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Telugu Biopics: Catching Up Slowly

Unlike Bollywood the trend of biopics is not so common in Telugu Film Industry. Biopics in Telugu can be broadly divided into three categories. First category is mythological biopics, second one is historical and third one is on recent persons either alive or dead. Examples of mythological biopics are films on Ramayana, Mahabharatha characters, which we have in galore and which brought great recognition and appreciation to Telugu film industry. Historical biopics include Alluri Seetharamaraju, Gautami Putra Sathakarni, Rani Rudrama Devi, Saira Narismha reddy etc. These mainly cover kings, queens, poets and famous singers etc, who are real but a century or two old. With not many details available about their life film writers seem to have taken lot of liberties in bringing them alive on screen.

The third category, that is the flesh and blood biopics, include Mahanati on Savitri, Kadhanayakudu and Mahanayakudu on NTR, Yatra on YSR etc. Some of these biopics are on commoners like Mallesham (weaver), brave soldiers like Major (Sandeep Unni Krishnan). Earlier also we had a few biopics like Mayuri produced by Usha Kiran movies. Recently RGV has also done some biopics. These are Raktha Charitra based on Paritala Ravi, Lakshmi’s NTR, Vangaveeti and Konda.

One can’t say how much of these biopics are true to the life of the persons and how much of it is fiction labeled as director’s creative liberties. Most of these biopics avoid controversial aspects of the person’s life. Some of them are huge hits, others haven’t done so well. I will confine myself to the films in the last category alone.

1. Mahanati (2018) – Making a biopic on a legendary actress is not an easy task. Savitiri is an actress with immense recall value. Generations of Telugu audiences, for that matter other audiences of south Indian languages, have a huge emotional attachment towards her. Capturing her eventful life is daunting but director Nag Ashwin made an exemplary biopic which not only won rave reviews, but also made it a money spinning venture.

Keerthy Suresh got a role of a lifetime and the actress grabbed it with both hands. The status of Keerthy Suresh changed dramatically overnight. Dulqer Salman as Gemini Ganeshan also stood tall and made the character more charming than the actual person.

Unlike other biopics Mahanati is not narrated in a linear fashion. We see her life at different stages from the eyes of a young journalist played by Samantha. The film never gets judgmental; it depicts her more as a victim of circumstances.

2. Kadhanayakudu and Mahanayakudu (2019) – Krish Jagarlamudi got the best out of Balakrishna in both these films. It was refreshing to see the actor step away from his mass characters. It is true that Balakrishna was playing his own father but still it is no easy job, considering the legend that NTR is.

The graph of the character is immense both physically and emotionally. He nailed both the attributes. He made us also cheer for the young NTR in his journey to become a big star. Similarly the emotional turmoil before NTR became a politician was also wonderfully brought out by the actor. Though the movie is crowded with NTR’s images (real and fictional) which is understandable, still director Krish managed to show NTR’s life from the perspective of his wife Tarakam played by Vidya Balan. She of course did a thorough job. Krish’s homework is laudable given the extraordinary life of NTR both as an actor and also as a politician.

3. Yatra (2019) – There is no denying that Yatra had a big political agenda behind it. It was meant to be an emotional tribute to the late Chief Minister Y.S Rajeshekhar Reddy, which it perfectly achieved. The film is not on his entire life. It covers only his Padayatra leading to his Chief Ministership. It was directed by Mahi V Raghav, a relatively new director, but did a good job.

A major reason for this film’s success is Mammootty’s performance. He has always been a great actor. And as YSR he gave one of his best performances in his career. He showcased the pain and spirit of YSR in a simple yet effective manner.

4. Mallesham (2019) – Irrespective of the controversies around the film Mallesham, there is no denying that this was a well made biopic. Priyardarshi who generally does comic and supporting roles got a promotion as a leading man.

The story of Mallesham revolved around a Padmasri award winner by the same name. Mallesham became famous for inventing the Asu machine. His motive behind inventing this machine is to help his mother played by Jhansi. The story of Mallesham was primarily about the difficulties that he faced while inventing this machine, along with the success that followed.

There were several reasons why Mallesham won appreciation. The director Raj R did a splendid job in capturing the aesthetics of the Telangana culture. The plight of the handloom weavers was also realistically depicted. Priyardarshi as Mallesham captured the various nuances of the character without missing a single beat. An aspect of Priyardarshi’s performance that stood out was his body language.

5. Major (2022) – The story of Major Sandeep Unni Krishnan isn’t an unknown one. Most of us are aware about how he died while combating the terrorists on 26/11.

