sharpthoughts Reviews

Vishwaroopam (2013)

Action – Intellect – Out of Box – Controversy – Viswaroopam

[7/10 · 27 January 2013]

When was the last time you saw a South Indian movie unfolds the plot in the first ten minutes?

When was the last time a South Indian movie crossed the boundaries not just for songs?

When was the last time a complete commercial Indian movie was made with no or a single song?

The above questions might ask you for some time. Instead, I will help you with my answer. VISWAROOPAM.

Viswaroopam is an out and out commercial cinema worked out to entertain Audience. This is a story written to break the barriers of boasting stardom and regions dealing the story.

The room for controversy in the movie is nothing. The Characters portrayed in this movie revolves around the Story but not Religion. There is no single scene or dialogue in this movie degrading any Religion or dealing Blasphemy. This movie dealt with the terrorist character Omer but not Islam. Apart of this there are good and innocent Muslims shown in this movie. A Young Muslim boy wants to become a Doctor and save his Village. Young Boys Mother who wants to get her Son educated. An innocent Youth turned in to Suicide bomber by Omer and many innocent villagers in Afghanistan. The Protagonist of Story also played a Muslim character giving value to Islam.

Viswanath A.K.A Taufeeq is an undercover Indian Spy in Newyork, Who is assigned with the mission to safeguard Newyork city from possible threat from Omer, A terrorist camp leader in Al-Qaeda. The Story is interesting and engages Audience slowly in its World. Protagonist impersonates himself as a Kathak dancer and care taking Husband for his intolerant wife. The real layers of story unfold when Omer recalls his days with Taufeeq in Afghanistan. And the rest should be enjoyed on Celluloid.

Kamal Hassan took this Indian cinema faraway from India. When his contemporaries dance and fight on the band wagons, Viswaroopam took us to Afghanistan. Kamal's versatility, Love and Global reach in cinema are once again evident with Viswaroopam. There is only single song in the movie, which will not serve an Indian Audience purpose of song. The moment when Viswanath transforms in to Taufeeq, It felt Indian Cinema has Ethan Hunt (Mission Impossible) at our service. Viswanath's character has total potential to become Ethan Hunt for India. I don't mind expecting few series of movies from this Character Viswanath.

Kamal proved us, It is not necessary to make a movie inside your living conditions to sale it. That's exactly what James Cameron proved in Avatar with Pandora and Stanley Kubrick in 2001 A Space Odyssey. I sincerely admire Kamal for choosing such a subject not relating with any other cinema made by his contemporaries. The story set in Afghanistan serves as a fresh treat for our cob-webbed minds. It deals with few notorious and cold blooded characters he ever conceived.

On the other hand, Kamal took his own risks in dealing Viswaroopam. He is well known for his Out of Box and Intellect movies. The same point could be his killer. Viswaroopam pars the IQ level of Indian rural and sub-urban Audience. Dealing with Dirty Bombs, Uranium, Radioactivity etc.. Audiences were puzzled and movie sounded dumb to them. There is a chemistry that does not gel up between Kamal and rural audiences. The deliverables from Kamal were always having high expectations. Kamal mesmerized Audience with his past performances like Appu Raja, Nayakan, Swathi Muthyam, Bharatiyudu etc. Ironically none of those above movies were directed by Kamal. After accepting Kamal as a director; He does not had good personal records. Heyram, Virumandi were critically acclaimed but not commercially well done at the Box Office only for the reason of superior content and storytelling. Viswaroopam poses the same question once again.

If you like to listen a good story, If you are already aware or ready to accept concepts like Radiation, Uranium and Dirty Bombs. Over All and Above if You can watch an Indian Cinema with only one song in it. You are welcome to Viswaroopam.

Life of Pi (2012)

Visually Excellent, Emotionally Subtle

[7/10 · 24 November 2012]

Life of PI should be counted as a visual treat more than an emotional experience. Yet it should be considered as one the very good movies Hollywood has shown to the world in the past few years; where visual effects are dominating the screens.

This entire story is about Faith and Hope. PI as a child was fascinated towards God, Rather restrict himself to one religion, He understood that ways of God might be different but destination in one. He accepts every thing good in every religion. He understood the concept of Faith in Hinduism and When He was introduced to Christianity; PI does not say Hinduism is wrong, He thanked Hindu God for introducing him with Jesus. The same positive approach was maintained throughout the movie in this character. When He was left alone in the ocean with Tiger, He says to God that he surrenders himself to him. That was truth. He surrenders himself to God and whatever comes in his way he went through it and took his life and way as God is taking him forward and his action is only to pass through the stages but not complaining or loosing hope. At one moment we believe in this where PI tries to survive, God tests him more in the form of Richard Parker (Bengal Tiger), Second Storm where he looses his total food supply, Prepared to be taken away by God (Death). Then God gives hope as a floating Carnivorous Island and again making him move forward without loosing hope.

Richard Parker is a character rarely seen in movies. A silent villain character who makes the Hero survive. Imagine without Richard Parker, PI would have died in loneliness. As said in the movie, The terror of death from the Tiger kept PI alive. If Parker is another test by God, PI passed it by taming him. The relation between these two went very well through out the story when it started as predator and prey it transforms in to Master and Animal and finally hunger makes them both good friends in their own emotional levels. Though PI wanted Parker to look back and get his final greetings, Parker accepted them by stopping for a moment and leaving him alone without hunting down.

Movie is visually astounding but visual beauty dominated the story? Certainly for an extent where there was not much story happening in the Ocean. It was lagging and on slow pace. Then comes the magical Island for rescue. But an immediate climax was a disaster for the movie. The way PI concluded the story before Japanese Cargo employees is good. But due to visual domination and partial drawbacks Life of PI just missed to be a Classic but almost there but worth watching once or twice. This movie cannot leave you in a trance where you go home and spend some hours thinking about it. Once you walk out of the theater the movie is over.

