More Power to you..

American President John F Kennedy once said, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". This quote is extremely popular in India. However, it is disheartening that we passionately share this quote and conveniently forget to implement its spirit and essence in real life.

I am an advocate of individual and corporate social responsibility. Even among the individuals, I am particularly a strong proponent of celebrity responsibilty towards the society. This is not to say that non-celebrities are exempt from their duty towards the society. But my argument is that if a film star does something good, it has quadrupled impact on the society than when a non-celebrity does it. Celebs have the charishma and fan following to inspire and influence the masses and motivate thousands of people to follow their path in doing constructive work for the social good.

This week, I witnessed a generous act by two film personalities whose altruistic and charitable act moved me. It is important for all right thinking people to appreciate, admire and celebrate such acts of goodness more so because we live in an age that is increasingly marred with corruption, selfishness and diminishing moral values.


The first is the contribution of Rs 24 lakh by Pawan Kalyan to the flood victims of Uttarakhand. One might argue, 'don't celebs contribute to victims of natural calamities quite often? What is so special about this one?'. It is indeed rare. Let me tell you why. Firstly, neither is Uttarakhand a primary movie market for Pawan nor is it a state with the largest fan base for him. He is in no way connected to that state except for the common thread we all share with Uttarakhand as fellow Indians. Hence it is amply evident that he cared genuinely for the victims and earnestly gave whatever he could with the only hope that atleast some part of his money will save a few lives or feed a few hungry people devasted by the havoc created by the deluge. Secondly, I have learnt from my friends in Filmnagar that he had directed his staff not to disclose the information of his contribution to the media. Overawed by the large heartedness of their boss, the staff spilled the beans to the media. In anycase, from what I gather, Pawan Kalyan is a man of compassion. He is humane and large hearted. Testimonials of his generosity are found in nook and corner of Filmnagar. His annual philanthropic bill runs into lakhs of rupees. I've even heard from friends in Tollywood that to help his friend, he acted in a movie without even taking remuneration. In view of these anecdotal facts, his donation is a truly  commendable act.

Other actors might have their reasons for not giving to Uttarakhand victims. To me, such selflessness makes Pawan Kalyan more heroic and inspirational than the roles he plays on screen.


Second act of kindness was by actress, producer and Television personality Lakshmi Manchu. Recently, a friend of mine who runs a home for the needy children contacted me. The home he runs, shelters kids who lost both their parents, kids affected by HIV and the ones whose parents are mentally ill and are undergoing treatment. He wanted to celebrate the second anniversary of this orphanage. He had approached a few celebrities to see if they'd be willing to attend the anniversary as the Chief Guest. A well known actor's wife who herself was an actress demanded lakhs of rupees to attend the event. There were others who threw tantrums. Though my friend is financially well-off and can pay for their presence, he found the idea of having to 'hire' someone to attend an event organized for orphans extremely depressing and repulsive. Now some of you might ask, " why does he need a celeb?". The presence of a public personality gives immense confidence and joy to the desolate and deprived kids. Not to mention, the media coverage that will come with a celebrity's presence will only inspire more people to tread the path of social service.



He asked me if I could request Lakshmi Manchu to be the Chief Guest for their event. I am someone who doesn't seek favours particularly from my celebrity friends because it is a breach of trust and mutual respect. Since this was for a good cause, I minced no words and asked her. She readily agreed to be a part of the event and graced the occassion last week. She didn't have to say yes just because I asked her to. I am no more a journalist covering cinema industry nor do I review films. I hold no position to positively influence the fortunes of her movies and shows. Yet, she did it only because she honestly believed in doing whatever she could for the society she lives in. The kids were overjoyed to see her and delighted for having gotten a chance to spend time with someone as popular as her. Here is a picture from the event she attended last week.

Both these film personalities are different in many ways. One is a mass hero with arguably the largest number of fans in Telugu cinema and the other is a film maker and actress with multitudinous talents and is now a household name in AP. One gave his money and the other gave her time--both equally valuable and precious, more importantly spontaneous acts of care, concern and kindness. Both of them have in their own ways left an indelible impression on my mind.Celebrities come and go. Some remain in our memories not because of how much they earned but because of what they gave back. More power to both these noble souls!

