Buzzing Movies

"MITRUDU" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:29:00 +0000

Balakrishna's road shows are far more tolerable than films like this. Mitrudu that released today has Mahadev trying hard to recreate the magic of Balakrishna but comes a cropper. The film has a story line that has been oft repeated and the sudden change of role for the mass hero as a mellowed man disappoints viewers. Even the action scenes are stripped of spirit and energy. It's time many contemporary actors choose roles that suit them rather than hanging onto a set image causing loss to the industry exchequer.

No hype and hoopla for Mitrudu but it has a weak story line that takes nearly an hour and a half to establish itself leaving the audiences cueless of certain happenings. If that is premeditated, the unraveling of the suspense hardly raises one's brow. Mitrudu is a film that can be conveniently added to the series of flops delivered by Balakrishna. It has a story that will find difficulty winning even the most hard core of Balakrishna fans. Though one thought the absence of fights and heavy dialogues will attract women folk, it boomeranged as the director came up with a flippant screenplay. He designs a character for the hero that is specifically designed to grate one's nerves. Tired visage, false hair and scripts that have been rehashed countless times leaves the viewer with a feeling that a serial on the small tube is far more pleasing.

Balakrishna & Priyamani Dialogues from Brahmanandam like, "I'm not an outer, I am a shooter", sounded silly and Krishna Baghwan's presence is not credible. Coming to the story, Priyamani, daughter of a rich industrialist and an MBA student on an astrologer's advice marries Balakrishna as his horoscope predicts his death on the 30th day after his marriage. She is told that the person she weds next will live a long and a prosperous life. As the lady is already in love with a physically challenged youth Deepak, she uses Balakrishna as a pawn.

Balakrishna is illtreated at his father-in-law's home and the bad men who are eyeing Priyamani's property join hands to eliminate him. Balakrishna's background, Priyamani's change of heart, twists and turns, the nemesis of the rivals all takes place post interval while the first half of the film is trivial. The actor wears a forlorn and detached look, lacks energy and sprit in many important scenes. Priyamani doesn't have a meaningful role and as usual is running around trees.

BalakrishnaThe opening episode has him drinking and precariously balancing on the balcony railing, sometimes he reads Ayn Rand while the heroine tries hard to get his attention and he at times looks endlessly for the shooting star in the sky to let luck and love into his life. The soft role doesn't gel and to make matters worse the double entendre by the heroine and her friend is a test of one's patience. The last half an hour has low brow humour and a fight. Music is okay. Rama Rajamouli's work does not stand out. The film is not a serious competition for the next numerous films releasing this month.

End Credits :

Starring : Balakrishna, Priyamani, Brahmanandam, Ranganath, Pradeep Rawath, Chandramohan, Deepak, Krishna Bhagawan, Balaiah, Hema, Chalapathi Rao etc..
Music: Mani Sharma.
Cinematography: Balamurugan.
Editing: Kola Bhaskar.
Art: Anand Sai.
Story: Vijayendra Prasad.
Dialogues: M Ratnam.
Styling: Rama Rajamouli.
Producer: Sivalenka Krishna Prasad.
Direction: Mahadev.
Banner: Vaishnavi Cinema.
Fights: Ram-Laxman.
Release Date: 1-May-2009

"BANGARU BABU" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:44:00 +0000

Jagapati Babu is on a stronger turf when he has a story that revolves around familial ties and sentiment. His father Murali Mohan dies leaving behind a secret – a second family in debts, unmarried sister and a son Hari (Shashank) who is addicted to drugs. Jagapati takes on the responsibility to make a wastrel into a responsible person and when he is nearing his goal, the truth that Jagapati and Shashank are brothers is revealed and the latter is on a revenge-seeking trip.

That's not the end of the story. There is Meera (Meera Jasmine), a florist who falls in love with Jagapathi but their relationship is estranged as Jagapathi gives more importance to Shashank than her. Shashank's journey towards acceptance is not free of noble lessons and real people. Shayaji Shinde completes the picture, he lends a touch of villany and action to the family drama by using Shashank to score over his rival Jagapati, then alls well that ends well.

Jagapathi Babu Bangaru Babu just doesn't remind one of Rajashekar's Raja Babu, it has a theme that has been retold several times and the director dramatizes it with nothing to add except a certain wallowing in the existence of human depravity. A grandmother who doesn't want to give a share of the property to the step grand son, a mother who is resigned to her fate but wants to make peace with her husband's second family.

Amidst all this there is Shashank's love interest Gowri Munjal, who doesn't suit the role at all, wants to see him as a changed person and Sonu Sood, Jagapati's brother who plays spoilsport. The film's fine emotional core comes from Shashank and if it's anyone who gains from the film it's him. However his intense performance doesn't elevate the family drama into high cinema as the.story itself suffers from a stale plot, rudimentary visuals, screenplay and complacent auditory palette. Dasari's production house has the potential for something wonderful and inspiring to emerge always but his technicians regressing into clichéd filmmaking comes as a disappointment.

End Credits :

Starring : Jagapathi Babu, Meera Jasmine, Shashank, Gowri Munjal, Shayaji Shinde, Murali Mohan, Sonu Sood and Others.
Music: M.M. Srilekha.
Director: Jonnalagadda Srinivas.
Producer: K.Ramakrishna Prasad.
Written by: Narayana Rao Dasari.
Banner : Swobhagya Media Limited.
Presents : Dasari Padma.
Release Date: 1-May-2009

"VEEDOKKADE"Movie Revew

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:20:00 +0000

Suriya chases the villains to rescue his friend who betrays him and while he climbs a wall, he notices a group of men slitting his friend's tummy, tearing it open and pulling out a whole lot of cocaine capsules while the, man bleeds to death. This is one of the scene in Veedokkade which is searing and off putting. While this is just one of the element that shocks you, there are others that keep your interest sustained throughout the film despite negligible comedy. Even the action scenes make it a cool watch. Suriya impresses in every frame with his looks, energy and natural performance. This film which released in tamil is said to have done well and the movie has been dubbed to retain it's authenticity. The filmmakers have been vindicated on this account.

Aakashdeep Saigal is one popular TV artist who had made his mark in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and his role in the film is a mere extension of his small tube characters. He however doesn't look challenging despite his mean looks and long hair and wears his role with kid gloves. The crisp narration of the film covers all loopholes and makes it one helluva entertainer. The scenes shot in Africa lend authenticity to the movie but sometimes the tamil twang to the telugu dialogues becomes very evident.

About the story, Deva (Suriya) a post graduate in computer science is shown from the beginning as using his skill to smuggle diamonds, gold & artefacts into India and being loyal to his boss Deva (Prabhu). Deva's business rival, the long haired Kamlesh (Akashdeep Saigal) is jealous and wants to have a one-upmanship in the dangerous game. The film glorifies smuggling as a profession but since the hero has to be elevated and has profession has to be given a semblance of dignity, one is told that they will bring in anything into the country except the dreaded white powder and other narcotics.

While a mind game is on constantly to outsmart each other, Deva is in for a shock when he realizes that his companion and best friend Chitti (Jagan) is a decoy and is actually on the pay roll of Kamlesh. To make matters worse, Deva and Chitti's sister Yamuna (Tamanna & Suryah) have developed a fondness for each other and Chitti is killed. His death scene is macabre and disgusting, looks like a group of cannibals tearing Chitti's stomach open for the hidden cocaine.

What happens next is a saga of misunderstanding and revenge. Since the film completely focuses on Surya's exploits, the romance between the lead pair, however cute it is, gets overshadowed. Also there is no coherence and explanation as to why a computer savvy person would take up a full time criminal activity and still sport a guilt less look.

Tamanna & Suryah is not just a pretty doll, gets a couple of interesting scenes to enact but Prabhu looks listless, there's detachment in his role and does not exactly light up the screen. His raison d'etre is never outlined. There is nothing novel about the film but the tight and taut screenplay, the engrossing script and racy narration makes it a cool action film in recent times that connects well despite being dubbed. The film boasts a decent climax and in-your face camerawork gives the drama a distinct touch. Music is passable, direction commendable.

End Credits :

Starring :Surya, Prabhu, Tamanna and Others.
Music: Harris Jayaraj.
Producer: M. Saravanan, M.S. Guhan, Aruna Guhan & Aparna Guhan.
Direction: Anand K.V.
Banner: AVM Productions.

'ADHINETHA' Review: Chiranjeevi, The Chief Minister

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 09:34:00 +0000

The heading for this review is given basing on the idea of the movie. Although it is not a direct lift from Chiranjeevi’s life there are many instances where it resembled the present situation. In real life, Chiranjeevi is a big film star turned politician, but here in this film, the lead role is an ordinary man turned politician. That’s the only difference. For someone who has come from an ordinary background, the role of being a Chief Minister is not only difficult but he will also see the dirty game of politics that is played. How does he overcome the challenges, let us see.

