Review : Bethaludu – Different suspense thriller

Release date : December 01, 2016
Rating : 3/5
Director : Pradeep Krishnamoorthy
Producer : Fathima Vijay Antony
Music Director : Vijay Antony
Starring : Vijay Antony, Arundhathi Nair

Vijay Anthony has become a huge sensation after the success of his last film Bichagadu. He is now back with his new film Bhetaludu which has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story:-
Dinesh(Vijay Anthony) is a senior software engineer who leads a happy life with his wife Aishwarya(Arundhati Nair). The twist in the tale arises when Dinesh starts hearing weird voices from his brain which ask Dinesh to kill himself.
Things get so serious that Dinesh’s life gets disturbed completely and he is joined in a mental hospital. There, during his treatment, the doctors find out that he is suffering from a problem which is related to his ancestral past.
What is that problem ? What does it have to do with Dinesh’s current life? and How does Dinesh manage to come out of this tricky situation ? That forms the rest of the story.

Artistes’ Performances:
Vijay Antony is suited perfect to the roles of Dinesh and Sharma. He has pulled off both the roles with ease. He has limited acting skills and he is cleverly selecting roles that suit to his talent.

Arundhathi Nair has given her best. In other roles, the guy who played doctor and YG Mahendran shine.

Technical Excellence: 
The film has terrific background score that is done by Vijay Antony himself. Cinematography and artwork is competent. Dialogues by Bashya Sri are neat.
Highlights:
First half
Suspense element
Background score

Drawback:
Out rightly silly climax
Slow narration
Complete contrast second half

Analysis:
The reason why "Bichchagadu" became such a big hit was the unique story and narration though it is basically mother-son sentiment drama. The way it was packaged made all the difference.

As "Bethaludu" begins to unravel the story, audiences would get impression that he has got it right again. The movie begins on a strong note by directly coming into the story without any deviation and keeping the suspense well.

The first half is terrifically shot with riveting drama and engaging screenplay. At "Viramam" (interval) bang, we feel that a superb thriller is in store. But all that good work is undone by the contrast second half.

In the first half, the story is set up as a psychological thriller or rebirth-revenge drama. In the second half, the disclosure is opposite to this. This revelation is not all convincing and has spoiled the show. From here, movie has completely gone out of hands of the director. All the mood the director created with his narration, Vijay Antony with his acting as well as background score has gone for the toss thereafter.

And the climax makes us feel indifferent to it. A typical mass-movie kind of fight sequence is thrown in all of a sudden. The reason why heroine married him in the first place and why she is harassed in the second half is not answered well.

"Bethaludu" is like half-boiled biryani rice, cannot be savored however beautiful it looks. All in all, the movie has superb first half but cliched final scenes which gives us unsatisfactory feel in the end.

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Sonam Kapoor, Tamannaah, Amy Jackson bag top honours at the Asiavision Awards 2016 – view pics

Sonam Kapoor, Tamannaah, Amy Jackson, Radhika Apte and Ram Charan won the prestigious Asiavision Award...

But it was Amy Jackson who stole the show in her pink gown, after she received an award for her excellent performances in Tamil cinema…

Radhika was given award for her excellent performance in Phobia, Kabali and Parched…

Tamannaah looked elegant in her blue gown as she bagged the award for the Best actress in Tamil cinema…

Sonam Kapoor looked stunning in the black velvet Caroline Hayden gown. Isn’t she?

Ram Charan bagged the Youth Icon of the year award…

She was awarded the Best actresses award for her performance in Neerja…

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2.0 first look posters

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Chiranjeevi's Next Confirmed With Boyapati

Chiranjeevi's Khaidi No. 150 is gearing up for Sankranthi release. The film’s shoot is going as per plan and the team has returned to Hyderabad after completing the foreign schedule.

The makers are hell-bent on releasing it for Sankranthi as it has proved to be the best season for commercial entertainers.

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi decided to go with Boyapati Srinu for his next film. Boyapati is the specialist director in churning out mass masala entertainers.

Also he is the only director that gave back to back hits with veteran Balakrishna in recent times. So Chiranjeevi feels Boyapati is the best option to go with.

Boyapati has reportedly narrated a storyline to Chiranjeevi and the latter is impressed by it. Boyapati will start working on the script once he is done with Bellamkonda Srinivas’s film. In all likelihood the project will to go floors in the June 2017.

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Review : Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo – Action filled romance

Release date : November 11, 2016
Rating : 3/5
Director : Gautham Menon
Producers : Miryala Ravinder Reddy
Music Director : A. R. Rahman
Starring : Naga Chaitanya, Manjima Mohan
Naga Chaitanya is in the best phase of his career. After the super success of his last film Premam, he is back with yet another interesting project Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo. Directed by Gautam Menon, this film has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story :-
Chinna(Chaitanya) is a college going youth who falls in love with Leela(Manjima Mohan), his sister’s best friend. As time passes by, he gets close to Leela and takes her for a long road trip.
The twist in the tale arises when the beautiful road trip changes upside down because of a horrible accident. Thereafter, things become even more difficult for the couple as a dreaded gang starts attacking them.