100 Must-See Indian Films!!

Pic courtesy: India Today

1. Abhimaan ( Language: Hindi, Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

2. Anand ( Language: Hindi, Director: Hrishikesh Mukhejee)

3. Andaaz Apna Apna ( Language: Hindi, Director: Rajkumar Santoshi)

4. Aananda Bhairavi ( Language: Telugu, Director: Jandhyala)

5. Aandhi ( Language: Hindi, Director: Gulzar)

6. Aakrosh ( Language: Hindi, Director: Govind Nihalani)

7. Anjali ( Language: Tamil, Director: Maniratnam)

8. Arth ( Language: Hindi, Director: Mahesh Bhatt)

9. Aval Oru Thodar Kathai ( Language: Tamil Director: K Balchander)

10. Awara ( Language: Hindi, Director: Raj Kapoor)

11. A Wednesday ( Language: Hindi Director: Neeraj Pandey)

12. Bombay ( Language: Released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil. Director: Maniratnam)

13. Bandit Queen ( Language: Hindi, Director: Shekhar Kapur)

14. Black ( Language: Hindi, Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali)

15. Black Friday ( Language: Hindi, Director: Anurag Kashyap)

16. Calcutta Trilogy ( Language: Benegali, DIrector: Mrinal Sen)

17. Chandni Bar ( Language: Hindi, Director: Madhur Bhandarkar)

18. Charulatha: The Lonely Wife ( Language: Bengali, Director: Satyajit Ray)

19. Chemmeen ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Ramu Kariat)

20. Chupke Chupke ( Language: Hindi, Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee

21. Company ( Language: Hindi, Director: Ramgopal Varma)

22. Devdas (2002) ( Language: Hindi, Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali)

23. Dewaar ( Language: Hindi, Director: Yash Chopra)

24. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) ( Language: Hindi, Director: Adiya Chopra)

25. Do Bigha Zamin ( Language: Hindi, Director: Bimal Roy)

26. Do Ankhen Barah Haath ( Language: Hindi, Director: V Shantaram)

27. Dil Chahta Hai ( Language: Hindi, Director: Farhan Akhtar)

28. Geetanjali ( Language: Telugu, Director: Maniratnam)

29. Ghattashraddha ( Language: Kannada, Director: Girish Kasaravalli)

30. Gol Maal ( Language: Hindi, Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

31. Guru ( Language: Hindi, Director: Maniratnam)

32. Guide ( Language: Hindi, Director: Vijay Anand)

33. Hey Ram ( Language: Hindi, Director: Kamal Haasan)

34. Hum Aap Ke Hai Kaun ( Language: Hindi, Director: Sooraj Barjatya)

35. Iruvar (Language: Tamil Director: Maniratnam)

36. Jab We Met ( Language: Hindi Director: Imtiaz Ali)

37. Jane Bhi Do Yaro ( Language: Hindi, Director: Kundan Shah)

38. Junoon ( Language: Hindi Director: Shyam Benegal)

39. Karnan ( Language: Tamil, Director: B R Panthulu)

40. Kaagaz Ke Phool ( Language: Hindi, Director: Guru Dutt)

41. Kannathil Muthamittal ( Language: Tamil, Director: Maniratnam)

42. Kanchivaram ( Language: Tamil, Director: Priyadarshan)

43. Kireedam ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Sibi Malayil)

44. Koshish ( Language: Hindi, Director: Gulzar)

45. Lagaan ( Language: Hindi, Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar)

46. Maachis ( Language: Hindi, Director: Gulzaar)

47. Manichitrathazhu ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Fazil)

48. Mayabazaar ( Language: Telugu Director: K V Reddy)

49. Maro Charitra ( Language: Telugu, Remade as 'Ek Duje Keliya' in Hindi, Director: K Balchander)

Pic Courtesy: Firstpost.com

50. Masoom ( Language: Hindi, Director: Shekhar Kapur)

51. Mera Naam Joker ( Language: Hindi, Director: Raj Kapoor)

52. Megha Sandesam ( Language: Telugu, Director: Dasari Narayana Rao)

53. Micheal Madana Kama Rajan ( Language: Tamil, Director: Singeetam Srinivas Rao)

54. Mother India ( Language: Hindi, Director: Mehboob Khan)

55. Mughal-E-Azam ( Language: Hindi, Director: K Asif)

56. Mr. India ( Language: Hindi, Director: Shekhar Kapur)

57. Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Padmarajan)

