Some of my thoughts on how Saiyaara has come as an out of book syllabus surprising the trade with fantastic box office numbers; also why a film like Saiyaara is a wake up call on how big scale isn’t always necessary to strike a chord with the audiences. Sometimes all it takes is a familiar tale with new sprinklings
Saiyaara directed by Mohit Suri perfectly fits the title of a surprise dhamaka. A movie with two newcomers and on top of that an intense romantic drama has reached 200 crores till now, the numbers are only going to increase with an open field till August 1st. The mega success of Saiyaara is a pleasant surprise in the times of pan India masala where scale and big stars from different industries coming together has become a norm.
The reason for Saiyaara’s storm are numerous starting from the movie’s genre. The core plot of this Mohit Suri directorial is a cross between Rockstar and Aashiqui 2. Its been a while since Hindi cinema has taken an intense romantic drama with broken souls and madness of youthful love.
However what makes Saiyaara special is the contemporary soul in the post interval portions. The first half has all the markings of a domed love story with the heroine’s medical condition along with the fact that she hasn’t completely got over the ex boyfriend. But Mohit Suri’s handling of the second half is very different from Aashiqui 2 where Aditya Roy Kapoor is unable to get over his drinking and insecurity problems. In Saiyaara Ahaan Panday’s Krish Kapoor goes from a hot headed young man to a devoted boyfriend putting his love above the need for fame. The romantic moments between Ahaan and Aneet Padda are so adorable making the viewers root for the couple. At the same time Krish doesn’t give up music entirely, his deep love for Aneet Padda’s Vaani isn’t a weakness but its something which adds to his music.
Infact the title track Saiyaara is a representation of how much Vaani means to Krish. The placement of the song after Vaani goes missing is absolutely perfect. Through the character of Krish Mohit Suri gives us a protagonist who strikes the perfect balance between ambition and love.
Coming to the music part, songs have always been Mohit Suri’s superpower. Most of his films boast of melodious soundtracks, in fact the songs are a character in themselves playing a crucial role in carrying forward the story. Saiyaara’s soundtrack is no different whether its Humsafar of the first half or the title track in the middle of second half. The songs carry a purpose giving weight to the tumultuous journey of Krish Kapoor and Vaani.
Apart from the music and the narration what makes Saiyaara a monstrous hit are the acting performances. For a love story of this nature its very important that the two leads immerse themselves in the emotional baggage of their characters. Both Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda are simply first rate, getting into the headspace of their roles with perfection. The best part of their performances are the close up shots, the two use their eyes very effectively to convey the emotions. Along with the leads the supporting cast also deserve a mention.
Vaani’s parents played by Rajesh Kumar and Geeta Agarwal play their parts with lots of warmth. Alam Khan as KV as an important support system for Krish is also good standing by his friend even though he doesn’t get Krish’s intense love for Vaani.
Ans 1 I have done M. A English literature. With the purpose of becoming a teacher I also did B.ed. However the job of a teacher didn’t really suit me. As an education content writer I worked in Pudami publications for four years. Once the office was shut down movies became my full time profession. Currently apart from movies I am also doing a fellowship for a society called Yakshi, Yakshi has set a program regarding the upholding of constitutional values. I discovered my passion for writing on movies, web series etc during the pandemic. and since then there has been no looking back with more than 500 reviews available in my website rigoberthareviews.com. Even while working as an education content writer I used to watch movies and web series on a regular basis. Apart from movies, web series and theme based some book reviews are also there mostly based on movies.
2 How did interest on movies grow?
My experience with movies started on not a great note. My first movie experience which I saw and couldn’t complete was Ramgopal Varma’s Satya. The first five minutes had numerous killings as a result I hugged mom tightly. Accompanying us was also a friend called Khadeer. Without seeing the movie we came back. My age at that time was six years. Of course later I saw Satya on TV. Now its one of my most favorite films, the depiction of villains specifically showcasing Manoj Bajpai as a normal human being is something which I liked. My initial movies didn’t consist of Hindi much. Whenever mom suggested seeing some language films (she was a member of film society). I used to make a huge ruckus. In fact I made a protest on why she wouldn’t take me to see Telugu movies, however slowly watching the likes of Laagan, Mangal Pandey, Munnabhai MBBS spiked me in an interest towards Hindi language films, I remember even dad accompanying us. Since I couldn’t understand Hindi much mom had to translate. but the sporadic outings of Hindi movies soon led to a major interest. Some of the early Hindi movies which I saw were Lagaan and Mangal Pandey besides the two Munnabhai films. On certain occasions dad also came against his nature and mom had to do the explaining. As the years have gone by I have acquired my own taste across different languages and genres. It has reached a different level by seeing actors and directors across various language spectrums
3 What was the starting point of writing reviews?
Ans 3 Maybe COVID was the reason for that. Just like many I also got habituated to seeing movies and web series in various OTT platforms. I used to write three to four paragraphs on my Facebook page and used to post. it. Apart from posting reviews on facebook I also did Youtube videos in Prabhathalovesmovies. Of course later I stopped it. Knowing about my interest in writing reviews senior editor Ramachandra Murthy guru asked me to write for his website Primepost. At that time I had no proper idea on how to write reviews. Slowly I became habituated to it. I discovered a lot joy analyzing each movie or web series as the stories and the characters vary a lot. As a result it gave me a lot of excitement each time I watched something. As time progressed I also started doing stuff other than movie reviews, these include profiles, theme based etc. Similarly I have also written book reviews based on movies. Although I resumed my job after COVID I continued to write. Even if I join another job in the future I hope to continue writing.
4. Through which mediums do you share reviews?
Initially it started with facebook. However once I started writing for websites like Primepost and Southfirst I started sharing it on Twitter, Instagram, facebook and Linkedin. Currently I have my own website as well; the name of the website is rigoberthareviews.com
5. What are the changes that you have observed from the time you started watching movies to now?
A lot has changed in terms of storytelling particularly with the entire pan Indian phenomenon. Technology has also increased. If we take movies like Bahuballi, RRR and Kalki this change is very apparent. Rugged mass heroes with huge beards are ruling commercial cinema. This doesn’t mean that other kinds of stories aren’t being attempted. Thirty Five Chinna Katha Kadu, Court and Iravai Moodu kinds of movies are coming successfully. A lot of changes are visible too in the new age horror stories. The days of scaring people with swinging doors is gone, instead the new age horror films have plots that have both scares and social issues.
6. In your view how are our movies in comparison to world cinema?
I don’t like comparing Indian cinema with world or Hollywood cinema. We have our unique traditions; many filmmakers have done movies that are remembered even today. There is no limit to the talent we have whether its directors or actors. Many are trying to push the envelope in their own ways. At the same time we also need to let go of some notions, this includes defining commercial cinema as only large action sequences.
