy situations out of common situations. But it is mostly watchable and few dialogues linger on your mind long after the din of comedy dries - like the dialogue of the heroine when faced by sexual harrassment at work. Despite the overtness of the comic effort, as a viewer, my mind rewound to the classics of EVV on the power of the feminine - like "Aame", "Chaalaa Bagundi" etc. Had this plot got made with a star like Tamanna or Samantha with a Superstar hero and got a classier treatment, the movie would have been a runaway blockbuster. Right now, it is not and we can watch it but once. But the effort deserves patronage. 

My Rating: 2.75/5

#BrotherOfBommali #Tollywood #MovieReviews

Tollywood Donations for Vizag: Enough? Good Enough?

Tollywood has donated Rs.2.4 crores so far to the city of Vizag via CM's Relief Fund. Good initiative. But is it good enough? If you look at the history of natural calamities that hit the coastal Andhra both in late 70s or the early 90s, the Telugu Film Industry (TFI) played a pivotal role in mobilising resources in kind and cash for the ravages caused by nature. Both NTR and ANR and others led from the front in touring the state while they were flanked by all the leading actors and actresses of those times. I was a toddler in 70s when NTR, Jamuna, and several others passed our two-room house in Narayanguda - my parents donated cash and clothes. Those kind of initiatives are what are needed by the Industry that churns out movies - truly the opium of the masses. Each generation of TFI owes it on them to take such leadership initiative because the effect of such efforts galvanise many others to participate in the rehabilitation work as against mere tokenism. Today, it has become more a "you start- I will also announce something" trend. At a time when Vizag  has created the infrastructure to make a film hub and the city and its vast beach-side were exploited by many film-makers from Balachander to Jandhyala to EVV to Trivikram, the TFI should go a step beyond making chequebook donations to the "city of destiny" (a sobriquet given by Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Visweshwarayya).

The figures also don't just add up to the math or the effect of inflation. Vizag and its surroundings usually quote at a slight discount to the distribution rights of Nizam territory. "Aagadu" was sold for Rs.5.5 crores in Vizag, "Govindu Andari Vaadele..." for about Rs.5 crores and so on. So, you get the idea. Contributions by the superstars and mega omega stars is not even five per cent of the distribution rights for one film. Infact, a contribution of Sampoornesh Babu's contribution is technically greater than the stars because this Babu acted in just one film and he must have given ten per cent of his takings from the film! In those days, the days of NTR and ANR, the donations were given out either as a percentage of their networth or a percentage of their annual takings which when compounded with the overall mobilisation of public monies that get enlisted by propaganda and canvassing - the benchmarks were higher than what today's generation of top heroes give out. Cinema has a symbiotic relationship with the society and during bad times, cinema has to reach out better than giving out token amounts - because it is the only medium that cuts across the lines and mobilise mass support. Better than most TV media which are clueless, heartless and woefully cynical. It's a shame if TFI can't rise to the occasion. 

#Tollywood #VizagCycloneRelief #HudHudReliefEfforts #TFI #MovieReviews #FilmStudio #Diviseema #TollywoodDonates

25 Years of "Shiva"

You have to give the devil his due sometimes. Just as director Krishna Vamshii remarked: "Shiva" is indeed the "Sholay" of Tollywood. Ram Gopal Varma definitely deserves credit for unleashing it on celluloid.

When the film released on Oct.5, 1989 I was in college. The promos looked exciting. A busty wall-like logo of the film with the Telugu letters "Shi" and "Va" symmetrically attached in vermillon red color and a hand-fisted cycle chain piercing the letters sounded like a promising film. The backdrop was black. And no one was highlighted in the poster. You only find four names - Ram Gopal Varma, Venkat Akkineni, Yarlagadda Surendra and of course, Ilayaraja. It was too tempting to go to college that day. So a bunch of all of  us - old friends - bunked college and decided to do what is a safe bet those days - Morning Show - at Devi70mm. Someone got the tickets easily - the last thing you ever heard relating to this film. After the release and the talk from matinee show, tickets were near impossible in almost ever single-screen theatre those days even in places like Bengaluru and Chennai. We knew when we watched the opening scene of JD smoking fumes on the face of a lecturer that there is a blockbuster in the making. And then the tempo built frame after frame after frame. In 142 minutes of taut screenplay, stylish presentation and crisp dialogues embellished by Ilayaraja's never-before soundtrack and songs - RGV has arrived. The film's greatest achievement is that it has redefined the film grammar for an entire generation of Tollywood audience that will set the agenda for the next 25 years. In my view, despite the glorification of violence in the film which is the only unfortunate byeproduct of the blockbuster, most film-makers follow the pattern of "Shiva". It had such a gargantuan impact.

I remember we were stunned into silence after watching the film till interval time and then right till the end. We were ecstatic and thrilled to watch something our minds were not used to processing on screen. Like someone once said about "Sholay". It seems there was one exhibitor in Mumbai who told Ramesh Sippy that "Sholay" will be the biggest blockbuster because when the interval curtains were down, nobody from one of the theatre halls moved from their seats - because they were thrilled to see the film and they can't wait for the next scene after interval. A similar experience greeted everybody who watched the film "Shiva" in 1989.  On that day, after the morning show, I somehow felt my family also had to watch the film - so I struggled for balcony seats for the second show and took my parents and brothers to the film. They were equally thrilled to bits by the unique presentation and punctuation of the film.

The film ran for 155 days in Devi and more in many theatres in AP and outside. It collected almost Rs.7crores in those days with all the runs across India. If you translate it in today's terms inflation-adjusted to current factors, it works out to Rs.44.50 crores. A mighty figure because the population must have been half of what it is today. The film had freshness, energy, intensity and spine that was rarely seen in Telugu films of that era. To Nagarjuna's luck, most of his films before "Shiva" except "Gitanjali" had the same mugshot appeal. "Shiva" made him a youthful superstar. And he never looked back. For Ramu, "Shiva" will remain a much-studied classic because he made the film on a bootstrapping budget and delivered a modern classic for the ages that will be referred to, again and again. The crew who celebrated "Shiva"@25 recently at Annapurna Studios rightly said that there were more than a handful who became directors after working under Ramu. Krishna Vamshi, Rasool Ellor, Teja, Puri Jagannadh,, S Gopal Reddy, Gunasekhar, Siva Nageswar Rao, etc. all have become independent directors from the RGV school of less melodrama, higher intensity and epic intensity that scales up from buildup.

