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C/o Kancharapalem (2018)
Heart warming, thought provoking, entertaining drama
Rarely has a Telugu film, in recent times, addressed so many social issues at once with a layered story telling. And it was made possible by telling the love stories of four age groups in the streets of Kancharapalem. The societal pressure one faces on non conformity to the institution of marriage, the class differences in a government office, the regulations on acceptable behaviour of women, the religious beliefs and the social divide they bring are intricately woven in this beautiful film. This coming of age film told as an anthology charts how belief systems and religious faiths are shaken over the course of life until one realises he can only trust or love fellow humans.
And then there is this surprise, sweet ending which adds more meaning and depth to the story and makes you reflect about the whole film again. Over the years Telugu cinema has been dumbing down the viewers, asking them to leave their brains at home promising them cheap thrills with their formulaic films. This film is one of the few exceptions. Great watch!!!
Yeh Meri Family (2018)
Best TVF show ever
This is probably the best show that came form TVF. The earlier shows were fun to watch with witty lines and some with good drama but this is on a whole different level. It takes us back to our childhood and refreshes our memory with the little joys and the fun we had when we were kids, the days of our lives when summer holidays took forever to end and growing up seemed the solution to all our problems.
I can't help but compare the nostalgia this show gives to that which we get from watching Swami and friends, both shows explore the psyche of a young boy growing up, though set in different time periods. Swami was in pre-independence era in Malgudi, while Harshu, an older boy, is a 90's kid. And boy is 90's the best time to be a kid!!
Yeh Meri Life is awesome and Kudos to the effort that went into getting every small detail of the 90's right. Mona Singh is a delight to watch. She is a great actor. Shanky is the coolest, sharing Gyan using metaphors and the 90's pop culture references. The dialogues between Harshu and Shanky are so funny. This is a well written, well paced, beautiful drama and the music is great. Thumbs up!!
Awe! (2018)
Ambitious but boring
Different film doesn't necessarily mean a good film. "Awe!" is different in all respects to mainstream Telugu movies be it the narrative style or the weaving of multiple sub plots or the topics it discusses but it fails to engage at any point.Any one who has seen a couple of Hollywood movies could observe the innumerable cliches that are there in the movie and though the ideas are not novel one could have put a different spin on them to make it interesting. The director tells the story with many characters but none actually interesting that you could care for. This film is definitely ambitious and experimental by the standards of Telugu cinema but is mostly flash with less substance and doesn't quite live up to the hype it created.
Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu (2012)
A good watch, the male lead is kind of a letdown.
I don't really understand why Nani is lauded as natural star in the Telugu states. If not for him this movie could have been a great watch. The way he speaks is like he is trying too hard to seduce with his voice and it is like that in most of the scenes irrespective of the context and you cannot help but remember the fact that he used to be a radio jockey which makes it difficult to care for Varun as the portrayal seems fake.On the other hand Samantha as Nithya was great with the sultry voice of Chinmayi only adding to her performance. The confrontation scenes between Varun and Nithya are well written and so are the comic scenes involving hero's friend. Ilayaraja's music is an asset to the film and all the songs are good. A good movie with few flaws.
Tholi Prema (2018)
Mediocre romance
Tholiprema is yet another love story in Telugu with emotions that seem superficial and writing so amateur that it feels like one of the million short films(read love stories) that are put on YouTube everyday. The movie benefits from some good music and bearable screenplay. Overall the movie is tacky and lacks depth like is the case with most of the Telugu films these days. Not to be compared with Karunakaran's classic Toliprema .
Ullasanga Utsahanga (2008)
A classic love story
Karunakaran is a master at making beautiful movies out of simple love stories. Though almost all of his movies are youthful and love stories, there is no denying the fact that he is one of the most brilliant screenplay writers the Telugu cinema has ever witnessed. He weaves comedy into the narrative effortlessly that it evokes nostalgia every time you watch the movie.
With Ullasamga Uthsahamga he uses newcomers to tell the story which worked to his advantage. The hero is just an average guy and not a Prince charming and Yasho Sagar fits the bill in a role that does not require him to be heroic or smart. The trademark Karunakaran montage songs and innocent humour are treat to watch.
In the end,the confusion and indecision of Dhanalakshmi over whom she really likes and how she refuses to express her feelings for the fear of being mistaken is shown beautifully setting up a great climax with a fun surprise.
The music by G V Prakash is soulful and the background music accentuates the mood in key situations. Ullasamga Uthsahamga is a classic and one of the best films from an underrated director.
Fidaa (2017)
A memorable love story , Shekhar Kammula still got it
Fidaa is a film that rides on the strength of the character of female lead alone. Sai Pallavi delivers as the village belle from Telangana with such a grace and ease that puts most of the leading actresses in Telugu industry to shame. She gets everything right, right from the accent to the emotions and subtleties in expressions bringing freshness to her portrayal. Shekhar Kammula needs to be lauded for great writing and equally good direction except for some stagnant moments in the second half of the film. Varun Tej's bad acting did not bring down the film much but his portrayal of an NRI guy felt like characters from Mogali Rekulu serial unnecessarily speaking in English now and then. He is completely overshadowed by Sai Pallavi, not that we are complaining. One of the best movies in Telugu in recent times, right there alongside Pellichupulu.