Category Archives: Sliders

​Senior Vs Junior: who will win in the battle?

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It is natural that when two movies that show promise arrive in theatres on the same date, the comparison charts are brought up. The same is happening right now in Tollywood because of two movies. They are Babu Bangaram with Venkatesh and Thikka with Sai Dharam.

As such, Babu Bangaram released a day earlier and reports are stating the film has got an average response. As a result, all ‘Thikka’ would need is an above average talk and that would be sufficient to push it to a success mark. The expectations are strong due to Sai Dharam factor.

However, the other perspective is Babu Bangaram is more family movie while Thikka is more mass and youth movie so both films will have their share of audience. That way, both films impacting each other is not going to be that huge. We will know the clear picture by Monday though.

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Review: Babu Bangaram – One time watchable movie

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Writer-Director: Maruthi

Cast: Venkatesh, Nayantara, Sampath Raj, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Prudhviraj, Brahmaji

Banner: Sitara Entertainments

Music: Ghibran

Editor: SB Uddav

Cinematography: Richard Prasad

Producer: S Naga Vamshi, PDV Prasad, S Radha Krishna (Presenter)

Story:

Assistant Commissioner of Police Krishna (Venkatesh) is a very soft hearted person. He cannot digest if anyone is in trouble. He does service to people whom he hits! He meets Shailu (Nayanatara) and feels very bad for her troubles. Her father absconds after getting stuck in a legal case and a group of goons are in search of him. She is stuck in lot of tensions which include police interrogation and problems in house.

Krishna understands her trouble and plans to help her without revealing his police identity. He falls in love with her eventually and the feeling is mutual. At this moment, she comes to know that it is indeed Krishna who is appointed to catch her father. Just then, her father meets with a fatal danger and Shailu moves away from Krishna. How does Krishna solve all these problems? What is the real problem Shailu’s father is facing?- forms the rest of the plot.

 Actors Performances:

Venkatesh: He looked dashingly young in this film. He is the biggest asset for this film and he tried his best to remind the audience of Bobbili Raja. Somehow, he couldn’t move that freely or was at good ease. Venky’s comedy was confined to expressions and histrionics but he was not at complete ease.

Nayantara: Nayan looked very beautiful in this film. She was neither an asset or a liability in the film but did her part decently well.

Others: The film gets bearable and entertaining thanks to two comedians Posani and Prudhvi. Prudhvi did a great job as Battayi Babji and his punches work well. Vennela Kishore was alright and there was very little scope for Brahmanandam.

Analysis:

The story would definitely remind the viewer of Nagarjuna’s old film Niryanam. Though the storyline of Babu Bangaram is old, Maruthi tried to add entertainment aspect to this. The aspect of hero being very sensitive and at the same time being a ruthless police officer might be new. But the director failed to implement it fully by adding novelty to it. First half features Prudhvi’s forced comedy as Battayi Babji and the director depended on Posani Krishna Murali in the second half.

When the story is weak, anyone has to depend on spoofs and comedy element. Nannaku Prematho spoof generates some good laughter. But once the comedy element is done, the film gets into the regular formulaic mode. Though it follows Gabbar Singh format in generating laughter for an action flick, the repetitive comedy becomes stale. First half goes well in entertainment mode but the second half drags down. Despite having artists like Posani and Brahmanandam, the second half comparatively gets bad.

Positive Aspects:

Venkatesh’s performance

Nannaku Prematho Spoof

30 Years Prudvi

Negative Aspects:

Poor storytelling

Second half

Technical Aspects:

The movie is technically rich with good camerawork but only one title song is catchy. The background music which resembles Bobbili Raja theme music was done well. Maruthi’s script work is below average and direction was also mediocre.

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Angry Youngman to romance Kamal’s heroine

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Remember the stunningly pretty actress who made repeated appearance in Kamal Hassan’s Vishwaroopam along with Utthama Villain? She is none other than Pooja Kumar who is also a brilliant performer. However, she wasn’t predominantly seen in any other film after that.

But as per latest reports, Pooja Kumar will be seen opposite angry young man Rajasekhar. After ages, this actor is all set to do a powerful cop role which has always been his forte. Versatile filmmaker Praveen Sattaru will be directing this flick.

It would be interesting to see Pooja Kumar sharing screen presence with yesteryear brilliant hero Rajasekhar and whether he would score a hit at least this time!

