I am trying to trace my memory back to the time that Magadheera was announced; I think it was a long time back. Typically, movies that take too long to make are written off or when the final product finally makes the cut you wonder what took the makers so long? None of the just mentioned concerns are applicable to this Rajamouli directed film, which Ram Charan Tej headlines. In addition, much is at stake for the film. Above and beyond the concerns of return on investment or Ram Charan’s career, the concern of Tollywood’s box-office. Many will agree and some will know that the Telugu box office has been witnessing what I would like to call the Great Movie Depression—dull first day first show etc. When all else fails, the only way to come out of such a depression is to inject the industry with a gigantic stimulus package—and that is exactly what Geetha Arts has for Tollywood’s box-office: a massive film with massive expenditure and the result is here for us all to see in the coming days—whether the film is for the decades ahead or not is not the point here…we have a sure-shot commerical super-hit!
The film starts on a grand note (in fact, it spills the beans right at the begining): a dieing princess Mitra (Kajol) and beside her a blood stained warrior prince Kala Bhairava (Ram Charan) on top of a cliff under a huge black vigraham of the dancing Lord Shiva. The princess dies and falls off, the warrior unable to reach her he too jumps off and as they two part ways unable to hold their hands, a fierce King with tears in his eyes, Sher Khan (Sri Hari) proclaims re-birth for the couple even as he cremates the kavatch of Bhairava. In fact, the way the titles role are unique and actually tell the story of what just happened before this. However, what follows this sequence is not as grand. Next, 400 years later we are taken to present day where Harsha (Charan) is an incredible bike racer. One fine day, he just touches the fingers of a girl on the street and he begins to see flashes of warriors and palaces. This girl is Indu. What follows is a silly love-story component where Harsha and Indu (Kajol) play know-me-know-you game. In fact, the comedy and the romance part is so silly (coupled with no blockbuster songs) that had the director overdone this part, the film would have fallen off the track. Thankfully, the film smoothly shifts gears to the part where the hero and villian are fully aware of their past birth 400 years back. The villian is Raghuveer who 400 years back was the senapati of the Kingdom of Udayghad. The villian challenges the King, defeated by Bhairava in the race, banished from the kingdom, shakes hands with Sher Khan and kills all, including princess Mitra. Now, 400 years later, Raghuveer and Harsha have come to claim the princess. Of course, Harsha succeeds in helping Indu remember her past and Raghuveer is killed. Needless to say the post-interval flashback sequence is the highlight of the film.
Although the film boasts of outstanding sets (Tollywood hasnt seen such grandness, at least in recent times), a little
more story, comedy, and better songs would have only benefitted the film. The comedy department falls flat and Brahmanandam’s act seems forced just to keep the sentiment going that without Brahmi a movie doesn’t sail through. Sunil as Ram Charan’s side kick has nothing much to do. The songs are a dissapointment, but we’ve got to give credit to Ram Charan for tying really hard to live it up. The framework is good: re-birth, flashing memories from past birth, symbols of rememberences, a gigantic statue of a Lord etc, but what could really have elevated the film are twists, surprises or a little more intricate story. I am not comparing it to any Hollywood film, but our own Telugu movies can boast of stories that go down the ages as classics. Rajamouli probably decided to keep it simple—sprinkle the elements of a re-birth massala film, grand sets, loads of action and wrap it up! Leading the pack in terms of performances is clearly Ms Kajol Agarwal who does a fine job of using her expressions in both her characters as princess and as the regular girl. Second to her is Sri Hari and he delivers a knock-out blow even in his brief role proving to be an asset for the film. Next in line is our hero Ram Charan. Hmm…i’ve got to admit…he just doesn’t have the ease in him like the other two illustrious actors from his family. He should stay clear of comedy and love stories and just focus on action films; he seems comfortable only for action scenes. Yup, he dances with ease, but nothing special as it is the same deal you get with Jr. NTR or Allu Arjun.Rest of the supporting cast is fine and the villian is okay. Unlike Rajamouli’s earlier films the villian in this film is not that strong—the entire focus on Ram Charan.
