Bruce Lee The Fighter - Yet another Sreenu Vaitla misfire !

STORY (What it was supposed to be?) -

A middle class father Rao Ramesh has 2 children, one is Kriti Kharbanda & the younger one is Ram Charan. Their financial status is such that Rao Ramesh can only afford to provide better education to only one kid & he chooses the son over daughter like every middle class families in India, vowing to make him a collector in the future. The good hearted perfect brother at that young age itself decides to sacrifice everything in life for his sister & makes it his goal to make her the collector while hiding all his sacrifices from his father. Now right after his sister writes her civil exam, she gets into trouble in the hands of the villain & how Ram Charan saves her while proving to the villains never to mess with his family is supposed to be the actual story.

STORY (What we're force fed..) -

Okay.. The initial minutes shows the childhood days of the hero & how he sacrifices for his sister to get her all the best things in life. After they're all grown up, we're introduced to Ram Charan who works as a stuntman in films in order to support his sister's education. He dresses up as a cop & fights some goons. Riya played by Rakul Preet Singh watches him fight & falls head over heels because for no reason she's obsessed with cops. (Don't try to remember Ileana D'Cruz in Phata Poster Nikla Hero).  So she puts up his pic on facebook getting over 1 lakh likes which makes the hero search for her. When they meet, it's love at first sight for the hero too & he lies to her that he's an undercover cop. She goes on investigating privately busting crimes & calls Ram Charan for help. He goes to save her & in between kicks all the goons getting them arrested & the illegal crimes taken over to custody by cops who take credit for themselves. Sadly, all the illegal crimes they hit are run by the villain Arun Vijay. (No no please stop trying to remember Phata Poster Nikla Hero).

Anyways, the hero in order to save himself, makes everyone believe that there's a lookalike who is a cop. Problem solved because everybody will believe him right away, no questions asked. There's a lookalike then there's a lookalike, as simple as that. One thing leds to another, Ram Charan beats the hell out of Arun Vijay & puts him in a coma (such a new thing). BAM it's interval which means main villain will enter now who's going to be revealed as Arun Vijay's father who vows to destroy Ram Charan & his family. (No no don't try to remember all the Telugu masala films you've seen so far.) Anyways, the "not a cop" Ram Charan is given the mission to expose the main villain & solve this huge case all by himself. Awww... so sweet of Indian Police in fact intelligence bureau officer to let some stranger take over an entire mission while they sit back just because he's the hero. Oh wait! His sister is involved just to remind the audience that the director does know the actual story about how Ram Charan will do anything for his sister. After all that is the script.

Performances -

Ram Charan does exactly what he has been doing till now. Dances well, a bit more control over himself in emotional scenes, a bit more control over his comic timing but lesser impactful when it comes to punch dialogues. Rakul Preet Singh is sensuous in the songs & that's pretty much she's used for. Kriti Kharbanda is wasted as Ram's sister, she deserves better. Straight promotion to sister roles, feel very sad for Kriti. Rao Ramesh finds it cakewalk to play a father. Sampath Raj as the main villain has got yet another routine role but for a change he gets some comic moments. Arun Vijay as another villain looks menacing (he looked the same as in Yennai Arindhaal) but eventually he's wasted too. Nadia has an important role but not utilized. It was extremely sad to see Tisca Chopra in such a weak role getting slapped by Brahmanandam in the name of comedy. Her introduction scene was awesome but after that she was limited to getting slapped only. Brahmanandam as Suzuki Subramanyam & Ali as PK including Posani Krishna Murali don't evoke laughter as the scenes they get aren't funny. Brahmaji gets a role similar to what MS Narayana has played in Sreenu Vaitla's earlier films. If he was alive then he would've played this role.

CHIRANJEEVI is phenomenal. The MEGASTAR is the real deal. The audience went super mad watching him on screen & he provided the right dose of entertainment in his brief cameo. But then, the whole point of his special appearance is utterly pointless & is done as a last minute attempt to salvage the film.

