| Movie & Restaurant Reviews by Sasikanth Paturi

Mayura House | Restaurant Review

Place: Mayura House
Location: Opp. Film Nagar Club, Film Nagar
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with amma and dad)

Dad’s been wanting to go to this place in Film Nagar for a long time now and so one fine day last week, we headed off for lunch to Mayura House. Walking in, the place looked decent and was partly crowded. We made ourselves comfortable at a corner table, away from the crowd. Both amma and dad wanted to have meals, and so I opted for the same as well.

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The meal was served pretty soon and it was quite a sight. It had so many items – four different rice items, dal, three curries, four varieties of rasam/pulusu, vada, poori, a sweet, different kinds of pickles/chutneys and other accompaniments.

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The vada was crispy and good. Unlimited number of pooris were served on the meal, and they tasted good along with the aloo korma.

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Of the rice varieties, Tomato rice and Sambar rice tasted yum while Pulihora and Biryani were mediocre.

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The Dal was decent, and so was the brinjal curry. The korma was pretty good while the raw banana (aratikaya) fry could have been better for it was very dry.

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Rasam and Sambar were both alright. Majjiga Pulusu was good, but the best of the lot was the Mukkala Pulusu which tasted yum.

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The semiya payasam turned out to be a disappointment for it was very watery, and lacked taste.

Overall a decent meal. Most of the items were tasty, and the quantity served was pretty good. However, the service was absolutely terrible. Forget table service, the servers lacked basic etiquettes of talking to customers. There was a power cut a few minutes after we started our meal and we were told that the generator was being turned on. We started sweating profusely, and when we enquired again after about 15 minutes, we were told that there was no generator in a harsh tone. Their attitude and callousness was bewildering. The place has no fans or windows, and it was suffocating to sit in there. And this apparently is a usual sight during daily power cuts. At this point, we just wanted to finish our meal and get out of the place, not wanting to come back again. When Dad spoke to the manager, they offered us a 10% discount, but still, though they had good food, this was the first and last time I’m visiting Mayura House!

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 540/-

Verdict: 6/10

Mozza | Restaurant Review

Place: Mozza
Location: Opp. Krishe Sapphire, Madhapur
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch

I’d heard quite a bit about this new Italian restaurant in town and wanted to give it a try for a while now. I finally got my chance thanks to a foodie meet. Mozza is a small place in the same building as Veggies 365 (now closed). It’s got nice interiors, and has decent ambiance. I made myself comfortable at a corner table with fellow foodies.

Like with most foodie meets, there was a special menu for the day. Off a list, we were to choose for a starter, pizza, pasta, dessert and a soft drink. For starters, the listed options were Baby Potatoes in Parmesan sauce and Stuffed Mushrooms. I chose for the latter.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Baby Potatoes in Parmesan Sauce

I had a taste of the potatoes, and they were pretty good. I would have preferred the potatoes to be little more parboiled, but nevertheless, the sauce was creamy and it was a good start to the meal.

The Stuffed Mushrooms looked yum and tasted yum for there were stuffed with cheese and were fried perfectly.

For the pizza, we had the option of Sicily-pesto sauce based and Imperia. I chose the pesto pizza while my fellow vegetarian foodie chose Imperia, so that we could share.

The Pesto pizza had sun dried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, olives and peppers. I had asked for the pizza sans peppers, but given the foodie rush, I got one with them. The pizza was pretty good and cheesy, but there was too much pesto sauce on the base which dominated over the veggies and cheese. That apart, a decent pizza.

The Imperia pizza had a mix of peri-peri vegetables and looked quite colourful. While it tasted good, this too had too much tomato base which was overwhelming.

For Pasta, we had a choice of Alfredo and Paprika, and most (like me) chose Alfredo. This happened to be the only disappointment of the meal for the pasta was very dry and lacked flavor.

For desserts, there were Lemon Cake and No Flow Choco Lava Cake. The Lemon Cake tasted pretty good, and so did the Choco Lava cake. I actually liked the latter better.

Overall, a good meal. But for the pasta, everything else turned out to be decent, Stuffed Mushrooms being the winner. Service was alright and so was the ambiance. Compared to other places, everything is reasonably priced. So give it a shot if you haven’t yet.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Drishyam | Movie Review

Drishyam

Drishyam has garnered quite a bit of positive buzz within days of its release. A remake of Malayalam version with the same title, this one is a good film, yes, but definitely not a good thriller.

