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Babai Abbai (1984)
Fantastic Comedy Duo From Jandhyala!
The main theme and storyline of this movie is inspired from an English film "Brewsters Millions" ( Which also is an inspiration to Rajni Kanth's AruNaachalam released in late 90s) where the Hero gets into a situation where he has to spend an enormous amount of money in a less span of time but fails for every attempt made, the unique comedy and the peculiar characters and their behavior is what makes Babai-Abbai a typical classy Jandhyala comedy flick.
One of the best things I observed in Jandhyala's movies is that the comedy has subtlety and at the same time gives a powerful impact on the viewer. The dialogues are so comic and powerful that they remain intact irrespective of time and era. Some of the phrases which the characters use to describe a person have become so prominent that they are used by every Telugu person at some situation or other.
It is needless to say that Babai-Abbai also comes under such same category and we have characters who appear so natural in the way they behave or possess such traits which we encounter in day-to-day life. It also explains about the worth of "money" factor in life at a real comic and entertaining length.
Coming to the story, it goes around the two protagonists we have here namely Babai ( Sutthi Veera Bhadra Rao at his amazing best) and Abbai ( Balakrishna) who happen to meet in a very comical circumstances and live together. Though they deal with poverty and debts most of their time due to unemployment being rampant at that point of time, they try to deal with every situation which comes in their way in a hilarious manner and escape from them in a convincing way. I may not be able to describe every scene in the movie but my motive is to bring the cream of the comedy element present in it through the best dialogues (The translation of that in English will also be given for non-Telugu reader's convenience) present in it. Our dear Abbai falls in love with a rich girl Krishnaveni ( A new actress named Anita Reddy who did not act in any other movies after this-to my knowledge!) having a peculiar and eccentric father played by the talented Sutthi Velu! He is eccentric for the reason that he has horrible temper for everything and in order to abate it, he employs a stout person named Chotu especially to hit him until the anger goes! Though this works most of the time, at times this Chotu feels out of limit and starts hitting Sutthi Velu at the best of his strength! The heroine's father assigns a task for Abbai which was unheard or unseen of. He gives Babai a huge sum of money and asks him to spend it within the timeline of 30 days. He also explains the reason for this task assigning saying that a poor guy who marries a rich girl should either know how to earn money or should at least know how to spend the already existing money wisely. He also puts a condition saying that the money should not be donated, destroyed but has to be spent in a convincing manner. When Abbai comes to ask Babai (His mentor!) for advise, the latter feels what everybody feels about money in the first place. He says it is never easy to earn money but to spend money it is completely like a cakewalk. But the real comic fun starts now when our duo starts this assignment. In the initial stages they find it easy but as the days pass by, the income starts coming in larger amounts surpassing the expenditure! Rest of the story is about how our duo realize the real nature of money by encountering funny as well as eye-opening incidents!
Anand (2004)
As fresh as a cup of Filter Coffee in the morning!!
2004
Telugu Cinema was drenched in violence, Rayalaseema, fights, or needless dance sequences with absolutely minimal role to the heroine except for a few dance sequences (Dance literally means western dance and classical dance has almost become extinct in Telugu movies!). The role of heroine was to have no brains, look glamorous, and disappear in thin air with respect to characterization.
Then this movie called Anand arrived( Manchi Coffee Lanti Cinema-tagline!) directed by Mr. Sekhar Kammula. An Engineering graduate who studied MFA in USA has turned Telugu Cinema literally upside down in that year! Sekhar rose to prominence by Anand and people have started re-thinking about the brilliance of simple life and little happiness which were lost in the course of money earning and building lavish houses on the account of IT industry boom! Bapu was one director who showed that happiness comes from simple living and doing the sweet little things which go amiss in the midst of busy schedule and I can definitely say Sekhar has brought back that wonderful era of simple movies with strong characters and extraordinary story telling technique!
There are many reasons for Telugu people admiring the movie "Anand" by Shekhar Kammula. Let it be the freshness of it, or a thought-provoking points it emphasized on, or Rupa's character, or the music
..but I felt it was really a welcome change for Telugu Cinema after the gross commercial movies comprising of loads of budget and show lot of carnage, but no sensible content at all.
