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Reviews
Rangasthalam (2018)
A CRAP Movie.An Overrated Hero
Sukumar's ambitious film unfolding in the rural landscape of the 80s is an immersive experience
Rangasthalam is like a novel. In its first few pages, this fictitious dusty village of the 80s reveals itself gradually. The dialect is rooted, not a generic one that mainstream films present in a broad brushstroke for instant appeal. The story is not entirely new. A President (Jagapathi Babu), whose real name the villagers have forgotten since they've addressed him only by his position of power for three decades, covertly usurps land. Forged loan accounts drive gullible, uneducated farmers to despair. A slow uprising happens, bolstered by an educated man who's returning home.
Sukumar infuses life into this story with his astute writing, and is helped by his committed technical team and actors. Rangasthalam is Sukumar's most defining film. And, Ram Charan's too. It marks his rise as an actor. He is wonderful as 'sound engineer' Chitti Babu, submitting himself to the diktats of the all-encompassing countryside.
Rathnavelu (cinematographer) bathes the village in earthy tones of brown, and the art department fills the frames with details. The wide canvas is busy. The arid landscape and the barely-there water channels tell a story. Whether it's an adda under a tree or a marketplace where people jostle for space, there's always something to notice in the background. The space looks lived in rather than a film set, and the knick-knacks used by people look real and worn with use, the way they should be.
A Lagaan-like situation has brothers Kumara Babu and Chitti Babu gathering support from villagers, to stand as ward members. Just as Ashutosh Gowariker's villagers feel Bhuvan is foolhardy to challenge British might, here too people feel it's a dead-end route. In this film too, a rough guy who hitherto seems unapproachable turns a friend and adds muscle to the uprising. The actors who appear in different small parts are all in sync with the story. The actor who plays Chitti Babu's aide, Naresh and Rohini, the farmers are all believable. Samantha in her not-too-glamorous and yet arresting role is a revelation. Aadhi Pinisetty shines, once again, with a measured performance. Prakash Raj makes an impact as senior politician Dakshinamurthy.
Bharat Ane Nenu (2018)
Bharat Ane Nenu An outstanding political Drama
'I don't belong here', Bharat Ram (Mahesh Babu) tells Varadaraju (Prakash Raj) when he's asked to take over the Chief Minister's chair that lies vacant after his father's (R Sarathkumar) demise. A storm is brewing within the ruling party. Bharat, who has spent most of his growing years abroad and has channelled his void of missing out on parental love into academics, enters the imposing Chief Minister's chamber. Everything is in order except the place card on the table. Bharat sits down and gently sets it straight. With this move, director Koratala Siva establishes what Bharat will do in power - he will set things right with quietude, kicking up a storm only if necessary.
There's a certain classiness to this political drama set in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Bharat gets a taste of the city's traffic, the chaos that unfolds in the legislative assembly and the lackadaisical attitude that penetrates all through the government machinery. His calm contrasts the din, which never gets deafeningly loud on screen. It's as though we're looking at the world through Bharat's perspective. Koratala Siva harnesses Mahesh's trademark style of emoting subtly and the actor delivers a fine, mature performance. Devi Sri Prasad's music, Ravi K Chandran and Tirru's cinematography are in sync with the slick presentation.
In the opening scene we learn that Bharat isn't afraid to admit what he doesn't know and enjoys the learning curve. 'I am a fast learner,' he says and lives up to it. The narrative traces the evolution of this outsider, who occasionally falters in Telugu and finds it easier to speak in English, into the son of the soil. The transformation is gradual, brought in by his empathy with people. Simultaneously, Bharat also plugs the gap in the family bonding.
This film is a sharp contrast to Shankar's Mudhalvan (Oke Okkadu) where the face-off between Arjun and Raghuvaran and the events that follow on one day formed the film's crux. This is a different stage. Bharat, too, takes unconventional decisions but the momentum builds slowly as he understands the deep-rooted rut he's been pushed into and feels the need to clean it up.
It would have been easier to build a crowd-pleasing mass masala with this story. But the team takes the trickier route of doing it with restraint and still wins hearts. Ideas of local governance, better vigilance, and accountability on part of both the government machinery and people get discussed.
