Showing posts with label telugu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label telugu. Show all posts

Saturday 31 January 2015

Krishnamma Kalipindi Iddarini telugu movie Music Review

Krishnamma Kalipindi Iddarini telugu movie Music Review

This album has a strong Telugu flavour written all over it.  Nakul Abhyankar, Haricharan, Hari, Hemachandra, Pranavi, SP Charan, Sunil Kashyap, Lipsika are the range of singers, while lyrics are by Radha Subrahmanyam and Rakendu Mouli Vennelakanti.
Get a taste of unadulterated lyrics.
Veelunte
Artist: Nakul Abhyankar
Lyricist: Radha Subrahmanyam
The album gets a breezy start with this youthful song.  The number has romantic lyrics by Radha Subrahmanyam.  Nakul Abhyankar has got vocals that can pass off for good with the zeitgeist-infested youngsters.  Hari shows some spark in terms of tuning and instrumentation.
Radhe Radhe
Artist: Haricharan
Lyricist: Radha Subrahmanyam
'Radhe Radhe' is a surprise of a second song.  Hari marshals his musical skills to a smoothing effect.  His tuning evokes a feeling of longing and joyfulness.  Haricharan is at his usual best; he renders the demanding number to a perfect rhythmic effect.  Radha gets even more poetic with this song.
Madana Mohana
Artists: Pranavi, SP Charan
Lyricist: Rakendu Mouli Vennelakanti
The young Vennelakanti deploys his profound bent of mind here.  The lyrics are easily the song's best part, and they demand attention and an eye for detail.  Pranavi's mellifluous voice is complemented by that of no less a singing talent than SP Charan.  All in all, Hari delivers a good output by matching the talent of everyone from the lyricist to the two singers.
Ola Ola
Artists: Hari, Hemachandra
Lyricist: Radha Subrahmanyam
This one induces a sense of deja vu as it exudes a rip-off flavour for sure.  Such kind of minimal inspiration is not improper.  Hari and Hemachandra deliver a dekko.  Their vocals are surely apt.  As for Radha's lyrics, they are sans all the fluke that so-called youthful numbers today feature.
Tuhi Tuhi
Artists: Haricharan, Sunil Kashyap, Lipsika
Lyricist: Rakendu Mouli Vennelakanti
This is yet another tribute to love in this album.  Once again, the young Vennelakanti paints the sky with a poetic brush.  If the lyrics are high-brow, Haricharan, Sunil Kashyap and Lipsika give out splendid vocals.  Hari's music is entertaining.
Naalo Premey
Artists: Hari
Lyricist: Radha Subrahmanyam
A song of this genre was awaited in this album.  Hari has a very Illayaraja-esque as well as AR Rehman-esque baritone and this works in favour of this song that exudes pathos.  Hari shows his imagination when it comes to music as well.  Radha's meaningful lyrics cast a splendid spell.
Verdict:  True to the title that has a Telugu-esque, this album has authentic Telugu-fied songs.  Profound lyrics, good vocals and okay music make it a worthy one.

Friday 30 January 2015

Khamoshiyan hindi movie Review

Khamoshiyan hindi movie Review

The biggest puzzle in the public domain, besides the question, "Why US President Obama chose to mouth Shah Rukh Khan's lines from "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'?" is, "Why does a sensible intelligent man like Vikram Bhatt chose to write such stupid shiver givers?"

"Khamoshiyan" makes you shiver. But not in fear. It just makes you shake in embarrassment for all the ghosts and spirits who are so royally snubbed and insulted by such travesties of terror. Maybe the spiritual world could sue for defamation. And then there should be an added penalty for wasting three talented young hopeful actors looking for a break.

All "Khamoshiyan" gives them is a pathetic plot where creaky doors and spooky apparitions get more playing time than the actors who have to look scared and shattered when they are probably laughing behind the camera wondering who in this day and age believes in such moronic mumbo-jumbo.

Not the progressive Mahesh Bhatt for sure. Why Mr.Bhatt who has made some of the most pathbreaking films in recent times would choose to back something so shrouded in the raga of the regressive is beyond comprehension.

But all is not lost. There is a brand new version in this fearful film of the Khemchand Prakash-composed classic "Aayega aanewala", which launched the career of Lata Mangeshkar as the voice of the nation.

