1: Nenokkadine | Movie Review

1_Nenokkadine_film_poster

Though I’ve watched some really good movies in the recent past (American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street to name a couple), I haven’t felt inclined to write a review, mostly because enough has already been said about these movies. But after watching 1: Nenokkadine, I feel compelled to write one.

Having read some mixed reviews about the movie, I was eagerly waiting to watch it to judge it myself. It finally released in Singapore a week later after it did in India, and spending as much as I would for an IMAX movie ($20), here I was in a packed auditorium on a Sunday evening.

Scripted and directed by Sukumar, 1: Nenokkadine is a sigh of relief from the regular commercial Telugu movies coming out lately (where Brahmanandam gets slapped for no reason). The unique concept was very well conceived by Sukumar, and Mahesh Babu did a tremendous job to pull it off. The first half of the movie is really gripping (especially the first fight, and few of the Goa episodes). However, the lack of effective screenplay pulls down the movie in the second half. Though the direction is neat, the screenplay which is great in parts, could have been way better. The length (close to 3 hours) also doesn’t help viewers sustain interest for this genre. Nevertheless, the twists were good, and Sukumar did a good job to explain most without leaving any loose end (But for the hero getting away with multiple murders in a foreign land).

On the acting front, it’s more or less a cakewalk for Mahesh. He looked great, and was amazingly good in the imaginative episodes. His dances definitely need a mention. It was good to see the heroine get a full length role. Newcomer Kriti Sanon looked gorgeous and did a decent job. Posani was a little irritating with his fake Punjabi accent and “Dudu”. The rest of the cast was alright.

Music by DSP is more or less mediocre, but the background score is pretty good (and haunting). Cinematography by Rathnavelu is of top-notch quality. However, just like the screenplay, editing work by Karthika Srinivas is another negative. As already mentioned, films of such genre need to be short and crisp, and this is where 1: Nenokkadine loses out.

Is it worth your time and money??: As you must have already read, this is not a film for everyone. It’s a thriller with pretty good twists and turns, and some great acting from Mahesh. On the flip side, the ineffective screenplay and the run time make the film lose steam. Nevertheless, 1: Nenokkadine is a good watch. If you appreciate different genres, I’d suggest you watch this one.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10

Verdict: 8/10

Greeku Veerudu | Movie Review

Greeku-Veerudu

I am clueless on where to begin, for Greeku Veerudu was that bad a movie. It’s a story we’ve seen in many a films – a rich spoiled playboy (read Nagarjuna uncle) comes to India from New York (shot using green screen and graphics) to understand the importance of family and love. Now one can argue – how bad that could that be?? According to me, this one defines bad. The script is the same old-fashioned one which probably worked 10 years ago, with K. Vishwanath playing the same old grandfather role, saying no to love marriage initially, but later realizing his mistake, the aunties and their loser husbands, one bad guy with a loser son, and uncountable number of side characters. Dasarth has lost it, understandable, but what seemed more strange is why would others (read producer and actors) make a film with the same old formula, that too with an older Nagarjuna.

Talking about Nag, I did like his looks to an extent in the ads, but he looks really old in the film. The only place he looked good was in “Greekuveeruda” song, where in he has a different get up. On acting front, he is the saving grace of the film. Nayanathara looked glamorous, thank god for that. Brahmanandam has the routine bakra character, while the rest of the cast are put in just for the heck of it.

On technical and production front, the film is a disaster. Music is mediocre, but the background score is painful. Thaman needs to learn how to score for such bad movies. Editing by Marthand Venkatesh is sloppy, just like the screenplay. But what surprises me the most is the cinematography (Ani Bandari). Most of the film had graphics using static background – New York, airport scenes, outdoor scenes in India, climax shot in a village — all graphics. And the graphics were so bad that I felt like I was watching a second grade movie. I’m glad that they shot few scenes at least in real locations.

Overall, it’s a boring and dull film you’ve seen many a times – only thing different is an older hero. They claim it’s a family entertainer; forget entertainer, but in a way it shows how better off your family is compared to the dumbass one in the movie. Unless you are a diehard Nag fan, stay away please!!

