Tollywood Vs. Bollywood

I would have consumed about 3500 Tollywood movies since childhood. That speaks why I get so imbecile sometimes. Here's a snapshot on what I feel is right comparison with Bollywood - the o- nly other film industry which we should look shoulder-to-shoulder. I am a big,fat,overgrown kid embracing Tollywood cinema and have no hesitation in extolling Tollywood till the cows come home. Here's my version of why Tollywood scores over Bollywood. 1.Tollywood makes more films than Bollywood.




2.Tollywood is a confluence of best practices of South from Kollywood, Malayalam and Kannada industries.



3. The percentage of non-Telugus watching Telugu movies has increased dramatically.



4.There was a time Tollywood used to copy Bollywood plots - the trend has reversed in last decade.



5. Tollywood has exported more Directors (K Raghavendra Rao, K Vishwanath, Bapu, Puri Jagannadh, K Murli Mohan Rao, Tatineni Rama Rao, Ramgopla Varma, EVV Satyanarayana etc.), more producers (DRamanaidu, Allu Arvind,RGV, etc.), more heroines, few heroes, singers, many character actors than any. Now it has exported musical talent which should tell how Telugu tunes are such a hit – MM Kreem, Devi Sri Prasad besides Kollywood legends like Ilaya Raja and AR Rehman whose global appeal grew because of the germination of Tollywood plots. The best technicians in the country could be working for Tollywood at some time.



6. More comedy fares that have come in the last twenty years are all re-hashed versions of some Tollywood Plot.



7. The turnaround times of Tollywood films beat anybody in the world- because of tighter controls imposed by Studios, production values, daily shooting costs, remuneration (which sometimes is getting out-of-hand because of Star tantrums), scripting and storyboard details – you have movies made in 3 days and in 30 days also. The work culture amongst Tollywood is amongst the best – only one Technicians’s strike in the last 25 years should speak volumes about that. Efficiency and vitality is a hallmark of Tollywood. It still encourages and attracts new talent –in production, technical and acting departments



8. The interplay amongst best talent’s induction in Tollywood is a known facet – Hariprasad Chaurasia scoring music solo, Sivamani’s introduction first in Telugu film, Rehman’s initial learnings crystallized by Tollywood’s music directors, Best graphics done in Tollywood films right from “Maaya bazaar” films.



9. Today’s top twitterati – Big B, Sallu, Aamir, Shahrukh, RGV, Hrithik, etc. all follow Tollywood plots and releases – there is top vying for marking lien on successful Telugu films.



10. Despite the extraordinary harvest of talent in Tollywood which comes from gritty producers, honest actors and passionate technicians from directors to script-writers to fight-masters and music directors and singers who push themselves – the volume is only now growing. This still can’t beat Bollywood because of the hype but if some aspects are taken care of - you have a winning formula for PE Investors as well.



11. Afterall, unlike Bollywood, Tollywood has never seen any unholy nexus between the mafia and film fraternity. There are only recent rumours about drug-trafficking but still is a far cry from other industries. Unlike Kollywood where few producers call the shots, Tollywood is still relatively better than other film industries – though one can say it is also oligopolistic.



12. Funds like Cinema capital, Banks like IDBI, ING Vysya, UCO Bank, IndusInd Bank, and players like Walt Disney, UTV Software have entered distribution and production in Tollywood indicating the growing size



13. In content from mythological enactments to realistic portrayals, Tollywood is where people turn for inspiration – the idea is originated here although full potential is not encashed here.



14. The number of studios, media houses, animation companies, recording studios, and the stream of technicians who work grueling schedules here alongwith a continuous re-tooling of inter-generational talent bank amongst the top families of Tollywood augurs well for the industry.



15. More non-Telugus in India and Diaspora outside India now watch Telugu films despite their limited-class appeal and non-serious content – and circulate the itunes and pirate the content because of the sheer quality.

My visit to Nepal: View from India

Nepal may not be the most glamorous destination in Asia and doesn't have the edge in class even over Thailand let alone Singapore and Malaysia or the more picturesque Mauritius, Maldives or Seychelles. But there's something about the soul that beckons you and holds your awe. We went there sufficiently under-expecting and had taken with all plan Bs - no INR 500/Rs.1000 notes as they are banned in Nepal (because of fake currency scare), enough cash bundles stacked up closer to every body corners, no woollen clothing since the snows are melting and lightest clothing and some packaged food because you may not get vegetarian food.