The film's background score by Ilayaraja must make it one of the best soundtracks of all time from anywhere in the world. All those rhythms of drums beating up in rapid succession with a fear-mongering  effect whenever Nag's friend is chased and killed will haunt you. Then there is that melodious refrain that defines the romance between Amala and Nagarjuna that has entered Ilayaraja's "Hall of Fame" soundtracks available on I-tunes. The tune is so burnt in our minds that one of the antagonists of the film JD Chekravarthi used the tune as a BGM in one of his sensational films released as a no-title film which later was renamed as "Paape Naa Praanam". The songs in "Shiva" also played an anchor role in getting the youth repeat viewing in droves. "Anando Brahma" and "Kiss Me Wrong Number" are my personal favorites. Amala looks ravishingly beautiful in the songs and little wonder, sparks flew between her and Nag from the start of this film to the remake of the film in Hindi  - a courtship that ended only with "Antham" another RGV starrer that actually bombed. Years later, RGV was asked why he never worked with Ilayaraja again in his career (until "Shiva 2006" a reprise of the original in police uniform).  RGV said the intensity of Ilayaraja's music and his interpretation of the scene was so unique and unparalleled that RGV simply couldn't come up with a script as equal in magnitude to merit Ilayaraja's output. Of course, Sitarama Sastry the lyricist had his presence noted in some of the best modern lyrics that connected with the audience. 

The film turned out to be Tollywood's answer to ManiiRatnam because Mani was upping the ante in those times with hit after hit. Later, buoyed by the success of Ramu, Mani sought his collaboration for one film - "Donga Donga" ("Thiruda Thiruda" in Tamil). "Shiva" was dubbed in Tamil as "Udayam" which ran successfully. Only, because of alleged lukewarm response to the song "Sarasaalu Chaalu Sreevaaru..", the distributors deleted the son in Tamil version. That song was actually directed by noted director Vamsee and won applause for a creative kitchen song full  of sounds created from shining utensils and homely love-scenes.

"Shiva" definitely was an epic in Tollywood that had its unintended consequences - unleashing violence on a scale the world has never seen before in Telugu films. Of course, besides the mythologicals, only one movie directed by T.Krishna depicted violence so grotesquely before - "Pratighatana". In that film, Vijayashanti uses an Axe to behead Charanraj in the climax. That was in 1987. But in "Shiva", RGV has made ordinary instruments into weapons of mass destruction - cycle chain, compass divider, gold chain, mini-pick-axe and so on. In most Tollywood films before, you only hear gunshots from silly pistols and sten guns. But in "Shiva" what you commute with and play with have become murder-instruments that even flight attendants must take note of. I wrote about this in a letter to the Indian Express after waiting for nearly 100 days of the film being released because I wanted Nag and RGV to celebrate 100 days of run. It was too late! (sic). "Shiva" already entered our society's consciousness. 

#Shiva #ShivaMovie #NagarjunaShiva #25YearsOfShiva #RamGopalVarma #Ilayaraja #Tollywood #MovieReviews #ShivaBoxOfficeCollections #RGVSchoolDirectors #AnnapurnaStudios 

Nobody like Mandolin Srinivas

 Most musical geniuses peak at age 44 and with the exception of Mozart and a few others, many go on to cut more discs in their fifties. It is therefore shocking to hear U.Srinivas pass out at the peak of his prowess. I know of few other instrumentalists in the world whose surname is synonymous with the instrument they play with. You won't call Sax KennyG or Tabla Hussain or Violin Subramanyam or even Shehnai Khan or Piano Beethoven. But you will always know this prodigy as Mandolin Srinivas. He brought so much joy and veneer to an instrument which was actually shunned by both Hindustani and Karnatik musicians simply because it was either too simple or too complex - until you heard Mandolin being played by the butter-fingers of U.Srinivas. For those who had the luxury of watching him play the instrument, he released rare joy and energy into the ether when he played the Hamsadhwani or any other Karnatik raga.   

Mandolin was thought of as a western musical instrument such that the instrument was brought into the Karnatik fold only in the 1980s. This is because the bare instrument was beyond the scope of those who tried to navigate the strings for melodic movement. Before U.Srinivas, there was a film composer Sajid Hussain who tried to bring the magic of Mandolin into films. The great Blapu who died recently, used fifteen minutes of one of his compositions in the film "Muthyala Muggu" as a BGM for showing the consummation of a newly wed couple. He tried to use another piece in "Gorintha Deepam" by which Sajid Hussain became famously known in Tollywood too. 

However, the instrument required huge maneuvrability to produce the sounds that come easily in other stringed instruments like the violin or the Sitar - the most mellifluous of classical musical instruments where the semitones (the inter-frequency between each sound) are quick and continuous which expand the range of output. Mandolin had its limitations that got tweaked when it became an electric mandolin similar to an electric guitar - that was the stage on which U.Srinivas launched himself giving one performance after another performance winning plaudits and patronage from kingly sponsors. 

Though he started off with classical concerts playing at every world stage from Berlin to NY to the Asia-Pacific, Mandolin became renowned as an instrument that deserves attention and glory amidst the paraphernalia that musicians and orchestras carry. It was embraced in Karnatik music because of the electric mandolin's ability to create and sustain continuity of sounds  - like the violin or the sitar. Indians have finally thrown up another great instrumentalist - in the same tradition of world-renown as that of a Sarod, Veena, Violin, Sitar or Santoor. Mandolin Srinivas has given scores of concerts in his career, giving many jugalbandis with the other legends. One of his moments of crowning glory came not with a Padma Shri or a doctorate but an invitation to be part of "Shakti" band - which is the gold standard for fusion music combining the reigning greats of the day  - John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussian, L Shankar, Vikku Vinaykram. Mandolin proved to be a good addition to the ensemble of the best percussionists and stringed instrument players of the day. The brand "Shakti" created some electrifying music but later diluted itself further by calling a vocalist called Shankar Mahadevan. Shankar Mahadevan's addition proved inimical to the purity maintained by the Shakti group. But that's besides the matter.