Is it worth your time and money??: No, please skip it!

Acting: 6.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 2/10
Technical Aspects: 3/10

Verdict: 3.5/10

PS: Am glad Naga Chaitanya didn’t do the film. I (and almost everyone who watched the film) would have been dead by now if it were him as Greeku Veerudu!!

Swamy Ra Ra | Movie Review

Swamy Ra Ra

Written and directed by Sudheer Varma, Swamy Ra Ra is an average flickThe story is a potpourri of a couple of Hindi flicks, which are in turn inspired by a few Hollywood classics. Caper films have a very thin story line, and it is very important for the director to make sure that every character is connected while maintaining the pace of the film. Though he was able to do the latter to an extent, Varma introduced too many characters which made it all look patchy after a point. A faster screenplay would have been appropriate. The film started off well, but the unnecessary romance track, and a weak second half are its negatives.

Acting by Nikhil, Swathi, and rest of the cast is decent. Music by Sunny is good, but he should have avoided copying the title track straight off from the Hindi flick they borrowed the story line from (Shor in the City). Editing by Kartika Srinivas is alright, while cinematography by Richard Prasad deserves a special mention. However, the number of slow motion shots should have been much less for their effect was lost after a point.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Swamy Ra Ra is a decent effort in making a Telugu caper film. 

Verdict: 6.5/10

Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu | Movie Review

Post Gabbar Singh, the expectations from Pawan Kalyan are really high from Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu, and him teaming up with Puri Jagannath makes things even better. But sadly the film disappoints. It is not because of the lack of punch dialogues nor Power Stars charisma, but due to lack of a proper script. Businessman was a success because of its effective screenplay, but Puri Jagannath totally falters with screenplay in this film. The script does not have a basic conflict point, and that in itself is a main drawback.

The first half is very predictable but alright, but the second half is pretty much a disaster for it totally goes haywire. I like Pawan Kalyan, but honestly, he’s no Chiranjeevi. Pulling off Tagore like stunts just doesn’t work for PK. But he still manages to woo the audience with his charm and powerful punch dialogues. He looked a wee bit old in a couple of scenes though. Tamanna has very limited role, and I thought she went a little overboard to get into her tomboyish character. There’s no special mention on the comedy front.

Except for the Jaramochindi song, the music isn’t so great either, but PK dances well. Cinematography Shyam K. Naidu is alright. Most of the aerial shots are graphic based. Editing by S. R. Shekhar could have been a little better. Productions values could have been way better as well. But most importantly, if only Puri worked a little more on the script and screenplay!!

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s totally upto you. I enjoyed the first half, but the second half was a total bore. PK and Puri’s dialogues are the plus point of the film, while lack of conflict point and disastrous screenplay cause the downfall. There was no need for Rambabu to be a reporter to do what he did, and neither was there a role for Ganga. So now make your guess on how effective Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu is.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Life Is Beautiful | Movie Review

Is it worth your time and money??: Life Is Beautiful has no proper story, and seems very amateurish. Add to that mediocre screenplay. Thankfully, the film has some beautiful moments, and the new cast lived up to their roles. Sekhar Kammula really needs to get out of the Happy Days phase, and concentrate a little more on his scripts. If life were like in this movie, I wonder what reality is.

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 6/10

Julayi | Movie Review

I kinda lost hope on Julayi once its release got postponed, but here I was watching it anyways. I should have listened to my gut feeling and stayed away for it was a sheer waste of time and money.

Julayi suffers from the same problem as other Telugu films, lack of a sensible script. Trivikram Srinivas (story-screenplay-direction) comes up with a flawed script, wherein he tried to fit in a number of elements into the two off hours movie, but failed to realize that the basic theme of the film was weak. Our hero, who’s supposed to be arrested for a wrong doing, suddenly becomes the cop’s best friend for he can think alike the villain. He not only starts giving them free advice, but even shoots and kills people on their behalf. In between comes a damsel whom he falls in love with, a corrupted politician, a revenge saga, etc, etc. The hero is shown to be intelligent, but there is no logic to his intelligence. As if the story wasn’t bad enough, the direction is mediocre, and screenplay horrendous. Trivikram’s dialogues are no savior, for good ones are very limited. And ya, ripping scenes from The Dark Knight and The Italian Job isn’t cool!!