I'm not too sure what the Bhatts (brothers Mahesh and Mukesh and their protege Vikram) mean to achieve by mocking the melody from the film "Mahal" in this way. Whatever their motive, the new version of "Aayega aanewala" only serves to remind us how far the ghost drama has strayed from its original purpose of creating a world where the tenable and attainable cross one another's world in pursuit of love and fulfilment.

In "Khamoshiyan", the protagonists snub the spirit and focus on the body. Debutant Sapna Pabbi, playing a hotel receptionist with a serious face twitch and body itch, leads both the men not so gently in bedded perdition. We see Sapna and Ali Fazal kissing, writhing, moaning and...umm...erupting. We see Sapna and Gurmeet Choudhary kissing, writhing....you get the picture? Same-to-same.

Sex never looked more boring.

These are three bodies with no claim to a soul, grappling with a script in a power-piqued film that mocks every sensible rule of filmmaking. All the fearsome threesome does is make out in different locations and positions. Maybe they thought they were shooting for a condom ad. The characters certainly need protection....From the onslaught of idiocy that assails them from every nook of this misguided thriller, more idiotic than erotic, with a female protagonist who is more neurotic than enigmatic.

By the time we come to the....ahem....climax, we are past caring about these three abandoned souls. To their credit, the three actors manage to look appealing in spite of their unsavoury circumstances. 

Ali Fazal playing a writer with a block tries to enjoy the suffering. Somewhere you feel the character's pain has been superseded by the actor's agony. Sapna Pabbi has a gamine-like charm which this film tries to turn into a pub-house of horny antics. Better luck next time, Sapna.

Pabbi is not just miscast, she is mess-cast.

As for debutant Gurmeet Choudhary, he definitely has a screen presence. One wishes he had chosen for his film debut a script that respected the audiences' intelligence and tolerance level.

Ladies & Gentlemen telugu movie Review

Ladies & Gentlemen telugu movie Review


Ladies And Gentlemen’ tells three separate stories involving seven characters, between them.  They are not networked to each other; instead, what is common to them is a social networking site determining their future.

Manjunath’s debut film is not a run-of-the-mill fun and frolic caper, and it doesn’t feature romantic duets and tired and tested college campus banter.  It’s hardly 120 minutes and packs in rather corny narration. Out of the three stories, one surely has an unexpected denouement.  But this one is not enough to make one pitch for it, especially after going through the story of a greedy youngster whose criminality bears resemblance to scores of notorious stories talked about in the media day in, day out.

Priya (Nikita Narayan of ‘It’s My Love Story’ fame) and Anand (Kamal Kamaraju of ‘Avakai Biryani’ fame) are a couple with no trouble in their married life.  Anand is too busy to notice Priya’s unhappiness over him not spending time with him.  Routine stuff.  Wait, there is a whiff of extra-marital air around.

Krishna Murthy (Chaitanya Krishna) is an intelligent but shy and timid dude; he desperately needs a love interest.  The day he receives a friend request from Deepu (Swathi Dixit) on Facebook, it is a born-again moment, with him singing a premature solo immaturely romantic dream-cum-surreal alpha-numeric number.  But the world around him is full of FB cheats, he realizes belatedly.  Is it a gay innocuously disguising as a Samantha fan?  In comes the girl herself after he expresses a disguised doubt.  And love blooms.

Then there is Vijay (Mahat Raghavendra of ‘Back Bench Student’ fame), a Call Centre employee leading an unsustainable lifestyle.   He woos Anjali (Jasmin Bhasin) , a model, and she thinks of him to be a businessman. How long can he make the gigantic ends meet with his peanuts?

While the premises of the three stories are not exciting, the narration leaves much to be desired.  Except for a moment or two, the cyber element doesn’t seem to lend novelty.  It could have been just another story detailing any other modus operandi.

For a story of this sort, style was as important as substance.   The songs could have been used to carry the pace forward, but Raghu Kunch’s numbers, lacking conceptual strength, are a drag.  The love tragedy song for an offender is blissfully edited out.

There is no point in narrating elements like recovery agents using intimidation to cough up credit money in such a mundane manner.  The scene where Jeeva speaks in broken English and slaps around a model is old- fashioned.  It’s also inconceivable how one can come up with scenes where a BPO employee is not aware of Phishing mails.