Story:

Suribabu (Jagapathi) is a man who does not stand injustice and believes in serving people. And he is unemployed. His godfather Sriramulu (Parachuri), a good local leader decides to get him a job at CM office and speaks to CM (Ahuti Prasad). Suri joins as PS to CM but a sequence of events happen and Sriramulu is killed. His last wish is to see Suri into politics and in no time, Suri an ordinary PS becomes an MLA. Meanwhile, he is also in love with Rajeshwari (Shraddha) a doctor. Eventually he forms PDF (Progress Democratic Front), a group of independent MLAs. With his coalition with Progress Party, in no time, Suri also becomes the Chief Minister and takes the help of honest cop Hamsa (Hamsa Nandini) to weed out the evil elements. How does he become CM and what challenges he faces forms the rest of the story.

Performance:

Jagapathi Babu has come across with a matured performance but it must be said that he refrains from dance and some fight poses. He was more effective in the second half than in the first.

Shraddha Das was alright and though she showed her oomph it was not that impressive. Hamsa looked sensuous and though her role was brief, she made her presence felt.

Ahuti Prasad was regular, Anandraj contributed his bit and was apt, Chalapathi Rao and Annapurna did justice to their roles, Sivaparvati was powerful, Paruchuri was effective and Krishna Bhagawan managed few laughs. The rest were alright.

The director attempted to come up with a thought provoking social message but he does not have the class to present and narrate it in the right fashion. The dialogues were somewhat okay, the script was average and the screenplay was bad. Songs found leads from hits of yesteryears and there was nothing new. Camera department was not great, editing was poor. Costumes and art department could have been better.

Current Affairs:

* Paruchuri: “Our government will not give Telugu legends’ names to any project or place. A new government is coming. That will give the names of Telugu legends” ( a satire on Congress)
* Andhra Desam Party is used as replica for Telugu Desam
* Mohan Rao’s character resembles film actor turned politician Murali Mohan who has been giving free education for hundreds of orphans.
* The words in Jagapathi Babu’s dialogues ‘Udayinche Suryudu’, ‘maarpu’ etc resemble Praja Rajyam Party of Chiranjeevi.
* A soothsayer says to heroine that she would marry a ruler. Although sounded biased, a kid questions who will be that ruler- Chiranjeevi or Advani?!!
* Progress party resembles Congress and Andhra Desam Party resembles Telugu Desam.

Analysis:

The film is basically a political stuff and it tried to bring about a strong message to the citizens and a possible awakening amongst the audience. However, such films require a tight screenplay and to the point scenes without any diversions.

The length of the movie is too much and even the pace was quite slow during the first half. It is only during the second half that the momentum is good but again the climax could have been a lot better instead of becoming melodramatic with a long list of dialogues from Jagapathi Babu despite being hit by a bullet and stabbed by a sword. The mass audience has got enough elements such as glamorous songs, fights and some dialogues but family audience will not relish it and it is definitely not for the class audience.

The film could have been lot better if it focused on condensing the length and had a tighter screenplay.

End Credits :

Starring : Jagapathi Babu, Shraddha Das, Hamsa Nandini, Neelima, Ahuti Prasad, Anand Raj, Paruchuri Gopalakrishna, Chalapathi Rao, Annapurna, Sivaparvathi, Krishna Bhagawan etc
Music: Srikanth Deva
Camera: Prasad Babu
Editor: Nandamuri Hari
Fights: Ram- Laxman
Director: V Samudra
Producer: K K Radhamohan
Release date: 24/04/2009

"ANANDA THANDAVAM"Movie Revew

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 09:18:00 +0000

How many times have we come out of the theatre after watching a film not knowing what impact it had on us, whether we liked it or not? Ananad Thandavam or the dance of happiness doesn’t exactly deliver the feeling. It keeps you wondering throughout the film, what the director is trying to tell you. If he is portraying life in America, that there are Indians with values in USA and some without values in India.

This is a story of a teen aged girl Madhumita (Tamannah) who is fickle, confused and dependent on her parents for every decision she takes in her life. There is some innocence about her and Raghu (Rishabh) falls for this quality in her. Her parents encourage the friendship between both and fix their wedding. Just when everything seems to be going well and too soon, Tamannah drops him like a hot potato for a more educated, wealthy NRI Radhakrishna (Rishi), on her parent's advice. A heart broken Raghu moves to the USA after his father tells him that the best way to seek revenge is to better oneself and prosper in life proving detractors completely wrong. As expected Tamannah lands in the same city as Raghu and bumps into him, behaves so normally as if nothing unpleasant ever happened before.

The confusion mounts as Raghu's betrothal with Ratna (Rukmini) is announced and the former is found drawn to his ex lady love. Does Madhumita leave her husband for him, does Raghu dump Ratna for Madhumita forms the rest of the story. The film has been shot on a lavish scale, cinematography is beautiful, and Tammanah gets into the skin of her character giving credibility to her confused role.

There are a few drawbacks, the film is too lengthy, most of the characters are shown as negative in nature and sometimes the attitude of Tamannah's parents seem unrealistic. The director keeps one in a quandary throughout the film making us guess if Madhumita suffers from some traumatic history behaving the way she does.

There is a parallel plot too. The hero misunderstanding his father for having a relationship with the maid. The director again misleads you and then finally shows that the hero has been too imaginative. The director throws life also on the newly weds who have moved to USA, the unsettling lifestyle that Indians have got used to, their insecurities, compromises and the tenacity with which they hold on the indian culture despite being NRIs. The contemporary issue of blacks shooting people for a few dollars also has been shown.

Rukmini has done a neat job, Rishabh is most of the time seen with a crest fallen face, Tamannah excels but there is little hope the film will click with the masses. Dialogues are fine, music is just about okay but there is more pathos than humour. In short Ananad Tandavam is a tele film that focuses on a fickle and an immature teen and the narration makes the audience confused too, whether they need to sit through the entire drama or leave in between.

End Credits :

Starring :Tamanna, Rishabh, Rishi, Rukmini, Charlie and Others.
Dialogues: Sashank Vennelakanti.
Cinematography: Jeevan Shankar.
Music: GV Prakash Kumar.
Producer: V. Ravi Chandran.
Direction: Gandhi Krishna.
Banner: Oscar Productions

"BILLA"Movie Revew

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 06:13:00 +0000

Looks like Meher Ramesh could not muster courage to tell Krishnam Raju that he doesn't suit the role, so eventually it is the audience who had to go through the pain of seeing an ageing actor have thrilling moments sharing screen place with his nephew. Imagine Krishnam Raju in rolled up half sleeves, a thick mop of hair et al coaching Prabhas to punch and teaching tricks of the trade. There is more like watching him wrapped up in squeaky white towel in a sauna and then slipping away in a hood. No soul in his voice or no mobility in his role. Well those are only the slightly painful or funny moments otherwise Billa is a treat to watch. Even Namita whom Prabhas calls her once “bandadhi” gives a refreshing feel to the audiences who have been forced to see Mumait and other vamps repeatedly.

There is another indulgence, the director keeps repeating the same shots of Prabhas adjusting his blazer every now and then from the start to finish. No complaints he still looked good but what a relief watching a tall hero. Director Meher Ramesh gives new dimensions to the film, makes it look fresh and frothy while retaining the basic essence of the original and executes the screenplay with finesse. The title role of Billa suits Prabhas to the hilt and the long legged hero adds his personal style to the character and treats his fans with a dual role both as Billa, the don and Ranga, the simpleton.

Billa (Prabhas) is the most wanted criminal who works as a lieutenant to a dread mafia group that deals with weapons, drugs and ACP Krishnamurthy (Krishnam Raju) who is on deputation to nab him moves to the mafia's operational base in Malaysia. Billa is killed and the ACP who is trying to crack the drug trade chalks out a plan to infiltrate the mafia by placing Ranga from Vishakapatanam amongst them.

The ACP is shot as the film progresses and the onus is on Ranga to convince the cops of his identity. He wants to steer clear and sets out to furnish evidence to clear his name. Aiding him is Anushka whose brother Subbaraju and girlfriend Hansika have been killed and Namita the moll who is confused with Billa's look alike. Technically the film is proficient, the sets, the costumes, copters, aircrafts and locations add visual credibility and the music though purely functional has only one number “ My name is Billa” to boast about.

Jayasudha appears for a brief while as Krishnam Raju's wife. Prabhas initially is shown as a trickster who raises two orphans and leaves them with Krishnam Raju before impersonating him as Billa. Ali is Prabhas's friend. There is hardly any comedy in the movie but in a subject like this Ramesh intersperses the story with subtle humour, Prabhas is a one man army, one man show and doubles up as a comedian too. Namita is tad obese for a moll's role but makes her presence felt. Anushka has clearly worked hard on her figure and does her part as the vengeful lady.