But Adavi Sesh’s Major was not just about that day. It showed Sandeep as a complete human being. Adavi Sesh excelled big time both as an actor and also as the story writer of the film. His performance was brilliant both in the action scenes and also the emotional ones. We can give credit to director Sashi Kiran for not making it jingoistic though there is lot of scope for it in the story.

These are recent ones. Now I will go back a bit.

6. Sri Ramulayya (1999) – N Shankar’s Sri Ramulayya is based on the life of Paritala Sriramulu. Sri Ramulayya tells about a man who spent his life fighting for the rights of the landless poor in a very backward area of Rayalaseema.

Sri Ramulayya presented actor Mohan Babu in a completely different light. It was devoid of the typical antics that we have come to associate with the actor. Mohan Babu surrendered to the part, he came up with the best performance of his career.

7. Mayuri (1985) – Sudha Chandan’s Mayuri is one of those biopics that has aged really well. The film talks about a young college girl who becomes paraplegic after an accident. It is about how she overcomes her handicap and resumes her career as Bharatanatyam dancer.

What makes Mayuri unique is that you have the real life person playing herself instead of an actor. Sudha Chandan gave an immersive performance. She was particularly good in those scenes when the character is determined to make a comeback as a Bharatanatyam dancer. Singeetam Srinivasa Rao’s direction made it a memorable film. In a way it was a trend setter as it opened a new genre.

This list is no way complete. I just picked a few films that are more popular. Wish someone would do a more comprehensive analysis of biopics in Telugu films.

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Rocketry: Watch It For Madhavan’s Dedication And The Real Life Nambi Narayan

Multitasking as an actor, director and writer isn’t an easy thing to do. Apart from confidence you also need a certain command over these mediums. R Madhavan has not only played the lead role in Rocketry, he is also the director and also one of the writers involved. For those who are not aware the film is based on the real life space scientist Nambi Narayan. Nambi Narayan was accused of being a traitor who sold his country. He had to fight a long court case to disprove it: Narayan suffered both professionally and personally. This is a tough story to execute for any director let alone a newbie. The rawness in Madhavan’s direction is very much visible, but still Rocketry is a heartfelt film which deserves a watch on the big screen. Two things contribute majorly to this. One is the stupendous performance of Madhavan the actor. Secondly Madhavan the director is able to make you connect with the story of Nambi on a personal level. As audiences you celebrate his highs and lows.

The film begins with a stunning long shot that establishes the family of Nambi Narayan. We see the family having a laugh over lunch with no inkling about how their life is going to change forever. We see Nambi getting arrested on espionage charges; the wife played by Simran gets humiliated while attending a wedding. The daughter sits helpless in the middle of the road; dung is there on her face. The son and the son-in-law of Nambi Narayan aren’t spared either. After this we have a flash forward to the elderly Nambi. He is in a conversation with an actor (Shah Rukh Khan) playing himself. The Tamil and the Telugu version have Surya playing the role of the interviewer. Through numerous flashbacks we come to know about Narayan’s hardships. The real life Nambi Narayan also makes an appearance at the end.

 Madhavan’s direction is at its best when it focuses on Narayan being falsely accused and the subsequent trauma that follows. The emotional scenes between Madhavan and Simran are heartbreaking. A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Nambi is finally declared innocent by the court. This happens when they are in a wedding. The breakdown of Nambi and the subsequent events make you cheer for the character. Madhavan and Simran have acted as a couple in a couple of films. The last one being Mani Ratnam’s Amrutha. The comfort level between the two is very much visible. The length of Simran’s role is less but the actress is terrific in the few demanding scenes that she has got.

The custody scenes of Nambi have also been brilliantly executed by the director. He is successful in making you empathize with the plight of Nambi Narayan, at the same time you feel anger towards the police officials for the way they are treating him.

The first half has also got some fine directorial touches. For example there is an episode when a co-worker of Narayan loses his son. Narayan deliberately hides this from this co-worker till the end of the mission. We are not generally shown grey areas in Indian biopics but R Madhavan deserves credit for keeping this episode intact.

Some lighter bits in the first half also make you chuckle. The humor mostly comes from the scientists having fun at the expense of people in different countries they visit.

The first half of the film is mostly technical. Unlike Jagan Shakti’s Mission Mangal Madhavan doesn’t try to simplify the scientific terms. The strive for authenticity is definitely admirable. But at the same time some of the jargon could have been cut down.