To those curious about: (i) The Bangaru Kodi Petta—frankly, it is just okay. I felt the same when I saw it’s bits on 
TV, but wanted to reserve my comments till I saw the film. To begin with, the song is no patch on the original. The dance steps are the usual ones, which we see these young heros doing—jumping and doing wierd twists. Where is the grace? where is the dance? Mummaith Khan as the koddi petta is a total let down. Lets not even compare her to the sexy Disco Shanti. I simply hate Charan’s hairstyle (turns out even his dad wants to cut it off and Charan has to defend it saying it is style!). No doubt, the song is good and you will feel the beat, but it fails to raise above to become a classic of it’s own. (ii) The Mega Star Chiranjeevi special appearence: Chiranjeevi appears just after the kodi petta song. As Mumaith is running along she bumbs in to a man working on a welding machine. You know it is Chiru and the entire theater stood up in applaouse . As I stood waving my hand seeing and hearing Chiru I felt a bit of sadness in me that this mega star will be missed on the silver screen from hereon. Chiru then goes on to give a lesson to his son about his hair style and dance steps. And then from the really fat looking Chiru the Chiru that danced in Gharana Magudu comes out to do his bits! (yup, you’ve seen this act before in Yamadonga with NTR–the Legend). As Chiru leaves, he looks back to see Charan do those same steps.
In addition, there are several other highlight scenes that make the masses stand up in joy and scream in excitement. 
The fight sequence where Kala Bhairava goes to kill a 100 soldiers remains as the best highlight of the film. Just see Sri Hari’s brilliant performance with tears in his eyes as he praises and kneels down to his opponet. Others include the scene where Bhairava’s horse Badshah comes to his rescue from the quicksand. And also the dialoguebaazi between Sher Khan and Bhairava. The climax is a little weak, but again thats just because the story doesn’t have enough meat. The film ends in typical Farah Khan style with all the technicans and actors coming out to dance along. As for Ram Charan, his efforts have paid off and he has his first official super hit. I wish he does at least 3 to 4 movies a year and selects good stories.
Mr. Inkenti’s Movienomics Verdict: One Thumb Way Up! I cannot give it a two thumbs up as there is still much to be desired in terms of story, comedy, and music. But it provides the much needed stimulus to the box office and pumps up the masses!
Just the other day I was reading an article on indiafm.com about how LUCK and Love Aaj Kal are two potential blockbuster releases and might just revive the ailing Bollywood box-office. However, no such luck for Bollywood, at least not on this Friday. As I pulled in to Sensation Insomnia’s gates—this single screen’s location and socio-economic demographics is the best bet for how a movie might perform—no one was selling tickets in black. When this happens at Sensation Insomnia 70mm, and that too on the first day first show for an action-thriller Hindi film you can be sure that the film has already run out of luck. True enough, as the film begins, rolls, and enters in to the second half you are sure that this is another unlucky film for the box-office.
In the paragraph above, I have used the word “luck” three times, four times if you include the reference to the film’s title in the first line. Why? Because, the director makes the characters go on and on justifying the title and rational of this film by talking and repeating their notions of “luck”. By the end of it you are sick of hearing that word. Anyways, lets get to the film now. To begin with there is no story, only a silly idea Mr. Soham Shah, the writer and director of this film, has about luck. I don’t even want to go in to explaining this concept. Nothing really happens in the first half of the film. Each character is introduced with a little bit of intro, most of the reels are reserved for Sanjay Dutt and Imran Khan though. Musa Bhai (Sanjay Dutt) is a really lucky guy since birth. Even as he and friends decide to jump off from the fourth floor our man Musa lives—he is that lucky. He later becomes a big don in the world of betting. Musa’s claim to fame to this occuputional sector is betting on an individual’s luck. Musa’s chief HR is Tenzang (Danny with eyebrows are visibly drawn with pencil), formerly another lucky guy at the game of cards but later runs of luck when he is taken in to Musa’s team to hunt for other lucky guys and girls whose luck can stand up to that of Musa’s.
time he walks in slow-motion with that goti, shades, khurta, coat and a gun. Rest of the cast is just average and there is nothing for Imran Khan here; rotten career choice her this young man. For those are curious about Shruti Hassan will be deeply dissapointed. Yea, she looked hot on those magazine covers when on screen she acting is too plain as though she is reciting lines in a 4th class stage drama. She is given zero-importance as she makes her first appearence a few minutes before the interval. The swim-wear scene comes a few minutes after the interval, but over all there is nothing hot about Shruti Hassan in this film. Her luck was have been bad to have signed this as her debut film! She is okay, but most of the times she looked like Esha Deol, I thought. Mithun Chraborthy is given silly to speak silly wannabe masala dialogues while Ravi Kisen as Raghavan is the only guy who seems to have enjoyed his act. The music is poor.
