"Daruvu" Movie Review (Telugu)

‎"Daruvu" means drumbeat - or sound of mass as the byeline says. Ravi Teja's movies always meant you switch off your brain and mobiles together. So we went expecting a couple of hours of nonstop entertainment and comedy and antics that will chill you in this scorching summer. It felt this time a bit longer. A little short of 3 hours, the movie is dripping in masala fare, comedy and entertainment. It ropes in almost all of Ravi Teja's favorite co-star comedians - Brahmanandam, Srinivas Reddy and now Vennela Kishore who pack quite a punch. To give it a family touch, Ravi Teja figures in triple roles apart from the title role of a small time thug. How does it all add up?

There's an introduction scene of the "yamalok" - Telugu audience's favorite entertainment haven outside of our planet which makes the Old Yama Satyanarayana Kaikala anoint a new Yama (Prabhu who looks good) and warn him not to take "panga" with Telugu youth; he warns of those who tried to upstage "yamalok" in the past - NTR (Yamagola), Chiranjeevi (Yamudiki Mogudu) and NTR Jr.(Yamadonga). And the story is bizarrely concocted from there with a mischief played by Chitragupta (MS Narayana). No doubt, the movie smacks of tonnages of entertainment, comedy. So, the scenes shift off speedily and sometimes jerkily - with Ravi Teja trying to give a heightened sense of performance in every frame - he does have the screen presence and the mirchmasala factor especially with his loud voice, gay mannerisms and a Telugu accent that is neither here nor there, sounding like our CM's Telugu pronunciation. But he creates a variety in roles - as Home Minister, as mass thief, and two other fleeting roles. Director Siva's sreenplay is too fast-paced and doesnt allow most scenes to registe because of uproarious output by the energy levels of the comedy gang and Ravi Teja. We know what happens when Ravi Teja and Brahmanandam share the screen. Brahmanandam does well too but the character is one that family audiences may detest - an effeminiate, gay dance master.

Director has concentrated on the entertainment aspects well but has also introduced several elements that connect with classes - mother care, anti-corruption, Karma theory, etc. This creates a big drag sometimes - you can't unwind from the profane to the profound so fast especially with an explosion of entertainment and energy. There has been less concentration on the music and heroine. Music by Vijay Anthony is loud and "dappu" only and there's not one melody song that you can remember, it is so cacophonous. I wonder if this is the same guy who scored music for "Mahatma". Tapsi, the heroine, is never important in the plot and she doesn't add the glamour also despite trying hard.

How Good is the movie? I wouldn't watch it again - despite the extra efforts and the output of comedy, the length of the movie and the lack of subtelety does get on your nerves. Finally, my take on the heritage of "yamalokam" used in Tollywood is that the audience is losing interest in the theme. While "Yamagola" and "Yamudiki Mogudu" have been hits, current generation hasn't showered applause for "yama Donga" - it was not a comparative hit. Mohanbabu also attempted the theme in "Yama jathakudu" but with less success. Maybe the theme fires well on screen if you keep it close to the knitting - but if you mix up all the themes in the world, flat will be the output. Despite limited violence and extra-ordinary entertainment, I felt stressed in the movie watching my time a number of times. Ravi Teja, may be Tollywood's Amitabh and Dada Kondke, but he neednt have tried so hard. Sometimes, you need break from entertainment too.

Don't worry, Economics At Work here!

Would have liked to post a longer note - exciting these times, but time also getting more dearer than petrol. I will make it as short and clear as possible.