Plusses - 

1. MEGASTAR Chiranjeevi.

2. Choreography.

3. A bit of fun episodes here & there.

Minusses -

1. Mediocre Direction.

2. The 2nd half of the movie runs haywire. It keeps floating everywhere.

3. Failed comedy scenes in the 2nd half.

4. Routine script.

5. Repeating the formula used in Dookudu, Baadshah, Aagadu again.

• For instance, in Dookudu Brahmi does mono acting of simply showcasing his various expressions in various situations. Here, Ram Charan asks Brahmi to imagine himself to be a monkey & then gives him situations to act out same expressions. Brahmi making faces might be funny but it comes out as Shah Rukh's failed attempt to evoke laughter by making faces in Chennai Express.
• The cop angle... it's the most common thing in all those 3 films too. In Baadshah Jr. NTR will be an undercover cop but here Ram Charan acts as one.
• The routine, join the villains, be with them while fooling them throughout the film using Brahmanandam & others... too boring now.

6. Too much over the top.. 15 mins to deadline to save the dying father & also save the heroine who is held hostage in some other place while the villain plans to leave the country in just 30 mins. Stuntman calls the Megastar for help... Instead of bringing cops, Megastar arrives himself to single handedly beat everyone, save the damsel. But after the fight, the megastar asks the stuntman to go on a slow motion horse ride because "Fans praise Ram Charan to be a good horse rider". The main villain leaving the country in 30 mins can wait... It's India, traffic & all, villain ain't going nowhere even though the road he's travelling is completely empty.

My Rating - 2/5

Final Words - Only for that glimpse of Megastar after 6 years. Don't even dare to expect anything more.

Sreenu Vaitla ain't learning from his mistakes. Period.

HERO - Newcomers get an unimpressive remake to make an impressive debut.

First things first, the magic created by classic originals is impossible to be re-created. PERIOD. And when you mess with the original characters, sketch out a weak characterization to those characters in the remake then you're just not even remotely trying to do justice to the original let alone make a decent film.

Story -
Hero is a remake of Subhash Ghai's 1983 classic of the same name. Sooraj is a certified Goonda (dialogue writers have ensured to stress on this a lot) who kidnaps Radha (Athiya Shetty) who is the daughter of IG played by Tigmanshu Dhulia who happens to have some evidence against Sooraj's dad incidentally played by Aditya Pancholi. The kidnap saga triggers the love story between the Goonda & IG ki Beti, which both their family oppose. How the lovers rebel to earn their deserving freedom forms the rest of the film.

What Works - 
1. Sooraj Pancholi & Athiya Shetty's chemistry.
2. Impressive music.
3. Humor in certain scenes (which are few & far between). Not the unintentional humor, the audience in theater genuinely laughed at those funny lines uttered by Hero's friends & Athiya.
4. The action scenes (not the first one) are appealing.
5. Salman Khan's version of Main Hoon Hero Tera in the end credits. Got the maximum whistles & cheering, nobody moved till the entire song was over.

What Doesn't Work - 
1. Poor characterization which has affected every character in the film & in turn the whole film itself.
2. Weak writing shows it's impact throughout.
3. The friends characters are important. Here they are completely under-utilized. What makes it worse is that it's these characters that contribute to humor in the first half but they're completely ignored for the rest of the film.
4. Predictability.
5. I loved Main Hoon Hero Tera song but here the song is used only in the "background" which personally disappointed me. So Main Hoon Hero Tera song works, but it's usage does disappoint for people like me who wished it to be full blown romantic number picturized on the lead pair.

Performances -
Sooraj Pancholi is a HERO. But he's yet to find finesse in terms of acting which shows in the second half as his characterization doesn't allow him to be more. But he has a great body & voice, dances well & comes in handy during action scenes. He shows a lot of potential. Athiya Shetty proves that she can act but poorly written role limits her from emoting more. Whenever we get to see her acting skills be it romantic, dramatic or funny, those moments are followed up with her mouthing dialogues like "dog faced muppet" which makes it hard to take her seriously. The rest of the characters suffer from faulty characterization & hardly connect with the audience. In a crucial scene, Tigmanshu confesses about him being a disgraced police officer. To feel his pain, there are actually no scenes showing him go through that insult. It's just thrown right at us out of nowhere.

