Ram Gopal Varma, the man with the penchant for controversies comes out with a movie which is the fictional interpretation of facts. This movie depicts the story of people who can go to extremes for achieving what they think is good for them, no matter how bad is it for the others. The plot revolves around two families set against each other by another family. Since, this was supposed to be the story which has actually happened, it would not be reasonable to talk about justifications of the story and the plot.
RGV needs to be mentioned first before anyone else. The best was extracted out of all the performers. A true director who held his ship, marshaled his troupes and eventually got the victory. The story line was shrunk into a span of 2 years, which actually happened for a period of 2 decades. He claimed it as one of the most violent movies with lots of bloodshed and he lives up to the standards he set. His directorial brilliance was seen specially in the scene which shows, infact doesn't show, the "Pedda Sir". Pratap Ravi's introduction, Shivaji Rao's characterization, Bokka Reddy's barbarism needs a special mention. Since, the story could not be modified it was all on the director to visualize and recreate the scenes which actually have happened. RGV was instrumental in showcasing the mentalities of the characters.
Technically, most of the shots were close up shots probably to capture the emotions. Killings were shown in a superb way, shots were edited so precisely such that the weapon was shown until it touches the body. BGM elevated the mood of the movie. All credits to RGV for making this happen.
The flaws, infact not really, but the areas which I thought could have dealt with more precision were detailing how the plots were sketched out in the murders, the points which led to the misconceptions between the two parties should have been in more detail. As the movie was boasting of excessive bloodshed, execution was more concentrated. But, owing to the time line and attributing the story line to the real life these can be ignored. The biggest set back was the voice over given by RGV which was annoying at times and irritating most of the times. RGV always lets the audience to judge the scene but in this movie he was actually trying to explain the scene to the audience which I felt as quite unusual.
Vivek Oberai was terrific. He involved himself in the character of Pratap Ravi and delivered his best performance till date. Company showed him as a rookie and RC-I showed him as the best professional in business. Radhika Apte never looked like she doesn’t belong to a rural background. Shatrughan SInha brought the glamour, style and mannerisms which were needed for the role he played. Kota, Tanikella Bharani, and Shubhalekha Sudhakar are the only Telugu actors in the movie. All three proved that they were the best choices. Abhimanyu Singh, spilled venom from his eyes and actions. The best performance amongst all the others if the comparisions have to be drawn.
The icing on the cake was the climax of the movie. The climax starts with the trailer of RC-II making the audience think that the best is yet to come.
A must watch movie for the people who don’t know the story and for the people who know the story, to know how their imagination has been visualized.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Khaleja ~ A Classical mass movie
God lives in peoples belief. The belief can be a idol, an unseen power or even a normal human being. Its all about what you believe. This belief also generates when one gets to know the qualities that makes a human being, a God. Serving humanity is being god like. The concept of Khaleja movie revolves around this plot of how a Taxi driver turns into the Saviour for a whole village.
The story of the movie involves a village which has been effected by continuous deaths because of unknown reasons. A soothsayer in the village feels that there exists one person who can save them from their distress. They term him as their God. How they find him, how he saves them, what is the actual reason for the death, Is it a curse which can be changed only by God, or is it a intentional Holocaust which can be stopped by any human forms the rest of the story.
Mahesh, plays the role of a Taxi driver, who becomes the most wanted person for a village. He has been a complete revelation. He adopted a completely different slang from the rest of his movies and executed it to the perfection. If looks can kill, he will be the most wanted killer in Tollywood. His action was energetic, dialogue delivery much different from the subtle roles he did. Comedy timing and fights amazingly done.
Anushka is passable. Her character has no ample scope for performance and she does well in the limited time she has. Her costume designer needs a makeover. Sunil, Ali, Brahmanandam etc., makes you laugh. Prakash Raj , though, has a small role does a class act apart from the climax.
Trivikram needs to be appreciated for the story line he chose. He poses questions, answers them and again raises concerns over his answers. This movie has the basic concept of "Aham Brahmasmi" which was earlier taken in the movie "Satyame Shivam". If Satyame Shivam was a complete class movie, Khaleja is a classical mass movie. Satyame Shivam deals with the capitalism and Khaleja deals with the negative aspects of the industrialization. Both the films show how a god can be seen in humanity. Trivikram took utmost care in penning the dialogues. He connected every scene in the movie and made sure that most of the scenes make sense and have their importance in the final build up of the story. His dialogues suited well to the character of a taxi driver. Dances were good and costumes for Mahesh need a special mention.
The negative aspects of the movie being excessive display of bloodshed, too much violence, and a story line which may not necessarily be received by most of the audience. It might be confusing to people who think in the lines of the people in village, but include rationality, which wasn’t shown in the village people.
The story of the movie involves a village which has been effected by continuous deaths because of unknown reasons. A soothsayer in the village feels that there exists one person who can save them from their distress. They term him as their God. How they find him, how he saves them, what is the actual reason for the death, Is it a curse which can be changed only by God, or is it a intentional Holocaust which can be stopped by any human forms the rest of the story.