7. Who is your favorite director and why?
Not just one there are many. For example, Kabir Khan, I like him for the way he crafts underdog stories who become winners in a heartouching way. The likes of 83, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Chandu Champion are good examples of these. I also like Anant Mahadevan who directed Phule and Storyteller. Among the senior directors I am a fan of Sanjay Leela Bhansali as well. His stories are not just different, but they also have strong women characters. Among the ones he directed Gangubai Kathaiwadi is my most favorite. Coming to Telugu movies among the new directors Nag Ashwin is one of my favorites. With just three movies he has created a strong space. He effectively handled a big star like Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki. Among the Tamil directors I like Vetrimaaran, I like the way he boldly presents the issues of caste and class. It feels like an eye opener. In Malayalam I cannot single out a particular person, Blessy who directed Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Adujeevitham one of my favorites. I like the way the directors there give importance to stories, it seems like they don’t have the habit of writing a story keeping in mind the hero. Due to this many directors are able to make good films there, In Hollywood I like James Cameron who directed Titanic and the two Avatar films.
Kabir Khan the director of Chandu Champion
8. Who is your favorite actress and why?
Ans 8 Maybe I would have said Alia Bhatt once upon a time. Now though there are many. From Meryl Streep to Ananya Pandey. In between there are the likes of Nayanthara and Parvathy Thiruvothy, there are also some actresses whom I have liked in some movies. We are seeing actresses in different languages acting brilliantly. I will also give my reason behind liking these actresses. Talking about Alia Bhatt she has acted in a wide variety of roles, she has done characters which have represented different sections of society. Examples of these are Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi and Gangubai Kathiawadi. Parvathy Thiruvothu comes across as a strong person both on and off screen. Nayanathara on the other hand has managed the perfect balance. She has done glamorous roles as well as characters that are strong in nature. Meryl Streep of course doesn’t need a particular introduction. Along with doing many memorable characters being bold is also her strong quality. In the last few years Ananya Pandey has done some good roles and is emerging as a fine talent.
Alia Bhatt in Gangubai Kathiawai
Ananya Pandey CTRL
9. You are translating stories from Telugu to English right! How did you get that interest? Would you like to share those experiences?..
Ans 9 In the beginning Hyderabad book trust (HBT) Geeta asked if I could translate. I said yes since it would be a new thing for me. I transalated Satyavati garu story ‘I am coming with the name of ‘Here I am’. Till now I have done forty small poems poems and 10 stories. Some of the translations have come out in anthologies; some are yet to be published. I don’t know how much the writers liked my translations but I got an opportunity to read Telugu literature through them. Since both the writers and the time periods are very different I found it challenging to translate both in terms of language and style.
I got the feeling of learning something new from every story. The stories of B Anuradha ‘Dheesali’, Ek Chaddar Mailisi’ while translating these two I entered into a new world of jail life. Both the core and the language in Satish Chandar’s Thorn felt unique. While translating this story which deeply examined gender and caste, I initially felt surprised on the spat of verbal abuses between the mother and daughter, it was their way of expressing love. Although it was extremely difficult to translate their conversations I soon started enjoying. The two stories which I did from ‘Viyuka’ collection are also special. I learned many things about the lives of revolutionaries who face many challenges. Also, Chaso’s ‘Why would I throw away Father’, ‘Yugantham stories of Nelluru Keshava Swamy story and Sudhakar’s some soap bubble and a knife cut’ (Barber’s Tale). Finally, Kuppili Padma’s Coffee Plantation. The language in Kuppli Padma’s stories is mostly poetic as a result to bring out their emotions was difficult. Apart from those mentioned I have learned a lot from the rest too however I will stop here since the answer has already become big.
10 How is the response for your reviews? Would you like to share any responses that are special for you!
Ans 10 The response for my reviews has gradually grown specifically after putting my reviews in Instagaram and X. A big reason for this increase is fan pages. They have shared reviews and profiles of their favorite stars. For example my profile on Kartik Aryan was shared well on twitter by his fans. Similarly my Dhootha review starring Naga Chaitanya was widely shared by Akkeneni fans. Coming to the rest of the readers I don’t know whether everyone who has read have liked them or not, so I haven’t had the opportunity to better them. As far as I am concerned I am writing whatever coming to mind. In the recent past the ones which I felt special are one of the directors in My Melbourne anthology Onir. He directed a short segment called Nandhini. Also Ananth Narayan Mahadevan who directed ‘Storyteller and Phule, their responses felt very special. One shared it on Instagram and the other on facebook with praises. Similarly Rahul Ravindran sharing my Jigra review and lastly Bhavana Pandey the mother of Ananya Pandey liking my ‘Kesari Chapter 2’ review are also some of the special moments.
2024 has been a different year for big-scale action movies, as they haven’t had the same box office impact as in previous years. This decline can be attributed to “action fatigue,” but there are also several other factors contributing to the shift.
Unlike 2024, the year 2023 was mostly dominated by macho men taking on the bad guys and beating them to a pulp whether it was Jawan, Gadar 2 or Animal.
2024 has been a different year for big-scale action movies, as they haven’t had the same box office impact as in previous years. This decline can be attributed to “action fatigue,” but there are also several other factors contributing to the shift.
For example, in Devara, a simplistic story was dragged out, testing the viewer’s patience. The movie majorly rode on Junior NTR’s double role and to an extent on Saif Ali Khan’s villainous avatar.
Both actors were wonderful in their respective parts as was the technical department but Koratala Siva’s attempt to have his own Baahubali moment made it just about an average watch.
Suriya made his big screen comeback after a long gap with Kanguva, however, the movie turned out to be a disastrous experience relying purely on the big scale and Suriya to do wonders. Not surprisingly the movie turned out to be a box office turkey leaving a big dent in the producer’s pockets.
Now let’s get into a little more detail about some of the underperforming big-scale action movies.
Fighter
Hrithik Roshan in ‘Fighter’. (X)
Siddharth Anand’s Fighter had all the ingredients of a mega-blockbuster, including big stars like Hrithik Roshan, Deepika and Anil Kapoor. It also had a charismatic Hrithik Roshan coupled with some fantastic Ariel stunts.
Following the success of his previous ventures, War (2019), and Pathaan, Siddharth Anand incorporated the typical elements of patriotism. However, the film suffered majorly from clichéd troupes involving India and Pakistan.
Lines about the real meaning of religion and patriotism had a jaded feel pulling down the movie significantly. Fighter is by no means a complete disaster, still, the film fell majorly short compared to Siddharth Anand’s last two action movies.
Jigra
A still from the film ‘Jigra’. (X)
Vasan Bala is known for his unique brand of storytelling. This time he tried his hand at the action genre with an emotional story of an elder sister’s fight.
The director is known for a certain sense of aesthetics. His movies have a Korean touch, something which Jigra also had in its depiction of the fictional country Hanshi Dao.
Jigra was an extremely well-made movie spearheaded by a brilliant Alia Bhatt, yet, the film underperformed as the mass belt didn’t take to the movie much due to its Korean aesthetics.
Singham Again
Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again had a galaxy of stars and a genre in which Rohit has succeeded. But something was majorly off with the movie starting from the long trailer revealing the major parallels with Ramayana along with the character introductions. The result was pretty much a disaster.
Too much time was wasted, introducing the Ramayana parallels and the action sequences were a tired rehash of Rohit Shetty’s previous movies.