My Rating - 2/5 (A very lenient one)

Final Words - A ready-made blockbuster script deserved better treatment than this & so did the promising newcomers.

RangiTaranga - ಭೂತರೋದನೆ on July 7th.

Story -

It revolves around a couple Gautam & Indu (Nirup Bhandari & Radhika Chetan) living in isolation in Ooty hiding from their past. As their past tries to consume them, Indu brings her family's past regarding the impending Bhootharadhane at her ancestral house in Kamarottu. As she convinces her husband to pay a visit to Kamarottu for this purpose they start encountering mysterious elements at the haunted house. In the meantime, a filmmaker posing as a journalist, Sandhya (Avantika Shetty) is in search for a novelist who too is living in isolation. What happens when all these 3 main characters cross path at the Kamarottu house? What is the reason behind Gautam & Indu living in isolation? What has actually happened in the past for them to be this scared? Will Sandhya find her mysterious novelist? What role does Kalinga Bhat (Sai Kumar) play here? All these form the rest of the story.

Positives -

1. The Casting is perfect. All the actors have come up with commendable performances.
2. The art direction & cinematography is top notch.
3. The background score is superb. Musically, One of the song Dennana stands out.
4. The movie does have effective twists.
5. The director has effectively handled the suspense factor.
6. The nail-biting episode towards the climax is noteworthy.
7. The movie's plot is novel.

Negatives -

1. The narration is very slow & it hinders the impact especially in the second half during crucial moments.
2. Unnecessary songs especially in the crucial second half. Yes, the songs are well shot but they do nothing but drag the film. It definitely tests your patience.
3. Too many flashbacks amidst the narration results in too much happening in quick succession. But thankfully, the final nail-biting episode makes up for it big time.
4. Editing should've been more crisp for a suspense thriller.
5. The climax should've been handled better matching the level of excitement created by the nail-biting scenes leading to the finale.

Performances -

Nirup Bhandari has a terrific voice. His performance is completely restrained throughout the movie. Radhika Chetan impresses big time. She has that soothing screen presence & her eyes do speak for her. Here's an actress to look out for. Avantika Shetty provides able support in the second half, she provides the lighter moment in this intense thriller & thus proving her mettle as an actress.

But it's Sai Kumar who comes out with flying colors. He shines like never before. And it is he who takes the film altogether to a different level in those last 15 minutes. Ananth Velu is good. Aravind Rao as the police inspector is first rate. It's only Shankar Ashwath whose role seems to be ill written compared to all other strong characters.

My Rating - 3/5 (for the attempt.)

Final Words - ಭೂತರೋದನೆ from July 7th - July 18th.

They've actually got beautiful looking starcast who are made for big screen. Kudos to the makers for perfect casting. When you had the main leads - Nirup Bhandari, Radhika Chetan & Avantika Shetty fully capable of carrying the story forward with their acting skills, wish the director had put more trust on them rather than relying heavily on songs to carry the story forward which in this case doesn't really happen that effectively.

Hope filmmakers while trying to narrate a suspense thriller, having succeeded in creating the suspense factor trust their story more than the songs. Songs don't really serve the purpose on a suspense thriller as much as a strongly executed scene does.

P.S. - It's indeed an example of how high expectations eventually kill. The film could've been a lot better. Nevertheless an effort worth giving a try.

And congratulations for the makers on their box office success, amidst the dominance of over-hyped Bahubali & a very well made Bajrangi Bhaijaan, this victory would definitely stand tall.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan - The most important film to deal with India-Pakistan relationship in recent times & is easily the better one.

Let me share this first, in the opening credits, the entire Salman Khan family's famous pic shot for Being Human campaign is used where Salman Khan sweetly thanks his whole family. This was later followed by crediting Salma Khan as one of the producer. Sweetest thing expected, as a loyal fan instant happiness looking at it.