Lets talk about Petrol first- I had been saying that we will never stop importing crude and therefore must prioritise that over Gold imports. Petrol price rise has been increased for number of reasons - Rising deficits, escalated rise in crude over the last few months, Rupee depreciation, and need to cut subsidy bills to give some relief to the Oil-marketing companies and also the import bill. This will continue to see rise, if you believe that crude oil prices will continue to be elevated over the coming years. The sooner you understand the economics of oil - the better our reconciliation with the reality, instead of raising ruckus over everything. Our politicians and sometimes, public dont realise that everything is not in the hands of government - your land prices and corruption deals, crony capitalism and MGNREGA schemes and Aarogyasri policies - may all be but eventually market forces will catch up with everything in life thats priced including the five elements - (air)gas, water, fire (energy), earth (sand) and sky (2G/3G).

Lets talk about Gold next. At current prices of gold prices in Rupees, if you invest now, and expect to make a return, beware.If international gold prices shoot up beyond the $1600 t/oz range and go back to $1800 levels and if Rupee appreciates back to Rs.50 to a USDollar, you make "zero" return. Current higher prices of Gold in India are due to Rupee depreciation. In any case, I am not yet done with my diatribe against Gold Merchants - so we will take that up separately. The Budget Bill hasn't cut customs duty but yielded to some other concessions.

Lets now talk about Sensex. At current levels of sensex, and Rupee-Dollar exchange levels, effectively, Sensex is literally trading at 12000-13000 thereabouts because of a 20% fall in Sensex and a 26% fall in Rupee exchange. Thats a colossal opportunity still. The less said, the better here.

Lets talk about the Rupee. There are more factors at work including the relationship between Euro/Dollar and Dollar/Commodities leading to a market decline in Rupee. Last Financial Year, we attracted $64 of NRI Remiitances - the highest in the world. I am sure everybody is watching even now. Similarly, if 50% of Corporate India hasn't hedged their dollars/euros, those in the export zone will make a bumper profit in the coming quarter. That should be good news. Besides, the RBI still has huge reserves to intervene - I am sure they have the smartest forex team in the world.

Lets examine facts and see things as they really should be seen. And for God's sake, lets understand how Economics really works in our lives. "Satyameva Jayate".

Pawan Kalyan and the Cult of the Colossal in Tollywood

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

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

Single-Screen Theatres Vs. Multiplexes, again!

Deepak, Odeon join the growing list of theatres in Hyderabad losing out to the incessant march of Realtors tearing down buildings for flats. Deepak theatre in Narayanguda used to be a flop movie theatre - it was always getting renovated and remodelled and we used to occasionally watch movies but never got the limelight of stand-alone theatres like Shanti 70mm and Sudarshan 35mm etc.

Odeon complex sprung up relatively new in the RTC X roads but even three theatres in a portly campus hasn't helped them to make profits. Whats happeening to the single-screen theatres? As 80 per cent of all movies I ever watched were in these kind of theatres - the whistles, the papers splintered, the Rangoli on the floor adjoining the screen, the curtain-raiser and the curtain-closer, the non-discreet tring tring sound of the can opener pinching the cool drinks at interval time, the vent-out of feelings and emotions which is hardly visible in multiplex screens (where everybody is "dignified" and watch movies with a stiff upper lip).

I have mentioned in an older post about the long list of theatres pulled down for property development. One major issue facing these single-screen owners is the low rentals. Last week, I watched "Gabbar Singh" at Devi 70mm and was amazed at the high-quality of sound, visual grandeur and the elevation not to mention the ecstasy and the madness of 1750 people. Between the three segments of ticket prices, the theatre collects Rs.49000/- per show at an average of Rs.28/-. And for this, the management gets an approximate rental of Rs.3 lacs per week, sometimes lower at Rs.2.30 lacs. This is the theatre rental in a prime area of RTC X Roads which is the heart of Nizam area. In the plush single-screen theatres of Kukatpally, the rentals are close to Rs.1.50-1.80 lacs per week. So, in a year of 52 weeks, the rentals come to Rs.1.56 crs. Thats the income of these theatres. You will be aghast to know that these rentals are not even close to what Marriage Halls earn in a day. Even if the marriage halls are vacant for 150 days in a year, they give better rentals than Cinema Halls.