Who are these people ? What do they have to do with such a young couple ? and how will Naga Chaitanya save his girl friend from this chaos. That forms the rest of the story.Cinematography is very rich. Editing is neat. Fights are different and has lot of style.

Highlights:
Different narration
Rehman’s music
Romantic track
First half
Cinematography

Drawback:
Inconsistent screenplay
Bad Climax




Analysis:
Gautham Menon is one director who makes different kind of movies within action and romance genre. He is equally good at packaging action dramas like “Gharshana” and romantic movies like “Ye Maaya Chesave”.

His “Saahsam Swaasaga Saagipo” seems like a mix of both the movies but this is slightly different from his usual style of movies.

While the movie begins like “Ye Maaya Chesave” – with hero falling for other state girl who lives in his home, goes with her to some place (in YMC it is Kerala, here it is Kanyakumari), etc.

Once you start feeling that the film is going like “Ye Maaya Chesave” he pulls a trick and makes it an action drama. From the accident scene before the interval, the movie turns into action rampage.

Right after the interval, the movie goes like a thriller – why the Marathi men are after Leela and her family, why a police officer is trying to kill the heroine is unfolded in a slow but gripping manner.

The way Naga Chaitanya goes after the villains is shot in most stylish way by Gautham Menon. He also cuts the scenes differently.

The scene where Naga Chaitanya sits in a doctor’s home and tells that he has now turned into a man is terrific. That is the theme of the movie – a boy turning into a man. The hotel scene in the second half is also superb.

Even the twist in the story in the end and the revealing scene of Naga Chaitanya’s name are also good. But again, the movie’s climax gives déjà vu feeling. The fight scene in the end seems too stretched.

Although “Saahasam Swaasaga Saagipo” is not an excellent film like “Ye Maaya Chesave” or as gripping as “Raghavan”, this is different movie within commercial format.

The romantic scenes in the beginning seem very repetitive but the later portion is what makes the difference.

All in all, different visual style, and thriller mode of narration coupled with A R Rehman’s techno music makes the movie far from the regular stuff.

Bottom-line: Daring Romance!

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Review : Naruda Donoruda – Interesting concept but

Movie: Naruda DONORuda
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Rama Reels, SS Creations
Cast: Sumanth, Pallavi Subhash, Tanikella Bharani, Suman Shetty, Sri Lakshmi, Bhadram, Jabardasth Seshu, Sunkara Lakshmi, Pushpa, Chalapathi Raju
Cinematographer: Shaniel Deo
Music: Sricharan Pakala
Editor: Karthika Srinivas
Art Director: Ram Arasavelli
Producers: Y Supriya and John Sudheer Pudhota
Director: Mallik Ram
Release date: November 4, 2016

One of the most popular Bollywood movies recently that touched a delicate subject of sperm donation was ‘Vicky Donor’. Despite its adult content, the story was handled with so much humor and emotion, and it won many laurels. So many producers tried to remake it in Telugu but couldn’t find the hero to perform this role. When Sumanth came forward to do it, this film materialized.

The Telugu version’s trailer too evoked good response and promised a faithful and entertaining remake. So, has the Telugu remake lived up to the promise shown in the trailer, let’s find out…

Story:
Vicky (Sumanth) doesn’t do any work for a living but spends time in a jolly manner and lives with widowed mother (Sri Lakshmi) and grandmother in a middle class locality in Hyderabad.

One day, a fertility doctor Anjaneyulu (Tanikella Bharani) who is in search of healthy sperm donor spots Vicky. Initially Vicky doesn’t agree to the proposal but finally he relents to the doctor’s idea of becoming a sperm donor. This job provides him good money and he enjoys it but he keeps his profession as a secret from everyone.

Trouble begins when he falls in love with an Ashima Roy (Pallavi), a Bengali bank employee. After marrying her, a twist in their life puts him on an emotional journey.

Artistes’ Performances:
Sumanth has done neat job. Although his comedy act is awkward, rest of the performance is fine. For the role of his lover-wife, a better looking heroine should have been selected. Newcomer Pallavi Subash lacks beauty.

Tanikella Bharani has gone overboard in many scenes but he has provided enough comedy with his constant stress on the word “Vithanam” for ‘sperm’. Sri Lakshmi and Suman Shetty get noticed. 

Technical Excellence:
The movie has cheap production values and low technical standards. Seems that entire movie is wrapped up in and around Annapurna Studios and Seven acres and made with the students of Akkineni Film School.