Story -
A Pakistani mute girl (Harshaal Malhotra) gets lost in India, finds a true good heart Samaritan Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman Khan) who is a Bajrang Bali bhakt makes it his mission to return to her parents in Pakistan without any visa or passport. What all happens in this entire journey of Pavan & Munni, what all hurdles they face? If one Hindu guy can leave his everything to make sure the daughter of Pakistan gets back to her parents safely then what will Pakistan do to this honest Indian guy in getting back to his people / country forms rest of the story.


Plusses -
1. Harshaali Malhotra. It's worth watching the film for her smile itself let alone her superstar act which makes this a must watch.
2. The initial 15 minutes dedicated to establish Harshaali's story is the best.
3. The Hanuman Bhakt, Salman Khan's introduction & his immediate chemistry with Harshaali.
4. The crisp pace in the first half though interrupted with few songs but still gets it right giving out a sweet narrative.
5. The subtle comedy scenes are a delight. No forced humor, no comedy scenes for the sake of comedy, everything's part of the narrative.
6. The scenes where Munni's religion & nationality is revealed.
7. The pre-interval scene shot in the most powerful way. Get your hands on the tissues because Harshaali will succeed in making you cry.
8. Kareena Kapoor's character bringing all the needed maturity to the film without getting preachy. Salman's character is so innocent that it makes Kareena's role all the more vital in the narrative.
9. Nawazuddin Siddique. He shines throughout the second half because he & Harshaali taken on the narrative from here.
10. The strong camaraderie between the trio. Watch out for the scenes where Nawaz calls Salman his begum in burqa.
11. Strong India-Pakistan bonding captured in the film. No other film has done this before. This definitely is the true peace ambassador between India-Pakistan.
12. The entire final 15 minutes. Kabir Khan has vowed to make you cry, no subtlety & the performance by Salman Khan in these 15 minutes, bravo. If Harshaali makes you cry in the first half, towards the end of the film both Salman Khan & Harshaali team up successfully.

Minuses -
1. The narrative takes up too much liberties makes certain scenes way too convenient. The plus point is that the emotions created are so strong, the characters are positive & innocent that you instantly let these stuff go. But on the negative side, these liberties lack subtlety & are more onto your face.
2. The songs does decrease the pace. I loved Tu Jo Mila & Zindagi, even more I even didn't mind Chicken song but for most of the audience Chicken song definitely feels dragging the narrative as it just doesn't fit in for that long because the scene before the song achieves the right emotions including humor that the song doesn't really has anything to achieve.
3. The logic in the second half. What works? It's a film especially the one that creates the strong feeling "The world would be a better place if this actually happened in reality?" Give yourself up to the film then the logic stuff will never be the issue. Want to nitpick then this point 3 is rightfully added in the minuses.

Performances -
Harshaali Malhotra as Shahida aka Munni is the real superstar in the movie. She wins your heart from the first glimpse of her. She makes you laugh, she makes you cry, she definitely makes you fall in love with her. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is what it is because of her.
Salman Khan as Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi, salute to the Megastar who finally came out his comfort zone, thoroughly underplayed his character like a veteran. This is not Salman Khan playing Salman Khan like his previous character. This is Salman Khan actually living the character Pavan. Note this, he doesn't have much dialogues once Nawaz enters. So all you see Salman Khan is enacting through his expressions only. The last 20 minutes proves what a terrific actor Salman is. A real treat.
Nawazuddin Siddique as Chand Nawab is in superb form. He takes on the narrative in the second half. He's way too spontaneous, he's undoubtedly hilarious but when the emotional moments creep in, make way for one of the best actor in our country. Why the film is titled Bajrangi Bhaijaan, follow Nawaz's character to know the reason.
Kareena Kapoor Khan as Rasika brings in the much needed maturity to the film through her character. Once again a controlled decent performance from her. She supports Salman Khan's character & helps Pavan grow in his journey with Munni.
Om Puri in a special appearance is very much effective.
Sharat Saxena as Rasika's father is first rate. He gets loud as much as the character needs him to be.

