Tag: Prakash Raj

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Guntur Kaaram Review: A Tired Rehash Of ‘Attarintiki Daredi’ And ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’

Watch it Mahesh Babu!

Guntur Kaaram (Telugu)

  • Cast: Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Jagapathi Babu, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishnan, Jayaram, and Prakash Raj
  • Director: Trivikram Srinivas
  • Producer: S Radha Krishna
  • Music: Thaman S
  • Runtime: 2 hours 39 minutes
  • Rating: 2

There is a profound line in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) where Jayaram’s character talks about how the greatest battles are fought with people closest to you.

As a filmmaker, Trivikram Srinivas seems fascinated with this concept and has constantly churned out movies along these lines — Attarantiki Daredi (2013), Agnayaathavaasi (2018) or his last blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.

His latest outing Guntur Kaaram, too, has a similar theme and gives a déjà vu due to the presence of Jayaram.

The storyline of Guntur Kaaram has good scope for a festive family drama while also being a star vehicle. But here, Trivikram Srinivas falters in balancing the two aspects.

Mahesh Babu, as Ramana, is refreshing to watch.

Further, the film brings back the memories of his comic timing in Pokiri (2006) and Khaleja (2010).

Synopsis

Guntur Kaaram begins on an eventful night that ends with a murder. Jayarama’s royal Satyam is sent to prison. Vasundhara (Ramya Krishnan) disowns her husband (Jayaram) and son.

She gets remarried under the advice of her father Venkataswamy (Prakash Raj). Rahul Ravindran plays the hugely embarrassing role of Vasundhara’s second son, who is about to enter politics.

Vasundhara grows into an influential politician. Ramana becomes rowdy.

Venkataswamy feels “Rowdy” Ramana might become an obstacle and wants him to sign a document which would permanently erase him from her life.

However, Ramana refuses to sign the document despite never getting his mother’s love and care in his growing years.

As the story progresses, more layers reveal why Vasundhara has kept a distance from her husband and son.

Guntur Kaaram has a good beginning where the conflict is established without wasting time.

As viewers, you want to know the reasons behind her indifference. But the film soon stagnates as multiple characters are introduced whose relevance to the plot is better left unsaid.

Performances

Mahesh Babu in a still from Guntur Kaaram
Mahesh Babu in a still from ‘Guntur Kaaram’. (X)

There are a slew of actors who have been terribly wasted. Among them, the prominent ones are Jagapathi Babu, Rahul Ravindran, Rao Ramesh and Jayaram.

The comic punches definitely raise some chuckles.

Mahesh Babu’s comedic exchanges with Vennela Kishore are fun to watch. Their chemistry is reminiscent of Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022).

Mahesh Babu also gets dialect well, and there is a certain carefree nature, which is refreshing to watch after his Bharat Ane Nenu (2018) and Maharshi (2019).

Prakash Raj makes the biggest impact in the supporting cast. His confrontation scenes with Mahesh Babu are good to watch.

Ramya Krishnan also delivers a commendable performance as Vasundhara but the film needed more scenes between her and Mahesh Babu.

Apart from the multiple characters, another big issue with Guntur Kaaram is the insipid love story between Ramana and Sreeleela’s Ammu.

Sreeleela entertains with her dance moves. Apart from that, there is nothing much for the actor to do. This is sad because Sreeleela showed good potential in Bhagavanth Kesari (2023).

There is also Meenakshi Chowdhary of Hit 2 (2022) fame. She is supposed to be the second female lead, but her only job is to offer Mahesh Babu a plate of omelette or a bottle of soda when he consumes alcohol.

The action sequences are formulaic in nature, with the standard hero elevations that get tiring after a point. These action sequences have some trademark Trivikram Srinivas humour. But these are not enough to salvage the slow narration.

Thaman’s music is suitably massy, but most songs come across as speed bumps in an already tired narrative.

Final take

Guntur Kaaram is a massive downfall for a man who delivered commercial films that can be watched on repeat mode!

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Rangamarthanda: This High-Pitch Emotional Tale Is More For Those Interested In The Bygone Era

Brahmanandam is awe-inspiring!

Rangamarthanda (Telugu)

  • Cast: Prakash Raj, Ramya Krishna, Brahmanandam, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Shivathmika Rajashekar, Adarsh Balakrishna, Rahul Sipligunj, and Ali Reza
  • Director: Krishna Vamsi
  • Producers: Kalipu Madhu and S Venkat Reddy
  • Music: Ilaiyaraaja
  • Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes

There are certain tropes associated with films related to old-age parents. These clichés seem to be a must, irrespective of whatever language the film is. The younger generation is always the villain and the root cause of all their problems.