Apart from all the aspects of this movie, I loved the character of Rupa played brilliantly by Kamalinee Mukherjee. Despite losing her parents at such an early age, without standing back because of it, she tries her best to live independently and never compromises with her identity. Not that she doesn't respect traditions and she is a rebel, but she cannot stand if anyone claims her independence. She even comes up to an extent of breaking her marriage with her fiancé Rahul who along with his mother tries to change her in every aspect they could ever think of. They suppress her regarding dressing, job or regional bias, traditions, her way of living and finally when she was asked for wearing the wedding saree which was given by them, she shows courage and tells her would-be mother-in-law that she wants to wear her mother's saree as she feels that if she does so, her mother is along with her. But when they want to change even her life which she lived in the house she lived as a child, she breaks up her marriage for saving her own neck from those people. Though she initially feels that what she did was wrong and feels regretted, but later she develops such an inner strength which makes any girl who watch her proud. I personally feel that a girl should be like Rupa, who should not sacrifice herself for anyone, rather it might be the guy who she is going to be married, or her parents who gave birth to her. She should not sacrifice most importantly because she is a girl, and inferior to a guy.
It is at this moment, Anand (Raja-who was identified as an actor with "Good guy" image after acting in this film!), an NRI guy who happens to attend this wedding, admires Rupa's strength and wants to know more about her personality. And the rest of the movie is all about how Anand gets interested about Rupa and after some petty arguments, how both of them get together.
The way in which Rupa deals with the tough situations in her life right from losing parents at an early age and trying to be as self-dependent as possible is really admirable. Sekhar Kammula etched her character in such a beautiful way that I am sure everyone of us must have interacted with a girl like Rupa at some point of life or other. In short, I personally feel there is a Rupa in every girl at heart because independence is a girl's primary entity.
An important aspect in the storyline of this movie is that Rupa's parents die in a car accident made by Anand's father who gets drunk then. This makes Anand feel more guilty and tries to help Rupa by staying near her house as much as possible. At one situation after Rupa's parents' death anniversary, Anand asks her whether she ever held grudge against the person who did that accident. Rupa (who is in the vow of silence at that time) asks for a paper and pen and writes she always felt responsible for their deaths but nobody else. And the way she says fate decides it all in a beautiful gesture is one of the best scenes I watched in any of the recent movies!
This movie also throws light on some timid men who are unable to take strong decisions in life through the character Rahul. He is torn between the love for his mother and at the same time wants to gain Rupa by marrying her in some way or other. He takes side of his mother when the time of defending Rupa arrives and feels sad about it later. The confused nature of some modern men who are caught in between tradition and modern values was shown perfectly by Shekhar in this movie!
The movie is filled with freshness in every frame, including the songs and background score given by K.M.Radhakrishnan. This movie can be termed as a modern classic in Telugu cinema, because whenever I see it, I never get bored with it!!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Best of the five movies
I'm a huge Harry potter fan, books as well as movies and I can say I am not at all disappointed with this film. The movie was brilliantly made, and the dark feel was evident right from the beginning of the movie. What I was really happy about this one is it was more faithful to the book. The new actors like Imelda Staunton(played the role of Umbridge brilliantly), the young lady with potential Evanna Lynch who played Luna Lovegood and no need to mention the Bellatrix to the heights of evil.
I particularly enjoyed the climax sequences which were a pleasure to watch in 3D, the movie went smoothly right from the beginning and there were no split ends. The lack of quidditch in the movie makes sense because the viewer can assume Umbridge might have banned that as well. I can say that this movie was the most touching of all the five because of the importance it emphasized on friendship and love. The movie also showed properly about the rebellion in school and fudge's lack of belief in Voldemort returning.