The artwork and cinematography is very basic. Music by Pakala is in contrast to the movie’s theme. Music is major letdown. Editing is okay. 

Highlights:

Concept of the movie
Some comedy and dialogues

Drawback:
Heroine
Cheap production and technical values
Dragging portions
Lengthy pellichoopulu cum wedding scene
Dragging second half
Dull narration

Technical Aspects :-

Production values are good as the film is set up in a decent manner. Background score during the climax is okay and elevates the film well. Music is very disappointing as all the songs come in as huge speed breakers. Editing is average. Dialogues are very good and the one-liners written for Bharani are quite witty.

Coming to the director Mallik Ram, he has done a below average job with the film. His inexperience is clearly shown throughout the film as he does not handle the complex points of the film well. The way he etches out his characters and makes them go over the top goes against the film to an extent.

Verdict :-

On the whole, Naruda Donaruda is definitely a bold attempt from Sumanth. He needs to be credited for choosing a risky subject like this and decisions from actors like him can take Tollywood forward. But sadly for Sumanth, the narration is quite disappointing as the film suffers heavily from lack of emotions and is a strictly for adults only. If you completely forget the original and get along with the bold content of the film, you can give this film a shot for Tanikella Bharani and his hilarious act.

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'Kaashmora' Review: Graphical Comic Arundhati

Movie: Kaashmora
Rating: 3/5
Banner: PVP Cinema
Cast: Karthi, Nayanathara, Sri Divya, Vivek and others. 
Music: Santosh Narayan
Cinematography: Om Prakash
Editing: Sabu Joseph
Art: Rajeevan
Action: Anbirav
Producer: Pearl.V.Potluri, Param.V.Potluri ,Kavin Anne
Direction: Gokul
Release date: October 28, 2016

Karthi who has huge following in Telugu states has come up with this graphical extravaganza. When the first look from the movie released, interest was created on this movie.

The trailer, the promotions further added buzz to it. Kaashmora is here. Let’s find out about its merits and demerits.

Story:
Kaashmora (Karthi) cons everyone by claiming that he can catch any ghost. Although he doesn’t know anything about parapsychology he makes people believe with his techniques.

Yamini (Sri Divya) who is researching on ghosts comes to his place to observe him and he doesn’t welcome her. A funny incident brings him to a deserted old fort. Once he enters into the fort, all doors get closed and he is trapped.

It is revealed that a real ghost called Raju Nayak brought him to this place and now the real drama begins. Some centuries ago, Raju Nayak was a soldier in a kingdom. What is his Aatma doing now in this fort?

Artistes’ Performances:
Karthi is stunning in the two roles he has portrayed. While the Kaahmora role is funny, he has excelled in the other role of Raju Nayak.

Karthi’s comedy act when he enters in old fort is superb fun. He has shown lot of variation in his performance.

Nayanathara as queen steals the show. She has limited role but she has brought livewire to the screen in the second half. Sri Divya is wasted. Vivek is good as Karthi’s father. 

Technical Excellence:
The film is shot with excellent production values and visual effects. The VFX work is okay. The sets are huge. Cinematography is impressive.

Music by Santosh Narayan is totally bad. The pace of the movie is very slow and runtime is excruciatingly long.

Highlights:
Karthi’s performance in dual role
Nayanathara
Pre-Interval scenes

Drawback:
Ups and downs in narration
Lengthy runtime
Last portion lacks effectiveness

Analysis:
The trailers and promotions of “Kaashmora” gave impression that the film deals with wars and old kingdoms like “Baahubali” did but this movie is more of a horror-comedy. 

The “Baahubali” kind of episode is limited to few minutes of runtime in the second half.

“Kaashmora” begins on an interesting note with the story of a girl waiting for the character called “Kaashmora” to complete an unfinished mission. 

Immediately the story forwards to the introduction of Karthi, the fraud ghost buster. How he dupes people evokes good comedy.

His father Vivek running an ashram for the devotees of Kaashmora baba and how his family takes offerings in the form of eggs and milk which are later sold off to restaurants is too funny.

The track of Karthi the Kashmora going to a minister’s house and duping him is another hilarious moment and the best scene is when Karthi is trapped in fort. 

All these funny episodes come in the first half and till here we feel like we are watching a good horror-comedy. Trouble begins post interval, it goes completely off-mark. 

The entire track of Raju Nayak and Rani Rathna Mahadevi is almost like Arundhati. Which is why this episode doesn’t excite, and scenes drag on.

As the film progresses towards the climax, we turn restless and we also get the feeling that we were also duped by Raju Nayak and Kaashmora. While some of the graphics are best, some don't add much value.