58. Naayagan ( Language: Tamil Director: Maniratnam)

59. Naya Daur ( Language: Hindi, Director: B R Chopra)

60. Nayak: The Hero ( Language: Bengali, Director: Satyajit Ray)

61. Nadodikkattu ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Sathyan Anthikkad)

62. Omkara ( Language: Hindi, Director: Vishal Bharadwaj)

63. Ondaanondu Kaaladalli ( Language: Kannada, Director: Girish Karnad)

64. Padosan ( Language: Hindi, Director: Jyoti Swaroop)

65. Pakeezah ( Language: Hindi/Urdu Director:Kamal Amrohi)

66. Paruthiveeran ( Language: Tamil, Director: Ameer Sultan)

67. Pushpaka Vimaanam ( Language: Silent film. Director: Singeetham Srinivasa Rao)

68. Pithaamagan ( Language: Tamil, Director: Bala)

69. Pyaasa ( Language: Hindi, Director: Guru Dutt)

70. Rang De Basanti ( Language: Hindi, Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

71. Roja ( Language: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu . Director: Maniratnam)

72. Rudraveena ( Language: Telugu, Director: K Balchandar)

73. Sadma ( Language: Hindi, Director: Balu Mahendra)

74. Samskara ( Language: Kannada, Director: Pattabhi Rama Reddy)

75. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam ( Language: Hindi, Director: Abrar Alvi)

76. Satya ( Language: Hindi, Director: Ram Gopal Varma)

77. Sagara Sangamam ( Language: Telugu, Director: K Viswanath)

78. Shankaraabharanam ( Language: Telugu, Director: K Viswanath)

79. Shree 420 ( Language: Hindi, Director: Raj Kapoor)

80. Sharapanjara ( Language: Kannada, Director: Puttana Kanagal)

81. Sholay ( Language: Hindi, Director: Ramesh Sippy)

82. Shwaas ( Language: Marathi, Director: Sandeep Sawant)

83. Swaathimuthyam ( Language: Telugu, Director: K Viswanath)

84. Swaathi Kiranam ( Language: Telugu, Director: K Viswanath)

85. Swades ( Language: Hindi, Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar)

86. Swayamvaram ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan)

87. Taare Zameen Par ( Language: Hindi, Director: Aamir Khan)

88. Thalapathi ( Language: Tamil, Director: Maniratnam )

89. Thevar Magan ( Language: Tamil, Director: Bharathan)

90. The Apu Trilogy ( Language: Bengali, Director: Satyajit Ray)

91. Udaan ( Language: Hindi, Director:Vikramaditya Motwane)

92. Ustaad Hotel ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Anwar Rasheed)

93. Vastav ( Language: Hindi, Director: Mahesh Manjrekar)

94. Varsuham Padhinaaru ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Fazil)

95. Vanaprastham ( Language: Malayalam, Director: Shaji Karun)

96. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak ( Language: Hindi, Director: Mansoor Khan)

97. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara ( Hindi, Director: Zoya Akhtar)

98. Zanjeer ( Language: Hindi Director: Prakash Mehra)

99. 3 Idiots ( Language: Hindi, Director: Rajkumar Hirani)

100 36 Chowringhee Lane ( Language: Bengali, Director: Aparna Sen )

(Compiled by Prashanth Bhat in collaboration with his friends on twitter)

India is my Country and all Indians are my...

Disclaimer: For long, I have had my reservations on the demand to carve out separate Telangana. I believe that progress and size of the state are not necessarily proportional. Political will, accountability of bureaucracy, visionary leadership and genuine love for the people transcending caste, creed and religion bring progress and prosperity to the populace of a region regardless of its size. If smaller states were to bring growth, India should be a sum of hundreds of states. However, as a correspondent who covered Telangana agitation in Osmania University which became sort of a battle ground in 2009-10,   I must admit that demand for separation of Telangana from rest of the state is the overwhelming will of the people in this region. Political agitations have compartmentalized the mindset of the people in Andhra Pradesh. Telangana-Andhra-Rayalaseema divisions have become rampant  in every sphere of our life.

Mishandling of Telangana crisis by both the Chief Ministers Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy fueled by Chidambaram's promise to carve out new a state have left political parties with only one option-support Telangana statehood or win no seat in this region. I endorse Telangana in the larger interest of the Telugus and the inevitability of prevailing situation irrespective of my past opinion.  I urge the readers of this article to understand that I have great respect for the Telangana movement and an in-depth knowledge of the history, sensitivity and urgency of their demand and to look at this article objectively.

In a country such as ours where diversity is a striking feature, divisions and disagreements are natural. The fact that we are a multi-party democracy, only flames these divisions for the political gains of these innumerable parties. In the recently released blockbuster, 'Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu', there are scenes to which a few self proclaimed Telangana saviors objected to. Following their attack on the office of director Puri Jagannadh and stalling the screenings of this film, what was evident is their monumental ignorance of India's political history and the context in which these dialogues were used.