Raghu Kunche having a song for himself could have been excused had the music been good.  Sunny’s BGM passes muster.

As for the dialogues, they are okay.  Puri Jagannadh should have got better lines for the voice-over to make an impact.

The performances are convincing, except for Chaitanya Krishna, who did not fit the bill as a timid guy.  Mahat has the ability to play offbeat roles for sure.  Adivi Sesh yet again proves he can emote well, and he has a good screen presence.  Nikita and Kamal Kamaraju are good, too.

Verdict: ‘Ladies And Gentlemen’ takes a law and order issue and spins three stories around the tactics of tricksters.  Alas, the story-telling is rather milk-and-water


Saturday 24 January 2015

Pataas 2015 telugu movie review

Pataas 2015 telugu movie review


Pataas is a Paisa Vasool Entertainer. It is stuffed with all sorts of commercial elements like Comedy, Punch dialogues, hero elevation in the right proportions. Finally Kalyan Ram gets the much required success. 

Kalyan (Kalyan Ram) is a corrupt police officer who aides criminals at the start and later one incident forces him to mend his ways and his entire journey is narrated with high dose of entertainment.

Kalyan Ram delivered a far better performance in the movie. He tried his level to mask up his usual weaknesses like dialogue delivery etc. Rest of the weaknesses are successfully covered up the high dose of entertainment present in the film. Debutant Shruti Sodhi becomes a liability for the film. She does not have much significance in the film and has to come a long way in acting and emotions.

Sai Kumar and Ashutosh Rana are good. Srinivas Reddy managed good laughs. MS Narayana's spoof work did not work out. Jayaprakash Reddy is good in his limited role. Jhansi, Sameer, Shakalaka Shankar etc are okay while Posani is decent.

Telugu film industry has found one more good commercial director. Anil Ravipudi makes a very good debut. He made a film very entertaining with good dialogues, good hero elevation and racy screenplay. There is a little bit of drag in the film which is also successfully masked. Both the interval bang and climax are handled as an experienced director.

Sai Karthik delivered an average album with the remix of Arey O Samba working big time. BGM is good. Camera work is neat while editing is okay.

Finally, Pataas is a Paisa Vasool Entertainer. It is stuffed with all sorts of commercial elements like Comedy, Punch dialogues, hero elevation in the right proportions. Finally Kalyan Ram gets the much required success.

Beeruva 2015 telugu new movie review

Beeruva 2015 telugu new movie review

The title which was used to create curiosity on the film has done enough damage. The director could not do justice to the curiosity created and delivered a stale product. First half is okay and second half tests your patience to the maximum. Our readers can avoid it safely!

Sanju (Sundeep Kishan) is the only son of Multimillionaire Suryanarayana (Naresh). Normally Sanju always brings headaches to his rich dad. Sanju always have the habit of hiding in a Beeruva whenever his dad scolds him. Slowly Beeruva becomes his best friend. Once Sanju grows up he falls for Swathi (Surabhi), daughter of a powerful politician, Adikesavula Naidu (Mukesh Rishi). At the same time, Sanju's father's business runs in to a problem which needed Adikesavula Naidu. So Sanju has to conquer Adikesavula Naidu to save his love and business. What happens next is the rest.

 Sundeep LG Kishan's role is almost like an extension of his role in Venkatadri Express and he walked through it effortlessly. However his body language and expressions will get monotony at times. Surabhi is an average beauty and she performed decently in the little role offered to her. Senior Naresh is very good in father's role but Anita Chowdary is wasted in Sundeep Kishan's mother role. She looked more like his sister. Mukesh Rishi is at his usual self. Ajay, Chalapathi Rao and others are good as well.

The makers have created some curiosity by keeping a different title like Beeruva. But all that the director Kanmani did was to weave the story with the scene he got one by one. Most of the scene you feel bored and routine. Few dialogues penned by Veligonda Srinivas worked here and there. Thaman has come up with one ineffective album. Chota K.Naidu's cinematography is great. Production values are good. Editing should have been more effective.

The title which was used to create curiosity on the film has done enough damage. The director could not do justice to the curiosity created and delivered a stale product. First half is okay and second half tests your patience to the maximum. Our readers can avoid it safely!



