Murali Sharma – Rigobertha Reviews

September 9, 2023December 1, 2023

Miss. Shetty Mr. Polishetty: A Warm And Fuzzy Film That Leaves A Smile On Your Face

This Mahesh Babu P’s directorial is a romantic comedy/drama that reflects the modern day concerns of men and women.

Starcast: Naveen Polishetty, Anuskha Shetty, Jayasudha, Murali Sharma, Tulasi and others

Director and writer: Mahesh Babu Pachigolla

Producers: V. Vamsi Krishna Reddy and Pramod Uppalapati

Production Company: UV Creations

Music: Radhan

Running time: 2 hours and 27 minutes

Genre: Romantic comedy/drama

Miss. Shetty Mr. Polishetty is refreshingly different from what we generally see in Telugu Cinema. Director Mahesh Babu P uses the genre of a feel good Rom-Com to tell a story that is filled with many layers. On one hand it is about an older woman who wants a child but not through marriage. There is also a coming of age story exploring the art of standup comedy through the male protagonist character. The film has also got a distinct Ayushmann Khurrana hangover for those who have seen the likes of Vicky Donor.

Anvitha Shetty (Anuskha Shetty) is a top chef in London. Her mother (Jayasudha in an extended cameo) wants Anvitha to get married but Anvitha is someone who has no belief in either love or marriage. She doesn’t want to get into the complications of married life. The mother soon dies because of an ailment. After a while Anvitha decides to have a child outside marriage through IVF. In her search for a sperm donor she comes across Siddhu Polishetty (Naveen Polishetty).

Siddhu works in software but his real passion lies in doing standup comedy. He does his shows without the knowledge of his parents. Anvitha is vastly impressed with his standup humour and feels that his sperm would be best for her child. In order to know more about him she gets into a friendship which Siddhu mistakes for love. The rest of the story is about the complications that happen when Siddhu comes to know about Anvitha’s real intentions.

Mahesh Babu P takes his own sweet time to establish the plot. The initial portions are dedicated to establishing Anvitha’s personality. The film actually gets going when Anvitha starts her search for a sperm donor. Naveen Polishetty’s entry as a standup comedian perks up the proceedings. The dynamics between Anvitha and Siddhu is not what we usually see in Telugu films and this gives a refreshing touch.

As mentioned in the beginning the film has a distinct Ayushmann Khurrana hangover in terms of the sperm donor angle; having said that it is still refreshing to watch because of Mahesh Babu P’s treatment.

The director also deserves credit for how he sketched his two protagonists. Anvitha is someone who comes across as this very stubborn woman who is very clear about not wanting a partner. There is a big inner trauma within her. This stubbornness may have come across as cold hearted but the viewers understand why she is the way she is. Even when Anvitha realises her feelings for Siddhu she doesn’t want to accept it and prefers going away from his life.

Naveen Polishetty’s Siddhu on the other hand comes from a typical middle class family with an upbringing that is vastly different from Anvitha. As said earlier he does a software job just to please his parents but his passion is only standup comedy. Mahesh Babu P does a good job in exploring the art and intricacies of standup comedy. The reaction of Siddhu when Anvitha reveals what she wants feels very natural. The characters of Murali Sharma and Tulasi have an authentic middle class milieu. However the transformation of these characters particularly the father’s character when he takes his son’s autograph after a show feels quite rushed. Also the likes of Nassar could have been better used.

As the title suggests the film majorly hinges on Anuskha and Naveen Polishetty and both the actors do not disappoint. Anuskha Shetty plays a character which goes with her age. She fits the part of an older woman who is scared of getting into relationships. Anuskha carries the cold heartedness and the aggressive nature well.

Naveen Polishetty’s real life experience of doing standup comedy comes in very handy during the comic portions. The actor is an absolute live wire. He also does a swell job in the more dramatic portions.