Daniel Radcliffe has definitely improved in this movie and the improvement has been clearly seen in the final scenes where he had to fight Voldemort possessing him and Sirius dying. Emma and Rupert were great as Harry's friends Hermione and Ron as usual. The only mistake which I've seen is Luna using the spell "Levicorpus" in the final fight which does not come until the next book. Apart from that I'd give this movie a double thumbs up and everyone whether a book reader or not can watch it and still be able to appreciate it.
Back to the Future (1985)
Thoroughly entertaining
Well,this movie is supposed to be the starter for all time travel movies,and it definitely fulfills all those requirements for a thoroughly entertaining movie.The movie basically revolves around a 17 year old kid Marty Mcfly(Michael J Fox,in one of his best performances)who accidentally steps into a time machine made by his friend Dr.Emmett Brown ..who is a renowned scientist,under dire circumstances.Marty goes back 30yrs back i.e;1955 as the movie is based on the time of 1985.So,he faces several problems when encounters none other than his own mother and father as students at that instant of time.It is really fun watching Marty being the reason his mother and father get together.I loved watching that part!!The rest of the movie is how marty comes back to his own time,and unites his mother and father as Marty becomes the reason for their enstrangement.A must watch movie everyone.....it is great fun watching the whole thing.
I personally enjoyed watching back to the future....it
remains to be my favorite movie of all time!!
Thiruda Thiruda (1993)
Technically good movie
Well,this movie was not a great commercial success to mani sir's team,but i think this movie is technically superb.P.C.Sreeram,has don't an awesome job as usual for mani sir,but he used exceptionally good lighting techniques for songs.For the song "koncham nilavu",the lighting techniques were amazing.The story is pretty simple one,it is all about how a bank robbery makes two thiefs,a spy and a rural girl come together.The story was narrated in a simple way,as there is not much seriousness in the topic.This movie would be definitely enjoyed by people who like adventures and stuff like that.The songs are mind blowing in my opinion.though i like A.R.Rahman's compositions but this one is totally unique in my opinion.The song "thee thee"was composed with a mixture of Indian and western genres....is the best song in this movie.In fact,most of the people don't know the fact that,the lighting technique used in this movie was indeed used again in Lagaan-once upon a time in India which was nominated for the Oscars.Finally this one is a typical pop corn movie,and it does not tell any moral values or things like that to you as most of mani sir's movies tell....but it is quite enjoyable.I'd recommend the DVD!!
Kshana Kshanam (1991)
Technically good
This movie basically revolves around a huge sum of money which has been robbed by a group of gangsters.But the money accidentally comes into the hands of a normal working girl Satya(Sridevi)due to the course of incidents.Rest of the movie includes the adventures Satya and another thief Chandu played by Venkatesh who saves satya from these situations.Ram gopal varma,being the director of this movie has taken very good care in technical aspects of the movie.What makes this movie fresh and interesting is the way the movie goes right from the beginning.This movie has definitely got what you call "Varma" touch,and it has many funny incidents as well.The actors,no doubt have given a good performance,Sridevi has been her best in this one.So watch it,you will enjoy it for sure....whether you are a varma fan or not!!I'd recommend the DVD,for good sound effects and visual stuff.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Better than the first two technically
Rating:8.5/10
When compared to the first two movies,Prisoner of Azkaban is technically very good right from the beginning.Alfanso Cuaron took good care of the art direction being the director and the movie gave a new feel to the viewers. But however,as a reader of all the HP books,i felt most of the parts getting neglected in the movie with regards to the book.The new actors like Emma Thompson,David Thewlis,Gary Oldman,Timothy Spall made a very good mark on the movie in their respective characters,but i felt Michael Gambon was not upto the mark in terms of Dumbledore's authority. The best thing about this movie is,unlike the second one,it has maintained its pace till the last scene.The final scenes were taken very well but it was too fast.The flow of the story and the action was taken at an average speed but the exact reason about why snape hated the four friends Lupin,James ,Sirius and Pettigrew was not properly explained.But the movie is refreshing and will be liked by people who did'nt read the books as well. Anyway people......the movie is worth a wait for all HP fans and it will not disappoint you!!Dan and emma had given a good performance in the last scenes,Thought rupert did'nt get that much opportunity to show himself.The Director had definitely moulded the performance of young child actors and helped them to bring their best.The visual effects were better than the second one.Knight bus sequence was the funniest from the whole movie. ENJOY POA!! The movie is all about facing your darkest fears and being a teenager!!