Friday 16 January 2015

Alone 2015 Hindi Movie Review

Alone 2015 Hindi Movie Review


Times of badly ripping off, blatantly ripping off or even being inspired by international films are way past behind. The latest is officially taking the rights, remaking the film no matter how bad the remake may turn out to be, at least we do it with a head held high right?

Similar seems to be the case of Bhushan Patel's Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover starrer Alone. An official remake of the Thai film by the same name, Alone promises sex and spook but sadly for the audience expecting either, the movie falls flat.

For the ones who haven't seen the much celebrated Thai horror film, Alone is about conjoined twins Sanjana and Anjana, both played by Bipasha Basu. The two not just physically but also emotionally bound to each other and vow to remain together till forever. But their sisterhood gets shaken and broken the moment the hottie Kabir (Karan Singh Grover) walks into their lives and both fall head over heels in love with him. Natural as it may seem, Kabir falls for only one of the two leading to the other turning into a evil queen. The two decide to get operated and one of the sisters loses her life in the process while the one alive goes on with her live like nothing happened. Until, the twin rises from the dead only to haunt and take back what's hers.

It would be wrong to put down Bhushan Patel's efforts outright. The maker who has Ragini MMS to his credit definitely knows the horror space a little better. However, it's the script and the constricted space the story gets to evolve that mires the film completely. If not for anything, Alone is a highly predictable fare literally to an extent that you can to know what the big twist is much before it actually happens. Moreover, except for a few moments that catch you off-guard and manage to startle you, the spook fest largely uses the staple means of scaring which have been done to death in Hindi horror films.

The current Horror Queen Bipasha Basu surely knows her spooky business and does a decent job when it comes to acting. Needless to say, she looks sexy as hell too. But it's Karan Singh Grover, the latest import from small screen who also matches footsteps with Bipasha in the film. The hunk definitely knows how to look his best and takes no time to drop off his shirt every now and then. However, it's the performance where he takes the hit, not that he gets way too much to do in the film consisting of two Bipasha Basu-s.

To sum it up, with a successful story at hand, Alone could've been a real scare-fest had the makers invested in the script and screenplay writers. With the product that it is, the only draw for the audience is Bipasha-Karan's sizzling chemistry and the music which has already captivated the music lovers.

I (Ai) 2015 telugu movie Review

I (Ai)  2015 telugu movie Review

'I' is a story in non linear narration and is difficult to write. To keep it simple, A physically deformed man with a hunch, Lingesh (Vikram) kidnaps a popular model Diya (Amy Jackson) from her wedding. From then the non-linear narration begins with the flashback and the present. The Flash back is about Lingesh (Vikram) a bodybuilder aspiring to win Mr.India title. He admires Diya and falls for her instantly when he meets her during an ad shoot. He wins Mr. Andhra title and then Diya asks him to shoot an (I) doubt ad with him. The ad receives huge response and company owner plans to shoot every big ad with him. In the meantime, Diya gets engaged to Lingesh. But all of a sudden this hunch back and the kidnap happens. What is the reason? forms the rest of the story.

Vikram plays three different roles as a bodybuilder, hunched man and a werewolf. He puts in all the hardwork in the World for the film and it is seen in the every frame. Particularly the Lingesh Character is awesome with a very natural look using heaps of makeup and prosthetic. Amy Jackson is oozing glamour in every frame. However the disappointing thing is the zero chemistry between the lead pair. Upen Patel is impressive as a wicked model.Suresh Gopi is good as the doctor. Ram Kumar Ganeshan and Ojas M. Rajani are adequate in their small roles. Santhanam comedy fails to work.

It may be the first time Shankar himself let down a film. The movie script seem to be very weak and does not have the emotional connect usually the backbone in Shankar's films. Vikram's hard work is complimented by every one, Cinematograher PC Sriram, AR Rahman's music and Muthuraj's Art work but all of them were squandered by Shankar.

The movie is painfully long (over 3 hours) with several irritating scenes like gay romance. The only reason if some one sits through out for the film is the expectation on Shankar. Production Values of Aascar Ravinchandran are top notch.

Finally you may watch the film for the technical brilliance, hard work of Vikram and some breath taking locales, if you are expecting a Shankar kind of magic, get ready to get disappointed.