Landing at Tribhovan Airport actually made us go back to India - the airport was that bad - unclean and ill-maintained - it looked like a cross between Rajahmundry Airport and Old Begumpet Airport to me - everything from carry handles to carousels was archaic - the lobby looked like some dingy old Annapurna Hotel reception area and the frisking and check-in counters were not well-equipped. But Indian tourists seem to be all over the place and there are good number of folks from SAARC countries, and trekkers from Australasia, Japan, and Europe. You then realise that you are in better company. There is great deal of respect for Indian tourists inside and outside Airport and it comes because Nepalis love most things Indian - they love Bollywood music, Indian Rupees, Indian films and Indian dresses and Indian tourists - because they are spending more and seem to tip well. I have never seen anywhere else a hawker's eyes light up over a Rs.100 note - not even in India @ 8.50 per cent Inflation rate.

As you step onto the roads, you realise its no different from Indian City roads with more pollution - smoke and honking- perhaps more chaotic with less flyovers and lesser public transportation - commuting is done mostly through taxis - Maruti 800's are the ubiquitous vehicles but there are the occasional Wagon-Rs and Santros. You get an idea that all the cars we moved out of in the last ten years are being re-used in Nepal. People are friendly to tourists despite a tendency to fleece - you have to haggle for every knick-knack you buy and talk down almost fifty per cent.

Nepal is responding to tremendous upheavals internally and externally with lot of courage and faith. Its now six years since the Royal feud happened and the Maoist government has driven out King and his suriving son to Nagarjun. The day we were in Kathmandu, right next to our hotel a few blocks away in the Parliament there were massive demonstrations on re-drafting of the new constitution - we were told that the government promised to give a new version in six months time. Maoists in Nepal unlike in India are quite open and transparent in their dealings - they contest politically and are trying to build bridges with public and business community. They are fighting the corridors of power with outcry and open agitations not through guerilla warfare as in India but they get plenty of support from China - they managed to stop Dalai Lama from visiting Buddha Lumbini - the birthplace of Buddha this year. The public is very stoic and dejected with the new ways of Maoist Government after the removal of the Royal Guard but seem to be quite patient and hopeful. Agriculture which used to be mainstay of Nepalis has now given away to Tourism. Nepal declared 2011 as the year of tourism and to win public symphathy the Maoists too have said they won't interfere with business or disrupt tourism flows - that makes this year one of the safest years to still visit Nepal - which has 8 of the 20 tallest mountain peaks of the world and has still the best scenic places on earth - Jumsum (resembles Kashmir), Pasupathi Nath temple (Shiva), Mukti Nath temple (Vishnu), Mana Kamna Temple (Shakti), Bodhnath Sanctuary, Pokhra (considered Nepal's honeymoon destination) and the peaks of Mt.Everest, Gowrishankar, Annapurna Devi which see huge trekkers' interest.

Even if you are not a trekker like me, Nepal will make you walk even if you see few places that require more than a walk through the clouds. One unforgettable experience is the mountain plane trip through the peaks of Mount Everest - at 25,000 feet above the world's highest landmass - you don't get more nostalgic and euphoric with an experience that cost less than a hundred-dollars.

But coming back to the economy a bit more, it looks Nepal is getting the benefits of globalisation and tourism - last year, Nepal received about $760 Million in remittances (nowhere compares to India's $50 Billion plus) and you will find many centres of coaching for GRE/GMAT/SAT. There are plenty of institutes offering English and foreign languages coaching and an even higher number of communication skill-development institutes - it apppeared that despite low literacy rates, Nepalese families are keen to send their wards to school. So thats a good sign.

Nepal has many sects within a pronounced caste system of the Hindus (who still form the majority @ 80 per cent) and Buddhists (mostly the Hinayana sect as seen in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Tibet and Singapore). There are more than 100 local dialects and depending on where you are from - you cannot make out the other language.