Krishnamraju does an okay good job but looks more like a retired ACP, his presence in the film is obviously to work with nephew Prabhas but anyone with more mobility and zeal could have suited the role far better. Finally it's a stylish well made film, racy and entertaining. Prabhas looks glamorous, refreshing, does justice to both the characters and ensures the audience are glued to their seats.

End Credits :

Starring :Prabhas, Krishnam Raju, Anushka, Hansika, Namitha, Jayasudha, Supreet, Kelly Dorge, Raghu, Rehman, Ali, Subbaraju and Others.
Art: A S Prakash.
Cinematography: Soundarrajan.
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh.
Action: Stun Shiva.
Music: Mani Sharma.
Producers: Narendra & Prabodh.
Screenplay & Direction: Meher Ramesh.
Presenter: Dr. Krishnam Raju.
Banner: Gopikrishna Movies Pvt. Ltd.

"MANORAMA"Movie Revew

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 05:55:00 +0000

Geetanjali or Gilli (Charmme) lands in her friend's flat bang opposite ‘Manorama' hotel in Hyderabada hotel. She comes on a vacation and the story takes place all on an entire day. From the window she watches the street with her binoculars and being blessed with an uncanny ability for observance she briskly understands what a few people are up to on the street and near the hotel.

One of the few people she spots is a young good looking man who sports a bag on his shoulder and is seen making a call from the telephone booth. It is revealed in the beginning of the film that he is an ISI agent and is on a mission to put the bag containing the bomb in Manorama. The timer doesn't take off as expected but the killer knows that it could blast any moment. This is the time he bumps into Gilli who is venturing in and out of Manorama repeatedly. It's understood he has taken a liking for her.

The rest of the film is about whether the bomb blasts as expected killing the people around Manorama and if Gitanajli becomes a victim or not in the revenge drama that is reminiscent of Ameer, a Rajiv Khandelwal starrer. Eshvar Reddy caters to a discerning audience and keeps the mood of the prime characters subtle. He could have kept the identity of the killer under wraps for sometime, however he succeeds in passing a message, keeps the viewers hooked to their seats despite the story turning predictable.

The film also explains why the young man is chosen to carry out the massacre, Nishaan the debutant plays the role of a distressed revenge seeking youth who loses his family to Godhra riots to perfection. Charmme looks pretty and dishes out a natural performance. The film doesn't deal with the emotions of other characters rather concentrates on the heroine's philosophical outlook and her attitude towards life and death that seems to bring a tinge of retribution and regret to the killer.

Finally the movie is neither plausible nor maintains heightening tension, it just nudges you to be careful, not to touch any bag or belonging that isn't claimed for a long time. It's just an okay movie with credible acting.

End Credits :

Starring :Charmee, Nishan, Sridhar Rao, Dhanush, Lahari, Narayana, and Others.
Art: Ashok.
Cinematography: Jagan.
Music: Koti.
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh.
Story & Dialogues: Padmasri.
Producer: Zee Motion Pictures.
Director: Eshwar Reddy.
Banner: Zee Motion Pictures

"AAKASAMANTHA"Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Trisha. Right from her tiny feet when she was born to her growing years, the doting father narrates and shares his experiences with Jagapati. The movie ends with the latter visiting Prakash Raj's home at the end of the walk and a line thrown in that fathers will always be fathers afraid, anxious to let go their child and daughters will no matter what assert themselves, get their way. The reconciliation part is difficult but we guess fathers have to live with it.

There are times the film begins to drag at times, comedy is subtle and Prakash Raj has a good sense of comic timing and the one liners are good too . There might be overtly expressive dads who weep when their daughters take their first step to school or to the college and the father in Prakash Raj does seem to over react in some situations. The director has taken note of minute details of a father's aversion for pre-school and a mother's over enthusiasm to see the girl becoming independent soon.

However Trisha and Prakash Raj share a perfect chemistry, Aishwarya as the mother is cool, nonchalant, her expressions are perfect and in sync with the script. Trisha as the adoring daughter shows her perplexion perfectly on her father's piquant behaviour when she talks about her boyfriend. At the same time she plays the level-headed girl always convincing her dad to relax by saying that one line, "naana please I know what I'm doing." Right choices, decisions, independence, freedom, realtionships, a breathing space to choose one's career and life partner is what the movie is all about.

The prime focus is a message to loving and possessive dads that they shouldn't cling on to their babies when they grow up, but just give them a nest to stay and wings to fly. Newcomer Ganesh exudes confidence and the four characters bring believability to their role. Music is passable and camera work is vivid and beautiful. The picturesque locations are a treat to watch. The film might not appeal to masses as the movie moves on a single thread about a father-daughter relationship but makes for a fairly decent watch for the rest as the director brings in a distinct touch to the narration.

End Credits :

Starring :Prakash Raj, Trisha, Jagapathi Babu, Aishwarya and Others.
Music: Vidya Sagar.
Producer: Dil Raju.
Director: Radha Mohan.
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations

"MALLI MALLI" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:04:00 +0000

“Taking your life does not mean the end of your problems. It means little or no regard for people who are dependent on you, so why not kill someone and put a full stop to your worries,” is the suggestion and deal offered to Nandu (Skanda) to kill Satyanarayana (Sachin Khedekar). Nandu kills him and goes behind bars. He suddenly wakes up to discover that all he had experienced was just a dream, but the incidents that occurred in his dream actually take place all over again. Nandu who was depressed all along begins his life afresh, as he treats the dream as a lesson gifted by life.

The dream contains the travelling story of Skanda over a period of twenty four hours. Kalyani bumps into him which forms one part of the day. Skanda lacks courage to profess love, he is jobless, ridiculed, suffering from negativity and resolves to end his life. The story is about lost opportunities and a fresh chance revisiting you again and again (Malli Malli). Will the protagonist make use of the chance and bounce back?

If you overtake death, you can overtake life too, the result is hope, opportunities, happiness. This is the message given to us in bold lines by the director. Sadly and ironically the director lacked courage and did not believe in his dictum and took his life hours before this film released. The film begins on a pessimistic note, drags and intersperses the first half of the story with mindless humour that has no connection or gel with the story.

The way the story flows is rather rough, it jumps on many occasions confusing the audiences. The interpretation of this concept could have been intriguing but the way it was handled lacked clarity. Colour rendition is fairly accurate but the edit seems clumsy on occasions. The bearded hero is good looking but he hardly gets a range of emotions to display or test his talent. Kalyani is too short, has nothing much to do. The film ends abruptly with a song misleading viewers to think there is more to follow. Malli Malli is neither reflective or engaging.

End Credits :

Starring :Skanda, Kalyani, M.S.Narayana, Kondavalasa, Sachin Khedekar, Venu Madhav.
Music: SS.Thomas.
Producer: Dinesh Kumar.
Director: Raj Aditya.

"SONTHA VOORU" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Sontha Vooru, is about the displacement of villagers. Directed by ex-journalist and now director Suni Kumar Reddy is a two hour ten minute film. It is in fact not a film, it's an emotion. The director pours out his anguish on the seizure of virgin lands by the government, vents out his helplessness and frustration on the erosion of values, relationships in a village, the loss of purity, innocence and threat of extinction on account of SEZs. With symbolic representations he entertains, moves and educates the audiences on the importance of preserving the villages.

LB Sriram plays an undertaker who is attempting to come to terms with the dissapearance of his village and a swift exodus of his people to the city, the betrayal by his daughter-in-law and how he faces the problem of raising his grandchildren, anything to go by.Thought provoking and hard hitting dialogues are highlight of the film. The film needs to be applauded for the controlled clarity of vision, its extraordinary detail to pin point the pros and cons of both the village and the city life.

The dedication and performance of it's cast especially the trio Malli (Teertha) who plays the prostitute and personifies the city, Bujji (Raja) a handicapped youth who represents the village and the LB Sriram the undertaker resonates. Tanikella Bharani influences the people to sell their lands and move towards progress and development. Malli lures Bujji for momentary pleasure but Bujji seeks marriage with the prostitute, a quest for a harmonious balance between the roots and the growth of culture.

End Credits :

Starring :Raja, Theertha, LB Sriram, Tanikella Bharani, Jayaprakash Reddy, Jeeva, MS Narayana.
Music: Saketh Sairam.
Producer: Y Ravindra Babu & Kishore Basi Reddy.
Director: Suni Kumar Reddy.
Banner: Sravya Films.

"MAA VAADU"Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:50:00 +0000

It would have been far better watching the tamil original as Ma Vaadu which released today bugged the viewers who were treated to both tamil and telugu dialogues. Sneha's dubbed telugu was very unnatural and right from scene one it was evident that the story has been designed for the front benchers. With his dark glasses, costumes, diction and mannerisms, the protagonist Silambarasan or better known as Simbhu apes Rajinikant and attempts to dish out a story that is complete with double entendre and senseless gags.