Mandolin Srinivas played with his younger brother U.Rajesh and gave him good recognition and respected the Karnatik music traditions. It is both stress-busting and mesmerising to listen to U.Srinivas. He composed many different versions of the leading ragas and also tried to re-emphasize the versatility of Mandolin to play film tunes. One of the albums that I have is a rendition of Ilayaraja music on Mandolin, an absolute treat. Except for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and AR Rahman in Bollywood, haven't heard many music directors use Mandolin in their BGMs or songs. But in South, KV Mahadevan, MS Vishwanathan, Vidyasagar, Mani Sharma, Mickey J Meyer and SS Thamman have embellished their sounds with strategic and selective use of Mandolin. The key to getting Mandolin enhance the feel and tonality of your music is to use it a pre-note or in the interlude - and you can see why all the music directors I referred to have used it as aptly. Where does Mandolin Srinivas's legacy go? As long as Mandolin is played, U.Srinivas will live on. It is fitting that the instrument lends its name to a legend who made it world-famous. Or poetic that Srinivas got his name surnamed as Mandolin because that is what gave him identity and immortality. All Maestros have expiry date but Mandolin Srinivas lives on.

#Mandolin #MandolinSrinivas #USrinivas #Shakti #ClassicalMusic

"Aagadu" (Telugu) Film Review

"Aagadu" is an alround entertainer starring Mahesh Babu which tries to erase some of the bitterneess tasted at the Box Office by the same producer trio who gave us "1-Nenokkadine". With Sreenu Vaitla, MS Guhan in cinematography and Thaman's techno-trance music on the technicals, the team cast fair and lissome Tamannah, ruling Diva Shruti Hassan in a club song and comedians Brahmanandam, MS Narayana, Vennela Kishore. Apart from a familiiar comic villain Sonu Sood who is a regular fixture in Mahesh Babu films, they cast three musketeers Prabhas Seenu, Raghu Babu and Posani in their career-best performances. The movie sizzles mostly in the 165 minutes of ubiquitous entertainment that moves at lightning speed. The audiences also laugh at all the right places. Yet, something has gone wrong in the film. Is it the story?  Characterisation? Treatment? Heroine? Over-confidence? Dialogue modulation? Lack of novelty? Lack of sentiment? Burden of expectations?

All of that and the fatigue that comes with the familiarity associated with all of Sreenu Vaitla's films. As a director, Sreenu Vaitla seems flawless because he moulds his films in the KV Reddy style of film-making that moves a story forward with all the elements of entertainment that family audiences lap up. But if you see the discography of Sreenu Vaitla after the first five films and compare them with the output of the last four - "Badshah", "Dookudu","Ready", "Dhee" they are the same - a light-hearted romance, a gang of villains, sentiment of family renuion or father-son-brother, hero using Brahmanandam to infiltrate the villain gang and tomfooling them with a fairy-tale ending. That is precisely the story in Sreenu Vaitla's films.

In "Aagadu", Mahesh Babu (Shankar) is a cop who takes revenge on the gang of villains led by Sonu Sood for separating him from his father (Rajendra Prasad) and brother and a lot that follows after that. And then eliminates each one of them in novel ways  - thats the good part of Sreenu Vaitla's screenplay. The story has a picture-perfect ending but takes you through a roller-coaster of entertainment and great comedy that ranges from top-class (like the MEK-inspired quiz show) and sub-standard (the teleshopping ad-inspired advert on Saroja Sweets).

Despite choosing some great jokes (which spare no one from Balakrishna to Chiranjeevi family  to Botsa to politicians and sportspersons) the film lacks freshness in content and treatment. This is where I doubt if the film will have the stamina at box office to beat previous records because as I reiterated in the past, Telugu audience is the smartest when it comes to detecting movies with a deja vu flavor or plot or treatment. While Tollywood doesn't make different films each time, the audience doesn't blindly consume films similar in content. This is the greatest irony of the industry which over-invests in stars and star music directors but under-invests in story-writers. Even if this film is made for the fans of Mahesh Babu, they will be the first to desert the movie after the holiday season ends - thats the cold truth which superstars and mega power stars must realise.

Over 165 minutes, the director goes down the beaten path of entertainment pursued in "Dookudu" - the same childhood days during titles, the romance in pre-interval, heights of comedy, fights galore and the square-off with villain in interval, the item song post-interval and then Brahmanandam's key entry at climax time. Punctuation followed with boring predictability and resemblance to so many films like "Yamudu", "Singham", "Gabbar Singh" and of course, "Dookudu". Sreenu Vaitla's obsession with television shows in igniting comedy out of everything needs to end. He has the commercial sensibilities to take entertainment to the next level without diluting family-wide viewing needs. Unfortunately, he has fallen out on ego issues with writers who supported him till "Badshah" - Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan. With a new bench of writers, what stands out is the dialogues but not the story outline.

To be fair, there are some highlights in the film. Undoubtedly, there are actors who stand out - MS Narayana (he has the best self-edited lines in the film) who steals the thunder without moving an inch from his seat except in the last scene. And then the three musketeers - Seenu, RaghuBabu and Posani. Rajendra Prasad is under-utilised; a weighty actor like him is reduced to be a poster boy father to Mahesh Babu. The scenes where Mahesh Babu remixes and tells the storylines from his previous films are hilarious and different. The best scene of comedy is the Quiz Show spoof on MEK. All the three musketeers and Mahesh Babu and Vennela Kishore outshine each other with comic voice modulations mimicking TV hosts. It runs for almost nineteen minutes and can get repeat audiences. Sonu Sood, Mumtaz and Ashish Vidyarthi fail to create impact in the film - Sonu Sood salvages a bit in the climax with his own retelling of a Panchtantra story that sort of summarises the story itself. (Maybe thats the source of inspiration for Sreenu Vaitla's creative team). Tamannah seems a misfit in the film despite her bare-all attitude. Shruti Hassan outsizzles Tamannah in one song even if they don't share screen together. One is tempted to think the pairing would have been perfect if Tamannah was restricted to an item song and Shruti was the main lead.