Overall, "Kaashmora" is not entirely dismissible, nor worth praising. It works to some extent only thanks to comic timing of Karthi.

Bottom-line: Con-Mora!

Source: https://goo.gl/OZABW6

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Premam Movie Review - Beautiful tale of love

Movie: Premam
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Sithara Entertainments
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameshwaran, Madonna, Prudhvi, Srinivas Reddy, Chaitanya Krishna,  Praveen and others
Music: Ghibran, Rajesh Murugan
Original Story: Alphonse Puthren
Cinematography: Karthik Ghattamaneni
Editing: Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao
Presents: PDV Pasad
Producer: Suryadevara Naga Vamsi
Story, screenplay and directed by: Chandoo Mondeti
Release date: October 7, 2016

One Telugu film that has been making buzz for a long time is Naga Chaitanya and Shruti Haasan's 'Premam' as this film is based on a roaring Malalaylam hit of the same name that starred Nivin Pauly. 

The Malayalam songs of “Premam”, the girls of the movie made all young hearts fall in love. So when the remake was announced with Naga Chaitanya, the buzz around the movie began.

But the movie also received online criticism for Shruti Haasan when the trailers came out as the fans of Malayalam movie felt that she didn’t fit in the role that was originally played by the beautiful Sai Pallavi. 

So how is the film in Telugu? Have the makers been faithful to the original, bettered or ruined it, let’s find out…

Story:
Vicky (Naga Chaitanya), a school student, is bewitched by the beauty Suma (Anupama). He follows her daily and befriends her. When he is about to propose her he gets a shock from her. First love broke his heart.

In college, he falls in love again. He is mesmerized by charms of his college lecturer Sithara (Shruti Haasan) who also reciprocates the same. When everything is going good for him, he gets another shock. Second time he gets a heart break.

Years pass and he is settled in life now as chef and restaurant owner, and this time a girl much younger to him comes into his life.

Artistes' Performances:
This is Naga Chaitanya’s good work till date. He has shown the variation to all three shades of his character. He is perfect as school student; he is apt as university student too. As an entrepreneur also he is convincing. Unlike the original Malayalam hero, he has not shown intensity but he is suitable to the role.

Shruti Haasan as a college lecturer is suited well. Both Anupama and Madonna have played the same roles that they did in the Malayalam original. Anupama is so beautiful but Madonna is okay.

As Naga Chaitanya’s friends Chaitanya and Praveen are okay. Narra Srinu and Brahmaji’s comedy track is hilarious.

Technical Excellence:
Music of the movie gives mixed feelings. “Evare” which is Telugu version of “Malare” is major attraction while “Agarotthula” and “Bang Bang” are also just average. A couple of better songs in the second half would have made a lot difference.

Karthik Ghattamaneni’s camera work is decent. Editing is neat. The film has rich production values.

As screenplay writer and director Chandoo Mondeti have not spoiled the original movie’s content but he has changed many things to make it more suitable to Telugu audiences.

Highlights:
Story
Naga Chaitanya and the girls
Cinematography
Comedy

Drawback:
Last 20 minutes

Analysis:
“Premam”, like the original Malayalam movie, is focused on three stages in hero's life, three girls he encounters in each stage. The story and screenplay of the movie is almost similar to the original movie.

The hero falling in love with a girl, getting heart break and moving on and failing in love... all are similar to the original story.

Director Chandoo Mondeti has incorporated little changes to make it more commercial which give mixed feelings. While the comedy part is hilarious, the changes also don’t fit perfectly to the sensitive storyline.

The beauty of this movie as well as the original film is the two first two stories. Naga Chaitanya is perfect in the role of a school boy who fell for the beauty of Anupama. This episode has come out so well but it is very short. Still it sets the mood perfectly to involve in the movie. Then the story draws us to the next story where in hero falls for his college lecturer.

While in the original movie Sai Pallavi played this role as Tamil girl, here the role played by Shruti is of Marathi and Tamil origin.

Although Shruti Haasan’s story is dragged a little bit this episode also works out due to sufficient inclusion of comedy. Both Brahmaji and Narra Srinu as lecturers have provided ample amount of comedy here.

Though the chemistry between Chaitu and Shruti is not crackling, they have looked good as a pair. The twist in the story of Shruti is interesting.

Metamorphosis of Naga Chaitanya’s love, his attempts to woo the girls have been shown beautifully too but it seems same care is not taken in the final part. The scenes seem to have shot in a hurried way.

The story has fallen drastically after the Shruti’s episode comes to an end. The final scenes are completely commercialized to satisfy Nagarjuna/Naga Chaitanya’s fans.

I he had shown the third episode more interestingly, the movie would have been a better one. On the whole, it turns out to be satisfying watch.

Bottom-line: Feel Good Love

Source: https://goo.gl/ZEffVJ

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