The audience is meant to sympathise with the parents even if they are in the wrong. The daughter-in-law who cannot adjust to a joint family and her need to have an individual space is looked down upon as something bad.

Director Krishna Vamsi’s Rangamarthanda (a title conferred on a skilled theatre artist) pretty much follows this blueprint. But what makes the movie slightly different is how he integrates the life of a stage artist into this familiar tale.

Through the characters of Prakash Raj and Brahmanandam, the film talks about how performing on stage is different from living a real-life role.

The retirement life of a stage artist

Rangamarthanda is a remake of the 2016 Marathi film Natsamrat starring Nana Patekar. For those who did not watch the original, the Telugu remake is the story of a celebrated theatre artist Raghava Rao (Prakash Raj).

He rules the stage for decades. He takes retirement to spend more time with his family. Though his intentions are pure, Raghava Rao is too straightforward to adjust to the changing landscape.

His unfiltered attitude often becomes a problem when he stays with his daughter-in-law and then his daughter.

Ramya Krishna is a dutiful wife who adores and walks in the footsteps of her husband.

Anasuya Bharadwaj’s Geetha is the supposedly shrewd daughter-in-law.

Shivathmika Rajashekar plays the daughter who later turns out to be a villain because of a misunderstanding.

Siddu (Ali Reza) plays a spoilt brat and an upcoming actor who has a connection to Raghava Rao in the past. He spends most of his screen time listening to the flashback story of Raghava Rao.

After Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam gets the next big part to play. He plays Raghava Rao’s best friend and a fellow stage artist.

Unlike most of Brahmanandam’s previous films, the senior actor doesn’t do any comedy here.

Brahmanandam & Prakash Raj complement each other

The best parts of Rangamarthanda are easily the portions involving Prakash Raj and Brahmanandam. Their scenes have both wit and emotional resonance.

On more than one occasion, they move audiences with their emotional acting.

For example, there is a scene where the onscreen wife of Brahmanandam dies. Sitting next to the pyre, he wonders why he can’t shed tears unlike in similar situations on stage.

Also, there is a scene in the hospital room where Brahmanandam and Raghava Rao enact a part of the “Karna-Duryodhana” play in dialogues. This scene is a treat to watch even if you are not so much into stage plays.

Prakash Raj and Brahmanandam do most of the heavy lifting as far as acting is concerned.

Brahmanandam deserves extra points for his exceptional performance because he has never done this kind of role before.

With Rangamarthanda, the veteran actor shows that he is more than capable of doing heavy roles, too.

Shivathmika Rajashekar & Rahul Sipligunj excel

The portions involving Shivathmika Rajashekar and Rahul Sipligunj are good to watch.

Rahul Sipligunj brings a certain freshness to the table with his Telangana slang. The singer-turned-actor brings a much-needed liveliness to this otherwise depressing story.

Shivathmika Rajashekar springs a pleasant surprise by more than holding her own opposite both Prakash Raj and Ramya Krishna. She does quite well as a caring daughter.

The viewers feel bad when a small misunderstanding involving her snowballs into a big issue later on.

Ilaiyaraaja’s music goes perfectly well with the mood of the film. His songs have a certain weight and add depth to the woes of Raghava Rao.

The dialogues are a bit of a mixed bag. Some turn out to be extremely preachy but there are also some gems. Not surprisingly, most of these are delivered by Prakash Raj and Brahmanandam.

Cliched and overdramatic

What considerably pulls Rangamarthanda down is the pile of clichés.

The concerns about Anasuya Bharadwaj’s character are genuinely valid but the treatment is extremely one-sided.

Another example is regarding Telugu — how speaking Telugu is looked down upon in schools.

There is no denying that everything has become an English medium but the point should have been made subtly. The school principal’s role comes across as more of an NRI villain.

Another problem with Rangamarthanda is how it looks at the inability of Raghava Rao to adjust to his new life. We are meant to sympathise with him even when he is clearly in the wrong.

Simple problems unnecessarily snowball into bigger issues. Some problems have also been added for the sake of it.

The biggest example of this is the death sequence featuring Ramya Krishna. As viewers, we don’t feel sad as it is overdramatic.

Even the end message about looking after your parents are more hammered in rather than coming as organic.

The irony of the situation is that Raghava Rao was very successful in portraying different roles on stage. But, in real life, he is unable to perform the one role that is expected of him.

Above all, at the beginning of the film, there is a monologue in the voice of actor Chiranjeevi dedicated to the senior male Telugu Cinema actors. The photos of these Telugu actors are shown as part of the commentary.

I wonder why the makers went for screen actors instead of stage actors as the film is all about a stage artist!

Final take

In a nutshell, Rangamarthanda is for a thin section of the audience. Watch it if you are a fan of Prakash Raj or Brahmanandam or if you are an avid follower of stage plays.