Mahesh Babu, despite all the limitations and fatigue in content, carries the film entirely on his shoulders. He spares no effort in taking charge of every scene where he is either leading the show or insinuating an outcome. His voice modulation is seeing an unprecedented transformation. In "Dookudu" he tries two modulations (Telangana and Andhra accents). In "Aagadu", he tries too many to remember and register. Thats a fatal flaw because the audience need time to process so many modulations and in the end you may remember only few dialogues but fail to acknowledge the effort. In an attempt to make himself a Superman in all departments, his efforts may go waste unless audience repeats to this film. It may well be a costly lesson for all heroes - don't over-invest yourself in one movie unless you plan to retire with this one. Dance movements have been more graceful for Mahesh in the film. Prem Rakshit seems to have done his job well in the three songs that had some choreography to note. Stunts have been many but only one stunt pre-interval has been good - that should have been all there is in stunts thanks to Vijayan. The rest of the stunts actually suck including the costly one shot at Bellary in the opening sequence. With all the modern technology available, today's stunt masters don't seem to get the emotion that accompanied the "dishum dishum" sounding stunts of old times - today's heroes are better at bending limbs and breaking bones but not at getting whistles. Mahesh Babu has already made a statement in "Dookudu" that he is the best in the current crop of actors in range and repertoire of acting and screen-sharing with seniors. In this film he may have overdone his bit that borders on over-confidence. What undermines his efforts is the choice of the plot and the absence of connect with the audience in the form of sentiment. It was sentiment and comedy that made "Dookudu" a blockbuster. By firing on all engines of comedy, director overlooked the role of sentiment in this film.

Thaman's music in his fiftieth film is good in parts but not in the same league. One finds the BGM score reminiscent of "Dookudu" re-recording. While two or three songs stand out for the beat, the picturisation lets the output down. Sreenu Vaitla chooses outdoor setting for both the fast songs in the film which makes it monotonous to watch. Atleast the last song should have got done in a lavish indoor setting or in Chiraan Fort  (his lucky setting for scoring a hit). On the whole, you can watch it once for Mahesh, comedy but the length and the fatigue wear you out in the second half. First half by itself should have been the length in this 165 minutes of reptitive fare. For that it doesn't deserve the top-notch rating.

My Rating: 2.75/5

#Aagadu #Tollywood #filmreviews #MovieReviews #MaheshBabu #TeluguFilms

"Sikindar" (Telugu)/ "Anjaan' (Tamil) Film Review

"Sikindar" had raised unprecedented expectations and got bid for a whopping crore count in Tollywood with Lagadapati Sridhar buying it wholly. The film has Superstar Suriya, reigning Diva Samantha, Yuvan Shankar Raja as music director and a director N Linguswamy who made some of the coolest movies in South. Not any more. "Sikandar" sucks and proves the biggest I-day bore of all movies.

Set in Mumbai with gang-wars as backdrop, the story opens well with a studious Suriya getting out of a train in search of his brother Raju. His enquiries take him to all the folks who are suspected to be involved with his missing brother. It brings him eventually in contact with the right and wrong people who entered Raju's life. Some say he got murdered by rivals, some say he has gone missing. Most people believe Raju Bhai was a do-gooder with a large heart who put his life before buddy Chandu (played by Vidyut Jammwala). Plenty of flashbacks later, the truth comes out - Who is Raju? Where is Raju? Why is his brother Krishna seeking him out? Is it dual role? Or are they the same? The flashback also throws in the glamor of Samantha who exposes herself like never before, more desperate than an item girl. Samantha is the original lover of Raju bhai in the film. We got to infer that since there is no other title justification - "Sikindar" is a sobriquet for Raju Bhai. The saga moves briskly in the first 20 minutes and then halfway in the first half loses the fizz with one of the most hackneyed plots and lazy treatment. The end is in sight  - the unravelling of the villain gang starting from Dileep Tahil, Manoj Bajpai and others - but not before an agonising 170 minutes. It appears director Linguswamy has lost his marbles in presenting a superstar at the peak of his career in different moods and styles. Generally, Linguswamy has created stars out of characters that are rustic at heart and unchiselled bag of surprises. In "Run" he unleashed Madhavan. In "Pandem Kodi" he gave the solitary superhit for Vishal. In "Awara", he gave Suriya's brother Karthi his best shot as a cool dude. But in "Sikindar", he gets carried away by the persona of Suriya and wastes many characters and technical talents in giving one of Suriya's lackadaisical films. Imagine when you had Santosh Sivan, Yuvan Sankar Raja and a starcast like this, you got to over-invest in better storyline and depth in narration.

All we  see is mindless violence, and frames that show Suriya as stylish as ever. He comes out good because he is a natural good-looker. Samantha also carries off her girlish demeanor with ease. Brahmanandam has an act as an unmelodious vocalist but doesn't fire with full impact. Infact, the artist who gets more laughs is the guy who drives Suriya all around Mumbai in his search for his brother. The day the stars realise that it is not important to have gang-wars and item girls like Chitrangada Singh to look heroic, directors have half a chance to make meaningful cinema. But one senses that after the mixed success of "Singham part two" and  experimental debacles like "Maatraan" and "7 Ariyu", Suriya is desperately seeking success. In the march to superstardom and the pointless struggle to retain it, superstars eventually go from hubris to debris. Suriya hoped to see a luck-turn by changing release of his movies from Diwali weekend to I-day weekend. Too bad, this won't work out again. But he has the range of acting, the talent and the patience to re-invent himself better than many other Superstars in Kollywood. At quite a few places, worn out scenes and fatigue in presenting sequences dullen your senses. Otherwise this could have been atleast averagely watchable film. Yuvan Shankar Raja needs to reduce his techno mixes and concentrate on straightening his tunes alone. He has the talent and the gene pool to give great music. Why doesn't he get it? On the whole, a film that tests your patience despite all the respect and admiration we may have for the team that has given us great films.