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Renowned music director conformed for Balayya’s 100th film

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Nandamuri Balakrishna’s anticipated 100th film Gautamiputra Satakarni is getting crafted in a never before seen fashion with all the brilliant aspects of filmmaking. The film’s shooting has been happening in authentic locations such as Morocco and the producers are not backing off to give the best for it. While Devi Sri Prasad was confirmed earlier as the music director for this film, he was out of the project due to prior commitments.

Here is exciting news which says that Maestro Ilaiyaraaja is almost confirmed as the music director for this flick. The brilliant composer is known for his melodious songs as well as grand re-recording skills and proved his working chemistry with Balakrishna in Bapu’s Sri Rama Rajyam.

Though Krish initially considered Kanche music director Chirantan Bhatt for this project,he later felt that a senior most composer like Ilaiyaraaja would be the best man to do justice for such historic project. Even Balakrishna appreciated the idea and the official announcement will happen in a day or two!

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Chiru 150th first look on August 22nd

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Chiranjeevi’s brilliant 150th film is progressing in rocket speed in order to rejoice his fans all over. Two shooting schedules have already completed and now the third schedule is in progress.

On the eve of Chiranjeevi’s 61st birthday, the first look of this film will be released! The makers of this film have zeroed in August 22nd– Chiranjeevi’s birthday to release the first look of this flick and the film is being directed by VV Vinayak who gave a memorable hit to the actor with Tagore. Inside reports say that the first look would be stunningly brilliant and guaranteed treat for Mega fans!

Meanwhile Kajal Aggarwal zeroed for the lead actress role and the makers are also aiming to release by Sankranthi 2017.

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Reason behind Rudhramadevi Oscar recommendation

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The time has come for all the Telugus to beam their chest with pride once again. Till recently it was the magnum opus Baahubali which became the reason and now, it is another movie. We are talking about the historical opus Rudramadevi and this has taken a giant leap.

It is already known that Rudramadevi has got a chance to represent India at the prestigious Oscars and vie for ‘Best Foreign Language Film Award’. While the happiness is high, some rationalists are keen to know why this movie was chosen. Well, here is an inside opinion.

In the beginning of the movie the world famous Marco Polo is seen narrating to one Italian king about Rudramadevi’s story as example. Since it is a historical event and involves Europeans, many will get connected in the western world, hence the film got nominated. While we don’t know whether Marco Polo really spoke about Rudramadevi or not, the entry to Oscar will certainly be a big thing.

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Tarun Bhascker to direct Pelli Choopulu Hindi remake?

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You could be having an amazing flair for direction and nice mettle as a filmmaker but all that is recognized only when your film works at the box office. So, it is always the film which gets the first attention and only then its director. Later on, the director takes over.

Akin to that, the one name which has become a hot property across Tollywood circuit is that of Tarun Bhascker. He is the man who made the movie Pelli Choopulu which has become a bumper hit now. With this, all eyes have fallen on Tarun and his next project.

While many are expecting him to do another Tollywood flick, it looks like he Tarun might just jump to Mumbai. Reports reveal he has gone to Mumbai to discuss with mighty heart Salman Khan on the remake. This is expected to be Salman’s production with his brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri’s involvement while Vijayendra Prasad is going to do story modification. Let us wait for the official announcement.

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Review : Srirasthu Subhamasthu – Emotional Entertainer

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Cast: Allu Sirish, Lavanya Tripathi, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Ali
Banner: Geetha Arts
Music: SS Thaman
Editor: Marthand K Venkatesh
Producer: Allu Aravind
Director: Parasuram

Story:

Sirish (Allu Sirish) is a rich guy and his father (Prakash Raj) doesn’t appreciate middle class families. He has very poor opinion on middle class people and girls hailing from that background. He also believes that middle class folks trap rich families in the name of love with the evil idea to snatch the properties.

His elder son (Ravi Prakash) marries a poor family’s girl and he doesn’t even talk to his daughter in law not even knows her name. Incidentally, Sirish also falls for a middle class girl (Lavanya Tripathi) and plans to disprove his father’s opinion. That is why he introduces himself to the girl as a poor guy. Will he succeed in doing so? What happens next?– forms the rest of the plot.

Star Performances:

Allu Sirish: There is definitely some improvement in his histrionics but his laughter was reserved but not full fledged. He is still having issues in dialogue delivery. There is lot to learn for him in the comedy department as well.