Allu Arjun tries really hard to carry the movie on his shoulders, but the faulty script doesn’t do him any favors. However, he looked stylish, and his dances are very good. Ileana had a limited role and looked super hot, especially in the songs. Rajendra Prasad looked very odd with his wig and makeup, and was superficial on most occasions. An actor of his caliber can do much better. Sonu Sood had a meaty role, and he excelled. Bramhandam, MS Narayana, Bharani, Dharmavarapu, Ali, Vennala Kishore are all there, but none of them had a significant role. The dialogues are the only comic relief in the movie.

Music by Devi Sri Prasad is very good. But most songs sounded the same, probably because of similar kind of lyrics. Background score could have been more effective. Cinematography by  Chota K Naidu & Sam K Naidu is alright. Editing by Pravin Pudi is decent. Though flawed, the movie never seemed boring. Graphics were very bad and production values seemed mediocre.

Overall, a time pass flick which really doesn’t work. Nuvvu Naaku Nachav, Manmadhudu, Malliswari; all these movies had one think in common, awesome dialogues, which have been Trivikram’s forte. Instead  of sticking to them, he ventured into direction, and except for Athadu, he hasn’t been much successful. If anything, he even lost touch on his dialogues. Julayi is no different. It might be reviewed as an intelligent action entertainer by some, but for me, it was another disaster Telugu movie.

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 6/10
Is it worth your time and money??: No. Trivikram fails big time with this one, for even his famous dialogues don’t score. Julayi would have failed even if it released on its original release date in July!!

Verdict: 5.5/10

Eega | Movie Review

I lost interest in Eega once the movie’s release got postponed from March. It’s been a week since the movie released, but I had no urge to watch it and have been skeptical on its success. I finally did last night, and it was proved wrong. Kudos Mr. Rajamouli, for you have changed taken Telugu cinema to a different level altogether.

Eega starts off with a father narrating a bed-time story to his daughter. This gives the director, Rajamouli, the freedom to play along with the story of the movie, and fantasize it as much as possible. I thought this was brilliant concept, for  you know it’s a bed time story. However, Rajamouli tried to make the movie as realistic as possible. Except for the tantric episode, the rest of the story is flawless. The story is simple, and the execution is very neat. The love story is brilliantly shot, and an abrupt end caused to the romance makes you connect with the fly, feel his pain. The following revenge episode is perfect, and you cheer for the fly as if he’s your kith or kin. It is very difficult to be able to execute a story so perfectly such that it connects, but Rajamouli does it with ease. The screenplay could have been a little better, but I really got no complaints about it.

In Sudeep, Rajamouli he had a brilliant actor, who adds life to the film. The fly graphics could be good or bad, but the actor acting with the fly needs to set the tempo of the film, and Sudeep just does that. He is a versatile actor. Nani shines in his brief but important role. In 20 minutes, he had the responsibility of connecting with the audience, and he did. Samantha is alright as damsel in distress. She could have been a little more expressive at times though. There is not much of a cast otherwise.

Music by Keeravani is an asset to the film. The title track is used very effectively, and the back ground score is very good. It would have been nice if the entire “Nene Naanine” song were used. Cinematography by Senthil Kumar perfect.  and editing by K. V. Rao is neat. Except for Eega’s birth episode, the graphic work for the rest of the film is of top-notch quality. Production values are pretty decent.

Overall, an entertaining watch. It might not be a perfect film, but it seriously doesn’t matter for Rajamouli takes Telugu films to a different level. He is a director with guts, and proud to have him among us. It’s a much watch film for every Telugu film lover. Leave your inhibitions behind, and go watch it. Am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8.5/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Yes. It’s worth every penny you spend. Don’t miss it!!

Verdict: 8.5/10 + 0.5 for Rajamouli

Couldn’t help but capture this on my way back home from the movie. Maybe he has a story too đŸ˜›

Gabbar Singh | Movie Review

Gabbar Singh

After more than a decade, Pawan Kalyan is back!! After delivering one dud after another post Khushi, this is one film you can watch only for PK. I watched it in a single screen, and the effect was mind-blowing. This movie is a treat for PK fans!!