No wonder, cinema hall owners with vast acres are merrily converting their properties for development. Sudarshan 70mm, near RTC X Roads, already converted into Housing complex is charging Rs.1.00 crore for each flat. What ails the single-screen theatres is a combination of many factors - 1.Apathy of film Producers 2.Slab System of Rentals (which encourages big-star movies) 3.Fear of falling occupancies - which makes them hang on to poor rentals 4. Falling patronage of A-class crowds 5. Low Financial Reserves to recreate Multiplex Screens. For e.g the owners of Sangeet 70mm had a gala time for so many years, but eventually they lost out to multiplexes and had to seek huge loans and capital to begin the ongoing work on multiplex in Secunderabad. On the other hand, Tivoli/Lamba complex was created as a fine multiplex lookalike with better planning and fiscal management.

Single-screen theatres wont fully die down but unless they have better vision and planning and help from Film Producers Council, the writing is on the wall. I can't resist ending this piece without rendering an old joke about Deepak cinema. One day, former Chief Minister late T Anjaiah was passing by Deepak theatre and saw the board "Under Renovation". He remarked to his Secretary who read the board - "Oh I see, its an English movie."

Zero-Reserve Bank of India?

Last year, we prided ourselves in becoming a select club-nation of having a sign for Rupee. Today, that Rupee sign is showing exceptional weakness. Not only has the Rupee coin been losing its purchasing power (by way of relentless march of inflation), figuratively it has become as small as a Char-Anna (Re.0.25) coin. Check the erstwhile one rupee coin, it is the same sized as a ten-rupee coin. Che...ck out the latest one rupee coin, it is co-axial as a 25 paise coin. And today, a rupee touched 54.26 to a US Dollar. One of India's best companies - HDFC is downgraded - and its weightage in MSCI universe pruned from 6.2% to 3.2%. Forex Reserves of India used to be closer to $450 Billion - a figure which made Reserve Bank of India called euphemestically as Foreign Reserve Bank of India. Now, excluding this week's intervention, the reserves dwindled to $293 Billion. Maybe Reserve Bank of India, aided by governance deficit in the country, will be called Zero-Reserve Bank of India. Or just Bank of India.

"Gabbar Singh" Movie Review (Telugu)

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


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

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

"Breakout Nations" by Ruchir Sharma

"Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles" by Ruchir Sharma published by Penguin India. Price Rs.599.00. pp. 292.

Nonfiction interests me more than fiction. Naturally, I am delighted to introduce a book of nonfiction thats creating records in India and the world. "Breakout Nations" by Ruchir Sharma is a super-racy book giving the last word on Emerging Markets, Frontier Markets and all the nations that are trying to make it to the cut in between. Who is Ruchir Sharma? His title reads as Head of Emerging Market Equities, Morgan Stanley. But for readers of "The Economic Times", Ruchir is a well-known writer on subjects of Economics. Infact, I think Ruchir's speciality is the sweet spot between Social History, Geopolitics and Economic Affairs and most often, the vicissitudes of the capital markets are self-evident in the overlap between these affairs. And Ruchir is best equipped to write on these matters. I always thought (and now a bird in Mumbai confirms) that Ruchir Sharma is recruited by Morgan Stanley only because of his ability to write on complex subjects intertwined as above and not because he has some great degrees at Yale or Wharton or that he can decode the formulae in financial mathematics or excel sheets.