The film clashed with Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 headlined by Kartik Aaryan, and the latter won at the box office.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
A still from the film ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’. (X)
Just like 2023, 2024 was also a disappointing year for Akshay Kumar. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was especially disappointing.
This Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial had the pet themes of mainstream Hindi Cinema. A deadly enemy wanting to cause harm to the nation and two brave-hearted soldiers tackling the nemesis.
The genre of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is a cakewalk for Akshay, given his image as a Khiladi but the movie bombed badly in spite of Ali Abbas Zafar’s impressive commercial track record.
A major problem with Bade Miya Chote Miyan, apart from a tedious Akshay was its simplistic portrayal of complex political scenarios.
The solutions were oversimplified lacking the nuances needed. After a point, the movie just became a stretch of one action sequence after another.
Yodha
Sidharth Malhotra in ‘Yodha’. (X)
Since the success of the Vikram Batra biopic Shershaah (2021) on Amazon Prime, Sidharth Malhotra has been deliberately choosing characters of a patriotic nature. Still, the results have been far from satisfactory.
Yodha directed by Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre despite being a slick action movie with a very watchable Sidharth Malhotra couldn’t do much at the box office.
A major reason for that was the underdeveloped love story between Sidharth and Rashi Khanna’s characters. The emotional drama of the story needed more heft. The movie also suffered from predictability and the typical elements of this genre.
Guntur Kaaram
Mahesh Babu in ‘Guntur Kaaram’. (X)
Reputed filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas’s Guntur Kaaram was a mix of his usual family drama with the general template of action, romance and comedy.
The pet theme of Trivikram on how the greatest battles are fought with the people closest to you reached a saturation point with this one. Mahesh Babu was a lot of fun to watch with his comic timing and his Guntur dialect.
There was a refreshing carefree nature which the actor nailed. But the movie on the whole was a big bloated mess. Even the scenes of Mahesh Babu punching the baddies couldn’t save this festive movie.
The action scenes were the standard hero elevation shots, which had moments of Trivikram Srinivas’s trademark humour but that wasn’t enough to salvage the proceedings.
The Sankranthi release clashed with Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga, Venkatesh’s Saindhav, and Prashant Varma and Teja Sajja’s Hanu-man.
With the right mix of mythology and superhero elements, Hanu-man emerged as the clear winner among all the big Sankranti releases.
Bharateeyudu 2/ Indian 2
Kamal Haasan in ‘Indian 2’. (X)
S Shankar’s vigilante action drama Bharateeyudu 2/ Indian 2 had none of the emotional complexities of the 1996 blockbuster Bharateeyudu/ Indian.
The movie was a typical Shankar lecture on how corruption should be uprooted. It had long drawn speeches testing the viewer’s patience.
Bharateeyudu 2/ Indian 2 showed that S Shankar’s cinematic language needs a major changeover. For most of the movie, Kamal Hassan is presented as an unbeatable superhero.
His interactions with the bad guys and how he easily beats them to a pulp were embarrassing, to say the least.
Saindhav
Venkatesh in ‘Saindhav’. (X)
Venketash’s 75th movie Saindhav was a deliberate attempt from the actor to mix the elements of the family dramas he is known for with bone-crushing action. The film had shades of Lokesh Kangaraj’s Leo —a family man with a violent past.
Saindhav had all the elements of a solid action drama with Venketash delivering a commendable performance both in the action parts as well as the emotional sequences.
But the movie overall didn’t hit the mark because of too much dependence on the scale. The screenplay was extremely uneven. Also, it lacked a solid antagonist. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s eccentric villain was a pain to watch.
This is all about the underperformance of some big action movies. Clearly, certain exhaustion has set in the viewers’ minds regarding this genre.
This partly explains the tremendous success of the horror comedy/thriller genre as it is giving more exciting storylines.
In the age of pan India Films, and reducing screenspace for women, it has become even more necessary for the actresses to take charge of the stories they are part of.
In the last few years, many Bollywood actresses have turned producers. They have produced films either starring themselves in lead roles or having new talents in prominent parts.
This trend of actresses turning producers proved to be a healthy change, giving them greater control over their roles, and allowing them to explore more challenging roles which mainstream cinema doesn’t always provide. While the box office figures for these movies aren’t massive, there is creative satisfaction.
It is a well-known fact that in today’s age of pan-Indian cinema, actresses are getting reduced to mere dolls with very little to do. Even the romantic track with heroes has become all about the male gaze.
In the recent big-budget film Devara (2024)—Janhvi Kapoor’s Tollywood debut, the actress makes her appearance only in the second half that too for a brief while. She is reduced to a person lusting after the hero and dancing to the sensuous “Chuttamalle”.
In this scenario, it becomes even more necessary for the actresses to take charge of the stories they are part of. Here is a list of actresses turning producers and the projects they undertook.
Anushka Sharma
One of the actresses who turned a producer early on was Anushka Sharma. She launched her own production company Clean Slate Filmz in the year 2013.
The first movie produced under her banner was NH 10 (2015), a gripping thriller. The film is about honour killings, in which a city couple find themselves witness to a brutal incident of honour killing leaving deep scars. In the film, Anushka Sharma portrays a wide range of emotions, from confidence to despair, to finally rage.
Anushka Sharma in ‘Phillauri’. (X)
After the intense NH10, the actress did a complete U-Turn with her next production Phillauri (2017). In 2018, she produced and acted in yet another milestone film in her career— Pari.
While Philauri dealt primarily with superstitions in a comic tone, it also spoke about long-lost love and the culture of music and poetry in Punjab.
In this movie, she played a strong-willed woman with a flair for writing poetry. Later in the movie, she plays the role of a friendly spirit giving Anushka ample scope to demonstrate both her comic and dramatic chops.
Post Phillauri there was the horror movie Pari in the backdrop of satanic cults. Pari was a challenging part both physically and emotionally for Anushka. She was in equal parts scary and also emotionally vulnerable delivering a knock-out act.
All these movies are not major grossers at the box office but they showcased Anushka’s versatility in taking on challenging roles.
Roping in new talents
Tripti Dimri in ‘Bulbbul’. (X)
Apart from the above-mentioned ones Anushka has also backed movies featuring young talents, a case in point being Bulbbul (2020) and Qala (2022).
Both these movies featured young actress Tripti Dimri in author-backed roles. They opened to great reviews marking Tripti as a promising young talent which unfortunately the actress has not been able to capitalize on. Bulbbul also had another upcoming actor Avinash Tiwary making a strong impression.
Anushka also produced the critically acclaimed Amazon show Paatal Lok (2020).
Paatal Lok had the Raazi actor Jaideep Ahlawat in a breakthrough performance. The show gave Jaideep space to display his talent and he didn’t disappoint.
The show was also a breakthrough for Abhishek Banerjee, generally known for comic roles in the Stree franchise, the actor was extremely convincing as the deadly assassin.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra in ‘Sky Is Pink’. (X)
Another prominent actress Priyanka Chopra has also backed hatke movies under Purple Pebble Pictures. Apart from the likes of Sky Is Pink (2019) and The White Tiger (2021) Priyanka has produced movies in Marathi as well.