Mahesh, plays the role of a Taxi driver, who becomes the most wanted person for a village. He has been a complete revelation. He adopted a completely different slang from the rest of his movies and executed it to the perfection. If looks can kill, he will be the most wanted killer in Tollywood. His action was energetic, dialogue delivery much different from the subtle roles he did. Comedy timing and fights amazingly done.
Anushka is passable. Her character has no ample scope for performance and she does well in the limited time she has. Her costume designer needs a makeover. Sunil, Ali, Brahmanandam etc., makes you laugh. Prakash Raj , though, has a small role does a class act apart from the climax.
Trivikram needs to be appreciated for the story line he chose. He poses questions, answers them and again raises concerns over his answers. This movie has the basic concept of "Aham Brahmasmi" which was earlier taken in the movie "Satyame Shivam". If Satyame Shivam was a complete class movie, Khaleja is a classical mass movie. Satyame Shivam deals with the capitalism and Khaleja deals with the negative aspects of the industrialization. Both the films show how a god can be seen in humanity. Trivikram took utmost care in penning the dialogues. He connected every scene in the movie and made sure that most of the scenes make sense and have their importance in the final build up of the story. His dialogues suited well to the character of a taxi driver. Dances were good and costumes for Mahesh need a special mention.
The negative aspects of the movie being excessive display of bloodshed, too much violence, and a story line which may not necessarily be received by most of the audience. It might be confusing to people who think in the lines of the people in village, but include rationality, which wasn’t shown in the village people.
Komaram Puli ~ A satirical approach
Komaram Puli roars. He roars after a long time. This roar has not only the power but also makes everyone remind their own duties and responsibilities. The duties which are ignored and the responsibilities which are never taken up. This movie emphasizes the fact of being born as a human and the responsibility a person has to live with.
SJ Suriya showed his brilliant skills in almost every scene of the movie. He tried hard not to disappoint any section as this movie was meant to reach everyone and he almost got success. The way he has organised the movie giving scope for all the cast to prove their acting prowess is highly incredible. He made sure that not even a single comedy actor goes away in vain.
Story line typically gives the example of what is not there in the present society. A honest cop who uses his wit, vocabulary, oral skills to impress all the officials. He can detect lies by looking at peoples eyes, but then, he also has some exceptions for that. His mother wants him to be a cop for the society but not for the personal vengeance which shows the way movie goes. The story of a cop who wants to instigate fear among all the criminals of the world by nabbing one of the top criminal and the way he deals with it is the basic plot of the movie.
The growth of technology and its help in finding out the criminals around the world has been showcased in detail and eventually human wins the race with the technology. Camera work was excellent, as the audience can actually see the ripples going through the actors performance in the scenes. Design of the sets have to appreciated. Puli teams office, Al Saleem's home which actually leaves people wondering which place it is.
Pawan Kalyan rocked the show. He showed that he not only can deliver one liners but also lengthy dialogues effectively if given a chance and he has proved more than once in this movie. For the first time ever some one in a movie actually calls him a Power Star. Never seen before action sequences, superbly co-ordinated fights ala knife held at a perfect angle to obstruct the bullet coming from the gun. He show how tough guy he can be in terms of romance. The resistance he shows to the oomph of heroine cannot go unnoticed. Its an out and out Pawan Kalyan movie which shows all his shades.
Nikisha shows what she is best at. Sharanya managed to look young and delivered well. Nazar wasn’t left behind as it always used to be. He sticks with the hero most of the time. Charan Raj character sets an example of how other characters can be elevated.
Finally, Manoj Bajpai, the villian. The strength of the villian comes from the weakness of hero. Since, the hero doesn’t have any weakness, the villian had to create his own strength which he did succesfully. If you miss heros words, no worries, villian will utter them again for you but with less intensity and power.
Finally, I felt this movie as a landmark of all Pawan Kalyan movies. This can never be and will never be forgetten movie of Pawan Kalyan.
SJ Suriya showed his brilliant skills in almost every scene of the movie. He tried hard not to disappoint any section as this movie was meant to reach everyone and he almost got success. The way he has organised the movie giving scope for all the cast to prove their acting prowess is highly incredible. He made sure that not even a single comedy actor goes away in vain.
Story line typically gives the example of what is not there in the present society. A honest cop who uses his wit, vocabulary, oral skills to impress all the officials. He can detect lies by looking at peoples eyes, but then, he also has some exceptions for that. His mother wants him to be a cop for the society but not for the personal vengeance which shows the way movie goes. The story of a cop who wants to instigate fear among all the criminals of the world by nabbing one of the top criminal and the way he deals with it is the basic plot of the movie.
The growth of technology and its help in finding out the criminals around the world has been showcased in detail and eventually human wins the race with the technology. Camera work was excellent, as the audience can actually see the ripples going through the actors performance in the scenes. Design of the sets have to appreciated. Puli teams office, Al Saleem's home which actually leaves people wondering which place it is.