In Kathmandu and in Pokhra, it surprised me that shoppers are spoilt for choice on all the wares that are available in India and any other Southeast Asian country. You cannot miss out on the lovely Buddha statues in various postures and lovely pendants and exquisite handbags and paintaings. For those who love books, you get them at every nook and corner - almost one bookshop every fifteen "other" shops which is a surprise to me. One owner told me there is a good reading culture in Nepal - public libraries are well-thronged and the mountaineers also sell their books on their way to the peaks or descent down. Besides, most bookshops offer a unique facility - you can buy book and sell the same book at fifty percent of the original price. I thought I should henceforth buy books only in Nepal - besides one INR gets you One Nepali Rupee and Sixty Paise - that's 1.6 times more purchasing power. I didn't miss out buying my music either - Nepal has a very eclectic range of music - mountain music, Tibetan Buddhist music, world music, film music and western, classical and Indian music. Bijyoya Vaidya is one of the rock stars of Nepali music but even they listen to Ravi Shankar or Yanni or Indian legends as of Western composers. Music CDs - here is a tip- are available at throwaway prices - you can pick any CD for less than Rs.150 (INR). But books were a revelation - I found some enchanting books you don't get in Sunday bazaars in Hyderabad - that rare book of William Styron, that missing book of Pico Iyer or Amit Chaudhari or the rare banned book on the Gorkhas or the Karmapa or the more informed reportage on Nepal's political climate. In most streets when you shop, you can bike your way through motorbikes or bicycles charged per hour. Spirituality and materialism go hand in hand in Nepal but you won't find a synthetic culture here - the Nepalis have lived through so much tumult in the last ten years that nothing can dent their psyche further - many just eke out their living and want to put in an honest day's labor.

Food is quite good in Nepal not just for non-vegetarians as LoneyPlanet guide warned us. We found good food for vegans like us. You find plenty of jain, marwari, Indian restaurants and Chinese restaurants and must visit some exceptional mo-mo and other platter-rich cuisines - especially Nepalese and Thai cuisines. We found a restaurant that employs only deaf and dumb waiters and struggled to place orders in sign language. Playing Dumb Charades the previous day in transition to Pokhra helped a bit.

The public mood keeps swinging from despondency to realism and some optimism because the local economy is almost in shambles - so most people turn to tourism - there are others who are forced into drug-traffiking and sex-tourism and others who are "recruited" by the Maoist government to be infomers. There's great admiration for Indians in Nepal contrary to what the media projects outside - but somewhere I feel India is losing grip over Nepal - the momentum is with China now because of the Maoist Government. Massive Debt is being raised by the government with loans from IMF, China, Japan to build infrastructure for the country and the average debt is INR 15000 per capita today. The newspapers usually do not try to rabble-rouse but there seems to be a quality English and vernacular press that listens to what the people are saying. There are diversions for the people though - many folks work in India and China for low-skilled labor, that's what goes back as remittances and those that remain are happy to be bystanders to the passing parade of democracy. Others watch movies - Nepali movies are all about what can easily be done on screen that's why you have titles like " Himalaya" and "Sahasi" - sesi versions of Gladiator and Robin Hood. The fastest growing relligion in Nepal is Tibtan Buddhism and it was evidenced after a visit to Bodhnath Sanctuary. When oppression is rampant and the people have few outlets (many temples of Nepal have been closed down after the Royal Family massacre) and cultures are clashing, I expect Nepal to bounce back faster than the counterparts like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan or Sri Lanka but for that India must come forward and not allow China to infiltrate Nepal the way they did in Tibet - where the cultural identity of Tibet is lost to the world and Tibet is more of an idea than geography (and thank God that idea is buzzing in Dharmashala, California, Japan etc.

I do not know when Good times will return to Nepal - I definitely see green shoots of them in the eyes of the people, their undying optimism, their root-centeredness and the spirit of patient self-struggles, but I and my family had a wonderful time. And I think, Nepal is one of the places to see before you die. It connects you to your roots better than air-conditioned atmosphere cities.

To Sai Baba with Love

Puttaparthi Sai Baba's distinction is unique in the annals of World Spirituality and manifold. I visited him only once in 1999 at Puttaparthi and never was driven to his "ism" or any "ism" as Gurudom of any any kind is anathema to me. But what distinguishes H.H from others is that the meteoric rise of his devotees including Sachin and Laxman and PN Bhagawati and Abdul Kalaam and his flagship activities in Healthcare, Education, Irrigation, Research and Development are worth emulation -may not be rivalled by many religious bodies in the world. No wonder, His teachings primarily based on love and service to mankind find devout followers in Chrisitianity-laden Italy, Buddhist Lanka, Communist China and Agnostic Russia, Islamist Egypt and Saudi Arabia and his works of wisdom are translated into more languages than you can relate to - Lilthuanian, Mandarin - and they are not exactly Greek and Latin to many.
I know many families who named their sons and daughters not after Gods's names but after Sai - and it could be middle name, first name or named after Prashanthi Nilayam. I always believed that the glory of Shirdi Sai Baba rose after his samadhi, but the glory of Puttaparthi Sai Baba rose during his own lifetime - its too magnificent by God's own standards. Yes, there may be many conspiracy theories about Sai Baba about paedophilia and homosexuality but these smear campaigns are outweighed by the legacy of his broader work and the continued inspiration he provided to many modern-day Scientific paragons and Cricket Geniuses and Judges and heads of state, many of them attribute their late turnaround to the blessings of Baba. The real tribute to this Sai Baba is if governments and devotees don't run the spirt of developmental and uplifting activities to the ground. But expect a groundswell of faith.
Rationalists will find it hard to believe some Godmen like Puttaparthi Sai Baba or Godwomen like Mother Theresa because the latter's sleight of hand miracles out-attracts their vast body of works in service for humanity - but there where there is creation, there is a creator and where there is a creator there are many of His creations. This Sai Baba too had justified and embellished the holy name of Shirdi Sai Baba by his rich legacy of mottos he lived by. Its difficult to expect a third Sai Baba in this age of delusion and disbelief who can surface again to hold a candle to that kind of God-stardom and Divinity