Ruchir Sharma is MS's answer to other guys who can write very well on capital markets who are held in regard by the Icons of High Street Finance. Peter Bernstein (he passed away in 1995), David Darst (again from Morgan Stanley who wrote a treatise on Asset Allocation), Barton Biggs (Morgan Stanley, yet again, who wrote on the who-and-how aspects of sharing the spoils of the World War-II). Then of course, we have Jim O Neil (Goldman Sachs - the original guy who coined BRIC with Roopa Purushottaman before Roopa was lured by our own Kishore Biyani - it happens only in India!). Ruchir Sharma is different because he uses a whole lot of qualitatative yardsticks in analysing data pertaining to who will get past the round two of the next group of nations to "break out" of the orbit of middle-income trap and make the leap into the developed markets. Ruchir Sharma makes many statisitical inferences, fine examples, anecdotes and similes, cruel objectivity, and laser-sharp observations on countries from China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, South Africa to Turkey, and other frontier nations in the continents of South/Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East and of course, Africa. Its breezy and page-turning even for the unitiated in matters of Economics and financial markets.

Ruchir has been writing for "Newseek" and "The Economic Times" for the past 20 years and has been kicking tyres in some part of the developing world for atleast a week of every month of those 20 years. He is most qualified, therefore, to talk with conviction interlaced with consummate ease on why and what aspects are appealing about these markets. He also writes on what aspects are not. Maybe, he has a say in the rejigging of the MSCI universe of stocks across the globe from South Korea to Turkey and from South Africa to Mexico. As someone who has the license to get under the skin of every country which wants to be the next or the new G-7 nation in some time, Ruchir does a fabulous job in giving a National Geographic -equivalent picture of every nation on the radar of the FII, Endowments of developed world and the Foreign Individual Investors. I am amazed at the insights the book gives in one read about China, Brazil, Indonesia and even about our own India. Rightly so, he gives India a 50: 50 chance to be counted as a breakout nation. Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyer, my second-most favorite columnist from "Economic Times" has already written his repartee to Ruchir in the previous week's column in The Times. But Ruchir makes a few stunning, off-beat observations about India which should make policy-makers worry and middle-classes wary. He says, bulk of India's youth get carried away by either jobs in government or Maoist movements because of growing inequalities between the rich and the poor. And unlike in China, where the top Forbes Billionaires keep changing every few years and also their combined networth is capped at $10 Billion or so, in India, much to the chagrin of the poor and the oppressed, the same list of Billionaires is displayed year after year since the 1990s and the combined networth is in excess of $70 Billion while India boasts of probably the lowest per capital income amongst all developing nations and widening inequalities. There are other telling points, mostly objective about India and China.In fact, Ruchir's commentary on China can rattle the most die-hard bulls of that country. (Jim Rogers might re-look at the title of his book on China -"A Bull In a China Shop"). I think, Ruchir has pre-empted the "India Today" magazine's latest survey on the arrogant South India vs. the Persevering North India.

Ruchir makes some outstanding denouements  on the new headwinds of world trade that call for a lot of economic negotiations between the affluent and the emerging nations. Ruchir, by virtue, of his being in a chair to hobnob with the heads of state as well as head-honchos of corporations, is able to distill a range of reports, surveys (some of them outright exclusive) and put a fascinating menu of options for Intelligent Investors of any country. He doesn't take the burden of making hypothetical statements that needed to be proved. Instead, he gives an eclectic but largely concatenated dosage of interesting and disparate data points to drive home a point that is hard to disagree with. Maybe he is good at story-telling but this is a book that concerns four-fifths of humanity in the most convincing fashion. It has few flaws and some unprovable truths but largely, the content is open-ended to let these nations decide in a passing parade who will need what to cross the rubicon. Antoine Van Agtmael was the first guy who coined the phrase "Emerging Markets", then wrote a book "Emerging Markets Century". It was like a premature baby. Ten years back, Jim O Neil wrote BRIC report - this allowed the toddler nations to feast and grow with a 450 per cent jump in the FII allocation to these countries. Now, the teenagers are turning brash and feeling self-important and simultaneously, many toddlers are crying for attention thats legitimate. Ruchir Sharma's new book is a good wakeup call to all of them - an honest and objective, intelligent and readable report card.

Penguin publishers tell me this book is already hit the second print run within one month of launch. This is going to be the best-selling Nonfiction book for 2012. Well done Ruchir.