Gopala Gopala 2015 Telugu Movie Review

Gopala Gopala 2015 Telugu Movie Review


Gopala Rao (Venkatesh) is an atheist but runs a Pooja Samagri Store. He cash the sentiments of people for his benefit. One day, an earthquake destroys his shop and brings him on to roads. He approaches the insurance company for compensation but gets refused as it is an 'Act of God'. Disturbed Gopala Rao finally drags God and few Babas to court for the 'Act of God'. But God (Pawan Kalyan) himself descends to Earth to help Gopala Rao. What happens next is the rest of the story.

Pawan Kalyan is the show stealer of the film. The transformation from the Mass Masala roles he played recently to the character of God is simply awesome. He enters the film just before the interval and carries the entire second half on his shoulders. Venkatesh is an apt fit for the role of an Upper Middle Class Businessman. He is impressive in emotional scenes and is very effective in courtroom scenes. The scenes between both of them have come up very well. Shriya gets a very limited role while Mithun Chakraborty's role is a copy paste from the original. Posani is hilarious in Swamiji's role.

Director Dolly struck to the Original with out many deviations. The film is partly engaging but gets boring in many places. The first half of the film is strictly average with the all important God entrance poorly shot with worst CG work. The second half of the film is decent with Pawan Kalyan luring audience with his Charishma. Dialogues for Pawan Kalyan are written very well. Production Values of Suresh Productions are dismal and Anoop Rubens' Back Ground Score can be a lot better.

Gopala Gopala is not the regular commercial pot boiler which goes instantly well with our audience. But the movie can be watched for the beautiful compatibility between Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan. And also the message it carries. The range of the film will be decided on how the masses receive it.

Chinnadana Nee Kosam Telugu Movie Review

Chinnadana Nee Kosam Telugu Movie Review

Nithin (Nithiin) is a happy go lucky guy who meets the Multi-talented Nandu (Mishti) accidentally and falls for her instantly. They keeps on meeting each other by chance keeping her in an odd spot. A while ago, Nithin helps her in setting up a coashing class at Reddy's (Nasser) place. Very soon both of them turn to be good friends. But in a sudden twist, Nandi leaves to Europe with out any intimation.What is the reason for this sudden Europe trip? Who is Nandu? Will Nithin and Nandu ever meet again? forms the rest of the story.

Nithiin who is seen immitating Pawan Kalyan in his recent films has gone further in this film and literally immiates the actor in every scene. He also put up some weight in the movie. Mishti is totally out of place in the movie. Some how she never looked like she got connected to the role. Senior Naresh, Rohini and Sithara are good but Nassar is too loud in a character with a limited scope. Thagubothu Ramesh, Ali and Madhu have tried to tickle the funny bone but failed to a larger extent.

The film has got a wafer thin story but is totally let down by aimless narration and enigmatic characters. The film starts well but totally goes wayward after that except for some comedy here and there. The movie also have some similarities to Pawan Kalyan's Tholiprema, Attarintiki Daredi and Prabhas' Darling. Director Karunakaran does not seem the same man who directed some classics in the past.

Music is just average and half of the songs wasted in the film. The Background score is fine and the dialogues, particularly delivered by Nithiin are good in parts. Editing of this film is okay. The irritating gay comedy, Ali chase and few forced songs in the second half should have been chopped. The production values of Nithiin home production house are grand.

Chinnadana Nee Kosam at the start appears as a very promising comedy film but very soon disappoints with critical directional errors by Karunakaran. There are several loose ends and senior actors like Nassar, Senior Naresh, Rohini and Ali have totally gone wasted. Finally the movie may have put an end to Nithin's success streak.

Mukundha Telugu Movie Review

Mukundha Telugu Movie Review

Mukundha (Varun Tej) is a good man who goes to any extent to help his friends. His friend Arjun falls in love with the niece of a Municipal Chairman (Rao Ramesh) and Mukundha keeps saving him from the attacks of the Chairman and in the process falls in love with daughter (Pooja Hegde) of the Chairman. Then it is the election time and Mukunda supports Prakash Raj as nominee for the ward elections over Rao Ramesh. Rest of the story is all about - Will Arjun marry his girl friend? Will Prakash win over Rao Ramesh?