Scripted by Jeethu Joseph (director of the original), Drishyam tells a story of an ordinary middle class family who get pulled into unanticipated circumstances thanks to a guest (film term). Before I delve into rest of the details, here’s some trivia.

Immediately after watching the movie, I came home to watch the original. And to my surprise, the Telugu version happens to be a scene to scene rip off of the Malayalam version. Except for a few edits, everything including most of the character names, dates, dialogues, and even the camera angles happen to be the same. There was absolutely no change in terms of the screenplay either. Unfortunately though, the subtlety of the original was far left behind.

Back to the review now. Debutant director Sripriya had no role to play as most of the cast happened to be senior actors, and could replay the original to the ‘T’. At no point was her ability showcased with respect to direction or screenplay. As already mentioned, the subtlety was lost in translation, especially in the first half hour where the characters were established. Everything seemed loud and artificial. Talking about the screenplay, while it was decent, I wasn’t really impressed by it. And it definitely didn’t belong to thriller genre. When most of the story is revealed immediately after the scene’s occurrence, I don’t think that can be called a thriller. Yes, it had some (very little I say) suspense associated with it, but no, it wasn’t edge of the seat stuff. Oh, add unconvincing, and at times pretty slow as well.

Venkatesh did a commendable job as the lead, and it was more or less a tailor-made role for him. It would have been nice if he had let go of his cheekiness in the first half hour though. That apart, he had to downplay for most of the film, and he does a commendable job. It was a cakewalk for Meena, having played the role in the original. She was good, but again could have reduced the makeup (she looked so much better in the original sans makeup). Krutika is pretty good as the elder daughter, and Baby Esther was good in the role she essayed in Malayalam. Nadira was decent as the ruthless cop, while Naresh came up with a good performance. The rest of the cast is alright.

Music by Sharreth, borrowed from the original is alright. Editing by Marthand Venkatesh and cinematographer by Gopal Reddy were both decent. However, I’m disappointed that neither had anything special to add to the movie.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a good movie and an entertainer. But to call it the best of the lot thriller would be injustice to the genre (Go watch Anveshana (1985), that’s a thriller). Give it a watch without expectations and I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed.

Worth mention: Hero Venkatesh downplaying for most of the movie.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

After watching both the versions, I have a different take on the movie. Spoiler alert, so only people who have watched the movie are advised to read on.

Instead of revealing the fact that IG’s son had shot a video of George Kutty’s/Venky’s daughter and him being murdered in the first half, I would have preferred if it was kept under wraps till the end of the movie. The family could have travelled to Vizianagaram, gone to the temple, come back, and the entire storyline of them being arrested and tortured could have been showcased without giving away the plot. In this case, you are more connected to the family for you as audience don’t know that they have committed the crime as well. Entire suspense could have been revealed in about 10 minutes in the last shot where Venky meets the IG couple. Voila, you now have a thriller!

Should I be directing movies?? 😛

Karachi Bakery (Banjara Hills) | Restaurant Review

Place: Karachi Bakery
Location: Road No. 1, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Bakery, Fast food
Meal: Dinner (with amma)

Was travelling along Banjara Hills with amma a couple of weeks ago, and decided to stop by at Karachi Bakery for a quick meal. Not till then did I know that this place served only vegetarian savories.

Anyways, I ordered a Cheeseburger and a Hyderabadi Club Sandwich, and it took a while for the order to be served.

Karachi Bakery Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Veg. Cheeseburger

The burger came first and was piping hot. They microwaved it for too long and I couldn’t take a bite for almost ten minutes after it was served. On taste front, it turned out to be pretty good. Cheesy, with a lot of curry in between, yummy.

The Sandwich was served almost when we were done with the Burger. It turned out to be quite disappointing for there was nothing Hyderabadi about it, and neither was there a cutlet/tomato omelet to make it a club sandwich. It was just a multi-layer grilled cheese sandwich wit tomato and cucumber, served with some coleslaw. It did taste good, but disappointment. Surprisingly, it was even priced higher than the burger.

To end the meal, I asked for a chocolate mini cupcake.

And for 20 bucks, I thought it was a pretty decent one.