"Mr Perfect" - Movie Review

Mr Perfect - is a light-hearted family entertainer starring Prabhas, Kajal Agarwal and Tapsi from the makers of "Bommarillu". Director Dasarath gives a delicately-poised and cute love story on today's love dilemmas of the young on what is compatibility and all that. It reminds you of the earlier film - "Santosham" and the plot carries you to the end in a breezy fashion. Dil Raju ensures that Prabhas - the action hero - plays second fiddle to Prabhas - the romantic, do-gooder, endearing hero loved by masses and classes. Kajal gets better scope for performance and stands out. Dialogues by Abburi Ravi are effective and classy - and go straight to the heart. Music by Devi Sri Prasad is average but not outstanding. Great film to watch with family.

"Dum Maaro Dum" Movie Review

The beauty with Ramesh Sippy Entertainment - who gave us hits like "Sholay" and "Bluffmaster" is they turn in quite an effort from storyline to dialogues to immaculate execution which lights up the screen. Screenplay to action scenes, characterisation to BGM  score, "Dum Maaro Dum" deserves hurray for Rohan Sippy whose passion for everything filmy outmatches that of his father. He ropes in Shridhar Raghavan for a plausible Goa-drug-mafia story and crispy dialogues, Preetam for music, whoever for brilliant camerawork and a brilliant starcast - Abhishek Bachan, Aditya Pancholi, Bipasha, Prateik Babbar,  and Rana Daggubati. All of them sizzle except item girl Deepika Padukone- you can catch her better in Kingfisher calendar. And just when you think this Adults movie ends where it should end - there's a twist. Rana D gets meaty role and can eke out more roles in Bollywood while Prateik is the soul of the film. Watchable.

"Teen Maar" Movie Review

A film by Remake Guru - Jayant Paranjape to resurrect another hit for Pawan Kalyan after "Jalsa". This time he remakes "Love Aaj Kal" gets in the peppy Trisha and makes Pawan give a wow performance in dual role - one as Michael Velayudham and Arjun Palai. Pawan gives a blistering performance and gets a chance to showcase his individualistic acting which may sound blasphemous to Acting Coaches. Mani Sharma scores good music while it is Trivikram who steals the thunder with some of the most touching and beautiful lines written in Telugu Cinema for long - he may have broken his own record in having most memorable lines in one movie. Watchable for Pawan maybe many times. 

"Shakti" Movie Review

"Sakti" is a complicated storyline from an ambitious director Meher Ramesh and an extravagant producer Aswini Dutt - who believe that blockbusters need to have killer app special effects, monstrous settings amidst exotic locations. Its about a prodical warrior who has a calling to protect the ancient Hindu shrines and a royal family heiress from some weird Pharoah-like Atavistic herds from Egypt who are seeking a talismanic gem that's in possession of Saktimaan NTR. Some story that!
The movie is already convoluted with complicated subplots liberally borrowed from Hindu Mythology, Mummy fables, and half a dozen socio-fantasty thrillers pre-released like "Anaga Anaga Oka Dheerudu", :"Mahesh Khaleja", "MagaDheera" and so on. What's bizarre is that the movie lacks entertainment and fails to grip you to seats - not even the parade of locations from Kashmir to Haridwar, Cairo to Columbo and Rajasthan to Rayalaseema will redeem this misdirected movie which is already bearing the weight of colossal budgets, bizarre storyline and bad casting. A song or two gives the relief. But broadly, the movie doesn't connect with the audience. NTR Jr. is too talented star to bank on bad storied-directors, he can carry a film on his shoulders but there should be a story to do that - which is missing in the movie.