Ventilator (2016) had director Ashutosh Gowariker in a major role. The movie opened to rave reviews apart from being a commercial success. Director Rajesh Mapuskar who also wrote the screenplay won awards for best screenplay and best debut director.
Speaking about her Hindi film, Sky Is Pink featured the actress in a multi-layered character. Her role as a determined parent spans from a young mother to an older woman. As a strong mother who wants to make sure that her child lives life to the fullest amidst a life-threatening disease, Priyanka‘s performance touched a huge chord with the audience.
The grief along with her inner strength is palpable in every scene.
In the English/Hindi movie The White Tiger Priyanka’s role was more of a supporting one, nevertheless, the actress made a striking impression.
The White Tiger had Adarsh Gaurav in the lead role, who got into the skin of his character. The movie opened new doors for the young talent.
Alia Bhatt
A poster of the film ‘Darlings’. (X)
The national award-winning actress Alia started her own production house with the movie Darlings (2022).
The film is a dark thriller/comedy about two domestic abuse survivors, with her character Badru representing the numerous housewives who put up with their husband’s abusive behaviour in the hope that they would change one day. This doesn’t happen and eventually, Badru is forced to take things into her own hands.
The transition of Alia’s Badru from a battered housewife to a stronger woman was exciting to watch though the process could have been better etched. It was brave of Alia to choose a subject like Darlings for her debut venture and by playing a domestic abuse survivor she represented numerous Indian women whose patience is mistaken for submissiveness.
Darlings was followed by presenting the Malayalam web series Poacher(2024). Poacher was a crime drama based on the real-life incidents of Elephant poaching. The series had Nimisha Sajayan in an intense performance giving her new fame.
After Poacher came Jigra (2024) which she produced along with Karan Johar.
Jigra is a story about a fiercely protective elder sister, who would do whatever it takes to save her brother from the death sentence. There are intense combat sequences with an ally turned foe in a jungle.
Keeping aside the box office numbers, Alia showcased a different side to her in this movie proving that she can pull off action as well. Apart from being an emotional drama Jigra also touched upon the consequences of a delayed justice system where innocent prisoners are forced to take extreme measures in order to find freedom.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone in ‘Chhappak’. (X)
In the year 2020 Deepika produced and starred in the flawed yet gutsy Chhappak movie under her banner Ka Productions.
Deepika took a huge risk with her stardom to play an acid attack survivor. In spite of falling short in a couple of sequences, Deepika was mostly competent in making the viewers feel the agony of Malati Agarwal based on the real-life Lakshmi Agarwal.
Taapsee Pannu
Pink (2014) actress Taapsee Pannu turned producer with the female buddy film Dhak Dhak (2023) under the banner Outsider Films. The movie focused on four women of different age groups and their journey of self-discovery on a long bike trip. It was a well-made feel good movie.
Kareena Kapoor Khan
Kareena Kapoor Khan also turned into a producer with a Hansal Mehta directorial The Buckingham Murders (2024). The name of her production house is Mahana Films.
Unlike her general glamorous roles, Kareena was seen in a very different avatar, a detective going through huge emotional turmoil while investigating a case. Kareena delivered a stunning performance, showcasing her versatility.
Kriti Sanon
Kriti Sanon in ‘Do Patti’. (X)
The last in this list is Kriti Sanon who co-produced the recently released Do Patti (2024) under her banner Blue Butterfly Films. The core concept of domestic abuse and the character graph of Kriti’s Saumya in this is similar to what Jasmeet K Reen already explored in Darlings.
Having said that it has to be mentioned that director Shashanka Chaturvedi brought his aspects too like post-traumatic stress and a jealous identical twin who undergoes a transformation. Playing two vastly different characters Kriti pushed herself as an actress coming up with a good performance.
Through the double act, Kriti showed that she can easily play a grey-shaded or a completely negative role.
Becoming decision-makers
In a way, this is a good trend as actresses are becoming decision-makers in showcasing women’s talent and pushing boundaries.
On the other hand, it is also a sad commentary on the film industry that actresses had to bankroll movies to display their talent, something which mainstream cinema is not giving them enough.
Unlike 2023 predominantly dominated by action movies with larger-than-life heroes this year has seen the horror genre ruling the roost. Horror stories of different kinds have entertained the viewers proving to be very profitable for the producers. The genre of horror isn’t something new. The banner of Vishesh films at their prime had made movies involving ghosts, the cast always used to be relatively new. Case in point being the first Raaz featuring Bipasha Basu. Noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma too has made impactful horror movies like Urmila Matondkar’s Bhoot. Bhoot is rightly considered to be one of Urmila’s most impactful performances till date. The movie even now sends a chill down the viewers spine.
Bhoot is rightly considered to be one of Urmila’s best performances till date
The likes of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Golmaal Again too have elements of spookiness particularly the first one directed by Anees Bazmee. However, the spooky elements here are mixed with slapstick or situational humor. Then you have Rahi Anil Barve’s gripping psychological horror thriller Tumbbad. The horror in this movie comes more from the director’s portrayal of human greed rather than the supernatural entity.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 directed by Anees Bazmee
The horror in Tumbbad comes more from the director’s portrayal of human greed rather than the supernatural entity
Coming to this year’s horror films the first one Shaitaan uses elements of a home invasion thriller where the protagonists in this case the father and mother have to save the children from a highly dangerous tormentor. R Madhavan in a delightfully deranged performance is the expert hypnotist with knowledge of black magic. The daughter Jahnavi played a brilliant Janki Bodiwala is under absolute control, doing everything he says. The storyline of Shaitaan is paper thin but the way Vikas Bahl build an effective atmosphere of dread engrossed the audiences thoroughly. Amit Trivedi’s background music coupled with Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti’s cinematography also made the movie gripping. Unlike most horror movies here thankfully the typical cliches of creaking doors are absent, instead the terror comes from R Madhavan’s sinister plans of wanting to control young women.
R Madhavan in a delightfully deranged performance
Next in the list are Munjya and Stree 2 both from the same production house Maddock. Both these movies feature grotesque demons. In the case of Stree 2 you have a headless creature whose target are young girls with modern outlook. In the case of Munjya the antagonist is a young Brahmin boy, he resorts to black magic to win over a girl named Munni. He also tries to sacrifice the life of his sister, but this only results in self-destruction. He becomes a restless spirit haunting the tree. Both movies have a folklore touch apart from impactful social commentary. Stree 2 like the first one is also set in the small town of Chanderi. Munjya on the other hand is set in the backdrop of a Konkan folklore.
Both Munjya and Stree 2 feature grotesque demons
A strong aspect of Munjya was the characterization of the leading man Bittu played by Abhay Varma. Bittu starts off as someone who is majorly underconfident and definitely not the type who would defeat the evil Munjya. However, we slowly seen him overcoming the inner fears. The profession of Bittu being a hairdresser also added an interesting layer. Sharvari Wagh played Bittu’s friend Bella. Bittu deeply loves Bella, but he never confesses. She is already in a relationship with an English man but isn’t very sure on marrying him. She has major career aspirations regarding Zumba dance.
