The starcast of Anaganaga

Anaganaga directed and written by Sunny Sanjay is part Taare Zameen Par and part Dead Poets society. What powers Anaganaga in spite of the regular cliches is the emotional core involving the father and son along with how it effectively captures the cut throat world of academic competition. Sumanth as Vyas delivers a nuanced performance conveying a lot with his gaze

Starcast: Sumanth, Kajal Choudhary, Viharsh, Srinivas Avasarala and others

Director and writer: Sunny Sanjay

Genre: Drama

Producers: Rakesh Reddy Gaddam and Rudra Madireddy

Production Company: Krishi Entertainments

Music: Chandu Ravi

Cinematography: Pavan Pappula

Running time: 2 hours and 16 minutes

Streaming site: ETV Win

Anaganaga streaming on ETV Win is a khichdi of numerous movies, a rebellious teacher whose methods feel alien and how he or she transforms the students lives. However stories on the flawed education system has a relevancy to it as the problems still persist, the academic pressures of getting solid marks is something which numerous students face and same goes to the school management specifically the international schools who are in a race.

Sunny Sanjay as a writer and director does a fine job in addressing these themes through a strong father and son story. The plot focuses on the unconventional methods of Sumanth’s Vyas. He is a major advocate of concept based learning, his emphasis is on the students understanding the concept rather than just memorize everything. Vyas uses the method of storytelling in order to makes studies more engaging however the wife Bhagya played by a solid Kajal Choudhary doesn’t approve of his methods. Apart from being a wife and a mother Bhagya is also the school principle in which their son is studying. Things take a major turn when their son along with some more students fail in the exams. The management makes a decision of removing Vyas. The rest of the story focuses on what Vyas does next and how he pursues his goal of concept based learning through alternative methods.

A strong aspect of Anaganaga is the relatable family drama whether it is the husband and wife arguments over the clash of ideologies or the son’s emotional struggle with studies. This aspect makes the movie stand out from the other films which have depicted teachers fighting against the education system.

Sunny Sanjay deserves a major credit for how has developed the character of Bhagya. On the surface she may come across as coldhearted but at the same time as viewers you understand where she is coming from. Bhagya is the main bread winner of the family so there is a lot of financial stress on her, this often results her in clashing with the husband who isn’t after money much, additionally their ideas of parenting also vary. This clash of ideologies has come out well without going over the top. There is also nice understated romantic moments between the two like the portion where Vyas pacifies his wife. Later on we see Bhagya understanding her husband’s point of view.

Mention must also be made of how the director and writer has portrayed the dark side of academic competition. There is a scene of class toppers being rewarded on the podium, on the other hand those who have failed are publicly called out. Sunny Sanjay gives an important message on the need for empathy in education and how the race for marks and top ranks are harmful in the long run.

The father and son scenes are another plus for the movie. The way Vyas helps his son in gradually getting over his academics and stage fear lead to some poignant moments. A shared moment over Musfa and Simba story from the movie lion King adds an emotional depth specifically in the pre climax block. Viharsh as Ram does a very fine job inn conveying both the vulnerability and the eventual transformation. Anu Hassan’s extended cameo also deserves a mention, it gives an insight into Vyas formative years. She adds a lot of warmth giving Vyas a direction at an important juncture of his life. As Vyyas Sumanth perfectly embodies the quiet strength of a man who has firm belief on storytelling being a very good tool. He particularly shines in the portions involving the son. Among the rest Srinivas Avasarala suffers on the account of a stereotypical characterization. He does a fair job but the role needed more nuances than just being an opposition to Vyas.

Talking about the technical departments Chandu Ravi’s music is soothing. Mention must also be made of Pavan Kumar’s cinematography. He does a fine job in capturing the nuances of concept based learning through his lens.

A song from Anaganaga

A major problem with Anaganaga is the done to death troupes involving Vyas challenge against the school management. The portions of Vyas retaliation and how he becomes a threat for the traditional schools needed more depth. The film could have benefited with some more exploration of Vyas’s methods. Also the miraculous transformation of the failed students overnight becomes tough to digest.

Final word: Anaganaga is an important watch particularly for those interested in stories related to education.