Also Madhavan should have put a little more focus on who had wronged Nambi Narayan and the agenda behind his arrest. The answers for these questions aren’t completely answered. Some more focus on this would have further enhanced the writing. The foreign characters with the exception of a couple of English people don’t really register.

As an actor Madhavan just disappears into the role of Nambi Narayan. The nuances and the physical appearance have been brilliantly captured by the actor. In the climax there is a close up shot of the real life Nambi Narayan. The resemblance between the real and the reel Nambi Narayan is so uncanny. It just shows how Madhavan has imbibed the character that he is playing.

Shah Rukh Khan has a charming presence and the way he gets involved in the story of Nambi comes across nicely. Shah Rukh gets his own moment when he apologizes on behalf of the nation for how Nambi Narayan has been treated. The actor does a solid job in this scene.

In the technical department Sirsha Ray deserves a standout for how he has shown the film through his lens. The cinematography perfectly aids the narrative of the film.

Rocketry is a film that deserves to be seen for the sheer hard work of Madhavan and also the real life personality it is based on.

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Jug Jug Jeeyo: A Dramedy That Packs A Punch

In his debut film Good News director Raj Mehta had picked sensitive topics like the complications of IVF along with the difficulty of not being able to conceive. He made sure that the film was accessible to the audiences as he combined entertainment with enough sensitivity. His latest Jug Jug Jeeyo also follows this pattern. In this film the subject is the difficulty of sustaining marriage. Like Good news here too you have two couples, one senior couple and other younger. Another similarity is the Punjabi background. Jug Jug Jeeyo had its share of lapses but it is a dramedy that keeps you involved till the end.

The story of Jug Jug Jeeyo is about two couples. The first one is Bheem and Gita (Anil Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor). They have been married for thirty five years. The other couple is Kukoo and Naina (Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani). They have been married for five years. Naina and Kukoo had met in fifth grade. In the opening scene you have junior Kukoo screaming at a boy who speaks to Naina because of his possessiveness.  Through a song we get to know their love story and how that leads to marriage. Manish Paul plays Naina’s brother. After the song we move to Canada where the marriage of Kukoo and Naina is falling apart, they decide to separate but before that there is the marriage of Kukoo’s sister Ginny. Kukoo and Naina decide to reveal the news of divorce after marriage but there is a huge shock waiting for Kukoo. The shock is his father is also on the verge of divorce. Bheem is deeply attracted to Kukoo’s Maths teacher played by Tisca Chopra. Bheem is planning to divorce Geeta after the wedding. What follows is a roller coaster that makes you feel various emotions.

The best part of Jug Jug Jeeyo is undoubtedly Anil Kapoor’s Bheem. Bheem is a difficult person to like. He has an extramarital affair, does drama at the top of a hat and tells lies to get out of situations. However Anil Kapoor makes the character work with his brilliant performance. He is too good in both the emotional and also the lighter bits. A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Bheem first tells his son about wanting to have a divorce to the shocked Kukoo. Right after saying that his body language changes, until then he is cheerful but suddenly he goes silent and goes away from there. In the comic bits the actor just leaves you in splits, for example there is a scene In the middle of the road where he cooks up a story about himself rejecting Tisca Chopra’s character where in actuality she has rejected him. Raj Mehta deserves credit for not giving a happy ending to Anil and Neetu’s characters. He makes the wise decision of keeping it open ended. He also deserves credit for not making Neetu come across as loud in spite of playing a Punjabi mother.

Varun Dhawan as Kukoo also stands his own. He is first rate in the scenes showing Kukoo’s insecurities and selfishness. His scenes with Anil are very good to watch. A scene which deserves a particular mention is when Anil Kapoor introduces him to Tisca Chopra in a near empty hall playing Kalank.

The female characters don’t get the same attention as the male counterparts but both Neetu Kapoor and Kiara Advani are immensely watchable. Neetu Kapoor exudes certain warmth in her comeback. Neetu excels big time in the scene where she bares her heart out to Kiara’s Naina. In that scene Geeta opens up about her marriage, and how in the first few days of marriage itself, she wondered whether Bheem is the right person for her. But this scene would have worked better if the director had given an insight into the early days of their marriage.

Manish Paul’s character is mostly one note. Manish does a fair job but he ends up being a mere sidekick.

The Punjabi background plays a spoilsport here. The swelling background score coupled with the typical Punjabi tropes will irritate you. You wish that Tisca Chopra’s character was more developed instead of being just the other woman.