Bittu starts off as someone who is majorly underconfident and definitely not the type who would defeat the evil Munjya
The interesting aspect here is that though Munjya and Bittu come from the same lineage their attitudes are as different as chalk and cheese. Bittu respects Bella’s career aspirations and never tries to force himself on her in spite of having a close proximity. This particular aspect stood out in the movie. The humor in this movie apart from the interactions between Bittu and Munjya also comes from Baahubali actor S. Sathyaraj he played a baba, but it isn’t the usual intense one. There is a whacky nature to the role which the actor pulled off successfully.
Finally, there is the mega hit Stree 2 which has broken quite a lot of records. Squeals are always a very tricky territory but Aamir Kaushik’s Stree 2 more than lived up to its prerelease buzz. It was a rollicking sequel generating both laughs and scares in equal measure. The movie also had a good blend of social commentary through the characterization of the headless Sarkate. He represents your every sexist leader who are uncomfortable with the thought process of a modern woman.
All these elements came across in a satisfying manner making it a monstrous hit. The trio of Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee and Pankaj Tripathi were in splendid form shouldering the acting department with utmost ease. One of the most hilarious scenes in Stree 2 is the one involving Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya and Abhishek Banerjee as Bhediya aka Bhaskar’s cousin. Varun’s character gets attracted to Shraddha and asks Abhishek how to impress her. In response Abhishek says that you are a Bhediya remain like that and don’t become an animal.
This list is by no means complete as the genre of horror will continue to be explored with different backgrounds. This Diwali there is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 which will further explore the journey of Kartik Aryan’s Rooh Baba/ Ruhaan Randhawa. Tumbbad 2 has also been announced by Sohum Shah who was both the leading man and also producer for the first part.
A rundown into some of the Telugu and Tamil directors who have successfully presented Bollywood actors in a different light and gave major hits
As the wave of pan India has caught in a huge way, the crossover between Hindi film actors and South Indian directors, particularly those belonging to Telugu and Tamil cinema (also known as Tollywood and Kollywood) has resulted in some successful collaborations. One of the earlier examples is Aamir Khan’s Ghajini (2008). Director AR Murugadoss made a significant impact with this Tamil remake.
Ghajini
Ghajini opened the 100-crore club in Bollywood; it was a major money spinner in those times. For Aamir Khan Ghajini was altogether a different film from what he was doing till then, it presented him in a massy avatar. In spite of the obvious comparisons to Suriya’s stellar acting, Aamir also left his own imprint particularly the physical part of it. He looked like a wounded tiger out on an avenging spree.
In spite of the obvious comparisons to Suriya’s stellar acting Aamir also left his own imprint particularly the physical part of it.
Kabir Singh
Before Kabir Singh, again a remake of a south (Telugu) movie Arjun Singh, Shahid Kapoor did not have a major solo hit. The likes of Jab We Met, Udta Punjab and Haider were hit movies no doubt but not commercial blockbusters. Though Padmaavat did more than 300 crores Ranveer Singh walked away with all the accolades and rightly so. But Sandeep Reddy Vanga gave Shahid a big spectrum to play with in Kabir Singh and the actor didn’t disappoint. Whether it is portraying the highly toxic and passionate love of Kabir or in the breakdown scenes Shahid did his best. Although the movie was pretty much a carbon copy of the original Shahid brought his own intensity to the role. Much like Ghajini this remake also did far bigger numbers than the original. It is a separate matter that Shahid could not capitalize on this blockbuster success later in his career.
Kabir Singh gave Shahid Kapoor a big spectrum to play with and the actor didn’t disappoint
Jawan
It is a well-known fact that Shah Rukh Khan was going through a very rough patch both professionally and personally before the release of Siddarth Anand’s Pathaan and Atlee’s Jawan. For Atlee Jawan was a huge leap given that he had mostly collaborated with Vijay Thalapathy till then. For someone like him directing a megastar like Shah Rukh Khan is not a piece of cake.
But Atlee more than rose up to the challenge, he passed with flying colours. Atlee’s presentation of SRK particularly the father character of Vikram Rathore erupted huge cheers among the moviegoers. Shah Rukh also effortlessly slipped into the universe of Atlee having a lot of fun in a movie that has essentially 50 shades of SRK.
For SRK too it was a very profitable film both in terms of expanding his fan base and box office numbers. It was almost like a king size comeback with more than 700 crores.
Shah Rukh Khan also effortlessly slipped into the universe of Atlee
Animal
Animal directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga is easily the most polarizing movie of Ranbir’s career, more than even Sanju. Ranbir’s previous movies have also featured strained father and son relationships, but Animal took it to a whole new level. Animal showcased Ranbir in his darkest avatar till date, as Ranbir himself confessed that he was scared when he heard the script and had severe doubts about doing the role. However, to Ranbir’s credit he went full throttle and delivered a power packed performance though the story itself was highly controversial.
Ranbir Kapoor’s darkest avatar till date
Kalki
Lastly there is this year’s Kalki directed by Nag Ashwin, a Telugu language epic science fiction film. The last few outings of Amitabh Bachchan have varied from just average to good. While he had solid roles in Jhund and Uunchai, in Bramhastra and Ganapath he didn’t have much to do. He was particularly wasted in Bramhastra as just a mere guru. But his fans and neutral audiences got the opportunity to see vintage Amitabh Bachchan with Kalki 2989 AD.
Bachchan had the best written role by a long margin and the senior actor just chewed the scenery with a stellar performance. The way he takes on the character of Prabhas was a sheer delight to watch. On many occasions he overshadowed the other cast members with just his towering screen presence. With his performance of Ashwatthama Bachchan showed that he can give any young actor a run for their money even at the age of 81.
For someone like Nag Ashwin too handling a film of this scale and directing someone like Amitabh Bachchan is a major achievement.
The fans and neutral audiences got the opportunity to see vintage Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki 2989 AD
Not so lucky ones
At the same time, it has to be said that working with south directors or in remakes of south films hasn’t proved to be so lucky for other Bollywood actors. Case in point is Akshay Kumar’s Sarfira, a remake of the Tamil hit Soorarai Pottru directed by Sudha Kongara. She also helmed the remake. Soorarai Pottru got both rave reviews and major awards. Suriya got the best actor award in the prestigious national awards; the movie also won an award for best film. Later Soorarai Pottru was also dubbed into Hindi with the name of Uddan. Hence it makes no business sense to remake it and not surprisingly Sarfira got added to the long list of commercial failures of Akshay post pandemic. Before Sarfira there was Bachchan Pandey, a remake of Jigarthanda. That was also a major commercial failure. Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan’s Vikram Vedha also turned out to be a box office turkey. Though Hrithik Roshan got good reviews for bringing his own touch to the role of Vedha, but it wasn’t enough for the movie to sail through.
An overview into how Hindi Cinema used to make good political films that had coherence and didn’t pander to the ruling party
The state of the recent political movies in Bollywood cuts a very sorry figure. Movies like the Accidental Prime Minister and PM Narendra Modi are woeful products in more ways than one. Yes they are incoherently staged both in terms of acting and storytelling, but apart from these aspects the movies have been used as tools for negative political propaganda. In the case of The Accidental Prime Minister it was clearly made to malign the former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh along with the entire Congress party. PM Narendra Modi on the other hand was meant to absolve Modi from all crimes and put him on a pedestal.