Varun Tej, new entrant from Mega family is a mixed package for audience. Looks wise he is better than many Mega heroes but seem to be still struggling with the acting. He could not emote for the various moods of the character and is mostly seen with a single expression. Pooja Hegde looks very beautiful but needs a lot of improvement in acting. Rao Ramesh is the major highlight of the film and is superb in the the role of a doting father and a corrupt politician. Prakash Raj is wasted in a little role which has nothing to do excep giving fact quotes. Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao, Nassar, Raghu Babu and the new comers are confined to very limited roles.

Srikanth Addala once again has come up with a honest intent but is let down by a poor screenplay. The story is quite simmilar to numerous films in the past. But it lacks the depth to take the story or characters forward with very slow narration. The interval bang looks promising but the second half goes on sinking further finally completing with a hurried climax.

Mikcy J. Meyer did justice to both the songs and as well as the back ground score. The cinematography is neat and there are may fresh locales giving a good feel for the audience. The film suffers slow pace through out especially in the second half, editor could have easily trimmed of 15 minutes odd. Production Value of Leo Productions is good.

Finally, Mukundha is for Varun Tej what Gauravam is for Allu Sirish. May be it is a bit better than Gauravam but will do no good to the first timer in any way. This is definitely a script that should not be preferred for a debutant. Finally it ends up as a disappointment for Varun Tej as well as the audience.

Thursday 15 January 2015

I (Ai) Movie Review

I (Ai) Movie Review






Shankar, who wears his commercial tag like a medallion, has an addiction for making big commercial films. While he's been quite successful at it all these years, it has slowly started to have an adverse effect on his films to the extent that even the presence of a bankable star, say Vikram, doesn't add much value to the output.

In his much anticipated film "I", Shankar proves that only he can take a wafer thin story and turn it into something outlandishly beautiful yet complex, leaving you with an afterthought -- "Why can't he ever make smaller films for a change?"
Mostly known for making message-oriented films in which the hero singlehandedly takes on the system, Shankar attempts to tell a romantic tale in his latest offering, said to be made at a budget of over Rs.100 crore.

Vikram plays a bodybuilder, Lingesan, who idolises Arnold Schwarzenegger and supermodel Diya, played by Amy Jackson. If the posters of Arnold decorate the walls of his lower middle class home and his gym (which is named after Arnold), there's a box full of women's products endorsed by Diya in his bedroom.

In a funny scene, when he's caught red-handed by his friend and asked what he is going to do with all the products (holding a pack of sanitary napkin), Lingesan nonchalantly says he will use it as a pillow.

In these refreshing initial moments, Shankar helps us understand that Lingesan has extreme liking for Diya but doesn't love her yet because of their social and cultural divide. There's a wonderful scene where Lingesan's mother asks his friend what's wrong if her son is fond of a model he sees on television, newspapers and hoardings?

In any other film, he would've stalked her to the point she eventually gives in. Here, Shankar doesn't tread that path and that's a big relief. Then, the story takes a detour when Lingesan turns overnight into model Lee, soon becoming a sensation in the glamorous world of advertising and earning the wrath of a few. It is from here that Shankar's "I" ends up becoming a big budget mess and an old-fashioned revenge drama.

Shankar likes to take his audiences to vast, unknown locations even if it's not required. This time he travels to China, shoots in some picturesque locations and makes Vikram feature in a well choreographed action sequence. It's here he makes Vikram and Amy fall in love.

He feels the need to create a love triangle and introduces a gay makeup artist, played by Ojas Rajani, who lusts after Vikram. It's a shame that Shankar resorts to playing with the sensibilities of a gay character, openly mocking at the sexual orientation.

Vikram may have worked tirelessly gaining and losing weight for his role, but that doesn't make the film any less disappointing. In both the roles, as a body builder and a hunchbacked man, he makes one take notice of his potential and how far he can go for cinema.

Amy Jackson chips in with a surprisingly decent performance and has worked hard on her lip sync, at least in some crucial scenes. Upen Patel, Suresh Gopi and Ramkumar come across as misfits in their respective roles. There are far more good looking local actors who could've played Upen's part convincingly.