Jug Jug Jeeyo is a wholesome film with the right mix of comedy and seriousness, definitely worth a watch.

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O2: A Strong Cautionary Tale For Humankind

Nayanthara is one of those few actresses who has struck a perfect balance between doing glamorous roles and also strong female parts. She has always experimented with different kinds of genres. The results haven’t always been on point but that hasn’t stopped the actress from taking risks. O2 directed by GS Viknesh is one such film. The director juxtaposes the concept of two maternal figures, one being Mother Nature and other is Nayanthara playing a widowed mother Parvathy.

The film begins off with a bird’s sorrow as her chicks are being killed due to deforestation by human beings. From there we go to the home of a seven year old boy called Veera. Veera suffers from a life threatening disease called cystic fibrosis. He is heavily dependent on the oxygen cylinder for breathing. From the very beginning Veera is used to represent the repercussions of tearing down the natural resources. A hope comes for Veera in the form of a corrective surgery. Parvarthy makes a quick decision to go ahead with it. The mother and son are joined by more characters as they travel by bus to Kochi for the surgery. These characters include a corrupt cop, an ex-MLA, inter-caste lovers etc. In a horrible twist of fate they get trapped within the bus, the nature unleashes its anger in the form of a horrific landslide. The rest of the film plays out as a claustrophobic thriller. Nothing more about the plot can be revealed.

It is not easy to make a thriller/drama set mostly in a single location. It needs enormous talent from both the director and also the actors to hold the audience’s attention. But director GS Viknesh does a good job in keeping the audiences engrossed. He makes you feel the wrath of nature.

GS Viknesh is also immensely aided by the acting talent of Nayanathara. The actress is in splendid form. She shoulders the weight of the film effortlessly. There are many shades to her character. She is someone who can be unapologetically selfish, self-serving and also violent too. Nayanathara sinks her teeth into the role and makes the audiences root for her. Just like mother earth Paravathy will also go to any lengths to save her son from danger. The parallel between these two maternal figures has been brought out brilliantly by the director.

Rithivik as Veera holds his own. He is particularly impressive in the high-octane emotional moments. Among the rest Bharath Neelakandan is terrific as a vicious cop.

The cinematography by Tamizh Azhagan is perfectly in sync with the narrative.  He does a commendable job in capturing the claustrophobia. The audiences feel that they themselves are in that situation.

The scenes where we see the fight for oxygen also strikes a chord. The reason being many lives were lost in the second wave of Covid due to the limited supply of oxygen.

The only bits that rankle in the film are those involving the inter-caste couple. They don’t add much to the film.

In a nutshell O2 is a largely gripping thriller that leaves you thinking.

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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.

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Ante Sundaraniki: An Entertaining Love Story Across Religions

Romantic comedies are one of the most sought genres in cinema worldwide. They fill you with a certain warmth and make you forgot about the troubles in everyday life. It is a genre which has lost some of its sheen given that you know what will happen at the end. The challenge therefore is what you bring to the table within the familiarity. Vivek Athreya takes a simple story line and peppers it with certain social topics. His non-linear style of narration works big time. The director is also helped by his in form leads Nani and Nazriya.

The film begins with an elongated background of both its lead characters. Sundar comes from a highly conservative Hindu family. You can gauge their nature from the fact that Sundar is not allowed to travel to the US. The reason being that they believe it is a sin to allow a man to cross the sea. This kind of superficial thinking makes Sundar’s growing up years very painful. Naresh plays the father of Nani (Sastri Garu). The mother is played by Rohini. In fact Sastri Garu gets his son a girl’s bike. The reason is he is worried that the horizontal crossbar would make him infertile. Sundar is also subjected to many rituals since his childhood; this makes the astrologer very rich. Like the rest of the family Sundar also comes with his own quirks. For example he stops watching movies for a silly reason. He also has a problem posing for photos.

Nazriya’s Leela on the other also comes from a very conservative family. The only difference is that they pray to a different god; Christ. Both families have a problem of mixing with people from other religious backgrounds. But that doesn’t stop the growing friendship between these two within the premises of the school. Their friendship soon grows into love. But the hitch is that neither have the courage to say it directly. What follows is a web of lies that leads to many complicated situations.

THERE IS A WONDERFUL BALANCE OF COMEDY AND EMOTIONS. THE FILM ALSO MAKES OTHER PERTINENT POINTS ON PREGNANCY AND FERTILITY AMONG OTHER ASPECTS.