All the pastries at the counter looked really good and tempting. Unable to resist, I asked for take-away of a Belgian Black Forest, a Chocolate Mousse Cake, and a Tiramisu.

The moment I reached home, I dug into all three for a taste, and the Belgian Black Forest pastry turned out to be the best of the lot. It was creamy, chocolaty, and really moist. Overall, yummilicious!!

The Chocolate Mousse Cake was the second best. This had loads of cream (which I’m guessing was the mousse). I loved it!

The Tiramisu was a little disappointing after two yummy pastries. It kinda tasted sour, and there was nothing great about it.

Overall, a pretty good meal. But for the sandwich and Tiramisu, everything turned out to be delicious. And the best part is that everything is priced reasonably, and there was total value for money. I’ve heard good things about their cakes, and after experiencing them myself, I certify them yum. Go hog!

Food: 8.5/10
Desserts: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 370/-

Verdict: 8.5/10

Oohalu Gusagusalade | Movie Review

Oohalu Gusagusalaade

Oohalu Gusagusalade happens to be one of the surprise hits of the year, and it is not without a reason. Well canned with a simple storyline, this movie is surely refreshing!

Scripted and directed by Srinivas Avasarala, the story revolves around a shy guy taking the help of his friend to woo his girl, little knowing that the friend loved the girl in the past. It’s an old story, yes, but Srini presented it in a very refreshing way. With relatively new cast, Srini excels in directing the first half. While he does pretty good in the latter half as well, I thought he failed to invoke emotions. The lead letting go of his love so easily, with a smiling face was lamentable. But now that I think of it, it might have been intentional to avoid the regular emotional scenes and show everything on a lighter note. Screenplay is very effective as well.

Shourya comes up with an exceptional performance as the guy caught up between love and family. He has ease to his acting, and is way better than any than the other breed of so-called actors. Rashi Khanna is really cute and puts up a fine performance. I’ve always liked Srinivas Avasarala’s style of acting and he doesn’t disappoint. Every cast member comes up with notable performances.

Music by Kalyani Koduri is pretty decent. While songs break the flow at a couple of instances, the tunes are really peppy. Stand out is “Em Sandeham Ledu”. Editing by Kiran Ganti is decent, and so is the cinematography by Venkat Dileep.

Is it worth your time and money??: Definitely yes. It’s a refreshing film with some fine performances. Though it lacked emotions, the flow of the film is great. A film not to be missed this season.

Worth mention: The cute little love story in the first half, and the climax scene.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 8.5/10

Dwaraka (Lakdikapul) | Restaurant Review

Place: Dwaraka
Location: Hotel Rukmini Riviera, Lakdikapul
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner

Wanting to eat some yummy Biryani, I dropped into Dwaraka Lakdikapul a couple of weeks ago. Their Hundi Biryani, which I last had in their Ameerpet branch (now closed) happens to be among the best in the city. It’s been ages since I last came into Lakdikapul Dwaraka. Times have changed and so has the place, and here I was at the newly revamped restaurant inside Hotel Rukmini Riviera. Brightly lit, the restaurant had decent ambiance, and I made myself comfortable at a corner table for four.

For a relatively new place, their menu was in shreds with pages falling apart. To my disappointment, the Hundi Biryani was replaced with Paneer Hundi Biryani. Not wanting to experiment, I enquired about the Dwaraka Special Thali. I was informed it is North Indian Thali with an additional dish, and ice-cream. I went for it thinking what could go wrong with a thali. Alas!

Dwaraka Lakdikapul Restaurant Review — Tomato Soup

The Tomato Soup was served in about five minutes, and tasted pretty good for it was thick and creamy.

Before I finished the soup came the Thali. It had Paneer Butter Masala, Channa Masala, Mixed Vegetable, Bhendi Fry, Manchuria, Biryani and Gajar Halwa, and came along with a Plain Naan. Of the curries, while the PBM was decent, the other two weren’t great. The Manchuria was dripping in oil, and the Bhendi fry was cold and hard as rock. When I informed the waiter about the oil in Manchuria and showed it to him, he retorted saying Chinese dishes come with oil. Argh! The Naan was decent, but the biryani was terrible. When I asked for more Naan, I was informed that I would have to let go of the white rice in such case. I didn’t want the rice anyways, so asked for it and had to wait for about ten minutes. The Gajar Halwa was decent.

