Virupaksha: A Solid Thriller That Is High On Both Atmospherics And Content

Director Karthik Varma Dandu proves to be a worthy successor to his master Sukumar

Virupaksha (Telugu)                3.5 out of 5

Starcast: Sai Dharam Tej, Samyuktha, Sunil, Bramhaji, Ajay, Rajeev Kanakala and others

Direction and story: Karthik Varma Dandu

Screenplay: Sukumar

Producers: B.V. S. N Prasad and Sukumar

Production Company: Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra

Genre: Horror/thriller

Running time: 2 hours and 26 minutes

Thrillers are one of the most difficult genres to execute for any filmmaker. The reason for that is – then the director has to ensure that audiences are constantly on the edge of their seat and keep guessing what will happen next. It becomes even trickier when the director has chosen a subject with undertones of paranormal activities concerning superstitions.

First time director Karthik Varma Dandu sets the story of Virupaksha in the fictional village of Rudravaram. The film begins off in the year 1979 where a couple is burnt alive by the villagers on the suspicion of practicing black magic. The dying couple puts a curse that the entire village will die by next Puskharam. From here we fast forward to 1991 where a series of deaths start happening. It is at this stage that we are introduced to Surya (Sai Dharam Tej). Surya is a city dweller who comes to his ancestral village with his mother and a friend.

On the way they are greeted by a crow which according to his mother is a bad omen but Surya downplays her concerns. Nandini (Samyukta Menon) is the daughter of the village head played by Rajeev Kanakala. Nandini suffers with seizures from time to time. Her health is quite delicate. Surya and his family are hosted by Savitri (Anchor Shyamala). Surya starts developing an interest in Nandini. He starts flirting with her in the typical style of Sukumar heroes. Some lovey dovey moments take place. But things take a turn for bad on the day of the main puja.

Team Virupakasha with Allu Aravind

A missing villager comes from forest in a possessed state and dies inside the sanctum of the temple. This obviously sends shock waves and an elaborate purification ritual is ordered. The priest (Sai Chand) tells the Sarpanch that the village borders should be closed. The priest further adds that outsiders should no longer remain in the village. Surya and his family prepare to leave, but half way through he has to come back to save Nandini’s life who has another seizure.

Meanwhile Nandini’s friend Sudha (Sonia Singh) plans to escape from the village with her beloved. One night she takes the plunge and leaves for the railway station. There she witnesses her lover being hit by a train. A few days later Sudha herself is found dead. In between two more murders happen. One of them includes Savitri. The rest of the story is about how all these mysteries are solved.

Virupaksha grips you from the start with the way Karthik Varma Dandu builds up the ambience. The screenplay written by director Sukumar is filled with many layers. Karthik Varma Dandu and Sukumar come up with some valid arguments against prejudices and superstitious beliefs that stem from ignorance.

Sonia Singh

Karthik Varma Dandu should also be credited for not making Surya larger than life. There are no pointless songs that deviate the audiences from the main core.

The cinematography of Shamdat Sainudeen adds certain eeriness to the proceedings. The sound effects are very effective in raising some genuine scares. On more than one occasion the viewers would want to close their eyes.

The twists and turns in Virupaksha engross you till the end. At no point we feel the duo has taken us for a ride. A special mention must be made of the revelation at the end. The climax punch works even more because of the way the foreshadowing has been done.

In spite of all its positives there are certain areas where the film is a little problematic, especially in portraying the children of burnt couple suspected of black magic. The way they go about their revenge using the same superstitions does not go well with the tonality of the film. Also some of the costumes worn by Sai Dharam Tej and Samyukta Menon come across as too modern for the period the film is set in.

Sai Dharam Tej delivers a convincing performance as a man who is on a mission to save his love and the village. Samyukta Menon has a meaty role and the actress does complete justice to her part. She particularly shines in the emotionally charged moments.