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Major: Adavi Sesh Anchors This Heart Touching Saga

The attack of 26/11 is a subject that has found a prominent place in both movies and also web series. A good example of this is the Anupam Kher and Dev Patel’s Hotel Mumbai and also the web series Mumbai Dairies. Major directed by Sashi Kiran focuses on the real life major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. Sandeep Unnikrishnan was an NSG Major who sacrificed his life in fighting the terrorists on that fateful day. The beats of the story isn’t unfamiliar in any way. Most of us know how the attacks of 26/11 had played out and as an audience you also know that Sandeep is going to end up as a martyr. So the tricky thing is how you engage the audiences. But director Sashi Kiran keeps the audiences hooked. He is also helped by the mostly tight writing of Adavi Sesh, apart from acting, Adavi Sesh has also written the story and screenplay of this film.

The story of Sandeep is narrated through the parents played by Prakash Raj and Revathy respectively. Sandeep’s fascination with the uniform is established early on by the director. From a young age itself Sandeep is someone who doesn’t think twice before putting himself in harm’s way in order to save someone’s life. His parents aren’t exactly too pleased with his decision of joining the army. But there is nothing that they can do given the firmness of Sandeep’s decision; through the course of the film,  Sandeep is confronted with what it means to be a soldier. Is it putting oneself first on the battlefield, or forgoing being a good husband etc. On that fateful day he had the option of staying back but he instead decided to fight the terrorists.

The biggest triumph of Major is way the character of Sandeep has been etched. The focus is on Sandeep as a complete human being and not just as a martyr. When the inevitable happens you not just mourn for a soldier who has lost his life, but you also think about the life that he could have lived.

Major, starring Adivi Sesh, showcases the fascinating saga of a braveheart | Filmfare.com
Fascinating story of a braveheart

There is a deep emotional connect that the director brings. Sandeep’s interactions with his parents in particular are good. There aren’t many of those scenes but whatever what you get is heart touching. The film also works as a coming- of- age tale and not just as a soldier’s story.

Sandeep’s love story with his childhood sweetheart Isha (Saiee Manjrekar) is also fairly well etched out. Saiee gets a pretty solid role and she delivers a decent performance, but there are times where you feel that a more solid actress would have uplifted the love story.

A majority of Major’s second half plays out as a combat drama. The action set pieces by Naba are very good. You can clearly see that a lot of hard work has gone into it. The dialogues by Abburi Ravi are another standout feature of this film. Lastly, Patchipulusu also deserves credit for his cinematography. He ably captures the different moods of the film through his lens.

Adavi Sesh gets a role of a lifetime and the actor grabs the opportunity with both hands. It is a part which is demanding in both physical and emotional sense, and Adavi Sesh nails it with a terrific performance. He is convincing in all the stages of his character.

Major Opts For Early Premiere Shows All Over The Country - Movie News
It is a film that is going to stay with you for a long time

Prakash Raj and Revati are experienced actors who don’t need any particular validation, as expected both of them bring in their immense experience to the parts. Their performances in the closing moments would move audiences to tears. Murali Sharma and Shobhita Dhulipala are effective in their brief roles.

In a nutshell, Major more than lives up to the promise made by the impactful trailer. It is a film that is going to stay with you for a long time even if the subject of army isn’t your cup of tea.

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Vakeel Saab Versus Pink: This Pink Remake Works Best Only When It Sticks To Its Original Source

There are certain things that you need to keep in mind as a viewer when you are watching Vakeel Saab. The chief most among them are the extra masala elements that are added to satisfy Pawan Kalyan fans. The masala in this one includes three fight scenes and the absolutely unnecessary romantic track with Shruti Haasan. Nerkonda Paarvai starring Ajith as the lawyer also had a couple of additions but the changes there fitted in more seamlessly when compared to this one. Following is my opinion on the areas where Vakeel Saab works and the areas where it could have been better. 

Not surprisingly the biggest strength of Vakeel Saab is the second half. It is in this half that the story finds its footing. The courtroom face off between Pawan Kalyan and Prakash Raj engages you completely. Both the actors share a wonderful chemistry and it is very clear that they had a blast shooting these scenes. Of course the tone of these scenes is more masala laced but there is enough meat here to keep you hooked. Out of the three films Prakash Raj is easily the best opponent lawyer and beats Piyush Mishra by miles in the Hindi version. 

The second half also works better because the focus is on the stories of the three women and the situation that they are caught in. In spite of having a star like Pawan Kalyan director Sriram Venu doesn’t side track the main theme of the film which is a no is a no. He effectively uses the star to get the message across. 