A stand-out sequence is a crucial press meet where Bharat tears into a section of media that thrives on personal slander stories for better TRPs.
Bharat Ane Nenu deserves a thumbs up for its well thought out plot and nuanced characters. Keeping us hooked to the narrative are Mahesh Babu, accompanied by Prakash Raj in another winsome and complex role, Rahul Ramakrishna, Rao Ramesh, Brahmaji and Kiara Advani among others. Kiara is impressive in her limited role and it will be interesting to see her in more substantial parts.
If there's any grouse, it's got to do with the film's length. But it doesn't really matter, since it's not often that we get films that don't take the audience for granted.
Spyder (2017)
A Psychic Thriller
Mahesh Babu is an intelligent youngster who likes to help people. He joins as a phone call data analyst in Intelligence bureau though he is destined for a much higher designation based on his qualification and intellect. He chooses the job of phone call data analyst because it helps him to prevent future crimes. He keeps rescuing people as he gets the know about possible murders/suicides in advance. In one such mission, he fails to save a college girl. The forensic evidence at crime scene indicates that there is more to that murder. In the process of his research, he stumbles upon a psycho killer. Rest of the story is about to what extent he goes to nab psycho killer and avert killer's future crimes.
Mahesh Babu should be given a lot of credit to two things. One is to try a different subject and another one is for giving so much of space for villain character to dominate him. Mahesh Babu does the role of a intelligence officer who takes law in his own hands to act as vigilante. Mahesh Babu who is known for subtlety had done a perfect job in this film. He exhilarates you in few scenes with his perfect work.
It's SJ Surya who walks away with honors among the other actors. He is terrific in the bridge scene before interval. He looks soft and feminine at times. Yet, you fear him because of his dangerous mind. The kid who acted in the flashback deserves huge appreciation (his character worked in a big way due to terrific characterization by Murugadoss and superb background music by Harris Jayaraj). Priyadarshi is good as a buddy and RJ Balaji is under utilized Murugadoss has come up with another interesting story idea where a Government official becomes vigilante in society by eavesdropping on phone conversations. A story of this type can be narrated in either a completely realistic manner.Harris Jayaraj's tunes for this film are not fresh. But he makes it up with his background score. The BM he uses for villain character is superb (it's entertaining as well as spine-chilling). Cinematography by Santosh Sivan is excellent and sets the mood for the film. Dialogues written by Murugadoss are good. He sums up the message of the film with this dialogue - Humanity is nothing but an unconditional help to a stranger.
Srimanthudu (2015)
A millionaire adopts an entire village to help bring change to the entire town.
Harsha (Mahesh Babu) is the feather-bedded son of a millionaire Ravikanth (Jagapathi Babu). Harsha aspires simple life and helps others whoever in need. He meets Charusheela (Shruthi Haasan) in the college and falls in love with her as the time passes. One fine day, Harsha expresses his love and proposes Charuseela. But, she rejects his proposal and reveals a secret about her father. Upset with the story of Charuseela, Harsha leaves for a village named Devarakonda on his personal mission. There he comes across Sasi (Sampath Raj) a local goon, who always hinders the work of Harsha. Now, his personal mission turns out to be a revolution in the village.
What is the secret revealed by Charuseela ? Why did Harsha reach Devakonda ? What is his actual mission ? Did he achieve success in his mission ? How did he overcome the problems in the village ? To know the answers for all these questions, then one has to watch the film on the Silver Screen itself.
Mahesh Babu steals the show. He looks dashing as a college student. He is simple, stylish and elegant in his performances. No punch dialog's and no overboard acts. He mesmerized with his one-liners and touched the hearts of the audience with his dialog's, especially in the emotional scenes.
* Shruthi Haasan is gorgeous and effective in her role. She mesmerized the audience with her beauty and glamor.
* Mahesh Babu and Shruthi Haasan shared a sparkling chemistry with each other. The pair looked good on the screen, which brought freshness to the film.
* The biggest highlight of the film is its Theme, which is very interesting.