Prakash Raj who played the baddie in this film is advised by his ailing father that he must rake up an emotional issue, and use that agitation as a vehicle to navigate his political aspirations.

Prakash Raj choses to use 'Jai Telugu' movement by manufacturing an artificial threat to Telugus from non-Telugus living in Andhra Pradesh. Consequence is Udupi hotels and other business outfits of non-Telugus come under attack. Protagonist in the film, Pawan Kalyan who plays the role of a TV reporter,  questions Prakash Raj's legibility to sing India's national anthem that revers all regions in the country because he loathes anything non-Telugu.

Now, people who are in the know-how of India's political history will immediately understand that this scene is a replication of Shiv Sena's attacks on South Indians in Mumbai back in 1960s. Shiv Sainiks attacked Udupi restaurants and South Indian cinema halls in Mumbai. The party workers beat up South Indians and raised slogans, " Lungi Hatao, Pungi Bajao'. In the recent past, both Shiv Sena and Raj Thackrey's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena shifted their focus on to Biharis. Slogans like 'Ek Bihari, Sau Bimari' are election anthems for these regional outfits. This case study is the basis for the scene in 'Camera Man Gangatho...'. All it takes is decent knowledge of India's political occurrences and Chronology of events to understand the context and real life basis for this scene.

Perhaps expecting common sense from our T-agitators is expecting the impossible. Self proclaimed Telangana heros who were out of media spotlight for significant amount of time, chose to own these dialogues and apply them against themselves. Political film-Pawan Kalyan-Telangana makes for perfect drama on TV and our TRP hungry Television stations ceased the moment as if it were the single biggest problem Andhra Pradesh encounters today. For the sake of argument, let us assume that these dialogues were aimed against Telangana agitators. Would someone care to explain how on earth will it hurt them if the hero asks you not to attack 'outsiders'? By being hurt, do T-agitators admit that they had attacked non-Telanganites? How on this planet will it hurt Telangana sentiments if the hero asks the villain to feel proud to be "Indian" first and everything else later? Director Shankar's statements were startling to say the least. I didn't know where to look when he declared this movie anti BC, SC, ST. The crime--Hero asks why SC, ST, BC students were living in separate hostels while they all could bond better living under one roof. One has to be as irrational as Shankar to brand this dialogue as an assault on their castes.

                                             

Nation first, state next and self later is the obvious inference from all the dialoges in this film. Blind folded by militant agitationalism and dubious intention of extracting money, what Telangana agitators have exposed is the shallowness of their knowledge. 

Democracy is discussion, debate, peaceful protest, voluntary boycott, disagreement and mutual respect. No amount of injustice justifies forced closures of theaters, stoning someone's car and casting misguided aspersions on the actors in the film. If everyone who feels hurt attacked one another, we wouldn't need courts, police stations, governments, law and order. There is strong reason to believe that such attackers and propellers of such assaults are products of political unemployment, remarkable ignorance and stoic silence by the educated class, liberal thinkers and media.

                                                         

It is imperative for all educated people to think about the path treaded by TRS and its affiliates. You either listen to us or we thrash you. You support our party or you are anti-Telangana. You dare do a cartoon on us, you are humiliating people of Telangana. You don't say 'Jai Telangana' then,  'Hyderabad mein pair nahi rakhna'. This is nothing less than terrorism. Aren't these exactly what Taliban and its likes do in Afghanistan? You either follow our rules or we will kill you. It is also laughable that such "pink" panthers don't raise their voice against MIM which is dead against Telangana state. What makes these self-imposed Telangana netas believe that they are the repositories of the people of Telangana? No human with brains in appropriate places saw malafide intention in these dialogues. Perhaps you have to be a cash-starved extortionist to discover such non-existent contexts in a purely patriotic film.

Beauty of India lies in its diversity. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Dalit, Brahmin  Vysya, Assameese, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu or Kashmiri, each of us come together to complete India. We all have the right to disagree-but that has to be within the framework of law. Unless we rise above narrow mindset and treat each others with respect, brotherhood and equality, we are never going to be a super power. Speed is irrelevant if we are travelling in the wrong route. Let us protest violence of goons in the name of Telangana. Let us uphold freedom of speech and right to expression. By remaining silent, you are proving Sri Sri correct who once said,

" Kontha Mandhi Yuvakulu Vrudhulatho Samaanam". Speak up before they come after you!! 