Thaman’s Music and background score is another major winner. The film begins off with the beautiful Maguva Maguva. This song has been used by the director to establish the bond between the three women played by Nivetha Thomas, Anjali and Ananya. Other songs like Satyameva Jayate come at appropriate times and pack quite a punch. The female version of Maguva Maguva in particular is very emotional. 

Coming to Pawan Kalyan it would be unfair to compare the actor to Amitabh Bachchan and Ajit for many reasons. However it has to be said that he does well in the courtroom scenes. The performances of Nivetha and Anjali are also very good. They bring out the different feelings of the character really well. Ananya also does a fair job. 

The biggest grouse that I have with the film is pre- interval portions of Pawan Kalyan as the savior of people. It is peppered with scenes that will give you a major deja vu as we have seen this in many commercial films in the past. The character has also got shades of Sunny Deol from the film Damini. 

The love story between him and Shruti Haasan is another thing which will test your patience. Shruti Haasan hasn’t got anything to do and even in the slight emotional scenes she messes it up big time. It was a track which wasn’t needed in the first place. 

The fight scenes aren’t bad but they don’t really add much to the film. Except for the fight in the park the other two could have been easily chopped off. 

In totality chances are that if you are a fan of Pawan Kalyan you would enjoy the film more. For those who have already watched Pink keep low expectations if you are planning to watch Vakeel Saab. But keeping aside the comparisons, it is good to see a film like this being made in so many languages. The important point is the message has to go down –  A NO IS A NO. 

https://www.primepost.in/vakeel-saab-versus-pink/

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Paava Kadhaigal: Disturbs You But Not In The Right Way

Caste based killing is a subject that is relevant even to this day and when told in an engaging manner it gives you good results like Nagraj Manjule’s Marathi film Sairat or even Article 15, but Paava Kadhaigal (Sinful Stories) will make you lose faith in human beings particularly parents, this in spite of having formidable directors like Gautam Menon, Sudha Kongara and Vetrimaaran.  The commonality between this and Putham Pudu Kaalai apart from being an anthology are the directors Gautam Menon and Sudha Kongara. While Putham Pudu Kaalai left you with a happy feeling this anthology leaves you thoroughly depressed and also makes you wonder what was going in the minds of the directors when they decided to make this one.

The first story is about a transgender Sathaar (played by Kalidas Jayaram). Sathaar dreams of marrying his childhood friend Saravanan. But Saravanan is in love with Sathaar’s sister Sahira. Although the incidents of Sathaar being teased by village bullies are realistic, the episode feels like more of a documentary and it is also poorly structured. Kalidas Jayaram tries his level best to elevate the proceedings but it is a lost cause. This is very sad since Sudha Kongara had proved her worth as a director in Soorarai Pottru where she took on a familiar underdog story and made it work.

Vignesh Shivan’s Love Panna Uttranum is a story of two sisters both played by Anjali. We are told that one of the sisters is a lesbian who is in love with Penelope played by Kalki Kochelin. The other sister is looking for her father’s approval to marry someone outside their caste. The biggest issue here is the treatment of LGBT. This is particularly reflected in the scene where a character misreads lesbian as ESPN. It is meant to play out as a comic scene but it doesn’t bring much laughs. The LGBT thing looks more like an add on and needed more meat. The only thing which remotely works here is the character of the father who positions himself as an anti-caste leader but in reality he is not.  Anjali in a dual role is mostly there to cry while Kalki looks completely out of place as the foreigner.

Gautam Menon’s Vaanmagal sounds poetic but it is anything but that. This segment deals with sexual assault of a minor girl and how it leaves a scar on the family. The father character is played by Gautam Menon himself and the mother character is played by Simran who returns to screen after a long time. Much like the segment in Putham Pudu Kaalai Gautam Menon goes out of his comfort zone once again but this time the result is far from pleasing. The most disturbing thing about this one is the scene where we see Simran pushing her daughter from a mountain top.  Though it turns out to be not real but the thought itself is very regressive.

Vetrimaaran’s Oor Iravu stars Sai Pallavi and Prakash Raj as daughter and father. The story is in two timelines one in the present where Sai Pallavi’s character returns to the village for a supposed baby shower. The other timeline is the past where Prakash Raj’s character goes to his daughter’s house to make amends. There is no denying that the climax is gut wrenching and does jolt you but it doesn’t affect you the way that Sairat climax does. The biggest reason being too much negativity never works and since you have already had so much of negativity in the other three stories you feel like screaming at the director. Also it is tough to buy into what Prakash Raj’s character does particularly given his caring attitude in one of the timelines.

In totality Paava Kadhaigal might have started with the good intention of showing the evils of caste, LGBT prejudices and honour killings but it went totally overboard. Given the times that we live in with so much stress this film is completely avoidable.