* Jagapathi Babu is the key asset of the film. His confrontational scenes with Mahesh Babu are a delight to watch.
* Rajendra Prasad has played yet another different role in the film.
* The presence of Ali guarantees some fun.
* Poorna is very pretty in her traditional attire.
* The fighting sequences have been showcased very well.
* First half of the film is quite colorful and has some fine classy moments.
* Second half has the necessary emotional content as per the requirement of the film.
On the whole, Mahesh Babu's Srimanthudu is a stunning emotional family drama which touches the hearts of everyone. A Must Watch Film.
1 - Nenokkadine (2014)
A Brilliant Movie
Story Gautam (Mahesh Babu) is a rockstar. He is alone and his parents are killed when he was a kid. He wants to take revenge on the killers of his parents. But, he has a psychological problem. The rest of the story is all about how he overcomes the psychological problem, how he finds out who his parents' killers are and how he gets to know more about his parents.
My respect for Mahesh Babu has increased multifold after watching this movie. His decision to accept a thriller, that's too with psychological issues is a daring one. This film and his character in this movie will remain as one of his best accomplishments in his career. There is lot of underplaying in his characterization and it's multi-layered. He is simply superb. On the commercial front, his work in interval episode and the shadow step he has done in 'You Are My Love' are of top-notch. The final conversation with the main villain and his dialogue to the kid at graveyard is excellent.
Mahesh Babu's son Gowtam made his debut as childhood Mahesh. He is another superstar in making. Ease in acting and lovable looks! Kriti Sanon is pretty good and suited the height of Mahesh Babu. Kelly Dorji, Pradeep Rawat and Nassar played important roles. Posani Krishna Murali's role is the only character in this film where the director tried providing regular entertainment. Naveen Polisetty did a vital role. Sophie Choudry has done the item song in this movie.
The story of the film looks very simple. But the screenplay is highly complex. There are various layers like revenge, a psychological disorder, eagerness to know about roots and corporate greed. There are a few amazing screenplay tricks in the movie. Director Sukumar added 20% more commercial appeal to what needed for a psychological thriller, but stayed with the theme of the film most of the times. The length of the film should have been taken care of and the screenplay should have been crisp and racy. There are certain issues with the film - heroine interaction in Goa episodes appear repetitive and there is no scope for songs in this kind of thriller. Sukumar has followed Hollywood style and orientation by narrating the film in a classy way. We do expect the death of villain as the final frame of a typical Telugu movie. But there is a lot to the story after the villain's death. I loved the way he connected the titles episode of the film to the climax and how parents faces are revealed. There is lot of detailing in the film and some people might need a second viewing to understand the nuances and innuendoes in the movie.
Cinematography by Ratnavelu is the best. Songs scored by Devi Sri Prasad are not as exciting, but the background music is terrific. Dialogues are very good. There are few entertaining ones like 'stars ki ac leka poyina parledu. kaani fan lekunda vundaleru'. Locations are wonderful. This film is extensively shot in picturesque locations of Hyderabad, Goa, Thailand, London and Belfast. Action sequences by Peter Hein are well-conceived though you can see inspirations for a couple of sequences (1st action episode and car blast in tunnel (Italian Job - black & white)). Editing should have been better. The runtime should be crisp. The producers of Dookudu should be appreciated for their guts in selecting this genre and spending such a huge budget on this subject.
First things first. 1 Nenokkadine is not an universal film like Dookudu. It belongs to psychological thriller genre. Thriller and psychological are two rare genres that are least attempted in Telugu film industry. It's also a multi-layered movie. Plus points of film are Mahesh Babu, screenplay, cinematography, production values and technical values. On the flip side, the sluggish narration and excessive runtime hampers the tempo. When three big names - Mahesh Babu, Sukumar and 14 Reels are involved in making such a high-budgeted film, there are bound to be a lot of expectations. 1 Nenokkadine is not a commercial potboiler. Film lovers who have exposure to Hollywood films and world cinema will appreciate this movie. 1 Nenokkadine is a film that makes Mahesh, Sukumar, producers and entire unit proud. We need to wait and see how a common movie lover who is used to formulaic films lap it up.