Sana Khan has nothing much to do except dropping her clothes and acting coy and innocent, using the slightest pretext to get close to Simbhu. The hero has many things to do and shows of his make up skills like getting yello stripes painted on his face and testing the audience's patience with his drill like dances and yes all songs and dances look and sound the same. Just when you think a dance has ended he comes up again with a funny action that is beyond comprehension.

The movie begins with a Brahmin youth Sambha who is devoted to his grandfather, a temple priest and temple rituals. A meek, docile and good hearted Sambha saves a villager's life when a mob attacks him and when things go out of control he wields the sword and retaliates. His brother Prabhu is seen coming out of the jail and there begins a flash back.

Twenty years back in a village in Pulivendula, the siblings are shown as having an enemity with their cousin Veera Raghavaiah and his son. Veera Raghavaiah's son dies in mishap and the former blames Simbhu before he kills himself. Another young son wreaks revenge on Prabhu's family by eliminating everyone and Simbhu's wife Sneha escapes and gives birth to another Simbhu.

This boy is brought up by the grandfather as a Brahmin but does the story end there? It's blood and gore again with Veera Raghavaiah's younger son vowing to kill Simbhu. Sana Khan is wasted, she is used only to spill glamour and the first ten minutes drags with some mindless romance. The violence is terrible, one man dies when he is dumped into hot boiling black bitumen and the other's ear is chopped off.

The violence by a politician who forcibly grabs the land of the villagers is unwanted. Simbhu is full of beans but he would have been better off being his own natural self. Ribald jokes. The plus point of the film is that Prabhu's appearance before the interval arouses curiosity. Sneha's testimony in court looks clichéd. How many times haven't we seen a heroine save the hero by jeopardizing her image/character? Sneha is so innocent here that she knows how to make ‘junnu' but can't make out the taste between an egg plant and a non-veg curry. This is a complete masala movie meant for the B and C centre audiences, loud, bright, there is nothing much to expect.

End Credits :

Starring :SImbhu, Sneha and Others.
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Producer: K Muralidharan & V Swami Nadhan.
Director: Saravanan.

"MESTHRI" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Just because your dog is named tiger it doesn’t become one. Just because you talk of great people, you don’t become one. These are just examples of the lines spoken by Dasari in his just released film Mestry. He goes on to pass remarks on Ganji Benji, humanist dialogues, on social equality goal etc. By now it is evident the actor has weaved a story on his political rival and once upon a time friend in film industry.

All these and more draw saratorial applause but when it comes to the story, you are left wondering even after you watch the film, if there really existed one. It works sometimes when you make a film and throw a satire like we had MS Narayana in Krishna. People kept guessing and talking about it for weeks, it generated interest. But here the movie is made with an intention to poke fun at Chiranjeevi. Since three hours is a long time to exhaust all that, the actor uses the last twenty minutes and sometimes dialogues here and there to tell the audience that’s there something more interesting on the way.

Dasari Narayana RaoBut where is the story? It’s wafer thin line of a worker joining a ship yard for a reason which will draft the second half of the story. Palakollu (Dasari) has a dalit disciple Devaraj (Mohan Babu) in the military but he dies while saving his daughter engulfed in fire. There are two brothers Pradeep Rawath and Sayaji Shinde in meaningless roles.

There is a social worker, gandhian by nature, white robed Vijay Kumar whose utopian dream is to squat on the CM’s chair atleast once. The CM is Yaralgadda Lakshmi Prasad. Next what you see is all hotch potch. Dasari attempts to take revenge because someone has killed his disciple, next he pledges to show the real colour of Vijay Kumar who has immense fan following interestingly they include handicapped persons, he is also helping workers in Vizag ship yard get their home and finally the gospel, a song on how it is a crime not to exercise your franchise.

It’s quite strange getting used to the idea of Mohan Babu having a daughter as old as Sujita and calling him nana. Sujita looks good. Srihari does his part well but one can’t understand why they had to make a small girl speak such crap to him. There are some things that test your patience.

Dasari and Mohan Babu sing a song, a panegyric on the telugu language. They really did restore the pracheena hodha if they think so by including a dance that looked like a cultural programme that one sees on television. MS Narayana as Guruji and his colleague Kondavalasa’s episodes is like a bucket of black paint splashing on white wall. At the end of the show notwithstanding the lovely songs the common man cannot understand what he is set to gain through Dasari-Chiranjeevi rivalry. There is neither a beautiful woman nor some rib-tickling humour. Just some fights in which Dasari punches the goons without moving his body, tummy and they go jumping out of the sugar-paned windows. This film is made with an agenda not for entertainment.

End Credits :

Starring : Narayana Rao, Mohan Babu, Srihari, Sujitha, Vijay Kumar, Pradeep Rawath, Rahul Dev, Sayaji Shinde, Chandramohan, MS, Giri Babu and Others.
Art: B.V. Rao.
Cinematography: CH Ramaraju.
Editing: Gautham Raju.
Music: Vandemataram Sreenivas.
Producer: K. Rama Krishna Prasad.
Director: Suresh Krishna.
Story & Screenplay: Dasari Narayanarao.
Banner: Siri Media Pvt. Ltd.

"NAA GIRL FRIEND BAGA RICH" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:24:00 +0000

Tplot is straight out of an American film "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" made in 1997. All director Nagendra Kumar does is make the heroine look sensuous and rope in Brahmanandam to elicit some laughs but the end result is not worth a chuckle. Sivaji is a golf player infact a champion whose only ambition in life is to wed a rich woman. Luckily for him he bumps into Kaveri Jha who meets his expectations and it is instantaneous love between them.

She flies to USA where her parents live to seek permission to marry him and sends him a ticket to Bangkok and arranges a meeting between Sivaji and her parents. The hero is introduced to Brahmanandam who is a killer and their bags get exchanged in Bangkok. Sivaji doesn't open his bag till the interval but Brahmanandam does once he reaches Hyderabad.

It's tension time for Brahmanandam as he has to retrieve his bag as it contains heads of eight dead men and Sivaji wants to get rid off it as his would be in-laws are baffled and shocked after discovering the contents in the bag. Post interval the film entirely concentrates on the heads of the dead men and after a while the movie becomes painful and irreverent. There is hardly any relation between the title and the story and it's pointless to even decipher certain happenings in the film.

Padmasri Brahmanandam's visuals have been liberally and prominently used in the promos but the hype doesn't work at all as his gags fall flat. Kaveri Jha who did an exposing act in Nagaram goes a few steps ahead here and becomes a voyeur's delight. Sivaji's work is largely forgettable and the saving grace of the film is only the music. Not worth a watch.

End Credits :

Starring : Sivaji, Kaveri Jha, Brahmanandam, Ahuti Prasad, Ramaprabha, Babloo, Gundu Hanumantha Rao and Others.
Music: Mantra Anand.
Executive Producer: A. Pandu.
Presenter: Datti Nirmala Sivaramakrishna.
Producer(s): Kumar Brothers.
Direction: M. Nagendra Kumar.
Banner: KB Cinema.

"JUNCTION"Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:51:00 +0000

Junction introduces writer Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao’s son Ravindranath as the hero and this deglam film is a remake of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Traffic Signal. Thought provoking,it revolves around the lives of beggars, slum dwellers living and surviving at the mercy of a local don Kota Srinivasa Rao.. There is also an unholy nexus between him and a politician Kasipathi (Siva Prasad).

Raised as an orphan at the junction Raja (Ravindranath) becomes the manager and hands over the collections to the collector of the region and seldom comes in contact with Kota, the powerful leader of the mafia. An incident triggers a meeting between the duo and Raja finds himself drawn into a dangerous game. What makes the story interesting is the conversations between Siva Prasad and Kota which are scripted keeping the current political scenario in mind.

Ravi BabuThere are references to Pavala Vaddi to Jalayagnam, Ring Road to Sridharan’s non compliance to the Metro Rail Project which is interlinked to the main story. Unlike a complete focus we saw on the assorted characters in the hindi film, Junction concentrates on a handful and just about manages to balance comedy with pathos. Brahmanandam who played a soft ware engineer and a man who had no sympathy for beggars in Pokiri has his academic certificates stolen by Ali and is compelled to beg for a living in this movie, the character here is a mere extension.

Babu Mohan recollects his once upon a time famous song demanding alms and regrets the recession hitting beggars too. Naina, has hardly any role to play and Ravindranath, the hero whose debut comes in late fits the role given to him perfectly. Bhanuchander appears for a brief while but lends credibility, there is an item number by Asha Saini rechristened Mayuri.The film has been designed to appeal only to the masses. The ending is slightly abrupt and instead of glorifying beggary in the climax, a solution to the problem by showing a better life would have done some good. It’s not a great movie but at the same time one wouldn’t get bored either. Watch it for the satire on political parties….