Jayasudha’s cheerfulness brings a smile to the viewers face. Her fan act of Balakrishna in particular does raise some chuckles.

Music composed by Radhan goes well with the flow of the film. Lady luck in particular is an upbeat number. I am sure many young people would connect with the theme of the film.

September 2, 2023November 22, 2024

Khushi: Love, God And Marriage

The film takes some time to get going but director Shiva Nirvana eventually finds his footing particularly in the second half

Khushi (Telugu)

Starcast: Vijay Devarakonda, Samantha, Murali Sharma, Sachin Khedekar, Saranya, Vennela Kishore and others

Director and writer: Shiva Nirvana

Producers: Naveen Yemeni and Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar

Production Company: Mythri Movie Makers

Music: Hesham Abdul Wahab

Production Company: Mythri Movie makers

Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes

Genre: Romantic comedy/drama

Shiva Nirvana’s Khushi doesn’t particularly boast of a novel plot. There are certain similarities that the viewers will find with Mani Ratnam’s Sakhi. However, there are some interesting things also that the director does. Chief among them is the background of his two protagonists. The hero’s father is a renowned atheist with an absolute distaste for god and astrology. On the other hand the heroine’s father is a staunch believer in god who is also known for his religious lectures. This adds a lot to the story, more so when the drama part kicks in. These two characters are played by Sachin Khedekar and Murali Sharma respectively.

In brief it is a usual love story with a happy ending via many twists and turns. The conflict point in this movie is faith versus non faith. Viplav Devarakonda’s (Vijay Devarakonda) family represents non faith while Samantha’s family represents faith. Vijay’s father is Lenin Sathyam (Sachin Khedekar) and Samantha’s father is Chadarangam Srinivasa Rao (Murali Sharma). Previously a huge debate on TV had happened between them. Understandably both Chadarangam and Lenin aren’t too happy with their children’s choices. Yet they agree to meet to discuss their marriage. But Chadarangam declares that Viplav will have to do a homam along with his father before marriage; otherwise Aradhya cannot become a mother. Lenin Sathyam is enraged and tells his son to forget about Aradhya. But the two rebellious lovers decide to follow their hearts. In Sakhi style they make their own home. The rest of the story is about the issues that crop up given the two vastly different family backgrounds and how they resolve them.

For any romantic film to work two aspects are of prime importance. One is having a likeable lead pair and the other is having hit music. Khushi scores in both these departments. Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha are in fine form both individually and together. They share a good chemistry.

Vijay devarakonda, Sumantha and Shiv Nirvana

It is refreshing to see Vijay Devarakonda shed his mass avatar and do an urban character. Vijay does a terrific job in portraying the various shades of Viplav; whether it is his lover boy act in Kashmir or the dramatic portions of the second half. Vijay’s comic timing also leaves viewers in splits. In the Kashmir portions Viplav speaks in broken Hindi and this leads to many amusing moments. Maybe a revenge on SRK’s broken Tamil in Chennai Express.

Vijay also takes a jibe at his own hugely successful yet hugely controversial Arjun Reddy in an interesting scene. There is a bit where a lady maid gets scared on seeing Viplav. He assures her that people have unnecessarily created a bad image of him in the market but he is actually a feminist. This leads to many laughs in the theatre.

Samantha is also in fine form complementing Vijay well. She is particularly effective in the more intense scenes.

The music of Hesham Abdul Wahab is another major winner. My favorite songs in the album are Na Roja Nuvve and Aradhya. Except for one number the rest of them are rich in melody.

The second half of Khushi is more engaging as it deals with the marital problems that the couple faces. For example there is an episode of Aradhya’s miscarriage. Aradhya believes that the miscarriage happened because of Viplav not doing the homam leading to some arguments. There is certain realisticness to the way Shiva Nirvana has staged these scenes.

Murali Sharma and Sachin Khedekar shine the brightest among the supporting cast as two men who firmly believe in their respective ideologies. There is a touching scene in the pre- climax where both the fathers have an emotional moment.