Out of the supporting characters Rajeev Kanakala and Ajay shine the most. Rajeev Kanakala melts your heart as a concerned father. Ajay on the other hand comes across as a breath of fresh air in his role of an Aghora. He commands the viewer’s attention with his body language and overall demeanor. Sai Chand also does a neat job in his role of a priest.

Virupaksha is a pure and honest thriller that tackles some important issues prevalent in our society.

Virata Parvam: A Tragic Love In The Time Of Revolution

Venu Udulgula’s Virata Parvam has created a lot of buzz for two reasons. Along with the star cast comprising of Sai Pallavi and Rana Dagubbati, the real life story that it is based on has also added to the hype. Earlier also you have had films with the backdrop of naxalism but here you have a love story at its core. The film’s title is taken from a chapter in Mahabharata where the Pandavas had gone into exile.

The story of Virata Parvam is set in the period when the naxalite movement was at its peak. Vennela (Sai Pallavi) belongs to an oppressed caste. Vennela is heavily inspired by the revolutionary poetry written by a famous naxalite Ravanna (Rana Dagubbati). Without even meeting Ravanna Vennela falls in love with him. Vennela is so infatuated with him that she even leaves her home. She makes several attempts to meet him. In a big turn of events her path finally crosses with that of Ravanna. The rest of the story is – whether Ravanna accepts her love? What problems Vennela faced in her journey? And most importantly what happens to her at the end.

DIRECTOR VENU UDUGULA WASTES NO TIME IN SETTING UP THE CHARACTER OF VENNELA AND ALSO HER FASCINATION WITH THE POETRY OF RAVANNA.

Director Venu Udugula wastes no time in setting up the character of Vennela and also her fascination with the poetry of Ravanna in the beginning itself. But the big issue with the first half is it is difficult to buy the love that Vennela has for Ravanna. The director puts a spin of Krishna and Meera bai but it doesn’t make much sense. It is a theory which is difficult to buy in the scenario of this film.

The attempts of Vennela in reaching Ravanna take up most of the first half, as a result the audience start feeling restless. The story becomes stagnant with nothing much happening.

The film finally picks up pace when Vennela and Ravanna have a face to face conversation just before the interval. From here on the drama becomes more engaging.

A scene which deserves particular mention is the conversation between Sai Chand and Sai Pallavi. Sai Chand is once again the eternal father after Kondapolam and Fida. Sai Pallavi’s expression after the dialogue of Sai Chand is something that stays with you.
Another impactful scene worth mentioning is the one between Rana and Zarina Wahab playing Rana’s mother. Ravanna avoided seeing his mother for a long time but he finally gives in because of Vennela. The poem that he recites is sure to make the audiences emotional.

TECHNICALLY THE DIRECTOR DOES A GOOD JOB IN RECREATING THAT PERIOD. THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND THE ART DESIGN DESERVE PARTICULAR MENTION.

Technically the director does a good job in recreating that period. The cinematography and the art design deserve particular mention. But the editing definitely needed to be far tighter. Instead of two and half hours the film could have easily been just two hours.
Needless to say that Sai Pallavi is the star of Virata Parvam, as Vennela she perfectly captures the innocence and also the adamant nature. It is a role which is very much up her ally and the actress doesn’t disappoint.

RANA’S RAVANNA WORKS AS A PERFECT COUNTERPART TO VENNELA. HE INITIALLY COMES ACROSS AS A VERY STOIC PERSON BUT AS YOU GO ALONG DIFFERENT LAYERS COME OUT.

Rana’s Ravanna works as a perfect counterpart to Vennela. He initially comes across as a very stoic person but as you go along different layers come out. The actor lets Sai Pallavi hog the limelight but he also makes his presence amply felt.

Nandita Das, Priyamani and Naveen Chandra are impressive in their parts but no one is very memorable.

In a nutshell Virata Parvam doesn’t quite turn out to be the epic love story that it promised, but nevertheless the emotional second half makes it worth watching.