On the other hand both Kashmir Files and the Kerala Story are hugely islamophobic in nature. There is no denying the sufferings of the Kashmiri pundits but director Vivek Agnihotri presented a rather one sided pictures with all the Hindus being sufferers and Muslims being monsters. The Kerala Story on the other hand hugely exaggerated story of Hindu women being radicalized by the ISIS. Much like Kashmir Files here too you won’t find any positive Muslim character. This hate against Muslims represents the attitude of the BJP government. The success of both these movies is a byproduct of the times we live in.
Then there are the likes of Uri: The Surgical Strike, Tejas and this year’s Fighter. Uri: The Surgical strike was a highly dramatized account of Indian army retaliating to the URI Attacks. The movie was clearly meant to establish that the surgical strike had taken place in real. Not surprisingly the BJP party used the movie as a tool of propaganda particularly the dialogue “How’s the josh”. Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter was on the other hand was inspired by the Balakot strike. The climax of Fighter is straight out of a single screen universe with patriotic dialogues and ample dose of jingoism.
This year the team of The Kerala Story returned with Bastar: The Naxal Story which made a mockery of the Naxal movement, it didn’t find audiences even with those who like propaganda movies. Article 370 on the other hand directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale did fairly well primarily due to the performances of the two leading ladies Yami Gautam and Priya Mani. However the characterizations of the Kashmiri locals which include the politicians was highly laughable. The director made it look like only Prime Minister Modi and BJP are concerned about the welfare of Kashmiri population.
Not surprisingly Narendra Modi mentioned about the movie urging the viewers to watch it a few before the movie’s release. Even you look at Kashmir Files the party workers played a significant role in promoting the movie. But it has to be said that political movies in Bollywood has not always been like this and following is an overview into some of the well crafted political ones.
Rang De Basanti directed by Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra was about the corruption in the defense department that leads to the death of a pilot played by R Madhavan. The movie did not shy away from showing the deep rooted corruption and the cynical attitude of the youth who believe that no good change can come.
What also added to the impact of Rang De Basanti was the way it intertwined the sacrifices made by our revolutionaries Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad among others and today’s youth who think thoughts of revolution and sacrificing for the country is an outdated thought. The gradual change in the protagonists played by Aamir Khan, Siddarth, Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi etc was wonderfully written and directed.
Prakash Jha is someone who is well known for directing movies that have an undercurrent of socio political aspects. For example his 2010 film Rajneeti was modeled on the epic Mahabharata while looking at the dark underbelly of the political scenario in our country. Through the huge ensemble of actors Director Prakash Jha cooked a gripping cocktail of complex relationships, an uncontrollable lust for power and rivalry of the siblings among other things.
A major highlight of Rajneeti was the strong characterizations of all the actors. For example Ranbir Kapoor’s character Samar starts off as a young man leading a quiet life in the US. But getting sucked into the family politics brings out the monster in him. There is a hugely poignant scene towards the end where Samar decides that he has had enough and politics is not for him. Apart from the strong characterizations Rajneeti also had some powerful scenes showcasing the political circus that takes place when candidates meet ordinary people.
Aarakshan on the other hand directed by the same man took up with the burning topic of reservation, special benefits being given to people belonging to a particular caste. There are some powerful scenes in Aarakshan particularly the first half which depicts the class and caste conflict. Case in point being Pratik Babbar and Saif Ali Khan’s characters expressing their contrasting views about reservation, Pratik’s Sushant is a typical rich brat who thinks that Dalits should not be given any special privileges and are afraid of working hard.
Tamil Director S. Shankar is well known for making movies featuring vigilante protagonists. Through his protagonists the director has covered issues that are important to the common man. S. Shankar’s Nayak: The Real hero is the remake of his own Tamil movie Mudhalvan. Unlike the vigilante protagonists of his previous movies who have an inbuilt social consciousness Anil Kapoor’s Shivaji Rao Gaekwad is more of a reluctant hero who wants to lead to peaceful life. Shivaji starts off as a cameraman in a popular television channel; from there he eventually becomes a reporter. One day his life takes a dramatic turn while interviewing the chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shivaji questions the chief minister on certain things like choosing to not control a violent riot that causes a lot of damage. In a very filmy turn of events Shivaji ends up being the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for a day and does a lot of good, eventually he replaces Amrish Puri’s Balraj Chauhan.
Of course there is nothing subtle in the way Shankar goes about depicting the issues plaguing the society. Every point feels hammered in but at the same time there is no denying the relevancy of what Shankar addresses. There are scenes in the movie that mirror the real life corruption that we read about everyday from grassroot to national level. Through the character of Amrish Puri director Shankar also explored the harmful affects of vote bank politics and appeasing a certain community to just win the elections.
Nayak: The Hero is a movie that has aged well. Sure it was not a hit movie at the time of its release but over the years it has made a certain place in the viewer’s hearts.
Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal is also a noteworthy political movie. The plot of Gulaal is set in Rajasthan focusing on the community of the former royalty who want to restore both the Rajputana province and the kingship.
The central protagonist of this tale is Dilip Singh (Raj Singh Chaudhary), Dilip Singh starts off as an unconfident guy but soon gets involved in local politics after the death of his roommate cum friend Rananjay Singh (Abhimanyu Singh). Rananjay Singh was contesting in college elections, a local commander Dukey Bana (Kay Kay Menon) insists Dilip to contest in place of his slain roommate and he makes sure that Dilip does win on the behalf of the Rajputana party. Running side by side are multiple subplots.
Anurag Kashyap’s depiction of student politics and the violence is hard to stomach; nevertheless the movie makes a strong impact. Gulaal also works as a critique of some movements that talk about how a particular community or a region is superior to the rest.
Sometimes the movie also plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy combing elements of jealousy, greed and corruption. At other times you have the Quentin Tarantino touch in the staging of the scenes that show the lawlessness.
Here’s hoping that Bollywood gets back to making solid political movies. The current trend of propaganda political movies have reached a saturation point which is evident in the lackluster response of the recent ones.
With the advent of OTT, the likes of Shefali Shah, Sushmita Sen, Manisha Koirala, and Sonakshi Sinha got their due.
The advent of OTT platforms has led to a significant change in more ways than one. One of the major changes has been to the narrative style.
Thanks to the longer runtime and long-form format, web shows have more scope for sustained storytelling.
Another major positive change is the space OTT has created for female actors to challenge themselves in mainstream and middle-of-the-road cinema.
With the longer runtime in web series, the actors have more time to build their characters and delve deeper into the nuances, which is often not possible in mainstream films with a limited run time.
They are also breaking the stereotypes of age and conventional roles.
Many female actors, despite talent, have been limited to supporting roles, with minimal scope of showing their acting prowess.
Of course, there have been phases where women-centric films have garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. Some of these include The Dirty Picture (2011), Kahaani (2012), Queen (2014), Neerja (2016), Raazi (2018), etc.