Director Harish Shankar is a guy with talent. I remember watching Shock on the first day. Though it’s on my list of the worst films I’ve watched, his approach to the film was commendable. And now, for his third film, he does what no other director in the recent past could do – he extracts the best out of Pawan Kalyan. Though the film is a remake, firstly, he made sure to change it to suit the Telugu nativity and the hype surrounding PK. He made sure to highlight PK in every single frame of the film, and his characterization is perfect. He also inserted some amazing entertaining moments into the script. The Antakshari episode and Bramhanadam cut out episodes are few the best moments of the film. On the down side, concentrating only on PK made the film lose its pace mid way through. Few minutes before the interval, the interval bang, and the climax are a bore. The screenplay (Ramesh Reddy, Vegesna Satish and Harish Shankar) is a tad bit slow, and ineffective at times. But otherwise, the direction is pretty neat.

There is nothing much to say about PK, but that he is awesome. His antics are pretty good, and he gets into the skin of the character. Enough said. Shruthi Haasan is horrendous as his lady-love though. She is so bloody thin, that it looked as if a piece of cloth was wrapped around a stick. And she can’t act for nuts. Abhimanyu Singh was alright as the antagonist, but no where close to Sonu Sood in the Hindi version. Ali and Bramhanandam are good, but you expect much more from them. Suhasini, Kota, Nagineedu, Ajay are all alright.

On the technical front, music by Devi Sri Prasad is pretty average. Except for a couple of songs, there is nothing new the album has to offer. I thought the background score could have been much better. The dialogues, written by Harish Shankar, are very very good. Cinematography by Jayanan Vincent is decent, nothing great. Editing by Gowtam Raju is way better than his last venture Racha, but still could have been crisp. The film seemed too long, and few scenes could have made the cut. Production values by Parameswara Art Productions are very good.

Overall, a decent film. If Salman Khan made Dabangg the third highest–grossing Bollywood film of all time, thanks to PK, Gabbar Singh has the potential to be the highest-grossing Tollywood film. Its boring at times, and makes you yawn. Nevertheless, its few amazing moments and what fans term as Pawanism make this film work.

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10
Is it worth your time and money??: After a couple of disasters, a decent Telugu film. Give it a shot!! It’s way better than any of the other crap playing in town!! đŸ™‚

Verdict: 8/10

Dammu | Movie Review

Dammu dummu kottuku poyindi!!

After Racha, looks like we have another winner at hand!! It’s like NTR declaring ‘When RCT can make such a dumb ass flick, why can’t I??’. God, save me from this madness!!

I sometimes wonder if these guys watch their films before releasing them. I can understand if Balakrishna or Mohan Babu do such pathetic films, but young actors like RCT or NTR working on such unreasonable scripts is not justified. Wonder when these guys will learn!!

Boyapati Srinu is one of the most enthusiastic directors I’ve seen in recent times. He is so enthusiastic, that he forgets all sensibilities. Story by M. Ratnam is about age-old family feuds, and Boyapati adds so much drama to it that we start to yawn or even maybe crack a joke when some one’s dying on-screen. The story calls for lot of sentiment, but Srinu was never able to generate any strong emotions. The relation between mother, sisters and the son seemed so artificial. And the acting is sometimes so loud. The screenplay is not so great as well. The first half is bearable, and even the second half is tolerable until the last 30 minutes or so. And then, he ruins it. With long sentimental dialogues added to some pathetic direction, the movie starts to get onto your nerves. One third of the theater got empty on the first day for this last few minutes, imagine that!!

On the acting front, almost everyone is wasted. Bramhanadam, Ali, Bhanu Priya, Suman, Abhinaya, Kota, etc., all looked out-of-place. Except for Nassar and Venu, no one else had significant screen presence. Trisha and Karthika had no footage, and were only there for the songs. Karthika’s character was so bloody irritating to add to the drama/trauma.