My rating: 2.25/5.

"Run Raja Run" (Telugu Film Review)

RRR is a classy and crisp film, perhaps the best Telugu film of 2014 so far and must be a trophy film for all the talents associated with it. Sharwanand, the boy next door who debuted as a drug addict in "Vennela" and later starred as a rocket scientist in "Amma Cheppindi" and lastly as a don in "Prasthanam" has hit bull's eye with a winning script and an affable story - a story that combines the genres of action, romedy and revenge drama in a commercial format that will turn many heads in Tollywood. Sujith, a new director, makes a stylish debut inter-mixing many elements of story-telling borrowed from short films, joke books, novellas of crime fiction and action films. But he makes a grand entree' with story-dialogues-screenplay and directing skills.Two gutsy producers offer this film under the banner of UV creations; they literally bankroll the film to emit production values usually reserved for superstars - so rich is the film that also casts a motley gang of artists oozing out talent - Sampath as a maverick cop, Adivi Sesh as an out-of-box-thinking cop, Jayaprakash as a delectable dad with uncharacteristic affection for son Sharwanand and a petite new starlet Seerat Kapoor with cute demeanor but not beautiful by convention. The director wastes little time in introducing characters and establishing their quirks while moving the story at a frequency that oscillates between two parallel narratives - one is a saga of a kidnapping spree in the city by groups wearing masks of the ruling superstars of Tollywood, the other narrative is the lighter, fun-filled version of a romantic track between Sharwanand and Seerat with a track that has an under-current of police machinations and tensions.

These two stories move in enchanting ways giving us a run a minute in unchartered territory - a breakup with a cute girl, a situational comedy with unsuspecting artists, flashbacks that clarify the motives and the messages and a game of Russian Roulette between the hero , the anti-hero and the heroine that goes right down to the wire. The only thing that distracts is the occasional attempts to humorise a situation when actually tensing the scene might have been better. But you realise the director has a funny bone in presenting the story - he digs out wit, romanticises little and weeds out any scene that smacks of cliched treatment. Because of this thinking, concise and no-lazy-thinking, Sujith infiltrates your viewing experience with images and expressions that can make you watch many times over without fatigue. The movie's content appears fresh and yet larger-than-life  - a combination that even ace directors can match upto. In 138 minutes, Sujith showed us that Telugu Cinema can surprise you, entertain you without making a PG version and wow you.

Technically, the film is brilliant in cinematography - most shots are picture-perfect, show the artists especially Sharwanand in fine fettle, do not strain your eyes with awkward movements and angles and leave a lasting impressions. Great work by Madhie in the visual department. The film's alluring appeal, rests largely on the shoulders of music director Ghibran - familiar to Tamil audiences. Ghibran's sound of music certainly has range, class in arrangement, melody and presentation. Though his music seems inspired by the Western influences, there is huge promise and excitement in his output. All the songs elevate it to a status of hummability - and his repertoire of songs with varying lengths and rhythms must get him new fans in Tollywood. "Bujjimaa... is a rarity that haunts you because of the beats and the timbre in a new singer's voice. Ghibran's background score is  uplifting - it doesn't have orchestral brilliance like that of K or Ilayaraja but enhances the  crux of a sequence. Over-instrumentation can be a temptation but it doesn't jar.  Almost all songs are preceded by the instrumental version of the song precursing it - a technique to burn your music deeper into the audience's minds. Ghibran, dear Tollywood fan, remember this name and you  will fall in love with the music more after watching the film's mesmerising song picturisation. What is different about his music is also that the songs do not always follow a typical format - and use instrumentation that sounds novel. That makes the unpredictability more welcome  - in music as well as in the frames back-ended with the music.

The film makes use of in-film advertising subtly with Naturo foods and studio settings provided by Ramoji Film City and Golconda Fort effectively. Quite a few scenes are shot in Golconda Fort, I wonder how the authorities have allowed even the room where Sriramadasu was imprisoned. The climax has a dramatic twist that must not be missed. For Sharwanand, Adivi Sesh and Sampath this film will be a harbinger of new offers. Sampath is intense and comical at times - sure, it will usher in many roles in comic villainy a'la Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood. Sharwanand is in his element and deserves a pat, he improved his screen presence. Content like this is hard to back up on first instincts, so the entire team has to be patted for an effort like this; it energises the audiences who lap it up, gets the cash registers ringing for the producers and equalises the arena for artists and technicians for a while. Sujith must take a bow for redefining how clean, entertaining films can be made, hope he gets a long haul. That he can write dialogues that pack a punch is a bonus.

My rating: 4/5

"Kick" (Hindi Film Review)

Salman Khan returns again in 2014 with a swashbuckler of a film "Kick". The last one "Jai Ho" was a great story remade from Chiranjeevi's "Stalin" about a Good Samaritan who starts a chain reaction of good actions. "Kick" has been in the works for a long time and easily the most awaited film for Salman Khan fans and Eid weekend entertainment-seekers. Remade from a blockbuster Telugu film "Kick" released in 2009, the film was a sensation earlier which created stardom for atleast four people - Ileana D'Cruz who never looked better since, Music Director Thaman who got offers for atleast 30 films after that, director Surinder Reddy who is hailed as the new Red-Bull action film-writer-director and hero Ravi Teja who is the raunchiest, naughtiest star in Indian films - a deadly combo of Dada Kondke and Amitabh Bachchan. Given that background and record, "Kick" had to deliver for Salman Khan who is waiting for a hit after his last film got washed out under fatwas of all kinds. It delivers on many counts.