Rakta Charitra (2010)

A huge content after a long time

[7/10 · 22 October 2010]

Before starting about RGV and all the hype he does. Primary factor to be discussed here is the Story of the movie. As everybody knows Raktacharitra is a make of popular rivalry between Paritala Ravindra and MaddelaCheruvu Suryanarayana, most of us in Andhrapradesh knows the facts of the story. But the unknown facts hidden are always hidden under the darkest corner of the history. And to find them all in a movie is greater experience. The movie provides wonderful and powerful story which Indian audience are missing since years. As the title shows it, the soul of the story is revenge, power and politics; And all the three factors not in tuxedo style, but on pure Indian grounds. All the three factors played significant role to make the story powerful.

But, the movie, play and storytelling could be better. The movie opens with a murder scene in daylight; Which introduces us with the emotion and heat of the story world. When story slowly unfolds a stretch of scenes are merely visual and audible, No scene development is done; which resulted in no emotion and banal storytelling and a feeling of watching Discovery Documentary show. Adding to the fuel, RGV's Voice- over is a partial disaster but he was able to carry the emotion of the scene and intention of the story in his voice. The scope of the first half is huge. A director can ask for no more. There is lot of politics going around in the first half which would've resulted in an epic drama if scenes are well planned. Unfortunately, no ideas in Storytelling and screenplay were used and all drama was wasted. Maybe the director doesn't wanted the screenplay to dominate the story? Wat soever, It could've been an epic.

After the first episode, The big time drama starts and audience lost themselves in to the dramatic world of the story. Politics, Power, Revenge and Powerful Characters are the life of this movie. Every scene is linked, has value and content. Raktacharitra is gore story and demands gore scenes. You cannot see a Gandhi with a missile and Adolf Hitler preaching Peace. This movie is presented as it is chosen by Story and the story is chosen by reality.

Other Factors

RGV could've concentrated on the dubbing artists which brought previous movie experiences and confused audience unknowingly.

Screenplay and scene development cud be better.

The idea of voice-over is good to make the lengthy story short and a direct interaction of story teller to the audience.

One song is an abuse to the movie.

We need more movies with content. Thanks to RGV

Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007)

Audience burnt alive in RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG

[2/10 · 6 September 2007]

OVERALL PERFORMANCE :- At last the long waiting AAG hits the screens. Unfortunately, it couldn't set progressive fire in the audience. The first best thing to talk about the movie is The idea of remaking the mighty SHOLAY. And Varma made a nice choice of changing the total backdrop of the movie. If he repeated the same Ramghad backdrop, people will again say there is nothing new in this. Different background is appreciative but the way he presented it is not worthy. Right from the start of his career with SIVA in Telugu, he had been using the same lighting and kind of background. I seriously dunno this guy Varma considers about lighting or not or may be he has no other lighting technique other than like gordon willis GODFATHER. It's all DUTCH DUTCH DUTCH DUTCH. Why would some body use so many Dutch angles and extreme closeup shots!!!!!!! The shot division is lame. Characters couldn't carry an emotion, performances are not to their mark, Storytelling is worse, Background is really really terrible.

Babban:- Amitabhz been over prioritized to his job. VARMA produced great villains like Bikumatre, Bhavtakur Das, Mallik Bhai but this time he failed in carving the all time best characters of Hindi Cinema. There's no comparison of Gabbar with Babban. Babban is a more psycho rather than a villain, still he has a soft corner for his brother ( It's a gift in this movie). Amitabhz performance is not to his mark. His appearance itself is pathetic. The scar on his nose, symbolizes forgotten villains of black and white cinema. What ever they worked on Babban is not successful. Babban is no comparison with Gabbar.

Narsimha:- The first best thing about this character is not to put audience in suspense about his hands. If varma did that , it would be like teaching ABCD to a Bachelor degree holder. Itz good he opened the secret early. But the flashback is pathetic. Varma couldn't use a great actor like mohanlal to his mark.

Durga:- The only character with betterment. This character has been improved with satisfactory changes and was used according to the story.

Heroo, Raj, Ghunguroo:- No body bothers or at least considers these character. The utter failure of movie starts when director could not work on the close friendship between our heroz. These characters carry nothing to this movie.

RAMGOPALVARMA:- His quality is degrading, diminishing. AAG totally can be treated as a C grade movie. Sholay is a fire of revenge, problem of a town, meaning for true friendship and highly appreciated nuisance and fun by Dharmendra. AAG never carried an emotion with its characters. Storytelling is too weak that it could not make audience feel sympathy for the characters. Don't compare AAG with sholay, still u will not like it.

If you dare watch this movie. You will be burnt alive in RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG

Sivaji (2007)

Another Over rated movie for an Over rated Star

[5/10 · 2 July 2007]

Another Over rated movie for this Over rated South Indian Star Rajini. I do not understand when people say he is stylish. Of course, he does some tricks in every movie but they never sound rich and real. This star has come all the way in his career with style. The same style 30 years before and still same monotonous walking or body language. It's pathetic to believe and agree what he does is style.

This movie is well crafted as a commercial film. Which satisfied at the box office as an average movie, which carried nothing new apart of those cheap fights and rajni's and shankar's own techniques. The script and story teller are worst. Some thing we saw from Shankar from years. He already produced such enough crap for a life time. And madding crowds really cannot find out the style factor in rajni, which never had a glamour charm in him.

Rajni's fans really doesn't bother about the story or whatsoever. they enjoy the movie if rajni is on the screen. But for the non fans this sounds vain and poor story telling.