However, the format of a web series offers more scope for the portrayal of powerful characters.
With the advent of OTT space, female actors got their due, especially in the case of Shefali Shah and Manisha Koirala, who have shone in Delhi Crime (2019 and 2022) and Heeramandi (2024) respectively.
Careers of Shefali Shah & Sushmita Sen revived
Shefali Shah in ‘Delhi Crime’. (X)
Among the firsts is the web series Delhi Crime(2019 and 2022), which revived the career of Shefali Shah.
She played the role of a DCP in the Delhi police. DCP Varthika helms the team which investigates the Nirbhaya case and also handles the public anger owing to the heinous crime.
She is a strong-willed officer who is also dealing with a rebellious daughter. The audiences had not seen Shefali previously in this kind of role and she surprised one and all with a rock-solid performance. Shefali Shah further surprised the spectators with her negative role in Human (2021).
Another similar example is Sushmita Sen, known for her glamorous roles, including that of lecturer Miss Chandini in Farah Khan’s masala potboiler Main Hoon Na (2004). While she was presented glamorously, the actor in Sushmita has mostly taken a backseat on the big screen.
Then comes Aarya (2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024) and Taali (2023)—the perfect examples of why Sushmita deserves better roles in mainstream cinema.
In Aarya— a crime thriller, she goes from being a single mother to eventually being sucked into the world of crime.
Taali, on the other hand, was a biopic of the transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant. In both these series, Sushmita was absolutely brilliant.
A realistic portrayal by Huma Qureshi
Huma Qureshi in ‘Maharani’. (X)
Huma Qureshi reinvented herself with the web series Maharani.
She has always been a competent actor starting from the Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) movies. She played important roles in movies like Badlapur (2015) but has never carried a film on her shoulders.
However, in the three seasons of Maharani, Huma showcased her larger bandwidth to play with. Her role of Rani Bharati (based on Rabri Devi) starts as a simple woman who is happy in her domestic life.
She is a school dropout much like the other women in her village. However, her life undergoes a huge change when her husband who is also the Bihar chief minister gets severely injured in a shootout.
From feeling like a fish out of water to becoming a fierce administrator, there is a huge canvas that Huma Qureshi got to play with and the actor absolutely nailed it.
In all three seasons, she got the nuances of the role spot on. She also did a good job of getting her dialect right.
Sonakshi Sinha & her acting prowess
Sonakshi Sinha in ‘Dahaad’. (X)
Then comes Sonakshi Sinha, who has shown that she is here to stay with Dahaad (2023) and Heeramandi (2024).
For a large part of her movie career, Sonakshi has played roles where she is restricted to just a song and dance routine, and being a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued.
These include Rowdy Rathore (2012), R Rajkumar (2013), the Dabbang films (2010, 2012, and 2019) and even the last theatrical release Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Yes, some of these movies have turned out to be money spinners but a sense of repetitiveness crept in.
However, the two-web series—Dahaad and Heeramandi—showed the actor in a very different light.
In Dahaad, Sonakshi Sinha was seen as a Dalit police officer (Anjali Bhaati).
On more than one occasion, she is insulted because of her gender and caste.
Sonakshi was adequately fierce and managed to capture the grittiness of a determined police officer well.
In Heeramandi, Sonakshi played an archrival to Manisha Koirala’s Mallikajaan; Sonakshi’s Fareedan is as ruthless and emotional as Mallikajaan.
Sonakshi Sinha chewed the scenery and more than held her own opposite the more accomplished Manisha Koirala. Fareedan was an absolute firebrand and Sonakshi did complete justice to her part.
A powerful comeback for Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala in ‘Heeramandi’. (X)
Heeramandi has also given a fresh lease of life to Manisha Koirala’s career.
In the films post her cancer recovery, the actor played a mother to heroes Ranbir Kapoor and Kartik Aryan respectively. There is a little depth in these characters for Manisha to chew into.
However, Heeramandi is a show that will give a major impetus to her second innings.
The role of Mallikajaan is far removed from all her previous roles; she never played a terrifying matriarch before. The body language along with dark shades is a completely new territory.
It is something that the viewers don’t expect from Manish Koirala, but the actor surprised everyone.
She portrayed both dark shades and emotional vulnerability with finesse.
Konkana Sen & Karishma Tanna
Konkona Sen, an actor par excellence, proved her talent over and over again in many shows and films. However, with Killer Soup (2024), the versatile actor proved she could play a negative character with equal finesse.
Konkona did play a negative role in Ek Thi Daayan (2013), but in that movie, she was just one of the three heroines. The Abhishek Chaubey directorial, though, had her as a major pivot.
Karishma Tanna in ‘Scoop’. (X)
In the Killer Soup web series, Konkona Sen played a housewife named Swati Shetty.
Swati dreams of opening a restaurant so she can have an identity of her own. But all she gets in the name of support from her husband are empty promises.
The role of Swati goes from a loving wife to a plotting woman. Konkona pulled off the different moods without fumbles.
Finally coming to the splendid performance of Karishma Tanna in Scoop (2023). The actor, too, has been part of known movies like GrandMasti (2013) and Sanju (2018). In these films, she was a mere glam doll.
But Scoop turned out to be a big game changer as the role was author-backed and Karishma made complete use of it.
In this web show, she played a journalist named Jagruti, who was falsely implicated in the murder of a fellow investigative journalist.
The role comes with many shades, starting as a confident woman who later becomes dejected yet maintains a fighting spirit in the harsh jail atmosphere.
Karishma Tanna was immensely successful in making the viewers root for Jagruti.
This is just a brief peek into how OTT has opened new doors for female actors. Many more women actors from mainstream and middle-of-the-road cinema are likely to join this list in the future.
An overview of how a handful of Telugu actors broke through the dynastic ‘herodom’ and carved a niche for themselves.
Published in: Southfirst
Many new-age actors from outside the film industry have made their mark as heroes in Telugu cinema in the last few years. Their success augurs well for the industry.
They might not be ‘mass’ heroes but they played roles that resonated with different types of audiences. They also endeared themselves to the audiences with their multiple skills.
Actors like Naveen Polishetty and Siddhu Jonnalagadda would never enjoy the mass patronage of an Allu Arjun or a Jr NTR.
The reason is the market dynamics coupled with their backgrounds. So, they have chosen a different path for themselves by playing underdog characters in the case of Suhas. Or doing movies where both comedy and thrills are intermingled.
There is also a certain sense of self-depreciation in the roles. Let’s go one by one:
Naveen Polishetty
Naveen Polishetty’s ‘Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty’ won audiences’ hearts. (X)
Naveen Polishetty started his career with Shekar Kammula’s film Life is Beautiful (2012), where he played a negative role.
This was followed by D for Dopidi (2013) and Sukumar’s 1: Nenokkadine (2014).
However, Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019) gave him a much-needed break in his career. Naveen was the leading man in the film and also the co-writer.
The movie minted money at the box office and also won critical acclaim; a promising new talent was born.
Naveen further consolidated his status as a hero with the nonsensical comedy Jathi Ratnalu (2021).