Kondapolam: Another Feather In Krish’s Filmography

Sannapureddy Venkatarami Reddy’s novel Konda Polam is a hugely acclaimed novel for many reasons. It addressed many significant topics, one of which is the need for coexistence between man and nature. It was also about the protagonist getting rid of his inner demons and facing life with confidence.

Director Krish retains the spirit of the novel and adds his own touch to it. At the same time he removes certain unnecessary chapters from the novel like the smuggling one. Krish’s touch can be seen in the way he builds up the love story between Vaishnav Tej’s Ravi and Rakul Preet Singh’s Obu. The character of Obulamma is a creation of the director but it never feels unnecessary or unwanted. Through the characters of both Rakul Preet Singh and Hema Krish gives a feministic touch.

THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT OF KRISH IS HOW HE SETS UP THE TALE WITH THE HELP OF A FANTASTIC TECHNICAL TEAM.

The movie begins off with Ravi attending an interview at the UPSC board. His aim is to become a forest officer. Though he is fluent in English he requests Nassar along with the other officers to conduct the interview in Telugu, highlighting the right to speak in one’s own mother tongue. From there we move to a flashback that tells you about the journey of the protagonist from Nallamala forest to this current interview.

The biggest achievement of Krish is how he sets up the tale with the help of a fantastic technical team. Gnana Sekhar’s cinematography beautifully captures the locales. Although the film was shot in Vikarabad forests and Anantagiri, it has the authentic feel of Nallamala forests. They are a treat to watch. The art direction is another department that deserves full marks. Rajkumar Gibson creates an authentic milieu that has a lived in feel. You never feel any sense of artificiality.

ANOTHER THING THAT KRISH GETS RIGHT IS THE CHARACTER GROWTH OF RAVI.

Another thing that Krish gets right is the character growth of Ravi. Initially we see him in a perpetual state of fear whether it is in the boardroom or back home in village. He is jerky whenever he is asked why he hasn’t got a job yet. The transformative journey begins when he is sent by his grandfather to Konda Polam. If his biggest fear in forest is tiger, his biggest fear in life is not getting a job. Krish combines both these aspects and shows how Ravi overcomes both.

Rakul Preet Singh’s Obulamma is a character that will be remembered for a long time just like Samantha’s role in Rangasthalam. While Ravi might look more knowledgeable in the outside world, but it is Obulamma who is superior to him in terms of sheep rearing and the ways of the forest. She turns into a guru for Ravi and teaches him the ropes of the forest. The way the love story has been weaved into the bigger picture is very appreciable.

RAKUL PREET SINGH IS A REVELATION IN HER PART. SHE PORTRAYS THE DE-GLAM ROLE WITH ABSOLUTE CONVICTION.

Rakul Preet Singh is a revelation in her part. She portrays the de-glam role with absolute conviction.  Vaishnav Tej is earnest and delivers a sincere performance.

One of my other favorite characters is of Ravi Prakash. There is a brilliant monologue scene where he speaks to his wife over the phone and breaks down. It is a highly emotional scene that moves us to tears. Ravi Prakash is absolutely brilliant. Sai Chand also deserves appreciation for his wonderful acting. After Uppena it is the second time that Vaishnav Tej and Sai Chand are acting together as father and son and the comfort level shows. Kota Srinivasa Rao has a small role but the veteran actor is a delight to watch.

AFTER UPPENA IT IS THE SECOND TIME THAT VAISHNAV TEJ AND SAI CHAND ARE ACTING TOGETHER AS FATHER AND SON AND THE COMFORT LEVEL SHOWS.

The use of Rayalaseema dialect is also pretty impressive. The accent never comes across as odd. However there are certain heavy dialogues by some characters that seem strange given their background.

The songs and the background score by Keeravani is definitely a minus. Except for the Obulamma song nothing really works. Couple of romantic songs also act as speed breakers. The background score is too loud and it distracts you somewhat from the watching experience.

Watch Konda Polam for the authentic performances and the realistic background.