Showing posts with label Nara Rohit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nara Rohit. Show all posts

June 13, 2015

"Asura" (Telugu Movie Review)

"Asura" (Telugu)
Tollywood never tires of making cliched plots - each hero wants to prove he can dance, he can fight, he can romance and still look good in sentimental scenes while getting the laughs and the claps from audience for outrageous dialogues. But a door for bringing in fresh stories and credible treatment keeps getting pushed every now and then. Krishna Vijay is one such debut director who came up with a winning plot that has a slow pick up, a steady build-out, a dabanng of an interval block and a slithering climax that beats your imagination. Nara Rohit is the hero who at least tries something different in an industry where everybody wants to do formulaic action. "Asura" is a good story to begin with - about an honest and a large-hearted Jailor Dharma (Rohit) of Rajahmundry Central Jail whose job is to ensure the inmates spell no trouble in serving the sentence. He is a protege of a Superintendent who believes in the same sincerity and integrity. He is also in love with Priya Banerjee (a pretty faced debutante) and is about to marry her.
Life moves smoothly for the jailor until a notrious diamond smuggler Madhu enters Rajahmundry Jail as a convict who has to serve the last few days in prison before getting hanged. Dharma is wary of the criminal record of Madhu and allocates "D" block - the cell reserved for the most condemned criminals. Meanwhile, Madhu's petition to the President of India gets rejected and the day of hanging is round the corner. Three key personnel who have to oversee the operation goes right prepare for the D-day - the magistrate, the jailor and the hangman. The person to be hanged, Madhu, however is cool and jibes that he will go scot-free. Here comes a twist - where elements connected to the criminal outside of the prison cast their net on the three key personnel to ensure the hanging never takes place. And then the story, sorry will not give away anything, just builds up to an amazing crescendo and the climax that is a blinder. Will he get hanged? Will the jailor get suspended? Who has the last laugh? These questions linger on throughout the second half until the story comes to a smooth finish with a plot that is bigger than what is plotted inside the prison. 
At a time when the audience is getting vexed with boring plots and insipid story-telling, Krishna Vijay attempts something different that is going to be talked about for a while. How many heroes have the guts to play an unglamorous role of a Jailor? How many have the guts to cast a bevy of characters mostly from the TV Channel segment? And how many can finish off telling a good story with five songs and few stunts in all of 126 minutes? "Asura" needs to be applauded for making a good experiment decent enough to make it watchable except a bit of tardiness in the first half. The second half is racier than the first and all elements of screenplay, background score by Sai Karthik, and dialogues and editing uplift the experience to give us a new feel. If only more people think like the makers of this film, Tollywood's better days may not be far off.
The only thing that can be held against the director is the liberty taken in some procedures of hanging but in the spirit of the story that moves forward, they were quintessential for the main plot. Nara Rohit is getting fat but his brain is working smarter than most of the heroes in Tollywood who are herd-headed in the other direction. Sai Karthik scores good songs and impressive RR. Priya Banerjee is the new Bengali lass who does a good job. The villains look terrific and did a commendable job. 
It is the most thrilling film of the year and I recommend it whole-heartedly.
Rating: 3.5/5

April 29, 2014

"Pratinidhi" (Telugu Film Review)

Nara Rohit's films have so far been different. While "Baanam" was revolutionary, "Solo" was outright family entertainer with great comedy and performances. "Pratinidhi" promised to be intriguing from the trailer days and it was poetically timed for the elections but don't be over-expectant about the hype. It has some eye-popping provocations about the issues common man faces and packages them quite intelligently and convincingly in the backdrop of an exciting kidnap drama with a brief flashback but the narrative could have been better and arresting.

Prashant Mandava directs Nara Rohit as a people's representative who kidnaps the Chief Minister (Kota Srinivasa Rao)  when he comes to innaugurate an Old Age Home. He imprisons self and the CM in the vast house with a threat to kill the CM unless his demands are met. What are these demands? They grow, at first sight, sillier and curioser by the hour until the whole state gets swept by a tsunami of attention and goodwill. Police Commissioner (Posani Krishna Murali) encircles the house where the kidnapper relays his messages and demands while trying to unfathom the mysterious kidnapper's whereabouts and identity through only one source - Rohit's friend who agrees to share details of his friendship and association. The demands, those silly demands, meanwhile outgrow into a pattern that seems to connect the dots of a lot of issues and a few mysteries of a missing man and his son. The demands raised by Rohit are valid and thoroughly engrossing and tell a lot about the state of our democracy and the pace at which the government works: Despite the media's all-pervasive nature and 24/7 reporting, one of the key messages is that there is a paradox of choice amidst plenty of options: nobody really gets the big picture in the immediate aftermath of an event because the media doesn't ask questions that illuminate or decipher the truth.