The flick also featured Rahul Ramakrishna and Priyadarshi, but Naveen was the star of the show. He embraced the tonality of the film with zero inhibitions.
What additionally made Jathi Ratnalu special was the backing of Nag Ashwin, the director of Yevade Subramanyam (2015) and Mahanati (2018). It was a big promotion for Naveen.
Though the film was released at a tricky time, right after COVID-19, it became a huge success.
Naveen has a striking screen presence and an energy that makes him endearing. He has impeccable comic timing that can lift the most bizarre of situations, as we already witnessed in Jathi Ratnalu.
Siddhu Jonnalagadda
Siddhu Jonnalagadda delivered a blockbuster with ‘Tillu Square’. (X)
Siddhu Jonnalagadda is another new-age Telugu actor who proved himself as a writer and a hero, too.
He wrote both DJ Tillu (2022) and the superhit sequel Tillu Square(2024).
Siddhu thoroughly entertained the viewers with his antics. His comic punches often left the viewers in splits.
But what made DJ Tillu and the sequel a big success was how the actor-writer integrated the elements of comedy and thriller.
Apart from the above-mentioned film, Siddhu Konnalagadda was also the co-writer of Krishna and his Leela (2020). It was a breezy romantic film that dealt with contemporary relationships.
Siddu’s strength as an actor majorly comes from his ease in front of the camera and a certain style with which he delivers his dialogues.
Sure, his dramatic skills have not been tested yet, but characters like Tillu are a perfect fit for him.
Adivi Sesh
Adivi Sesh will next be seen in ‘Goodachari 2’. (X)
He also has a literary family background. His grand-uncle Adivi Bapiraju is a famous novelist and a playwright. However, that does not mean he had it easy in the industry.
It has taken a while for him to establish his space after playing small roles in big films; a case in point is SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning (2015).
Sesh’s good looks and strong physicality helped him gain a strong base. But, apart from his looks, the actor impressed everyone with his acting and writing skills.
He became a thriller specialist with the likes of Kshanam (2016) and Goodachari (2018).
The actor‘s speciality is strong characterisations. For example, Anasuya Bhardhwaj and Satyam Rajesh in Kshanam or Vennela Kishore in Goodachari.
Adivi Sesh made the well-known story of Sandeep Unnikrishnan a hugely engrossing film both with his acting and writing abilities in Major (2022).
As a director, he has done only one movie — Karma (2010), which unfortunately was a big dud.
Hope he proves himself a good director, too, one day!
Suhas
Suhas is on a film signing spree and has become a bankable actor. (X)
Of course, the young Telugu actor does not have the mass image of the latter, but still, there are certain similarities in the underdog roles he has chosen.
Suhas also started with supporting roles in Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya and Prathi Roju Pandage (2019), among others.
However, he got his first break as a leading man in Colour Photo.
In the National Award-winning film, he played the role of a milkman’s son and won appreciation for his awe-inspiring performance.
But, in Ambajipeta Marriage Band, his character is fierier in comparison to Colour Photo, which belongs to the same terrain. In the second half, the actor pulled off scenes of aggression proficiently.
Priyadarshi Pulikonda
Priyadarshi is coming up with ‘Save The Tigers 3’ web series. (X)
Priyadarshi Pulikonda is another bright talent in Telugu cinema who has proved himself beyond comedy.
His performances in Mallesham (2019) and Venu’s Balagam(2022) are solid examples.
Priyadarshi was seen in the role of a dairy farm owner Ghanta Ravi in this web series. He was spot-on in capturing the nuances of the Telangana dialect.
Goat Days written by Benyamin and the movie based on that Adujeevitham (The Goat Life) directed by Blessey complement well with each other. There are definitely more details and nuances in the book but at the same time the movie brings both the protagonist’s family life in Kerala and the drudgery of the desert in Saudi Arabia visually more alive.
One of the best aspects of the book for me was the crisp writing of Benyamin. The life of Najeeb in the desert is narrated in a racy manner making it a very easy read. Even slow readers can finish the book very fast. Najeeb’s struggles with rearing the goats and how he formed a bond is sketched in greater detail here in comparison with the movie.
For example in the novel there is a portion where a goat gives birth to its child right in the hands of Najeeb. Najeeb considers the baby goat as his son and names it Nabeel. Nabeel was the name he considered for his actual child if his wife had given birth to a male. She was pregnant when he left. Now he doesn’t know whom his wife delivered boy or girl. Still he believes it is a boy and proceeds to look after the baby goat as his own offspring.
He pampers the animal a lot. He even allows Nabeel to drink milk from his mother now and then which is a taboo in that place. If the owner of the goats comes to know of it Najeeb will have to face his wrath in the form of lashings and deprivation of food.
There is also a hugely disturbing portion in the book where Nabeel’s genitals are cut off. In the place Najeeb worked only a few male goats are allowed to have their genitals intact. It might be a universal practice with all goat rearers in the world but Najeeb finds it hard to accept it for his little one.
He tries his level best to save Nabeel by picking up some other goat for castration. But the Arab, his master, is a shrewd man with a great memory. He loses his patience and gives a tight kick to Najeeb. Najeeb begs the Arab not to cause any harm to that goat but in vain. The heartbreak of Najeeb is palpable.
The movie Aadujeevitham would have been even more engaging if director Blessey had included these scenes. However one area where the movie scores over the book is the Juxtaposition of Nabeel’s past life in Kerala backwaters and his present status of a wretched life. This juxtaposition added a lot to the movie because we get a thorough idea of how happy his earlier life was. In the book we do not see Najeeb remembering his wife so much.
The book also gives more clarity on why preservation of water is considered so important in that desert area. In the movie there is a scene where Prithviraj’s character uses water to clean himself after going to the toilet but his master kicks him for doing it, telling him to use stones instead of water. We feel it is so inhuman.
But while watching the movie we don’t initially understand why the Arab objected for the use of water for such a basic need. Book gives more clarity on this. Similarly we also don’t understand why the goats are taken for a walk every day in that scorching heat in spite of no grassland anywhere nearby. Actually this goat walking is meant to keep the animals active and healthy. If they are lazy their meat doesn’t taste good is something we come to know only after reading the book.
The escape scenes of Najeeb, Hakim and his co worker Ibrahim Khadiri in the desert come much later in the book unlike the movie where it occupies almost the entire second half. Though this journey of theirs is heartbreaking it felt a little dragged in the movie. The space given to it in the book seemed right because after a point it gets repetitive.
Both the film and the book have their own advantages and disadvantages. Keeping aside the stretched second half in the movie, director Blessey and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran deserve a huge appreciation for a gritty survival drama that makes you think about the plight of so many not so educated men and women who become easy target in those unknown lands.
If no other man or woman is fooled to slavery in this way ever again, the purpose of both the book and the movie will be served. Hope the Governments of both lands take notice. The movie should have come much earlier considering the huge success of the novel (more than 100 reprints in the Malayalam original). Thanks Najeeb, Thanks Benyamin, Thanks Blessey and Thanks Prithviraj Sukumaran.