Special mention to the actress who played Harshaali's mother. The biggest plus is the first initial 15 minutes, the mother-daughter bonding, mother's pain of losing her child, she contributes immensely in creating the right mood.

My Rating = 3.5/5
As a Fan = 4.5/5

Final Words - Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the most important film to deal with India-Pakistan relationship in recent times & is easily the better one.

P.S. - There's a shirtless scene of Bhai. Only thing is it's not shot in usual style. But man Sultan is going to be epic.

Baahubali Half Review: Half praises now, the rest of the praises will come in 2016.

Straight up warning: The film as it's title explains is only The Beginning of a wonderful story. The conclusion of the story will be told only in 2016 when the second part releases.

Story - 

Sivudu (Prabhas) is saved by Sivagami (Ramya Krishna) from the soldiers who've turned against Baahubali family. Before she drowns in the river, she makes sure the baby is in safe hands. But an infertile woman who can't have kids decide to raise Sivudu as her own kid without knowing who he really is. The instinct of Baahubali blood in Sivudu makes him reach for the impossible with the help of Avantika (Tamannaah) who is on her own mission to save her Queen Devasena (Anushka Shetty) from the hands of the baddie Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati). Without knowing Devasena is his real mother, Sivudu volunteers to save her. He's in the enemy land, saving his own mother without actually knowing her, fighting his own real enemies who've sworn to kill him & more than that he cannot understand a battalion of people who consider him as god. Who is he? What is his back story? Why people consider him as god? Who was his father? These questions are only half answered in the second half because everything else is reserved for 2016 by super clever SS Rajamouli.

Plusses -

1. The very first shot involving the huge waterfalls & Sivagami's way of saving the baby. You'll know you've a winner already. Masterstroke by SS Rajamouli.

2. The next few minutes involving Prabhas & ofcourse the huge waterfall followed by the giant "Lingaa" which you've seen in the posters. Yet another winning scene.

3. Tamannaah as Avantika looks like a real angel. She's a feast to our eyes & her beauty is meant to be watched on the big screen.

4. The introduction of Rana Daggubati. He was born to play this role.

5. Only Ramya Krishna could've done justice to this character of Sivagami. Very matured & powerful performance.

6. We only see Anushka Shetty playing the older Devasena but she has one scene with super powerful dialogue delivery. She is very convincing.

7. All the visuals right from giant waterfalls, giant avalanche, beautiful scenaries, giant statues, giant kingdom... It's money well spent. Every frame shows the hard work.

8. Action scenes are top notch. The war scenes is again something to be seen only on the big screen. Simply the best. Haters who cried foul of 300 copy etc... Slap yourself & come to the theaters so that you can once again slap yourself.

Minusses - 

1. Songs, especially the item song which was needless. Other songs have super hot Tamannaah so even if the songs are the negative point nobody can complain the visuals. Seriously I can go on & on praising. I only wish the songs to be more catchy even though the lyrics are very meaningful & part of the storyline.

2. Some scenes do give you a feeling of predictability.

3. Oh yeah this one thanks to CBFC... I got distracted at every scene involving an animal be it elephant, snake, horse or baison. The CBFC has forced the makers to display the disclaimer "C.G.I." which irritated me throughout.

The Best Part - It's how the first part ends. The way it ends makes up for any of the feeling of predictability created in our minds. That's again a masterstroke by SS Rajamouli which gets the audience super excited for the second part releasing next year. 

Why SS Rajamouli is a Genius? - He has captured the audience in his grip. If you've to watch the second part, you must watch the first part. And whoever has watched the first part cannot stop himself/herself from watching the second half. It's the power of his vision & narration. If you think the story is predictable, you would still want to experience the vision of SS Rajamouli.

My Rating - 3.5/5

Final Words - I would be proud to have this film representing Indian Cinema. Like I said all these are only half praises. The rest of the praises will be showered next year.

Watch the film.... OUR FILM.