With ShortKut as the third box-office disaster I am now wishing the producer-multiplex strike was never resolved. During the strike Hindi movie single screens across Hyderabad brought back blockbusters from the past and you could atleast enjoy these films. Now that the strike is resolved (i am not sure of the terms though) we-the audience are again being subjected to one pathetic film after another; first New York, then Kambaqkkht Ishq and now ShortKut. With big names from the Comedy Sector behind this film, I thought ShortKut might at least provide some good laughs, but every aspect of ShortKut—The Con Is On is pathetic and the proceedings will only irritate you.
r who only wants to become a Star by shortkut and not by hardwork as opposed to Shekar. Mansi (Amrita Rao) is a super star heroine and Shekar’s lover, but Shekar wants to marry her only after making it big. Shekar apparently develops a super-duper-hit script (no, we don’t get to hear any part of this script), but Raju steals it and makes it in to a movie even before Shekar begisn shooting and becomes a star ovenight. Following this, Shekar is totally dejected, Mansi quits the industry and announces her marriage to him in front of the media, Shekar then develops heavy inferiority complex, takes to drinks, shouts at his wife, wife leaves the house and goes back to movies, and Shekar decides to go back to director with Raju as the hero. By this time Raju is the most annoying actor on this planet. 
Under any normal or ordinary circumstances I will never watch a film that stars Manchu Manoj or his brother. Add to this what I read in some discussion forum that given the backdrop of an airport this film might be a freemake of Tom Hanks The Terminal; I just couldn’t have got myself to watch Mr. Manchu Manoj do a Tom Hanks. But I still saw the film in it’s 5th week only because my wife saw it while I was in Mumbai and actually didn’t mind coming again—now, this is big. Secondly, the director’s name bodes well for good classy films. And thirdly, given that a Manchu Manoj film is playing in to it’s 5th and 6th week towards 50 days means it must be decent enough. And sure enough, Prayanam is decent enough.
It turns out that Prayanam has nothing do do with The Terminal except that it too is based entirely in an airport, the Malaysian airport. Dhruv and his two friends have come to Malaysia and are on their way to Singapore when they decide to do bizarre things like climb a bridge and get busted by the cops for that. There is no need for such an intro, really. The three are back at the airport to go to Singapore when they meet Harika (Payal Ghosh) and her friend who are going to India for Harika’s pelli-chupullu. It is love at first sight for Dhruv, but has only two hours to know the girl, get her to like him, make her fall for him, and say yes to marry him. Great premise, but unfortunately the journey from here on does not really take off. What could have been a major fun ride is made to continue like a film without much action, fizz, fun, twists, and jhatkas (essential for small films which want to be different from the mainstream). The only highlight of the film is Brahmanandam—-if not for him the film is a total loser on it’s own. The story could have been packed with so much more, but it is only limited to episodes between two highly talentless actors called Manchu Manoj and Payal Ghosh. Again, where are the characters? An airport is a Universe in itself, why would anybody want to make a movie without many characters? it would have been so much fun…the possibilities are limitless.
in life, people come and go etc etc. The movie story, however, does not do justice to the title. Instead, the movie is only about showing Manchu Manoj’s (lack of) acting skills and several silly attempts by the hero trying to win over the heroine in those two hours. Not to worry, towards the end the hero and heroine get together! Yes! After all the silly attempts by the hero, one such silly attempt (of writing something at the back of a baggage trolley) makes the heroine 30 minutes before boarding her flight want to test out the hero by giving him a survey. He answers it, submits it through a passenger and lo and behold the heroine and her friend come out of the flight to accept the hero! Yes, to the movie’s credit…it is clean, light, and has it’s share of funny moments. Check out the Tiger-Man episode of Brahmanandam and also the Bomb episode…truly hilarious. However, Manchu Manoj just cannot act for nuts, he struggles hard and he must quit trying to do a Pawan Kalyan from Khushi. The heroine looks okay, but looks dumb at times. Her characterization also is dumb because any decent girl in her place would have slapped the guy one on his cheek. 
Agreed, I am getting repetitive while reviewing movies (particularly Telugu) while stating that designer posters are corresponding to badly designed movies. But what else can I say? When I first saw Oye’s posters with a smart, handsome Siddharth in googles, bag back, with a guitar and a tag line that reads “his first love called him…”, I thought this one would be a Smash Hit! You expect that something different will be dished out: what is his first love: music, life, travel? Add to the expectations, some really cool compositions by Yuvan Shankar Raja. By the time you are reaching the middle of the film you wonder where the coolness is and by the time you hit interval you hit your head in despair: is this is the film? Frankly, Oye dissapoints.