End Credits :

Starring : Ravi Babu, Naina, Brahmanandam, Venu Madhav, MS Narayana, Munna and Others.
Art: Mohan Talluri.
Cinematography: V. Pratap Kumar.
Dialogues: Paruchuri Brothers.
Editing: Nandamuri Hari.
Fights:Horseman Babu.
Lyrics: Chandra Bose & Rajendra.
Music: Vandemataram Sreenivas.
Producer: B. Rama Krishna.
Story, Screenplay & Direction: Prem Raj.
Banner: Leo Entertainments.

"16 DAYS"Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:25:00 +0000

Plot Yadagiri and Rami Reddy's rivalry is age-old. Reddy kills Yadagiri's son and all his hired killers; he sends his son out on a city drive in a van, as Yadagiri swears to kill him in time for his own son's 16th day ceremony. Gurumurthy is an orphan who comes to the city and gets a job, and is living in his friend's house. His friend owes money to Yadagiri, and Gurumurthy gets entangled in the goons' rivalry when he is carried to Yadagiri's place to shell out interest money. He tells them to use their brains instead of brawn to tackle the enemy so Yadagiri hires him to kill Reddy's son. He seeks a vagabond, Angel, to help it out of this mess. Story, Screenplay and Direction 16 Days sounds like a pretty interesting title. You think-maybe it's a really interesting, edge-of-the-seat thriller. With a bilingual cast, you are immediately reminded of a recent bilingual flick starring Vaibhav and SP Charan, Saroja. It's basically a gang war film, and an innocent stranger getting entangled in it. Actually, that's an interesting storyline. The execution, meaning direction by Prabu Solomon and the snazzy editing and sombre cinematography, has it's moments. And that's the best that can be said about the movie. The feeling is ambiguous, vague. The movie lacks some logic, lacks depth. A few screenplay bloopers bog it down-from something real to something unbelievable. The concept is actually strong, the characters are sharp but the focus is never present. The music is all lifted from English and Hindi songs, all gangsta' and rap songs. The underlying dark melancholic mood with the music is decent. The dubbing is not great. Non-Telugu accents are too jarring. Charmme's character, you can either love or hate. Yadagiri and Rami Reddy are believable characters. But Rami Reddy's son travelling in the van for his safety, then getting down to play games with the 'cockroach' a.k.a. Gurumurthy. The underdog with a survival instinct to beat everyone else and a final aggressive swipe at his detractors. A girl without a home, tagging people's homes and getting into any home that is unoccupied for the moment. Two rival gangs, a violent enmity and a son/heir who's a deranged physcho. See, the characters are made interesting. Wish the same could be said about the movie. CharmmePerformances Charmme hams the hell out of the already over-the-top character she plays, Angel. Aravind as an orphan trying to make it big in the big bad world is a skinny kid with a devilish smile and looks his part to the T. The goons and thugs have all done their two cents, while the guy who played Rami Reddy's insane son also hams it out. Music Gansta rap, bikini babes and the works. Oh and one romantic number. And the background's inspired from a few individual tracks too. Not bad, but 'inspirational'.

End Credits :

Starring : Aravind, Charmme, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Others.
Action: Analarasu.
Art: Vairabalan.
Cinematography: Sukumar.
Editing: JN Harsha.
Lyrics: Bhaskarabhatla.
Music: Dharan.
Producer(s): P. Maheshbabu-DY Chowdary.
Writer & Direction: Prabu Solomon.
Banner: Cosmos Entertainments.
Release Date: 20th February, 2009.

"DRONA" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Drona is a queer concoction making little sense to the intellect but it seems as if the B and C classes are quite happy considering that even popular and inane theatres registered almost full attendance. It can be termed as a film that has a little bit of everything and the director pushes the film on a formulaic road giving utmost importance in elevating Nitin's role. So he tightens his fists, blood rushes in his eyes and he zooms on the bike, suddenly changes his position and shoots at the flying helicopter.and delivers some more whacked out thrills for his fans. The first half of the story especially when Nitin comes home after ten years till the time it is revealed that he has a past is absolutely boring, dramatic and tiring. The movie begins with a young Nitin threatening to shoot at his friends and his father a police officer whacking him thoroughly and then the former very upset leaves the house for good. Time for retribution with Mukesh Rishi, the dad discovering that his boy had indeed been careful and had removed the bullets before playing with his friends. Sita, the mother spends those ten years of son's absentia in brooding, shedding tears and making small and silly chat with her neighbour Priyamani until her son appears one day like a stranger and offers to make soup for mommy's dear weak bones. Priyamani discovers that Nitin is infact Sita's missing son and bares the secret to the family. The only man upset with Nitin and Priyamani romance is Sunil who plays the latter's uncle pestering her to wed him. PriyamaniIt is time for Nitin to narrate his side of the story, that he had not run away but he'd been kidnapped by a dreaded Don Kelly Dorjee who had kept other kids as well in captivity in an island, training them for future robberies. Dorjee wants Nitin to siphon of the Nizam's jewels. Why does he return and what happens next is the crux of the story. Priyamani has worked on her body and uses the film to show off her curves rather than her talent. She wears everything from shorts, skirts, swim suits to funky modeling costumes. Since Venu Madhav had no clear cut role as a comedian, the director reduces Kelly Dorjee to one and he is seen ridiculously toying with the Jinthatha act of Ravi Teja on TV. The dialogues between Siva Prasad and Kelly are insipid and painful. For Nitin, this is another repetitive film but the saving grace is his fights. His performance looks dull compared to his previous films, sans expression and soul, looks like his work is getting mechanical like Amma Rajashekar's composition of dances. Rakhi Sawant's item number hardly made a difference, in fact Priyamani was more delectable to watch. The director used every trick in the trade to give the front benchers what they desired from bikinis to bone crunching action sequences. The film disappoints on many levels.

End Credits :

Starring : Nithin, Priyamani, Mukesh Rushi, Kelly Dorge, Suneel, Sivaprasad, Seetha, Devisri and Others.
Cinematography: Bhupathi.
Editing: Goutam Raju.
Producer: D.S. Rao.
Direction: Karuna Kumar.
Banner: Sai Krishna Productions.
Release Date: 20th February, 2009.

"SATYAMEVA JAYTHHE" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:20:00 +0000

A remake is premised on the success of it's predecessor and if you have a film like Khakee which has great cast, terrific performances and sharp dialogues it indeed gets difficult to reproduce the same in vernacular language. However director Jeevitha makes a successful attempt in retaining the content, the feel, the suspense and the end product is satisfactory and doesn't not disappoint. It also vindicates 'Mahaa Star' Rajashekar's faith and fascination for remake subjects.

DCP Sathya (Rajashekar) is assigned a dangerous mission to transfer a dreaded terrorist Dr. Iqbal Ansari from Vizag to Hyderabad. One group of officers had already been blown to smithereens while Ansari makes a bid to escape. Sathya now leads a team and on his way back, another terrorist Milind Soman makes his job difficult. Why? What is the relationship between Ansari and Milind Soman is something that is ought to be watched. The suspense has been carefully handled and the story has been well executed.

Without rising above or deviating from the story, the audience gets a balanced dose of entertainment be it 'naach-gaana' or comedy with action superceding all elements. DCP Sathya (Rajashekar) is again the daring, dashing and no-nonsense encounter cop for whom duty is foremost priority. Even the womanizing, slightly compromising subordinate Sivaji learns a thing or two from him and gets a glorified role. Sivaji is endearing as Veera Pratap who falls for Sheril Pinto a social worker whom he meets in Vizag.

Sivaji and Sheril PintoSiva Reddy for the first time probably gets a meaty role of Satti a constable who sacrifices his life leaving behind a family who pines for him. His role shows how police spend most of the time away from home and have little time for sentiments, affection and relationships. It's a co-incidence that similar points have been dealt with in yesterday's release Siddam.

Neetu Chandra has a strange name Basara Paapa whose dream duet seems to be cut abruptly but is a stand out in her simple looks and performance, however her Telangana accent didn't gel with her role. Ditto with Sanjana who did not give away a native feel of a heroine. Most of the time in the film she is wide-eyed, grinning and makes one wonder why she is so full of beans. Sheril Pinto looks good and does a neat job with her part adding credibility to the story. Milind with his long hair and glasses makes us wonder if he is really needed for that role. Infact any one could have done it. An item number by Lara Dutta is horrendous.

There is a satire aimed at Chiranjeevi at the beginning of the story and ends without making much fuss. APSRTC Chairman M. Satyanarayana Rao plays a CM's role but his voice sounds as if it has been dubbed by Siva Reddy. The supporting cast like Ahuti Prasad, Sayaji Shinde, Surya, Jayanthi, Ramaprabha do their part well. For Rajashekar, this is another cakewalk an author-backed role, but his contact lenses appear slightly weird so does his make-up. Despite his towering performance, the rest of the characters make a sound impact be it Sivaji or Siva Reddy. The dubbing of Saikumar for Rajashekar did sound different, not very fine. It's a neatly knit story with a scope of entertaining all sections of the audience, is perfectly balanced.