"Kick" (Hindi) faithfully builds on the original plot of the Telugu film and then alters a few angles here and there - a medico/psychiatrist Jacqeline Fernandez bumps into an aimless prankster Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan) who loves her. Devi is driven by adrenalin and loves the "kick" of things - he joins and chucks jobs, dates and breaks up and seeks adventures of the kind that even blissed out creatures under the sea don't venture into. Jacqueline loves him and loathes him and soon dates Randeep Hooda, a police officer at her father's behest. She narrates her story to Randeep to pass time. Randeep, in turn, tells his story of a fugitive who is still at large - a "Devil" who hoodwinks him all the time while decamping with ship loads of money. Who is the man in Randeep's life? Is he the same as in Jacqueline's ? The twists in the film take you far from Delhi to Poland and back with hyper-action sequence after hyper-action sequence - that remind you of the dare-devilry of a "Krish" or a "Dhoom" franchise.

What makes the film mostly watchable is the tempo of the plot which is essentially two flashbacks and one forward-moving story. In 148 minutes, the film starts as a fun film, just like the original and gets into top gear around interval time with a dramatic bang. To adapt the original nativity to the Hindi sensibilities, three people worked  on the screenplay including Rajat Aroraa and then Chetan Bhagat was asked to chip in. Atleast twice, Salman Khan asked Chetan to rewrite a better screenplay. His effort to nativise can be seen in few places - one in the interplay between the characters of the heroine's family and second in the treatment of the gang of villains and creation of a few more plot points which give depth to an otherwise frivolous fun film. The raw appeal gets short-changed with deja vu motifs borrowed from "Dabbaang". Comic scenes like the police station where father-son collide  (which could have been over-extended) or the hero reprise as a memory-loss patient would have created a cloudburst of uproarious laughter. There are few sentimental scenes with the kids which is the crux of plot. Instead, we see many scenes which make way for  in-film advertisements for Mother Dairy and NISE Gel - wonder why UTV had to resort to such, not seen this kind of stuff in a long time.

Performances-wise, Jacqueline paired well with Salman although she lacks emotional play. Randeep Hooda gets a meaty role against Salman Khan and remains in the zone throughout. But the surprise packet of the film is Nawazuddin Siddiqi. He gets the loudest snares and the best lines in the film. His swagger, his dangerous giggle preceded by a tongue-lashing sound and his menacing looks leave a lasting impression. Salman's generosity in sharing screen space with one of the iconic actors of our times is rare. Music by Himesh Reshmiya is average, wonder whatever happened to his melodies. Even a song with Nargis Fakshri is wasted in mindless gyrations and noisy rhythms. What elevates the movie though is the exceptional background score by Julius Packam - and one number by Yo YO Honey Singh which comes in the second half. Dialogues are racy and crisp - and many had the original touch, if not better impact thanks to the collaboration of the team which usually writes for Milan Luthria movies. Hyderabadi fans will rejoice that their most-favorite Hindi superstar utters three dialogues in pure Telugu - as a tribute to the Telugu original. Mithun Chakraborty as Salman's father shines yet again - wonder why we are not having enough of him in the role of a hero's father. The original disco dancer shakes a leg with a crow-feet superstar and the screen outcome is hilarious. A welcome trend in Salman's films is the absence of statutory warning for cigarette smoking - it saves three minutes of a grotesque warning and saves millions from undue influence. But why, I wonder was a warning for booze was not given when Mithunda and Sallu drink like fish at a party?

On the whole, a clean and watchable film with paisa vasool action and entertainment built on the bedrock of a blockbuster plot. The originals can't be compared here as both Tollywood and Bollywood have learnt to adapt winner scripts better to native sensibilities. For example, "Dabbanng" the original was remade into "Gabbar Singh" with better comic sensibilities to deliver the biggest blockbuster in Tollywood at that time. "Kick" (Hindi) is fully adapted to the HIndi audience with sentiment, action and comedy. With over 4000 screens, and a long weekend till Tuesday, "Kick" may rake in like never before.

My Rating: 3.5/5

"Drusyam" (Telugu) Film Review

"Drusyam" is an ambitious remake of the original Malayalam film by the same title - which hit national headlines with simultaneous bidding by leading film industries to reckon with - Bollywood, Tollywood, Sandalwood and Kollywood. With Ravi Chandran playing the role of Mohanlal in Kannada, Kamal Hasan in Tamil and Venkatesh in Telugu, expectations soared before the release. As usual, Telugu producers rushed to the fence in releasing the film. D.Suresh Babu backed Sripriya to direct the remake originally made by Jitu Joseph. Sripriya is that sizzling actress who starred in some unforgettable films of the 70s and 80s - "Anthuleni Katha" and "Vayasu Pilichindi".

The starcast is impressive - Venkatesh, Meena, Saptagiri, Kruttika, Ravi Kale, Nadiya and Naresh - and all of them have given great performances except Nadiya and Kruttika who were inconsistent in their performances and sometimes unconvincing. The story has been sensational and revolves around a six-sigma event - a highly improbable event in the way the ending goes.  According to what I read, the story is an autobiographical adaptation by the original director Jitu Josph; it happened to him and his family and hence he approached a producer. After shooting for the first thirty minutes, the producer threw in the towel and in stepped Superstar Mohanlal who backed it to the hilt. "Drusyam" in Malayalam collected over Rs.50 crores and became the first film to cross that kind of a milestone reserved for big-brother film industries of erstwhile AP and Tamil Nadu. The original film runs for two hours and forty five minutes with minimum props and gripping intensity. The current remake runs for almost two hours and fifty minutes. The original film shows Mohanlal in a status of humble economic conditions. The remake shows Venky as a serial entrepreneur and  reasonably affluent farmer-entrepreneur.