Lavanya Tripathi: Her role was intentionally trimmed in order not to dominate Sirish’s character but she scores well in the little scope of her role.

Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh and Others: Unfortunately, Prakash Raj’s acting looked artificial this time and the makeup was overdone. Rao Ramesh did a natural performance and it was sad to see Sumalatha-an actress with good potential getting wasted. Ali tries to tickle a funny bone and Hamsanandini is confined to just songs.

Analysis:

The story doesn’t have much twists as it is a very well known story for Telugu Audience. The director tried to show novelty in the treatment but unfortunately he couldn’t succeed in it either. Some of the sequences in the film look baseless such as the hero forgetting his hometown and details after losing the purse. Hero’s characterization will remind the audience of films like Attarintiki Daaredhi.

The interval bang and climax look quite predictable. The second half also goes down in a pale fashion where the hero lands himself in the herione’s house. Movies like Parugu and Nuvvu Naaku Nacchav are remembered here. The climax has a Bommarillu kind of sequence between the hero and his father and Prakash Raj gave the same expressions to pull it off once again. How many times do we have to witness the scene where the heroine elopes from her wedding stage and choosing the hero?

Technical Aspects:

The production values by Geetha Arts are commendable. Thaman’s music is quite forgetful but the background score was pleasant to hear. The story is quite old and the director failed to create new impact with it. The film relies heavily on emotions which also failed to create good effect.

Positive Aspects:
Dialogues
Few Emotional Scenes
Rao Ramesh’s performance

Negative Aspects:
Routine story and screenplay
Climax sequence

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Review: Manamantha – A must watch

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Writer-Director: Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
Cast: Mohanlal, Gautami
Banner: Varahi Chalana Chitram
Music: Mahesh Shankar
Editor: GV Chandra Sekhar
Dialogues: Ravi Chandra Teja
Producer: Sai Korrapati, Rajni Korrapati

Story:

Sairam (Mohan Lal) is an assistant manager in a super market. He along with his colleague Viswanath (Harshavardhan) vies for the Manager post. Gayatri (Gautami) is a middle class homemaker who always dreams of a settled and happy life. She helps her lecturer in the past whose son now becomes a billionaire in Singapore. She is offered a job in Singapore which demands her to leave her family. On the other hand Mahita (Raina Rao) is a sensitive school going girl who is moved by the state of a poor boy.

Learning that he is interested in the school, Mahita joins him into her school without permission. Abhiram (Viswanth) is a brilliant student who eventually deviates and gets lost falling in love with Aira (Anisha Ambrose). Due to series of events, Sairam faces a challenge of finding Viswanath, Mahita had to find that poor boy, Abhiram decides to commit suicide & Gayatri had to leave for Singapore. How are they related to each other and how did they overcome their challenges form the rest of the story.

Star Performances:

Mohan Lal: Glad to see this class apart back in Telugu cinema. Talking of him, his Telugu dubbing deserves a mention. Though it carries a non-Telugite tinge, he pulled it off well. His subtle yet intense performance can even give you tears at times.

Gautami: Being her straight Telugu film after a long while, Gautami proves that she isn’t done.

Viswanth: This young promising actor does justice for his character. With his lively performance he announced that he is going to stay here for long.

Harshavardhan: This able actor gave a performance on par with Mohan Lal & others.

Dhanraj: Unlike his routine comedy, he plays a subtle supporting role in this film. You might miss the usual comedian in him.

Urvasi: She plays a role with comic tinge- a supportive role to Gautami’s role adding value to the emotional quotient of the film.

Vennela Kishore, Nassar and Chandra Mohan play brief yet significant roles in the film.

Analysis:

Unlike his previous intense films like Aithe, Anukukunda Oka Roju, Okkadunnadu and Saahasam, Chandra Sekhar Yeleti came up with an emotional family entertainer this time which isn’t a regular formula film.  Manamantha is four different stories of four different age groups in one script and we need to appreciate the director for attempting a script like this. All the characters in the film are so real and the performances subtle yet intense. The director does a good job in extracting good performances from all the actors in the film thus elevating the emotional quotient of the film.

Though the first half of the film is a bit slow in its progression, it will eventually absorb you into its world. A twist in every story as the interval bang leads to an intriguing second half. This segment has proper Chandra Sekhar Yeleti’s signature in terms of engagement and building up the suspense factor. The last twenty minutes is the key asset of the film.