End Credits :

Starring : Rajashekar, Sanjana, Neetu Chandra, Sivaji, Sheril Pinto, Milind Soman and Others.
Action: Horseman Babu.
Cinematography: Loki-Vamshi.
Dialogues: Gangotri Viswanath-Writer Mohan.
Editing: Nandamuri Hari.
Music: S. Chinna.
Presenter: Siri Media.
Producer(s): Shivani-Shivatmika.
Direction: Jeevitha Rajashekar.
Banner: Shivani Shivatmika Movies.
Release Date: 13th February, 2009.

"SIDDHAM" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:41:00 +0000

Dayanand (Jagapathi Babu) is an encounter specialist and he leads happy married life with his wife (Sindhu Menon). He has creditable team. Daya believes the only way to wipe out crime is kill the criminals. He meets a lot of obstacles in his path and the situation becomes further complicated with the appointment of a new commissioner with the existing commissioner (Kota) retiring. How he takes revenge on enemies becomes rest of the story. Analysis After ‘free’making The Departed/Infernal Affairs for Homam, director J D Chekravarthy now remakes his mentor Ram Gopal Varma produced Ab Tak Chappan as Siddham. Jagapathi Babu plays the role that was done to perfectly by the powerhouse actor Nana Patekar here. And just imagine Jagapathi Babu in the role of Nana Patekar and you would know how would this film be. Although JD has tried hard to follow on the same lines of the original, the Telugu version is so dry. Even dialogues are copy of the same movie including the film's tagline 'Doctors cure, engineers build, I kill’ (in Telugu 'Doctarlu Vaidyam Chestaru, Engineerlu Nirmistar, Nenu Champutanu’). Director J D is not Shimit Amin nor Jagapathi is Nana Patekar, so the remake version is not that appealing as the original. In the first place, the concept of ‘encounter cop’ in Andhra Pradesh sounds so silly. Mumbai does have the real cops such as but forcibly putting them in the milieu of our society is odd. Performances Jagapathi Babu has body like a cop and his looks are good but his performance is no match to Nana. Sindhu Menon is cute and apt for the role for wife. Subbaraju, Mukul Dev, Kota and others have done neat job. Editing and cinematography is okay. J D uses same shot compositions as the original director Shimit had done in Ab Tak Chappan. Re-recording by Amar Mohale is good.

End Credits :

Starring : Jagapathi Babu, Sindhu Menon, Kota Srinivas Rao, Mukul Dev, Subbaraju, Narsing Yadav, Malladi Raghava and others
Music: Amar Mohale
Cinematography: Bharani K Dharan
Editing: Bhanodaya
Production designer: Suman Varma
Produced by: Kiran Kumar Koneru
Screenplay and direction: JD Chakravarthy
Release date: Feb 12, 2009

"NENU DEVUDNI" Movie Review : Aham 'Bhasmo'smi

noreply@blogger.com (somesh) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Ever since 'Arundhati' became a success, the concept of Aghora Sadhus became a major sensation and with the film 'Nenu Devudni' revolving a lot on the same and also the Naga Sadhus the expectations were high. So how true is this Aghora sadhu equivalent to God, let us go inside and see… Story: Set on the banks of river Ganga in north Kasi, the abode of the many Aghora Sadhus lives one who goes by the name of Kaala Bhairavudu (Arya) and his life takes a turn when his father and sister come to seek him after a marathon fourteen years. They manage to speak to the guru of Bhairava and take him to their village but then this Aghora Sadhu is aloof from his family and emotional bonds. In the end, the family members give him up and Bhairava starts staying with a group of local saints and other physically handicapped people near the temple. They have their own story as they are led by a cruel and heartless man Thandav (Thamizhmani) and are forced to beg near the temple in various get ups. One among them is the blind girl (Pooja) who is a good singer but she is also forced to beg. A twist of fate occurs and the blind girl seeks the asylum of Bhairava. Though he is not responsive to her pleas of help, he manages to save her from few bad guys. Thandav decides to take vengeance on Bhairava. What happens from there forms the rest of the story. Performance: Arya has come out with complete dedication and though his role was not etched well, his efforts are worth it. Equally competent is Pooja who is in a totally deglamorised state and things get worse for her in the second half, she has come up with commendable efforts. The others comprised of a group of physically challenged individuals and also few real life Aghora Sadhus who did their bit to suit the scenes. The director has come out with an absolutely nothing tale and it was expected that the narrative was way below minimum pass mark. The presentation however needs some mention since the music was decent, the camera captured the locales well. Editing was totally out of order, the dialogues were tasteless and confusing, script was completely numb, and screenplay was average and had nothing catchy. The other departments need no mention here. Directorial Drawbacks: 1. Lead role Arya, being aghora, appears in black-black dress and black shoes in many scenes. 2. Lead role is shown as a drug addict and maniac killer than an aghora 3. Placing subtitles all of a sudden by muting the sound in some scenes is disgusting Analysis: The movie is a disgusting treat with nauseate screenplay, nasty make up, rugged characters and on a whole a disgraceful presentation. That would have been stood unique had there is some content in narration. But that's pale, insipid, stupid, purposeless and moreover insane and ghastly. Bala disappointed entire off-beat film lovers and also the film freaks those wish to watch something different. The beginning is promising but the conclusion is highly repulsive. "Death is a punishment for the bad and the same is a boon even for the good those are in pain"!!! That's the senseless essence of the movie all over. The lead character, the so-called 'aghora' implements that pseudo law on society by killing both bad and also innocents those are feeling pain. The sub title beneath the title reads 'Aham Brahmasmi'. But the audience after coming out from theatre feels 'Aham Bhasmosmi'. The title 'Musti Lokam' or 'Musti Prapancham' would aptly suit the content shown in this film. 'Nenu Devudni' is wrongly titled. There is no god-concept, no divinity, no supernatural and no line to learn or edify. Firstly, the director needs to be given the sole blame for making a mess out of the movie, given the fact that it has taken three years one fails to understand what exactly has he been doing all this while. It was neither a feature on the lives of Aghora Sadhus, it did not have a message to the audience, it did not focus on a remedy to the problems faced by all those deformed unfortunate people so what exactly is the point in giving the title that the self is equivalent to god. It was nothing but a fare of showing some of the most shocking faces of human life and the focus was more on the beggars and their daily lives than anything else. Agreed that he was trying to bring the issue to the audience but if just by showing a bunch of crippled people the job can be done then they must realize that by no means was this effective. The ideology of life and death mentioned here is surely sending a wrong message to the audience. The film deserves the one mark only due to the sheer efforts of the lead pair and their commitment levels and partly due to the technical values. Otherwise, it is absolute trash!! Keep away from this film to keep brains in right condition.

End Credits :

Starring : Arya, Pooja, Umashankar, Kannan, Simgampuli, Thamizhmani, Rajendran, Bharati and others
Music: Ilayaraja
Art: Krishna Murthy
Cinematography: Arthur Wilson
Story, Screenplay, Director: Bala
Producer: K S Srinivasan
Released on: 06/02/2009

"Konchem Istam Konchem Kashtam" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (somesh) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:11:00 +0000

The packaging is good. Siddharth, Tamanna, Prakashraj and Ramya Krishna. A debutante director, a new-age production design and music by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy. A one-line sweet and simple concept. It could have well been another Bommarillu. Alas. The concept, though sweet and simple, is not new. Without the novelty factor, the direction which is neither lacklustre nor note-worthy puts the movie right in the middle ground here. The movie goes about on it's own pace, with it's own set of comic scenes and characters, used at the right times and places. Story picks up in the second half..clean, family..entertainment? Possibly. Or not. Tamanna and SiddharthPlot Siddhartha is a flirtatious young man into whose life walks in Geeta, her father's pet. Siddhu's parents have separated more than a decade ago and this is an issue with Geeta's father when they confess their love towards each other to him. How Siddhu will overcome this problem and unite his parents for his own union with Geeta is the storyline. Story, Screenplay and Direction Siddhu's character starts off with an interesting wave of incidents, where he is an unapologetic flirt. Then there is a sob story about how he has no tears anymore because his parents separated when he was just a kid. Then he sheds one single drop of tear for Geeta, and knows that it's love. They fight, they make up and he changes for her. He teaches his father 'about love'. Ramya Krishna lives the stern single-mother life, where she walked out of a few years old marriage because her husband doesn't spend time with her. There are those 'cute' touches to a movie such as this. Still, those lack what we call 'punch'. Brahmanandam is cricket-crazy Gacchibowli Diwakar. Geeta teaches Siddhu's mother to cross her estranged husband's photograph to relieve herself of anger. The concepts in themselves are not uninteresting, but the presentation is imperfect. Not to mention underplayed at the wrong times. The background score could have been better too. The writing, direction and editing are all not bad in themselves, but they do not come together in this movie. They somehow don't make one whole wherein you can see where the movie has it's heart, it's soul and it's brain. Together. Overall, what you have to say is sometimes immaterial and it's all about how you say it. What the maker had to say is actually quite nice. How it's been said-considering the production scale-is a little more upbeat than a short flick or a small-budgeted no-star movie. The conflict is given and the solution is thought of immediately and the progress starts off to a shaky beginning only to get predictable in 20 seconds flat. Tamanna and SiddharthPerformances Siddhartha playing his namesake has become slightly monotonous, but carries the movie along pretty well. He fits the role, looks fit and very presentable, dances happily and romances with a flourish. Tamanna pairs nicely with him and does her whole huffing and puffing act of Happy Days all over again, with decent results. Prakashraj adds his brand to the role, Ramya Krishna's dubbing should have been better. Venumadhav and Brahmanandam add in the comic element smoothly. Nassar makes an impression. Music and Choreography The music and dance is good, and Siddhartha entertains in all the songs. Two of the songs are especially fun, including Evade Subrahmanyam. Background is inconsistent. Re-recording is not at its best, even though the tunes are catchy. Last Word An okay one-time watch, but only Konchem nice and cute and Konchem routine and repetitive.