I finished a disappointing meal and was waiting for the ice-cream. But I was instead served the bill. Curiously, I asked if they forgot something, and everyone seemed clueless. I then had to demand for the ice-cream. After forever, Strawberry ice-cream was served.

Overall, close to a disastrous meal. Did I say I didn’t want to experiment? But for a couple of items, the thali was terrible. What was more surprising was the indifferent attitude of the waiters. For a small restaurant, they had a handful of waiter, most of them standing in the corner and chatting away to glory, unbothered about the customers. People at every table had issues with them. And for 165 bucks, the quantity served was minimal. I could have had an unlimited yummy thali for around the same price at Shanbhag. Bottom line, looks like I’m not coming back to this place again, for good!

Food: 6/10
Service: 4/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 165/-

Verdict: 5.5/10

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania | Movie Review

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Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge released 19 years ago, and 16 years since the release of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. They were good movies, alright, but I really don’t think they are classics in any sense. Dharma movies seems to think otherwise.

Scripted and directed by Shashank Khaitan, the movie kicks off with our engaged heroine, Kavya flirting around with the hero, Humpty. Soon, as expected, they fall in love, and the rest of the story is about how our beloved Humpty convinces Kavya’s dad about their love. Sounds familiar na? While Shashank’s take on the story is pretty good, it is too predictable, and you start to wonder if you actually paid money to watch a rerun of a bunch of films. The first half is well executed, and then he loses it. Direction isn’t great and the screenplay is absolutely shoddy. And the climax was too filmy even to be featured in a film!

On acting front, Varun shines big time. He’s got a lot of energy and this is apparent on-screen. Alia on the other hand surprises me. While she was pretty good in 2 States, it looked like she refused to act in this film. She has the same expression for most of the movie. She’s got the looks and the nakhras, but no, she doesn’t act. Ashutosh Rana is pretty good as Alia’s dad. He can actually groom himself to be the next Amrish Puri. Siddharth Shukla is alright. Humpty’s side kicks Gaurav Pandey and Sahil Vaid are really good.

Music by Sachin – Jigar and Toshi Sabri is more or less mediocre. The only songs I liked were “Samjhawan” and “Daingad Daingad”. But for in the climax, editing by Manan Sagar was alright. Cinematography by Neha Parti Matiyani was very good.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a timepass movie. But honestly, you can give it a skip unless you have nothing better to do. The only plus point is Varun, nothing more.

Worth mention: The gay episode in the second half was hilarious.

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 5/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10

Verdict: 6.5/10

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes | Movie Review

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In my opinion, Rise of the Planet of the Apes wasn’t a great film. While I enjoyed a couple of episodes, I was left wanting for more. The more is delivered by the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, but…

A little into the near future, when civilization has almost gone extinct because of a virus, Caesar, our beloved ape, leads a new generation of intelligent apes. They soon realize that a bunch of humans with tons of artillery exist in nearby lands and need to access the forests to fix their power source. While most apes do not trust humans, Caesar does, and allows humans into their lands. The rest of the story is about whether his trust is reciprocated. Scripted by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the movie has better storyline than its predecessor. There is much substance and better emotions. While direction by Matt Reeves is almost perfect, my only problem was with the pace of the film. Understood that the director was trying to convey emotions and make a point, but I was kinda perturbed with its snail pace. There were times it felt more like drama than an action film. I also quite didn’t understand the human storyline much.

On acting front, Andy Serkis is absolutely brilliant as Caesar. Though it is performance capture, you can actually see his face on-screen. He actually outruns his own performance as Gollum in the LOTR series with this one. Toby Kebbell also comes up with an excellent act as Koba. Jason Clarke is decent as Malcolm, while Gary Oldman is pretty good in his brief appearance.

Music and background score by Michael Giacchino is way better than the predecessor film. Cinematography by Michael Seresin is a definite asset. Editing by William Hoy is decent. While the 3D effects aren’t worth a mention, the visual effects were very good.

Is it worth your time and money??: But for its snail pace, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ain’t a bad film. If that doesn’t bother you much, give it a watch for Andy Serkis and the visual effects.

Worth mention: The climax fight. It was quite spectacular.

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6.5/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Bobby Jasoos | Movie Review

Bobby Jasoos

After The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, every movie of Vidya Balan releases with great expectations. While Bobby Jasoos isn’t as pompous or intense as the former two, it is definitely worth your buck!