What doesn’t work for Khushi is the stretched first half. The Kashmir portions needed to be trimmed down. Aradhya’s façade of being a Pakistani Muslim comes across as stretching things too far just to prove viplav’s broadmindedness.

Also there are some characters which could have been better developed like the ones of Rohini and Jayaram. Rahul Ramakrishna as Vijay’s buddy is underutilized as always but Vennela Kishore does raise some laughs in the first half.

Overall Khushi is an enjoyable romantic drama as the title suggests. The message of love triumphing over everything is something that all of us could imbibe given the politically troubled times we are living in.

November 12, 2022December 9, 2024

Yashoda: An Overstuffed Thriller That Bites More Than It Can Chew

Yashoda directed by Hari-Harish is an attempt at exposing the underbelly of surrogacy through the lens of good versus evil. Generally it is the male protagonist who takes on the baddies and saves the day but here the director has a female protagonist who is entrusted with this responsibility. Yashoda’s battle is both personal and professional.

The film begins off interestingly enough with the murder mystery of a Hollywood starlet; there is also a business tycoon and a supermodel who are also bumped off in the film’s initial bits. Sampath Raj & Co are given the task of catching the murderers. Yashoda (Samantha) becomes a surrogate who is in desperate need of money. She is urged by the basti doctor to continue her pregnancy in a high-end facility called Eva. Eva is owned by Madhu (Varalakshmi Sarathkumar). There is also Dr Gowtham (Unni Mukandan). This facility is luxurious in every sense of the word. It is a dream come true for any pregnant woman; however things are not what they appeared to be. Yashoda is also not the helpless woman that she appears to be in the beginning. She has been sent by someone to bust Eva. Additionally her young sister is also trapped in Eva. Yashoda soon starts her secret investigation and this leads to tumbling of several secrets.

Samantha and Unni Mukundan who makes solid impression

The murder mystery and the track of Samantha go side by side leading to some unexpected twists which are quite engaging. But the missing aspect is a tight screenplay to bind things together.

Yashoda starts off on a high until Samantha reaches Eva but soon starts stagnating. The major reason for that are her Eva inmates and a forced attempt to show a bond between Samantha and them. These inmates have their own reasons to become surrogate mothers; however the problem is that audiences don’t feel anything for them. The humor also comes across as rather unwanted.

Things take a turn for good when Samantha gets into her investigative mode. Of course, suspension of belief is needed here in terms of how easily Yashoda investigates in spite of the secret cameras and the tight security. The interval bang is very exciting indeed.

The second half starts off promisingly with the back-story of Varalakshmi Sarathkumar. Her back-story looks at the concept of beauty consciousness and the society’s obsession with the outer exterior. Madhu is a woman who never wanted pregnancy as it would ruin her beauty. However, there is a major issue in terms of how she has been portrayed. Through her character the director duo reinforces the stereotypes of how a woman who doesn’t want to become a mother must invariably be an abnormal psychopath. This hardly leaves space for any nuance.

The pre-climax twist of Yashoda being policewoman and also Murali Sharma being a negative character does come as a surprise. The ending has an emotional high. However the elongated fight scenes test the patience of the viewers.

Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan, the directors, duo bite more than they can chew?

Samantha in the title role gives her blood and sweat and is easily the biggest reason why you stay with the film. She pummels the bad guys with conviction and also adds a certain gravitas to the emotional scenes. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar makes for a great antagonist; however she comes across as rather helpless in the climatic portions of the film. Unni Mukundan also makes a solid impression as Madhu’s partner in crime. Sampath Raj, Murali Sharma and others are good in the space that they have been given.

Music by Mani Sharma is just functional but the background score is good. The cinematography by M. Sukumar deserves distinction marks for a job very well done.

Final word: Yashoda is a treat for Samantha fans and an interesting experiment but that is not enough for this to sail through.