Pawan Kalyan rocked the show. He showed that he not only can deliver one liners but also lengthy dialogues effectively if given a chance and he has proved more than once in this movie. For the first time ever some one in a movie actually calls him a Power Star. Never seen before action sequences, superbly co-ordinated fights ala knife held at a perfect angle to obstruct the bullet coming from the gun. He show how tough guy he can be in terms of romance. The resistance he shows to the oomph of heroine cannot go unnoticed. Its an out and out Pawan Kalyan movie which shows all his shades.
Nikisha shows what she is best at. Sharanya managed to look young and delivered well. Nazar wasn’t left behind as it always used to be. He sticks with the hero most of the time. Charan Raj character sets an example of how other characters can be elevated.
Finally, Manoj Bajpai, the villian. The strength of the villian comes from the weakness of hero. Since, the hero doesn’t have any weakness, the villian had to create his own strength which he did succesfully. If you miss heros words, no worries, villian will utter them again for you but with less intensity and power.
Finally, I felt this movie as a landmark of all Pawan Kalyan movies. This can never be and will never be forgetten movie of Pawan Kalyan.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The start of a new journey
I asked "Madhu, Will you marry me?". She said, "Yes, I will".
Scene 1: It was the month of December. One fine day, I get a phone call from my parents. The time was on for the search of my life partner. An arranged marriage. They sent me the picture of a girl whom they thought would be a correct match for me. I opened my email, had a glance at the picture and thought "Well, interesting. Let me talk to her once." I spoke to my parents and asked them to let me know the time I can speak to her.
Scene 2: A honorary function arranged in the honor of Shri Shivananda Murthy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadguru_Sivananda_Murty) at Warangal. My parents get the invitation from her parents. They felt it as the best time for me to speak to her. Then it happens, The first phone call. I don't remember the exact words what we spoke. But, it was more of a cordial talk for less than 5 minutes. We both agreed on to have a chat on webcam later with the permission of parents.
Scene 3: Webcam chat. Thanks to Yahoo we get to see each other first time apart from the pictures. Again a cordial talk but this time for a longer time. I came to know about a few things more. The things which I liked instantly about her were she was a movie buff like me, respects her parents and gives importance to family values. There were a couple of things which I didn't like.
The conclusion after my chat was I was interested in meeting this girl. But, I cannot take any decision before I meet her personally.
Then things come to a halt. I get busy with some other stuff and the proposal falls back in the priority lists.
After 8 months, in the month of August, I finally get a chance to visit India. http://deepak-preciousthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/08/itinerary-of-stopover-journey.html
Scene 4: August 14: Her Home. The official Pelli Chupulu.
This was the first day I saw her personally. "Live" in the media language. It was the Pelli Chupulu. The time when the girl and guy gets a chance to meet each other. We see each other, then we were allowed to spend some time talking to each other. I was hesitant to speak first. The conversation started with the memories of our first chat. It was almost 8 months since we had our last chat. But, it didn't seem to be. The conversation hit the right notes and it went on. The elders were expecting our talk to go for 15 minutes. But 15 minutes passed, 30 mins gone. If I remember right it was almost 45 minutes. We spoke about a lot of things. The things which I wasn't sure of after my chat, faded away in this 45 minute talk.
Scene 5: My Home:
I was still in a confusion. It was going to be the decision of my life and I didn't want to take it in a hurry. I asked my parents whether they were completely convinced with the girl and her family. They said they were more than happy to have her in the family. I was still searching for any negatives. The fact that I was searching for the negative itself meant that there were a lot of positives.
Next day, it was my friend Sunil's Engagement in Hyderabad. I attended that and was still thinking about the decision which I had to make.
The day after, I call my parents and said that I need to talk to her again before I make any decision. They gave me her number. I called her and asked her out. I thought she wont agree but I was happy to hear that she also wanted to have a talk. We fix a time to meet and the place.
Scene 6: Shilparamam. Aug 16.
We met at her hostel. We started looking for some place to sit. Then we decided to go to Shilparamam. So, the location was set. I started talking. I spoke to her on all the things which I felt she should know about. Exchanged our views about things which we have in common, any differences we had. All this time I was searching for any things which I can think of as completely against to my views. Fortunately, the things I found were very trivial.
The time went by quickly, 2 hours and then I was completely convinced. She will be my choice. No more second thoughts about it. The final minutes of our conversation.
Me: After all this talk, I want to ask you an important question. My decision depends on your answer.
She (confused): What is that?
Me (With a red rose, kneeling down): Madhu, will you marry me?
She (after a pause): Yes!! I will.
Her name is Lalitha Madhuri and I call her Madhu. My life partner.
(Prelogue: Jump back to the time before scene 6: I was almost sure of making Madhu as my partner. I felt I would be the first person to let her know rather than the usual way of her parents conveying the message. I want to make my decision day memorable. I wanted to propose her. So, before I go to meet her, I wanted to buy a red rose and then give her the rose and propose. Thanks to Pavan, who helped me in this whole episode.)
There I stand committed to Madhu.
Then the Engagement happened on Aug 21, had to leave India and fly back on Aug 23. More about after Engagement stories later..
Adios.
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