To tell the story will be to give away the plot. And to analyse the treatment and faultlines in the story will also unveil the storyline. But we have to make a beginning somewhere and talk turkey. So the story begins with Venkatesh and Meena and their two lovely daughters, one a teenager Kruttika and the other a pre-teenager. Venkatesh runs a cable TV business which goes well into the graveyard shift. His world at work revolves around movies - and he watches them every waking minute at work which starts around noon and stretches till the morning dawn. His assistant Saptagiri helps him out at work and they take the calls from customers at whim. At home, Meena is the boss and runs the household with the daughters and her indulgences in shopping. Its a happy world for Venkatesh and family even if they quibble and crib about the world until one fine day an intruder disrupts the  peace. The intruder who takes lewd video of the teenaged daughter gets tackled in the most appropriate manner when he comes to Venky's home and makes fresh advances against Kruttika.

The crux of the film revolves around how Venky rallies behind his family. What really happened to the boy? Is he dead? Missing? Killed? Action speeds up with the boy's parents, Nadiya and Naresh stepping in. Nadiya is IGP and uses her full force to investigate the matter. Naresh is a doubting Thomas who always feared his wayward son was spoilt and had to end in a mess like this. The biggest support for Nadiya comes from a vengeaful constable of the local police station - Ravi Kale who    was rubbed on the wrong side by Venky. The film goes in a different direction of suspicion, witness-examination and probe into the antecedents of the boy's travel to the village. This part, the cross-examination part and the preparation by Venky in psychologically steeling his family's nerves is the most exciting part of the film. The treatment is more nuanced and works on aspects seldom highlighted in films about the elements of criminality - mind-body coordination, body-language, evidence and its destruction and reconstruction, the art of dodging cross-examination, and the psychology of a crime-implicated person. The ending of the film takes one or two extra turns before it leaves you with lots of food for thought - on how the justice system works in India and what happens when someone were to subvert it.

Surely, the second half throws in a basketful of surprises but the first half lags because the director takes a lazy approach to establishing the characters and their idiosyncracies. Despite a valiant attempt to remake the film, the film's original script seems to have some flaws which can't be overlooked. But if you see the film in its flow, these faults may not be relevant because the treatment of the story takes a different direction but still they are plausible. For instance, on one hand, Venky works in the night shift as a cable TV owner but there is no reason to stay out of home when the whole world is sleeping when you have an Assistant and customer calls are few. If Venky really loves his family so much, as they show later in the film, why does a father of two girls and a loving wife spend his nights out watching silly movies? Not once do they show either Venky or Saptagiri, his assistant taking customer care calls seriously. Secondly, in Malayalam film, Mohanlal has a pitiable economic background but here, Venky has a five-acre plot with a lovely pathway and an opulent house but still cribs when his wife shops or demands an extra ice cream? Third, the police who beckon his family for interrogation do not  check out his vast plotted house even once with sniffer dogs to find out if something's fishy. Fourth, almost every other character in the film uses a mobile phone including the delinquent boy but Venky doesn't use - which world is the director thinking of? If it is cable TV business, why do they show Venky all the time watching latest movies with channel logos shown once or twice? Does it mean that the customers also spend the night out watching the films all night? And not once do we see Venky using a remote while his assistant is shown photoshopping lovely females. Fifthly, the clues and alibis used by Venky during the interrogation - they don't really add up  on closer watch - which is what Nadiya alleges. (For example, no bus ticket  is issued without a date printed). Sixth, the interrogations done in a guest house are unlawful - they even interrogate a child and manhandle the womenfolk. And not once does a lawyer show up anytime during the in-camera interrogations. If watching films like "Ankuram" gives one knowledge about such subtle legal aspects as "habeus corpus", pray, why such a slip up? Seventh, in the Malayalam film, even the cable films watched by Mohanlal are intelligently assembled to stay relevant to the basic plot of the film. But here, they show films for populism - a Pawan Kalyan film here, a Mahesh Babu or a Sobhan Babu film there. But the beauty is why, the hero doesn't know that a naked SIM Card is less dangerous than a SIM inserted into a carbonn mobile phone. Lastly, since the film's perspectives are entirely shown from Venky's angle, enough care hasn't been taken in the characterisation of Nadiya - the mother in her dominates the policewoman in her way beyond the endurance levels of the audience. Which is why, she misuses the system of interrogation blatantly until she pays a price with her post. The ending is quick and brilliant as you leave the hall with a mixed feeling - Can everything be manipulated in the name of love and selfishness?

Performances-wise, Venky and Ravi Kale stand out with contrasting beauty. Venky is shown glamorously even if it is a dull character. The last several films of Venky have been forgettable flops and everytime he experimented in the last decade - "Nagavalli" or "Eenaadu" the audience rejected him. Despite the flaws, this is his best comeback film. It is not perfect film but it is watchable and draws you in despite inconsistencies. There are not many films that Tollywood can boast of in this genre. I didn't get goosebumps watching this film. But I didn't feel bored either. Music by Sharath is good in atleast the two songs. Cinematography by S.Gopal Reddy looks good. Comedy by Saptagiri alone is good the rest do not just fire up. Yes, visuals can be deceiving but to take a tongue-in-cheek approach to the film's title, it should not have been named "Drusyam". "Adrusyam" is better!

My Rating: 3/5.

"Bobby Jasoos" (Hindi) Movie Review

You are Vidya Balan, lovingly called Bobby. You live in Moghalpura, Hyderabad, a pincode that has a density of over 100 people per sq.meter. Narrow lanes, dingy corners, claustrophic separator roads and noisy people. You have a doting mother and two younger sisters but your dad has an eerie coldness to you and doesn't treat you like the eldest child in the family - that regrettable male fixation thing. Still you pick a reputation as a quick-fix spy - someone who noses in on neighbourhood girls with "excusable" traits to help out reluctant bridegrooms or help aunties with "reliable" information. One thing leads to another and you soon become a sleuth to reckon with your own "adda" and assistants. One of them, played by the charming Ali Fazal becomes your unwilling lover and eventual supporter of all risky undertakings. One such undertaking, the riskiest one, comes calling in metastazing instalments from one Anees Khan, played with uneasy grit and intensity by Kiran Kapoor who comes in limousines and oozes out royalty unlimited. What does Anees Khan want? He comes and goes in a jiffy everytime but leaves Bobby with two brown envelopes, one gives cryptic details of the girls he wants Bobby to track down and the other envelope gives a hefty advance sum. The pattern repeats, Bobby succeeds in getting to the "X" or "Y" and the stakes get bigger. Then, at interval time, Bobby gets a doubt. What is happening to the girls she is ferreting out for Anees Khan? What if there is a twist in the tail, for the girls? What follows is a different drama with hugely unintended consequences and a cool ending.