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
An epic....don't miss this one!!
The lord of the rings:the fellowship of the ring movie is one of the greatest movies i have ever seen in my life.The LOTR series is just a wonder.Right from the beginning,the movie bounds the viewer to the ring.One feels the chill of sauron's dark power,or frodo's burden,or gandalf's wisdom.....everything and everyone who acted in this movie have some resemblance with the daily people we see.This movie is the exact adaptation of what tolkein wrote.Every single frame shows the greatness of peter jackson,the director.I cannot stay without appreciating the filmmakers who took so much pain in bringing this legend on the silver screen.Every place....say shire,or rivendell,or buckleberry furry,or treetop,or isengard.....has been shown perfectly.It is a visual treat.....this film.Coming to the performances,everyone did their best in this movie.I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone who give value to human emotions!!
Aditya 369 (1991)
A great scientific movie
This movie begins with a scientist Prof.Ramdas(tinu anand) doing vigorous experiments to invent a time machine.He becomes successful.His daughter hema(played by Mohini) and her fiancée Krishna Kumar(played by balakrishna) accidentally get into the time machine and visit the past(time of krishnadeva raya's empire).This movie has been developed on the lines of "back to the future" movies but is very well made with regards to regionalism.The story revolves around one more important aspect,the diamond in a museum.A person named Raja Verma(Amrish Puri)has a queer hobby of collecting valuables all over the world,makes and attempt to rob the diamond in the present and that is seen by a kid who happens to be there at that time.Science fiction lovers would love this one.The special effects were really good when compared to that time.Screen play and dialouges were crisp and captivating.The actors have given a good performance.Soundtrack given by Mastero Ilayaraja is simply brilliant.Aditya 369 always remains an all time favorite movie for me!
Alai Payuthey (2000)
A great movie on human relations
The story of Alaipayuthey may be simple(like any other love story)but the way it is shown,i think all the credit goes to the brilliant Mani Ratnam,A.R.Rahman and cinematographer P.C.Sreeram.Every frame has some meaning in this movie.This movie is not only technically good,but also has moral sense.The lead roles played by madhavan and shalini are very impressive.Every single person who acted in this movie have given their full skills.I personally liked every single scene in this movie.Songs given by A.R.Rahman is one of his best.I think this movie is one of the best in tamil cinema's history.
A must see movie for all movie lovers.I'd recommend the DVD if you don't know the language.
Anjali (1990)
Simply brilliant!
From this movie it is proved that Mani Ratnam has a knack of different topics of human relations.Anjali is basically a movie about how a mentally retarded kid finds herself suddenly between a family and whole lot of friends in a group of apartments.The family members,played by raghuvaran and revathy(one of my favorite actress) as mother and father of the child "anjali" suited their roles perfectly well.I still wonder how mani sir made the two year old girl shamelee to act so well as a mentally retarded kid.The siblings of anjali,played by tarun and shruthi,adds to the brilliance of mani sir.I loved this movie personally,as it made me upset for the whole day after watching it!!The songs,once more were brilliantly pictured,my personal favorite is the song shot on "anjali" which showed mani ratnam's greatness.I would definitely recommend this movie to you.You will love this.
Agni Natchathiram (1988)
A great movie
Honestly,when this movie was released,i was a two year old kid.But when i saw this movie....now,it is brilliant!!when compared to the conditions of that time in India,this movie is technically very good.Mani sir used exceptional lighting technique for the songs in this movie.Well,some may call this effect as "steven Spielberg" style,but i think there is definitely something different.All the actors done very well in their respective roles.The songs are superb.Mastero Ilyaraja has given awesome music for this movie.In one line,i think this movie is a worth watching movie.It is said that this movie is a big breakthrough for mani ratnam as a director,it is simply superb!!