Given the lavish budget, "I" is visually grandiose and that's not a surprise. But the visuals don't make up for the weak script. Even A.R. Rahman's music doesn't make much of a difference but for remaining mostly soothing and melodic. Returning after a gap of three years, Shankar should've gauged the pulse of the audiences who now prefer short stories over a three-hour film.

All that's big may not necessarily be great. Hope Shankar realises that much better films can be made on a smaller canvas and much lower budget.

Thursday 8 May 2014

Aanamika telugu Movie Review

Anaamika Review


Story : Anaamika Sastry (Nayanthara) comes to Hyderabad in search of her husband Ajay Sastry (Harshvardhan Rane), who vanishes without a trace. Parthasarathy (Vaibhav Reddy), an honest cop, empathises with her desperation to find her husband and vows to help her. As the duo try to unravel the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of Ajay Sastry, they find themselves inching closer to a big conspiracy which puts their own lives in danger.

Movie Review : Anaamika is an unlikely film from the stable of Sekhar Kammula and him making a thriller is surprising, to say the least. For a change, the director resists the temptation of imbibing some of his favourite themes like social inequality, coming-of-age theme and innocence. This in turn gives a distinct tone to Anaamika compared to his previous films; however, the film leaves a lot to be desired, in terms of eliciting an emotional response from the audience.

The film's opening scene, which is set in the bylanes near Charminar, sets the tone for a gripping drama, but before we get sucked in to the drama, Sekhar Kammula takes his own sweet time to establish the characters. Soon after Anaamika Sastry comes to Hyderabad, the film slowly into a laborious exercise, where we are told what exactly she does on a daily basis. The only solace during this process is M M Keeravani's scintillating background score, which keeps us hooked on to the screen despite the sheer lack of drama for nearly half the film's running time. Moreover, most part of the film's first half unfolds within the precincts of a police station and a hotel, which in turn restricts the characters and storytelling.

Then there's Parthasarathy (Vaibhav Reddy), the only police officer whom Anaamika can trust, who goes out of his way to solve the case, much to the displeasure of his senior official. The film's most interesting character, however, is another police official named Khan, an encounter specialist played with aplomb by Pasupathy. His frustration can be measured from the puffs of smoke he exhales every minute and surprisingly, he's the most intense character in the film. The second half is a redeeming factor and almost immediately the story moves ahead with enough speed, to make up for all the lost time in setting up the story.

Comparisons are inevitable when one remakes a critically acclaimed film like Vidya Balan starrer Kahani and in the case of Anaamika, Sekhar Kammula almost gets away because he deviates from the original plot to a large extent. Nayanthara is no match to Vidya Balan, but she does a decent job in portraying the role of a woman who is helpless. It's tough to understand what's going through her mind and when the big twist in the film is revealed, we are left wondering how she figured it all out.

Anaamika is by no means a solid thriller, but it's a good effort from Sekhar Kammula who is enamoured with the idea of a helpless woman struggling to find her husband in a city which has learnt to embrace all its contradictions. The only thing missing in the story is edge-of-the-seat drama and that makes all the difference. Watch it if you haven't seen Kahani.

Laddu Babu Telugu Movie Review


Laddu Babu Review



Laddu Babu is the story of Laddu Babu (Allari Naresh) who gains 238 Kgs of weight over three weeks due to a rare mosquito bite. His father Narasaiah (Kota Srinivasa Rao) has a dispute property which can be sold only when Laddu is married off but all his attempts get failed. On the other side Laddu is in deep love with a girl Maya (Poorna). But the later rejects him due to his obesity. Laddu then determine to lose weight at any cost. It was then a kid Murthy (Atulit) enters his life. Who is Murthy? What changes arrive in Laddu Babu's life due to him? is the movie all about.

Allari Naresh tried to shoulder the entire film as always. His hardwork put in to the character is clearly visible on screen. You can only see Laddu Babu and totally forget about the lean Allari Naresh. Avunu fame Poorna is just okay. Bhumika is good as a single mother. Kota is perfect fit as Laddu Babu's father. Rest all are okay.

We can not remember Ravi Babu coming up with such stupid script. The plot is totally flawed with no logic or sense. He failed totally as a director. Audience come to Allari Naresh films for entertainment which is totally absent here.