The truth is unfolded, layer by layer, by the protagonist Nara Rohit himself, in the messages relayed outside the building and in his articulate interaction with Kota Srinivasa Rao who as the CM who gave one of his career-best performances. Kota asks questions that enhance the characterisation of himself and Rohit in ways that move the story forward. While the first half is about the demands, the second half gives an good twist to the plot with more seiousness sans romance and dull flashback which mars a few reels earlier. Why does the government take two hours to accept one simple demand? Can we de-notify the currency notes of higher denomination  - to drive out black money out of the "M3" circulation in the economy? Where is the money collected from the odd amounts rounded off on account of stupid taxes, cesses and VAT levies on petroleum, diesel and even hotel services going to? For example, if it costs Rs.72.84 per litre and we pay Rs.73, the rounding error itself comes to on a ball-park estimate of Rs.120 crore population times Rupees Two per day, as per the writer in the film.. That's a fair point and something that is fuelling black money and making some people richer.

With audacious demands like these underpinning the economic logic, Rohit gets war-room attention of the politicians and begins a change in the CM itself. The approach to this film is neat and fresh without stunts, vulgar dances or item songs or garrulous comedy or silly romance. Technically, there is only one song in the first half to give romantic relief with a forgettable heroine Shubra Ayyappa who is a let down. The second half has a few background songs that step on the gas for the hero's surge in popularity as the media amplifies his messages and their broader econo-political appeal. The approach to the story and the screenplay reminds you of "Wednesday" movie where the hero and the anti-hero see a paradigm-shift in their world views.

A promising tale told in 139 minutes with plenty of food for thought for our system and the polity that rides it. Good dialogues in the film by Rohit and Kota create an encore feeling. Music by Sai Kartheek is turning out better in RR , this is his second impressive BGM score after "Rowdy". Performances wise, Rohit is average though he has a baritone voice that is one of the best male voices in Tollywood today after Pawan Kalyan. But his repertoire is limited to poker-faced delivery that lacks variety and killer instinct. The most notable performance, make no mistake is that of Kota Srinivasa Rao, followed by Posani Krishna Murali. Director Prashant Mandava seems promising enough to tell a good story but the same film could have been made more intelligently and entertainingly to create a wider connect - the director has made the corruption issue more a monetary policy issue and leaves out many inconvenient issues that rock the state and the nation. What is tasteless is to show the late NTR as a great leader/thinker in the titles equating him with the likes of Che Guera, Gandhi, Tagore, etc. Secondly, I did notice that at interval time, they show all the past CMs of the state of AP  - Naidu, Rosaiah, NTR again, N Janardhan Reddy but show YSR in a split-micro-second. That makes the visuals political. Barring these, "Pratinidhi" is a watchable film with strong subtexts and thought-provoking issues. It could have been made better and more intense but is still better than so many commercial potboilers that come and go but don't linger on as much as "Pratinidhi".
Rating: 3/5

December 24, 2012

"Saarocharu" Telugu Movie Review

"Saarocharu" is Ravi Teja in "class appearence" (note the spelling of appearance again; just to drive home the point that most vernacular titles don't get vetted for class appeal when translating into English but thats digressing). Ravi Teja is always known for mass entertainers that make even the mundane sound raunchy. So, we were warned this is is his class appearance (correct spelling). Director Parasuram has picked up reputation for making sensible films with subtle messages. He made films like "Yuvatha" (talks about youth power and talent), "Anjaneyulu" (talks about responsible news channels). His last film "Solo" with Nara Rohit has been well-received as it shows why joint families can and must survive current nuclearisation of society. He has roped in good starcast besides Ravi Teja - Jaya Sudha, Kajol Agarwal, Richa Gangopadhyay, Srinivas Reddy, and a cameo by Nara Rohit.