NTR happens to be the only saving grace of the sinking boat. He comes up with a dynamic performance and this can be rated as one of his best (Thank god that unlike someone, he can act!!). His coming timing, and mannerisms are really good. On the downside, he has put on tons of weight, which I think effected his dancing capabilities. He looked like his dad, Harikrishna, in a couple of scenes, which was actually scary (We don’t need another HK, please!!). With such acting talent, I only wish he picked better scripts.

On technical front, the movie fares average. Music by Keeravani is alright, but the background music was a mixed bag. Cinematography by Arthur Wilson is pretty good. The action sequences were well captured. Art by Anand Sai was sad. We’ve been seeing the same sets for almost every film now. Editing by Kotagiri Venketeswara Rao is decent enough for the pathetic script. I wish he could edit the last 30 minutes to 3 minutes though. The graphic work is commendable.

Overall, go watch this flick only if you happen to be a family or NTR fan. There is big possibility that you might get disappointed too, but hey, if you don’t watch it, who else will?? đŸ˜€

Acting: 6/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 2/10
Technical Aspects: 6/10
Is it worth your time and money??: No, unless you happen to be this huge NTR fan.

Verdict: 4.5/10

Racha | Movie Review

RachaWhoa, what a movie!! Splendid is not the word. Racha is one of the best movies I’ve seen so far this year. In one sentence, Racha picha racha ga undi!!

Director Sampath Nandi had a very good script at hand, and he was able to get all aspects of film making right. Tamanna looked gorgeous and she performed to her best. Brahmanandam was simply superb with his comedy, and the rest of the cast, including Geeta, who played Tamanna’s mom, were superb. But the undoubted star of the movie was Ram Charan. He was simply extraordinary. His dances and fights were excellent. He looked like Chiranjeevi in most shots and his dialogue delivery was brilliant.

Excellent music, awesome fights, superb cinematography and best editing, Ram Charan definitely has a winner at hand. It’s a splendid movie. Don’t miss it!!

Verdict: NA

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People who are happy with the review, please do not read any further. It’s a humble request!!

The rest, read on…

I have to admit this, what a film! If I had no brains, this definitely would have been a classic. Thank god for I am still sane and haven’t lost it yet!

Firstly, I’d like to know if the director Sampath Nandi is an educated man. If so, is he from this generation, or is he re-living in his after life?? Cos in my opinion, no sensible man would try to make such kind of dumb-ass pathetic movie. The story made no absolute sense, and the screenplay was horrendous. The best part for me was when, out of the blue, our villain arranges for traps and Ninja warriors in a jungle in AP, minutes after discovering where our hero is. I mean how did he even do that?? Wow!!

Ram Charan, where do I even start?? Ok, his dances are pretty good, but someone needs to tell this moron (spare my words), that his dances alone are not going to make him a mega power star or what ever he’s called. Trust me, if he weren’t Chiranjeevi’s son (who happens to be one of my favorite “actors”), this guy wouldn’t even get to be hero’s sidekick. Maghadeera was a hit because of Rajamouli, not this jackass.

The whole cast was absolutely wasted. Senior artists like Bramhanadam, Ali, Kota, Geeta, Mukesh Rushi, Nassar all looked like idiots. Cinematography by Sameer Reddy was alright (thank god for that), but editing by Gowtham Raju was pathetic. It’s the worst editing I’ve seen so far, for the scene changed on most occasions even without the artiste completing his or her dialogue. Dialogues bu Paruchri Brothers are a disaster. And music?? It was a relief, trust me, to have songs barging in into the script without any reason. Except for “Vaana Vaana” song, the rest were alright (Even third grade remixes are better than the one used in the movie).

Overall, a disaster. If this film is declared a hit (which I believe it is), I can’t imagine what will happen to the Telugu industry in the future.

Verdict: 4.5/10

I give this film a 4.5, for it made me laugh my lungs out on most occasions. The sheer stupidity was a pleasure to watch!! 

There will not be any further detailed review about this movie. I’ve already wasted enough time on this!! 

PS: The god’s did show mercy on me for I dared to watch this film. They not only got me a free ticket, but a cola, refreshments and additional 100 rupees!!