Made by a debutant director Samar Shaikh, "Bobby Jasoos" is not a regular spy-thriller fare. It is a quirky, raw attempt at blending the genres of thriller with emotional drama and desi humour from the street corners of the bustling old city of Hyderabad. If you want to savor the charms of Charminar with a candid camera  that peeks into what a half of Hyderabad are all about - stuck in simple ways, hard living and countless paradigms of male stereotypes and "chalta hai" attitudes while eking out a honest day's labor, "Bobby Jasoos" serves you right. Vidya Balan is one woman too many in the film as she straddles many roles and costumes to come up trumps on her assignments - using innovative and sometimes bizarre ways of ensnaring her "target". There are emotional angles - the father-daughter angle between Rajendra Gupta and Vidya Balan and the romantic angle between Ali Fazal and Vidya Balan which make the film evocative amidst the distractions of a boisterous i-spy game played by Vidya throughout. The film's weaknesses lie in its treatment by Samar Shaikh. Director takes a flippant route to the protagonist's job description and makes mockery of how many folks get fooled by the maverick methods of Bobby Jasoos in getting to her targets - even as she covers humongous ground in uncovering them. She covers her constituency of Moghalpura better than what the local MLA does - covering the range of her target universe with her own sampling techniques - doing a census of an audition for a serial her aunts watch for smoking out the girls of the desired age-group or making elbow room in Spoken English tutorial classrooms to figure out the right birth marks of the girl. All that gets sometimes trite and outrageously irritating - because not a voice is raised in the neighbourhood against such antics.

Be that as it may, the redemption of the film lies in its many strengths - its starcast that is too perfect from Supriya Pathak, Tanvie Azmi, Kiran Kapoor, Vinay Varma (what a cameo by Suthradhar Agency's Vinay!) and the lovely pairing of Ali Fazal with Vidya Balan. Music, especially the BGM and the two cute songs uplift the film's dull moments. One of the songs, composed like a ghazal duet with an unusual rhythm stands out. Dialogues liberally sprinkle the notorious "Hurdu" slang of Hyderabadis with killer effect - "Hau", "Nakkho" abound enough to tickle you. Undoubtedly, Vidya Balan is the greatest strength of "Bobby Jasoos" as she effortlessly delivers a range of emotions with her spontaneity and charm. Neither obesity, marriage nor recent flops deters her confidence as she exudes perfection in her roles of a focused spy or as a misunderstood daughter or as a paradoxical lover. This may be an imperfect spy thriller by Samar Shaikh but "Bobby Jasoos" wins your hearts with positivity and sincerity to the plot. At 121 minutes, "Bobby Jasoos" is a family entertainer that deserves cosmopolitan adulation.
My rating: 3.25/5

Indian Railways - Why the Passenger fare hike was necessary

The Passenger Far hike is a bold decision by the NDA government that remained a work-in-progress by itself in its previous innings from 1998-2004. While the communists have already taken to the roads against the Railways decision (pun intended), the truth must be told.

What is the truth? Except for 2012, there has been no hike in passenger fare since 2002. India's largest employer - the Indian Railways - faces many battles even as it is constrained in capacity and resources. Expenditure on Railways as a share of transport expenditure has dipped from 56 per cent to 30 per cent by the Eleventh Plan. Share of railways in freight transport is down to 36 per cent from 89 per cent in 1961. Despite the highly subsidized passenger fares, passenger transport is losing out to alternative modes of transport - low cost airlilnes and road transport. Traffic is clearly moving away from Indian Railways due to poor quality of service already made worse by capacity congestion and extremely high rail freight tariffs. India's rail freight tariffs are among the highest in the world - perhaps the result of intense lobbying by the road and cargo transport operators. And how did we get there? Because freight revenue is used to cross-subsidize sub-inflationary and politically driven passenger rail fares. Indian passenger fares are 1/4th of those in China, 1/9th of those in Russia, and nearly 1/20th of those in Japan. Adjusted for purchasing power parity, they are at only 37 per cent of tariffs in China, 15 per cent of those in Russia, and 11 per cent of those in Japan. Whereas freight tariffs in China are only 72 per cent of the tariffs in India in nominal terms and 58 per cent when adjusted for purchasing power parity.

Now look at the other travesty. Because Indian Railways struggles to generate surpluses, coupled with the government's fiscal constraints, there has been significant under-investment in rail. Passenger trains, and more of them keep getting added in budget after budget use up nearly 65 per cent of network capacity (rail network that is) but contribute less than 30 per cent of the revenue. Every year, more and more unremunerative routes of passenger trains are added for various political appeasements. All this ensures IR keeps getting sicker by the day. And we now want bullet trains too at subsidized prices. According to Businessworld magazine article, I read a few years back, at current costs, a bullet-train ticket from Mumbai to Delhi will cost anywhere from $1450-1680 per head or thereabouts. And talk about so much pain with a passenger fare hike of 14.5 per cent, literally after a decade. There are more issues at hand that need redressal before Indian Railways gets up and going  - get freight traffic back, stop subsidizing passenger fares, use the network to atleast 40 per cent (we are using less than 15 per cent) and have a collaborative approach to address intermodal transport issues and connectivity. According to one estimate, countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia and the US which collectively carry more than 90 per cent of the world's rail freight outside India, all now have unitary transport ministries. China too has consolidated all transport ministries except railways. But for now, the free lunch on passenger fares has thankfully stopped. This is one of the best key messages that the NDA government has given out - something that it has ducked itself from taking in 2002.

#Indian Railways #Passenger Fares #Railways #Fare Hike #Bullet Trains