End Credits :

Starring : Siddharth, Tamanna, Prakashraj, Ramya Krishna, Nassar and Others.
Art: Chinna.
Cinematography: Vijay K. Chakravarthy.
Dialogues: Abburi Ravi.
Editing: Sreekar Prasad.
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Screenplay: Deepak Raj-Vikram Siri.
Presenter: Baby Bhavya.
Producer: Nallamalupu Srinivas (Bujji).
Story & Direction: Kishore Kumar (Dolly).
Banner: Lakshmi Narasimha Productions.
Release Date: 05th February, 2009.

"ARUNDATHI" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:45:00 +0000

Pasupati (Sonu Sood) is a tormented soul, stabbed, locked up in a room built over him with absolutely no space for air to move in. He is the nephew to the King of Gadwal and is married to the king's eldest daughter. A man of vices he indulges in a gruesome rape and murder of a blind dancer who comes to teach his young sister-in-law Anushka. Anushka watches the crime and orders his killing when her sister commits suicide unable to live with him. Pasupati is buried alive in the palace and his soul craves for freedom.

AnushkaYears later Arundati (Anushka) arrives in Gadwal for her wedding and an old lady in the house narrates the entire story of Jaijamma (Anushka) whose portrait now is hung on the wall. Arundati is the only female born after many generations and it is now believed that she is born to kill the soul which has escaped from the grave.

Pasupati's soul now fully armed with magical powers makes a re-entry strangely again at the time of her wedding and it's Arundati's turn to seek help from a Fakir played Sayaji Shinde. The director makes the film memorable by interplaying elements back and forth and Anushka is stunning, does justice to both roles as the courageous Jejamma and as the helpless Arundati.

The drama is etched perfectly, building the suspense, underlying the tension and grabs you right from the start. The intensity is such that you'd feel suffocated like the soul in captivity and even feel connected to a character as gullible as Arundati who arrives for her wedding, only to know that the onus is on her to kill Pasupati's atma. Her helplessness, her denial and all other expressions are a delight to watch.

Anushka & Sonu SoodSayaji Shinde is spell binding, he is spectacular and for once you don't seem, it is the character that involves you. Sonu Sood shows his prowess as an actor. A credible piece of work from everyone. The script is so well written, so ingeniously handled and the costumes are in tune. The background score, the drum dance, the photography, the graphics or the dialogues …all are taut and gripping. It doesn't drag, and by the time the end credits roll…you leave the theatre gratified having read and seen a contemporary socio-fantasy. Thumbs up for MS Reddy.

End Credits :

Starring : Anushka, Deepak. Sonu Sood, Shiyaji Shinde, Satyanarayana, Annapurna, Manorama, Vadivukkarasi and Others.
Cinematography: Senthil Kumar.
Dialogues: Chintapally Ramana.
Editing: Marthand K. Venkatesh.
Music: Koti.
Story & Screenplay: Mallemala Unit.
Producer: M. Shyam Prasad Reddy.
Visual Effects & Creative Director: Rahul Nambiar.
Director: Kodi Rama Krishna.
Banner: Mallemala Entertainments.
Release Date: 16th January, 2009.

"FITTING MASTER" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:36:00 +0000

It always works when Naresh is supported by a team of 15 or 20 comedians cracking silly jokes and whacky one liners. If one falls flat there is other to pick up from there and so the rest of the gang keeps you engaged. Here the director seems to be over awed by his son's image and attempts to give him a heroic status and keep him a little above from the rest of the cast.

Fitting Master has it's pros and cons but the first thing you need to ask yourself is to why should you watch this film. If it is for comedy then there is absolutely none unless you are blessed with some sort of sense of humour. But if you are willing to go and watch it for a message then it is entirely your prerogative because the film is a recap of the sum of all the petty and serious crimes that you have watched on TV9 or for that matter read it in the papers last year.

The first half of the film opens with Naresh moving to a new town and bumping into the heroine. He is serious, angry, unromantic, focused, matured and is willing to reel off heavy sentimental dialogues at the drop of a hat to anyone whom he accidentally bumps into or seeks his help. He is a walking talking moral science text book who finds fault in the rise of price of onions to young girls wearing scanty clothes to college in a bus. Strangely despite his wise counsel, the heroine who is seen gaping at his wisdom never changes into a half saree or a saree or even a salwar kameez in the next scene or even in the dream sequences.

The director never leaves a chance to take a dig at everyone from someone erring at a traffic signal to the police man who arrives at the scene of crime after everything is over.

Coming to the story, Naresh is a gym coach who for some reason appears detatched and has something to hide. The director does a good job towards the end by keeping the tempo that way, otherwise the logic would have gone missing. It is later revealed that he is hunting for the people who snatched away the peace in his home.

While the first half is taxing it is only the post interval which keeps you glued that too because of a scene which we have seen countless times on tv. But this has been given another knot and extended making it into a full length story giving the hero a reason to prey on those men who were responsible for his sister's death. Naresh's sister marries a vagabond and despite repeated warnings she elopes and gets married to him in an arya samaj temple while a TV channel airs a live telecast.

The story doesn't end there, while their marriage is being consummated, the groom's friends record it and pass it on through an MMS throwing her dignity away. A series of suicides in Naresh's family follows and Naresh is distraught, vows vengeance, wreaks havoc in their lives and kills them eventually. Sayaji Shinde is a total misfit and makes a comedy of himself with his filmi dialogues that don't match him at all. The rest of the comedians are not worth mentioning about.

There is nothing new in the movie except for a hard hitting message that one should love their parents and give value to their opinion because they are the ones who know us more and want our happiness than anyone in this world.

The film has a nice ending with Naresh declining to marry Madalasa Sharma and he gives a sensible reason to do so. Visuals are bright and beautiful, the director takes you to Bangkok his favourite destination once more and gives his son striped shirts to wear and also some weird costumes for the first time heroine. She does a good job and can go a long way provided she works on her expressions a little more. Music is okay. The film attempts to be another Aame but ends up as being a little more than a documentary and less than a feature film. Parents will like it but might think twice before gifting their girls with a cell phone.

End Credits :

Starring : Naresh, Madalasa Sharma, Srinivasa Reddy, Khayyum, Sayaji Shinde, Krishna Bhagawan, Ali, Chalapati Rao, Jayaprakash Reddy, MS Narayana, Chandra Mohan, Sudha and Others.
Cinematography: D. Prasadbabu.
Editing: Goutham Raju.
Lyrics: Vanamali.
Music: S. Chinna.
Story, Screenplay, Producer & Direction: EVV Satyanarayana.
Banner: EVV Cinema.
Release Date: 14th January, 2009.

"MASKA" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:25:00 +0000

Maska has B. Gopal wielding the megaphone after a very long time. Ram and Hansika Motwani star in this political mixed with love triangle drama.

Hansika Motwani and RamPlot Krishna a.k.a. Krish is academically bad but good at deceiving people. So he uses this skill to make US-bound Manju to fall for him so he can also go there with her. He conceives a story about an ex-girlfriend who he has broken up with and shows her the photograph of Meenu, a girl who is just a picture to him. But he really meets Meenu and falls for her, and the triangle gets denser till both girls find out about him. Manju threatens him, and her father is a potential MP with a faction-background. His rival is Shinde who wants the same post; both are searching for the same girl-Simhachalam's first wife's daughter so that Shinde can discredit him. Krish has to make up to Manju, make up with Meenu and save Meenu from the goons who are after her.

Story, Screenplay and Direction The story may be pretty old-school with all the customary twists at the right places, but the screenplay makes the movie watchable and engaging. There's a whole lot of borrowing in the movie. Manju claims that she wants a guy who was a smoker and drinker, but gives it up for his love and should have a love story prior to theirs. The same thing is in Ajit-Simran starrer Vaali. Except there Simran was shown as a gutsy eccentric girl. Here Shiela's shown as a madcap bimbo. Anyways, moving on there's a copycat 8 in this one movie.