Bobby is a beloved girl from a Muslim family of our Old City in Hyderabad, who considers herself to be a great detective. While solving a couple of petty cases in her neighborhood, she is called upon by a mysterious man paying big money, to find a couple of missing people. The rest of the story is about who the mysterious man is and whom does he want to be found. Scripted and directed by debutant Samar Shaikh, the story is kept simple and never gets too complicated. Showcasing the nativity of Hyderabad to the maximum, Samar brings out beautiful emotions from all his cast members. Direction is very neat, while the screenplay could have been little better. And ya, there is no real jasoosi in the move but for in the title, a disappointment.

Vidya owns the film big time and looks absolutely gorgeous. With this film, she once again proves that you don’t have to shed your clothes or have a perfect figure to look beautiful. Her expressions and smile in few episodes are priceless. Ali Zafar is great as the male protagonist. He had to downplay quite a bit to let Vidya take center stage, and he does it with ease. Arjan Bajwa is pretty good, while Supriya Pathak and the rest of Bobby’s family are perfect. The guy who played the role of Shetty, Prasad Barve, deserves a mention.

Music and background score by Shantanu Moitra are pretty good. While the first song was welcoming, the song in the second half was more like a speedbreaker to the film’s pace. Editing by Hemal Kothari is neat, and so is the screenplay by Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh. However, I felt that he could have captured more of Old City grandeur. Samar Sheik also deserves a mention for the dialogues in Hyderabadi slang.

Is it worth your time and money??: Yes. You might have already heard this before on various occasions – go watch the film for an amazing performance by one of the best actors in recent times, Vidya Balan! It’s no great film, but still enjoyable.

Worth mention: The entire episode before and after Ali Zafar talking to his abba jaan, and the message in the climax.

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

Verdict: 7.5/10

Ci Gusta | Restaurant Review

Place: Ci Gusta
Location: Kavuri Hills, Madhapur
Cuisine: Italian, Desserts
Meal: Lunch

As part of a foodie meet, dropped into this place last Sunday. Ci Gusta happens to be more of a dessert place also serving Italian food. Walking in, I thought the place was brightly lit and very nicely done. As part of our special meal, we were to start with frozen yogurt, head for starters and main course along with a drink, and finish with gelato and some more frozen yogurt. This was to be quite a meal!!

For Froyo, they had self-serve charged by weight dispensers right at the entrance. This was the first time I came across a self-serve dispenser in India, and was pretty impressed. After trying out all the available flavors, I opted for Forest Berry and Mango combo, topped with some nuts and Blueberry sauce.

I loved the Forest Berry the most of the lot for it had a very distinct flavor. The Mango also tasted pretty good but it wasn’t the best.

For starters, we were served with Chef’s special dishes: Potato Wedges and a some kinda Chicken starter. The wedges were tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce which gave them a nice flavor. I would have preferred them to be served with some kinda dips to add more taste.

We had to choose either for a Pizza or Pasta, and I chose for the latter: Ci Gusta Di Mafia, a creamy rich sauce pasta with tomato, garlic and broccoli.

I choose this pasta is for the cream, and to my disappointment, I found the sauce very thin with barely any cream. While it had nice flavor, a thicker sauce would have worked wonders. I would have also preferred more veggies.

For the drink, I opted for a Litchi shake which turned out to be pretty good.

Back to the desserts now. From a range of gelato, after tasting quite a few, I finally picked pannacotta flavoured gelato which turned out to be pretty yum!

And finally, to finish off the meal, we were to choose for Parfait of Caffetine. While Parfait was fruit flavoured frozen yogurt, Caffetine (I hope I’m spelling it right) turned out to be a coffee flavoured one. It was more creamy than the dispenser froyo, and the espresso shot gave it nice taste. It was good finish to the meal.

Overall, it was a decent affair. While I wasn’t really satisfied with the main course, all the desserts turned out to be pretty good. Though ambiance is good, the service needs to be improved upon quite a bit. On price front (in general), everything is on the higher side. I believe that quality of food needs to be improved by quite a notch for them to be worth the price. Also, while the desserts were good, nothing really left me in awe. Bottom line, I’m probably gonna go back for the desserts, but not for the food.

Food: 8/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/- (As part of a deal)

Verdict: 7.5/10