Positive Aspects:

Lead Cast performance especially Mohan Lal and Raina Rao.
Engaging narration especially in the Second Half.
Cinematography
Music and Background Score.

Negative Aspects:

Stories of two lead characters.
Narrative in the first half.
Lack of commercial entertainment might be a disappointment for the masses.
Music

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Review : Pelli Choopulu – Fresh and Cool concept

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Director: Tharun Bhascker
Cast: Vijay Devarakonda, Ritu Varma, Kaushik
Banner: Dharmapadha Creations
Editor: Ravi Teja
Cinematography: Nagesh Banell
Music: Vivek Sagar
Distribution: Suresh Productions
Producer: Raj Kandukuri

Story:

Chitra (Ritu Varma) is a strong independent woman battling to be a successful entrepreneur with her food truck idea against to her conventional father’s will to get her married. And on the other part of the world Prashanth (Vijay Devarakonda) is a slack happy-go-lucky engineer graduate dreaming of becoming a chef but ending up fit for nothing. Even his father decides to get him married and that is how Prashanth’s family lands up in Chitra’s house as part of the Pelli Choopulu.

Due to a problematic door, Prashanth & Chitra get locked up in a room and that is where they get to know each other’s dreams, aspirations and past love stories. But only at the end of their conversation, Prashanth’s family realizes that they have come to the wrong place. What happened to Chitra & Prashanth, their dreams and lastly their blossoming relationship forms the rest of the plot.

Star Performances:

Vijay Devarakonda: Remember this guy who wanted to go to ‘Dhood Kashi’ and bugged Nani in Yevade Subramanyam? This talented guy has utilized every opportunity that came his way and continues to shine as Prashanth in Pelli Choopulu. Many of us will relate to his character in the film, especially his body language, dialogues with the typical Hyderabadi accent. Few scenes with his co-stars were hilarious too!

Ritu Varma: This gorgeous starlet was a head-turner in the role of Chitra, a strong independent woman. She was cute, contemporary and elegant in her presence and portrayal and there is always scope for improvement as an actor.

Industry gets a new comedian called Kaushik – you’ll enjoy his Telangana accent and comedy! The other supporting cast was purposeful and brilliant.

Analysis:

We have seen many films, love stories and specifically romantic comedies of all kinds but how many of them are that cute, honest and bracing in terms of storytelling?

Pelli Choopulu stands apart right from the very first frame. It is the story of a boy and girl next door naturally contrasting but with a common point – hatred for people who eat samosa with excess sauce! Now how many films today have such detailing and depth in the lead characters? Ok… if this samosa point isn’t that convincing the hero and heroine will give you enough reasons about what they are and what they are not! And given all these, the way the characters and their aspirations are brought together and set up was absolutely impressive. By the time you are relishing the first half, it breaks for intermission leaving you rooting for the characters, their resentment and importantly their story.

What do you expect from such a well-staged first half? Obviously an equally good second half or a second half that can scale it to new heights (that too if you’re over-expecting)! On an honest note, it is engaging (predictable is a cliche again) enough but it could have been more heartening only if it was dramatically rooted. And the climax leaves you wanting for more!

The best part is that director Tarun Bhascker played with his strength – a simple, fun-filled engaging narrative with a breezy treatment. And by the way the chemistry between the lead pair completely goes for a toss but looks like it is a deliberate attempt by Tarun to prove that a good love story doesn’t always need a sparkling chemistry!

On a simpler note: Pelli Choopulu has all that you look for in a romantic comedy film – a perfect pick for this weekend!

Positive Aspects:
Screenplay and fresh treatment
Well-etched characters and decent performances
Fun and comedy (few hilarious scenes) that is blended well into the narrative
No melodrama
Music and background score
Cinematography
Editing and Runtime (just around 2hrs)

Negative Aspects:

Over simplified second half

Music:

This Pelli Choopulu album is catchy, foot-tapping yet refreshing. Unlike the routine, all the songs were beautifully blended with the narrative. But what stands apart is Vivek Sagar’s back ground score that has the feel of a fresh evening breeze and aroma of a just brewed filter coffee which adds a different tone and dimension to an ordinary narrative.

Others:

Makers need to be appreciated for delivering such qualitative product with a shoe-string budget.

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