Meenu's scarf gets stuck in Krish's bracelet. Om Shanti Om. Their coffee table conversation-inspired from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. Krish jumping off the parapet. Idiot. The upside down kiss. Spiderman. Manju and Meenu's 'Game' with the gun, one bullet and taking turns with it. Dhoom 2. You get the picture. The editing is good and art work is aesthetic. Photography is good in the songs.

The music is lively. Ram carries the movie on his shoulders, with a lot of help from the director-writers. After the 'Evari peru chepte' effect from Indra still refusing to wear off, it's tough to top it. But inspite of the old-schoolers involved in this movie, the young cast and music and heavy inspirations make it a young movie. Slightly outdated in terms of the actual story but the screenplay and the love triangle makes up for it.

Hansika Motwani and RamPerformances Ram is growing up-performance, looks, energy, dance and spontaneity. He's here to stay in the lambi race. Hansika looks good with Ram, and except for a few 'ABCD' scenes, she's good. Shiela is better in this than Dil Raju's Parugu. Mukesh Rishi, Pradeep Rawat, Shakuntala do their usual baddie act as Brahmanandam does his comic act. Jhansi does a post-Tulasi, this time as a lady from Nellore with the whole accent, she creates a character you remember. Naresh as her hen-pecked husband is good.

Song and Dance An asset to the movie. The choreography of all the dance numbers matches the peppy music.

End Credits :

Starring : Ram, Hansika Motwani, Shiela, Mukesh Rishi, Pradeep Rawat, Shakuntala, Brahmanandam and Others.
Action: Ram-Laxman.
Cinematography: Sekhar V. Joseph.
Dialogues: Paruchuri Brothers.
Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
Music: Chakri.
Producer: MS Raju.
Direction: B. Gopal.
Banner: Sumanth Art Productions.
Release Date: 14th January, 2009.

"SHASHIREKHAA PARINAYAM" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 06:08:00 +0000

Why are Krishna Vamshi's leading ladies always so screechy? It started with Tabu in Ninne Pelladatha, and in his previous presentation Chandamama, the two girls (Kajal and Sindhu Menon) screech their throats out. Genelia, resident Lucky Mascot and all-round Face Maker now has the additional entertaining (?) quality of being screechy.

Tarun and GeneliaThe interesting things about the movie and why you may make the effort to go and watch it: Krishna Vamshi, Genelia-Tarun combi, two nice songs, exhausted all other movies and nothing else to do.

Why you may not like it: It's a clichéd and stupid rehash of Jab We Met, Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin and a few draggg scenes of Vamshi's own on-the-set inventions. Well, what do you do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Unfortunately for us, it didn't this time.

Plot Shashirekha runs away from her wedding for many reasons-NRI boy saw her in another wedding video and asked his crooked lawyer father to fix the match without dowry. She's never seen the groom or the DVD he sent her, and his father squeezes the family out of a lot of dowry. While the families fight, runaway bride is helped out of hometown and to Hyderabad by Anand, a stranger she meets on the streets. He jumps in the water for her, fights goons, takes her to Nagarjuna Sagar and generally they have a good time. But once Anand's true identity comes out, will Shashirekha, obviously in love with him, concede to the match?

Story, Screenplay and Direction You take a deep breath and keep reminding yourself that the same man directed Antahpuram and even the largely tolerable Chandamama. Shashirekha alias Bujjamma is supposed to be somewhat like Geet of Jab We Met. But she turns out to be a moody, cantankerous, loud character who is suddenly interested in butterflies and is largely pious. Her relationship with Anand is also..volatile. And looks like the director forgot whether she calls him 'garu' or 'ra'.

Their fights and bickering is never cute. The moment the chemistry gets good, it is ruined by some twist of fate/screenplay. We've seen so many runaway brides and couples marooned together and couples on a journey where they end up in love. But the point is, if it's done well, we'll watch it for the upteenth time. The theme can sound simple and seen before, but if it's made interesting, it's worth it. Alai Payuthey/Sakhi is 'Rich boy-poor girl, parents fight, couple elopes'. Just before the climax of this movie, people were audibly groaning and squirming in their seats. The mush factor is too much.

Best: The first 20 minutes where the anticipation levels are still high.

Worst: The Nagarjunasagar trip. The movie has many excursions and sight-seeing, sometimes it feels like a travel program. Vijayawada, Nagarjuna Sagar..even an endorsement for a women's apparel store.

Genelia and TarunPerformances Tarun manages through the clichéd dialouges and boring screenplay. In fact he looks convinced that this is it. This is his comeback. Nope, sadly, not for the lack of his own skills but the movie itself doesn't exactly rock. His skills are no better or worse than the other young actors out there. It's all about packaging at the end of the day, but one thing-his energy levels are really down.

Of course, Genelia more than makes up for it, but you start wishing she wouldn't. And the dubbing for her is..not funny. So the dialouge and the voice really bogs the movie down 20%. Ahuti Prasad already did something similar in Chandamama and another movie (Siddhu From Seekakulam) starring Naresh.

Golden rule: Find out what you can do best, and do it again and again and again-till people who thought you were cool start thinking you need to change. By then it's too late. Or maybe the writers can't think of anything new. Yeah, that's it. Subbaraju as the cowering brother-in-law doesn't fit in the role, but makes an effort.

Song and Dance The choreography and presentation doesn't do justice to the music, which is not half bad. And the timing is not great either.

Last Word A few moments, a clichéd climax but one which wakes you up (and you're happy it's finally over) and a song or two that's presented decently. Not Krishna Vamshi's best would be the mildest verdict.

End Credits :

Starring : Tarun, Genelia, Ahuti Prasad, Subbaraju and Others.
Cinematography: Bhaskar.
Editing: Shankar.
Lyrics: Sitarama Sastry & Anantha Sreeram.
Music: Mani Sharma.
Producer: Madhu Murali.
Writer & Direction: Krishna Vamshi.
Banner: Kartikeya Creations.
Release Date: 01st January, 2009.

"MENTAL KRISHNA" Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Raj) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 12:21:00 +0000

I have decided to do something noble on the first of January and that is to tell people to stay away from this crappy movie. It is downright disdainful, bizzare and Posani Krishna Murali again attempts an abhorrent and a twisted theme. In one of his films (Operation Duryodhana), he makes Srikanth walk nude. Here in the guise of innocence and in an attempt to unravel doubts, he unleashes his peverse fantasies on heroine Satya Krishnan. At the end of the film you would want to do what Satya Krishnan did, slipper him for the torture unlimited.

The plot is obsolete, nothing new or shocking. It is one of those third grade novels you would find hawkers selling on the cart in the railway platform. If the posters were created to arouse curiosity, the story explains from scene one why Posani dresses up in wierd costumes, why he behaves like a child, then why he turns into a torturous husband suspecting his wife always and then an explanation that he is not a gay. A clichéd turn to glorify himself as a real hero.

Satya Krishnan looks slim, flat tummy, well presented and is even shown as preparing for an entry to Indian School of Business. She falls for her milkman just because he he had passed in the exam and he hails from a modest background. She proposes and at the wedding the milkman's family disposes.

Posani is the savior now and he ties the sacred yellow thread and are declared MAN and wife. It is only in the bedroom when he turns up in a nightie she realises he is not man enough and offers to remain as his friend lifelong.

He tortures her, puts her through many ordeals, himself goes through some like getting his legs waxed and finally pushes her into his best friend's arms because he resolves to have a progeny, a heir to the family. Yes, he makes her go through the virginity test before that which he keeps pronouncing it as virgin test. The lady who attempted an examination for ISB is shown as the ideal wife material, not once complaining. It's just her moist and sometimes red eyes do the talking.

We are made to believe that Posani was trying to show that being gay is not a sin but here he meanders more than once and there is often lack of clarity. There is no apathy on part of the mother towards Posani too so that makes the plot more confusing but just before the climax, when Satya is slippering him, he arrives and says stop it, he is a Man. Ranganath who plays his father gives you the clichéd reason that he had sacrificed for the family and had feigned to look impotent.

First it's yawn, then sick and then a plain nauseating feeling. From frame one to the last it is the megalomaniac. He tries to insinuate by mentioning Sakshi to cover his gay life. Thankfully he doesn't gulp his words. Not recommended for family viewing. Bad choice for Satya Krishnan.

End Credits :

Starring :CridPosani Krishna Murali, Satya Krishnan, Nagababu, Brahmanandam, MS Narayana, Giribabu, Raghubabu, Ranganath, Goutham Raju, Sivajiraja, ETV Prabhakar and Others.
Art: Babjee.
Cinematography: Gadiraju Srinivas.
Editing: Mohan-Ramarao.
Music: Vandemataram Srinivas.
Producer: Mohan Vadlapatla.
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues & Direction: Posani Krishna Murali.
Banner: Mohan Media Creations.
Release Date: 01st January, 2008.