Uday (Siddharth) is a cool dude kinda guy with a fat friend Krishnudu (the lead of the sweet film Vinayakudu). For Uday, life is short, rich, and needs to be enjoyed with a party. Wow! such a different characterization for a hero given our Telugu movie standards (sarcasm, by the way). The girl, Sandhya (Shyamili) is the exact opposie with simple tastes, big values, and full of discipline. On a new year eve bash at a pub to which Sandhya is forced to come by her friend who is a mother of three kids, she bumbs in to Uday who is all keen to flirt with her. However, Sandhya gives him her deal of life and the next day when our hero Uday’s father dies with googles and white dress standing near to his father’s body, he decides that he loves Sandhya and wants to pursue her. From this point on till the interval Uday is trying to get friendly with Sandhya by living as her paying guest upstairs and concealing from her his true ultra-rich identity (yes, like Ghajini). Fortunately for the audience this part of the film, although without much characters, is quite funny and provides some decent time pass. There is also a forced and unrelated comedy track of Sunil as an insurance agent. Just before the interval, in her master health check up Sandhya is diagnosed with cancer. For some strange reason the director does not want the heroine to know this.
right place. Unfortunately, Oye cannot handle the sentiment it wants to potray because it’s story is just that much under developed. My next question: where are the characters? You need characters to make a memorable film. Coming to the performances, Siddharth is his usual self with nothing new to offer except that we know he loves Ray Ban glasses. It’s possible you might think he plays a blind man in his film because on every poster he has black glasses, but he not playing such a role. His face looks too thin and haggard at times. Five out of six who went for this film didn’t like the heroine, Shyamili, but I really liked her. She reminds us of the Jhyandala movie-type heronies: being simple is being beautiful. After I don’t know how long I get to see a heroine in a film who is fully clothed, looks decent, pretty, simple and someone you can relate to. She acts well too, but how I wish she got a better story. The songs are really good with the first two being the highlight: Seheri and Oye…first love. Seheri…simply rocked when I saw it in full dts blast at Sudarshan 70mm.
I had no intentions of writing the review of Kambaqkkht Ishq so early or in such haste, but reading initial reports on boxofficeindia.com and indiafm.com about “bumper” openings for film caused a lot of concern in me. Concern because reading these reports other moviegoers might be prompted to actually watch this movie, which is without doubt the shittiest film of 2009 yet. Not only is this film shitty, the marketing of the film is misleading. In fact, Kambaqkkht Ishq is a freemake of a Kamal Hassan starrer (Tamil/Telugu film). To put the record straight, Kambaqkkht Ishq is one of the crappiest films, which should be avoided at all costs in order to save you from a headache.
The film’s posters introduce Akshay Kumar as a stuntman and Kareena Kapoor as a super model. The makers of this film ought to be ashamed of themselves for such cheating. If you see the film you will find that Kareena Kapoor is actually a surgeon/medico! who is in designer model outfits when she is not in her surgeon gown. In one instance, when she needs some money to pay her registration fee she does a model act in Italy. Thats it. Secondly, the film is shamelessly taken from the comedy film Brahmachari (January 15th, 2002 in Telugu) starring Kamal Hasan, Simran, Sneha. Now, coming to Kambaqkkht Ishq–Viraj (Akshay Kumar) is a stuntman for Hollywood action films and is a player who loves to ‘play’ with women. Bebo/Sim (Kareena Kapoor) desists men because she feels they all like to only ‘play’ with women like her father and sister’s husband. Thus, Viraj and Bebo hate each other calling each other “bitch” and “dog” in generous proportions. Bebo goes all out to wreck her friend’s Kamini (Amrita Arora) marriage to Lucky (Aftab). The film tags along with is ridiculous story (if you want to call this a story) when Viraj meets with an accident. This will be Bebo’s first surgery and by the end of it she drops her musical watch inside Viraj’s stomach and stitches it up! Thus, every hour Viraj and those around him get to her mangalam song and Bebo is in a fix as if this incident comes out in the open it will affect her career. Now, she plans to get close to Viraj, act as though she loves him, get him to the operation table and remove the watch. After soem drona dhona and idiotic sentiment, Bebo realizes that she was wrong and that Viraj is a good guy at heart. They both get married.
Magadheera’s audio disappoints and to put it even bluntly it SUCKS! When you first see the posters you are bound to expect that the music will be royal, but the songs have no ‘dum’. None of the five original songs composed by MM Keeravani are impressive. Add to this list the remix of MegaStar Chiranjeevi’s mega blockbuster song Bangaru Kodipetta. So a total of six songs, but one of them is a rolling titles music, which means a majority of the audience will miss this song because our single screens don’t beleive in playing through the rolling credits after the first day or two. In fact, I am so dissapointed with the songs of this film that I will not waste my time and energy on writing about them, but I guess I can mention them: Dheera Dheera Dheera…slow and boring, Panchadhara Bomma.…another below average song, Jorsey...pls skip this, Nakosam Nuvu…kindly skip, Rolling Titles Music…sounds like a left over from Simhadri. Given Ram Charan Tej’s dancing abilities and SS Rajamouli’s grand scale of mounting the film, the songs are most likely to look good on screen, but not beyond that.