The story is not very different from umpteen movies which came on finding the right life partner to connect with. Ravi Teja is asked to help his colleague Srinivas Reddy to win over a girl he is seeking. That girl's best friend is Kajol Agarwal who is obsessed with her own beauty, she is narcissistic and haughty to the point she tells it is difficult to fall in love with any man unless there are points of commonality. Soon she finds herself drawn to Ravi Teja, he tells her stories from his life and finds that he is actually married and about to divorce his wife (Richa Gangopadhyay). The story gets a bizarre twist in the middle when Ravi Teja confesses he actually made up the whole story in order to woo her as he finds her to be perfectly compatible with her. Kajol rejects Ravi Teja as she finds this deceitful. She is engaged to Nara Rohit (a cameo) and then the happy ending as she goes back to Ravi Teja. While the story is simple narrative, what is questionable in screenplay is that nowadays film-makers resort to a dishonesty on the screen by creating characters who never were meant to be. In this case, the hero created a character Richa Gangopadhyay whose life is lived out by another couple who get "love-married" and divorced. Such methods of screenplay and story-telling are actually wrong even though appear creative. This technique of showing characters which are a figment of hero's imagination was last shown in Prabhas movie "Darling" which met with average success.

But is the film good and clean despite the narrative loopholes? I think it is, thanks to director Parasuram and the characters played by Kajol Agarwal and Ravi Teja. For fans of Kajol, this is a revelation as Kajol delivers a fine performance which gives ample scope to show she can be mean and many-shaded. She steals the thunder from Ravi Teja which is not usually the case in his movies. Ravi Teja is going through the crisis that every Mass Hero goes through many times. At the peak of their careers, Dada Kondke and Govinda, after delivering record-breaking box office hits sudden make a 180 degree turn with movies that are atypical of their wont. It has to be seen whether Ravi Teja's attempt at being a decent guy with family values will appeal to the family audiences and class viewers. My guess is, Ravi Teja needn't become class-conscious as there are enough heroes in that genre.  He should continue to be mass-hysterical and madcap-oriented as he always is. As far as the film goes, its quite clean and entertaining despite the different looks. Comedy by MS Narayana in the flight fills the void created by Brahmanandam's absence. Music by Devi Sri Prasad is just average and hasn't given his best to Ravi Teja as in previous films. Parasuram attempts vaguely at the dilemmas of married couples and the blues of divorce and wastes the time in the movie with 150 minutes. Nara Rohit and Jayasudha make a commanding presence in the film despite the short length of their appearances. Richa Gangopadhyay is a star who cannot turn and may find offers deserting her. What gives the movie the best moments are Kajol Agarwal and Ravi Teja  - they have shown a different side to their personalities but I must admit you get the feeling it is more Kajol's film than Ravi Teja's. Good to be rated atleast 2.5/5.

January 13, 2012

"Solo" Movie Review

"Solo" starring Nara Rohit is another year-end rounding-off error we could have made if we missed it. Thoroughly entertaining and more satisfying to watch than even "Pilla Zamindar". Director Parasuram is a disciple of Swami Puri Jagannadh ("Pokiri" fame) but hasn't imbibed shades of gang-war violence and eve-exploiting sleaze. Quite a neat film with great performances by Rohit, Kajal Agarwal's... sister- Nisha, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha and yes, comedian Srinivas Reddy - this is his finest hour. The storyline: Rohit grew up an orphan and yearns to love and marry a girll who has a huge family. Prakash Raj - the girl's father - on the other hand, wants to bring in a son-in-law who is anything but "Solo". Sounds like another Dil Raju production but there ends any comparison because the director weaves a right combination of comedy, family drama and love-story with heart-tugging dialogues that linger on. Except for one Mumaith Khan's item song, "Solo" is a great film to watch. Mani Sharma has given high-quality music - both songs and BGM scores. Quite unsurprisingly then, when we trooped into a theatre and were wondering if we made a right choice when we saw but ten people including us, we saw the hall almost filled within ten minutes of movie. Is this movie better than "Pilla Zamindar"- in entertainment and neat family fare? Heart says, "Yes".

"Jailor" (Telugu/Tamil) Movie Review: Electrifying!

        "Jailer" is an electrifying entertainer in commercial format by Nelson who always builds a complex web of crime and police...