A basic perquisite for any romantic comedy is that the lead characters should share a wonderful chemistry. The comfort level between Nani and Nazariya is visible throughout. As audiences you believe that their love would move heaven and earth through their barrage of almost never ending lies.

Vivek Athreya uses humor to address many of our religious biases, the jokes not only land but they make you introspect.

There is a wonderful balance of comedy and emotions. The film also makes other pertinent points on pregnancy and fertility among other aspects.

Out of the comic scenes, my most favorite ones are the interactions between Nani and Harshvardhan. They just bring the house down. Special mention must also be made of the scenes of Sundar and Leela tapping into their inner child whenever they make outlandish plans. It raises many chuckles.

THE ROLE OF SUNDAR IS PRETTY MUCH A CAKEWALK FOR NANI. THE ACTOR IS VERY MUCH IN HIS ELEMENT.

Naresh has the best role among the supporting players. The role of Sastri garu has a very good arc. He starts off as someone who is highly traditional but as we go along we see him slowly and gradually changing. Naresh does a splendid job in bringing out all these nuances. Rohini gets her one big moment in the pre-climax where she questions her husband and mother-in-law. The actress aces this scene.

The role of Sundar is pretty much a cakewalk for Nani. The actor is very much in his element. A special mention must be made of his comic timing which leaves you in splits. Malayalam actress Nazriya makes an impressive Tollywood debut. She fits perfectly into the skin of leela. Her screen presence combined with the performance stays with you.

In a nutshell Ante Sundaraniki is entertaining and emotional. It is a love story across religions without any bloodshed which is rare in these times.

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Vikram: A Masala Treat For The Fans Of Kamal, Fahadh And Vijay

The biggest victory of Lokesh Kangaraj’s Vikram is how he balances the three immensely talented actors. The script has been written in such a way that all three get their moments to shine. In essence, Vikram is a stylish action drama. The first twenty-to thirty minutes of the film are a bit of slog with the overload of the information but as you go along the film starts getting better. Vikram is not as engaging as Karthik’s Kaithi which also belonged to the same genre, but it definitely fares better than the director’s last film Master.

The films begins off the supposed death of Karnan (Kamal Hassan).  Karnan is the father of the martyred cop Prapachan (Kalidas Jayaram) We learn that a series of such killings has been happening, the people responsible for this are a group of masked men. This group calls it their war against the system. To stop these killings, the police chief brings in a black cops team. The head of this team is Amar (Fahadh Fasil). Amar starts digging into the past of Karnan. Vijay Sethupati plays a fearsome drug lord called Santhanam. Santhanam is searching for a shipment that would make him a king pin. Meanwhile, Amar is getting more and more puzzled by the many versions that he hears about Karnan. Was Karnan an alcoholic father grieving over the loss of his son, a womanizer or something more than that? But the bigger question is whether he is really dead.

The most intriguing part of Vikram is the investigation scenes of Amar and his team. These portions keep you hooked as you yourself are also trying to figure out who the actual Karnan is. There isn’t a lot of Kamal Hassan in this part but his presence can still be amply felt, both as an actor and also as a character.

The action part before the interval has a solid twist that makes you look forward for the second half. Post interval the plot becomes more straight faced. Just like Kaithi here too you have a bunch of cops holding against an army of gangsters.

The subplot of Karnan and Prapanchan’s baby gives the second half some emotional undercurrent. These portions are pretty good. Kalidas Jayaram has a small role but the actor does a good job nevertheless.

As I earlier said all the three actors get their moments to shine. Kamal Hassan packs a punch in both the action and the emotional bits. His scenes with the little grandson give some heat touching moments. Fahadh Faasil sails through his role with his usual aplomb. He shines the brightest in the first half. Vijay Sethupati’s Santhanam is an extension of what he did in Master but the actor still makes an impact with his villainous turn. His interactions with the family members raise some chuckle worthy moments.

What pulls down Vikram significantly are the overdose of action. There is no denying that they have been solidly choreographed, but these scenes come too frequently from the middle of the second half.

Also the suspense factor is no longer there once the identity of Karanan is revealed. The film becomes more generic after this in terms of treatment. As a result the film starts feeling very prolonged. The editing department is another minus for Vikram. At least thirty minutes of the film could have been easily chopped off. Because of the excessive length the impact of Surya’s cameo lessens down.

It also doesn’t help that the supporting characters with the exception of Kalidas are mostly gap fillers.  

In a nutshell, watch Vikram if you are a fan of the three actors. But be prepared for all the bloodshed.

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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.