Camera work of Sudhakar Reddy is average. Chakri's songs are of no importance to the film. Back ground music is just okay. Editing by Marthand K. Venkatesh is a blunder. There is a good half an hour which can be chopped easily. Production values are dismal.

Laddu Babu is a forgettable film for Allari Naresh and Ravi Babu. It is a clear example of a total debacle. I will not advice you to watch it even if you are dying of bore this weekend.

Sunday 4 May 2014

Kotha Janta Telugu Movie Review

Kotha Janta Review

Kotha Janta is the story of a selfish guy, Sirish (Allu Sirish) and girl, Suvarna (Regina) who work in a Telugu TV channel as Program director and Creative director. The channel's MD, Rao Ramesh identify their talent and put them in a team. They become highly successful as expected. It was then a businessman (Posani) gives a lucrative offer to Sirish but only on a condition he should bring Suvarna along with him. Sirish fakes love with her to bring her along. What happens next forms the rest of the story.

Allu Sirish showed no improvement from his first film, Gauravam. He has to go a long way in acting. There are few scenes he just puts on blank expression and rigid body language. Regina on the other side had delivered an excellent performance both in the first half and emotional scenes in the second half. Posani gets a cakewalk character. Saptagiri as usually rocked. Rest of the characters are okay.

The story of the movie offers nothing new but it is interestingly narrated. The first half passes of well, but a lackluster story and forced comedy in second half makes the movie weak. The screenplay is fast and moves on at a good pace hence becoming the saving grace for the movie.

JB came up with a promising album for the film but the placement of songs is not effective. The rerecording is decent. Richard Prasad who stamped his authority in Swamy Ra Ra excelled once again in the film. His work is one of the major highlights of the film. The Production Values of Geeta Arts are too good as usual.

Kotha Janta is all about entertainment. However, the movie fails to create an impact because of a lackluster story and nothing new treatment. Watch it if you have plenty of time to kill and plenty of patience to sustain Allu Sirish.


Prathinidhi Telugu Movie Review

Prathinidhi Review

Manchodu Srinu (Nara Rohit) is a commoner who is vexed with the flawed political system. He decides to repair it and kidnaps the AP Chief Minister with the help of a minister's son. Unlike normal kidnappers, Srinu makes peculiar demands which expose the flaws in the system. He tries to make amends to those flaws with his demands. There occurs a twist towards the end of the film and it has to be watched on screen.

The role is a tailor made character for Nara Rohit like the one in his debut movie, Baanam. He pulled it off well and his dialogue delivery is too good. The only area of concern is his growing body size. Heroine Shubra Aiyappa is a draw back to the film with out any screen presence. Kota Srinivasa Rao,Posani and Jaya Prakash Reddy are good as usual. Sri Vishnu is good as well.

Prashant Mandava has mixed results for his directorial debut. The subject of the film is too good and he handled some part of the film very well and mishandled some parts completely. Cinematography is just about OK. Editor has done an average job. Dialogues and Sai Karthik's BGM deserve special mention.

Finally, Prathinidhi ends up as an average. The film suffers due to the inexperience of a debut director lest it should be a super hit. The movie may sell well in the political heat of the state provided the publicity is good.

Anaamika Review

Anaamika Review

A horrible bomb blast takes place in Hyderabad's People's Plaza which forces the replacement of the Home Minister. The case remains pending in investigation. And again there is an NRI, Anamika (Nayantara) who flies down to Hyderabad in search of her missing husband. SI Saradhi looks in to the case and as the investigation unfolds the mystery deepens. What is it? How both the cases are related? How they gonna end forms the rest of the story.

Nayantara delivered a solid performance as a woman in distress. Vaibhav did justice to her role. Remaining characters do not have so much weight in the context of the film.

Coming to the technical prowess, Sekhar Kammula eliminated the sympathies to a pregnant woman part and most dealt with Terrorism and the social causes behind it. He made some changes to the film. Some of them have worked and others failed miserably. It is tough to remake a convincing hit film like Kahaani, Kammula at least did not bring disgrace to the original.

Keeravani's back ground score is the life to the film. Cinematography is brilliant and editing should have been better in the first half.

Finally, Anamika is a decent watch for the people who did not watch the Original. If the comparisons come in, Anamika may not score the marks.