Curious case of Telugu cinema...

It was February, 2010. I wrote a full page article for a newspaper I was working for, on stereotypical films being made in Telugu film industry.I lynched story writers and heroes on lack of creative ideas. In the article, I quoted film producers who suffered massive losses in the past one and a half year.The article won appreciation from friends and colleagues.

Tired of continuous work, I decided to take a break from Tollywood for a week.Me and my friend decided to backpack to Haridwar, Rishikesh and Gangotri. At Delhi, we got on to a Uttarakhand state transport corporation bus to Haridwar.All sorts of people were in this bus.Dhant Manjan sellers, astrologers, second hand electronic goods sellers, baba followers, engineering students,firangs in search of salvation...all headed to Haridwar for the Kumbhmela.

After gazing at each of them for some time for some entertainment, I fell asleep.The bus passed through the dusty roads of Uttarpradesh and Uttarakhand.The fabric of people traveling in this bus started changing from midly violent to aggressively intolerant as the journey progressed.

I woke up at a dusty stop for chai .That small town seemed to have had half of the dust in the world.It had the power to instantly kill an asthma patient. Beyond the dusty road, I could vaguely see a theatre and people lined up.I was curious to see which hero's film did these people line up for.

I got off the bus and walked closer to the theatre.I saw the posters of the movie up for screening.I rubbed my eyes to re read it.I was surprised.It had Junior NTR, Genelia and Shriya Saran on the poster.The title was 'Main Hoon Gambler...' something i vaguely register.It referred to NTR as 'He-man fighter'. I was bowled over.

For the next half of the journey, I saw posters of Mahesh Babu, Jnr NTR, Gopichand, Allu Arjun, Jagapathibabu and Srikanth in several small towns that passed by.The posters had obscure titles.Most of the titles had Khiladi, Chor, Raja, Khatra, Sikandar as common words.

In many seven seater autos I got into at Rishikesh or Haridwar, fellow tourists from Maharashtra and Rajasthan played 'Aakalesthe Annam Pedatha..','Adhara kottu...' 'Aa Ante Amalapuram'...on their music players.

I didn't find a logical answer to why direct and dubbed Telugu films appealed to these people.The reach of our dubbed films was wider than I had imagined.On one hand the industry suffers huge losses and on the other she wins new admirers up north ..I continue to wonder if we are progressing or regressing.


At one of my family functions in Karnataka later last year, 'Ringa..Ringa' was hot favourite.At NIFT campus in Hyderabad dominated by Bihar students , Ringa Ringa is campus anthem. On my journey to Hassan district, I striked a conversation with a waiter in a road side eatery.He and his friends had hired a truck to attend Chiranjeevi's party launch rally in Tirupati two years ago.

In another incident, my colleague's cousin from Kerala travelled all the way to Hyderabad just to see Allu Arjun at a public meeting.

Every time I see Uttarpradesh lining up, Orissa and Rajasthan sway for mass Telugu numbers, Uttarakhand poster up our heroes and Karnataka taken over by Telugu cinema, I feel proud. The cynic in me dies.The victim of bad films in me forgives.The critique of cliche content calms down.


We are an industry of N T Ramarao, ANR, S V Ranga Rao. Of Vittalacharya, LV Prasad, Nagireddy, C Pullaiah. Of Bhanumati, Savitri, Dasari, Shobhan Babu and Krishna. Of Ghantasala, SP Balasubramaniam, Susheela, Janaki and Jikki.Of Bapu, Vamsi, Jandhyala and EVV. Of Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Balaiah and Venkatesh. Of Sharada, Satyanarayana, Rao Gopal Rao, Paruchuri and Bramhanandam. Of RGV, Jayapradha, Jayasudha, Sridevi and Vijayashanti.Filmnagar houses an endless list of brand ambassadors who ventured into newer places and conquered them. She has more market to exploit, more fans to win, more territories to occupy and boundaries to expand.

With 30 heroes,30 comedians over 1,200 screens and 210 films an year she looks larger than Bollywood.

What I like the most about Telugu film industry is its innocent love for the medium of cinema. After Anaganaga Oo Dheerudu, this industry has not stopped making films. After Veera, they have not gone out of business. After Saleem, they haven't sat home. After Marocharitra the production houses didn't shut down. KSD Appalraju didn't stop distributors from buying films. Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries may be equally or more talented than Telugu cinema in a few ways but can never match her in her entrepreneurial spirit.

However, I have mixed feelings about Telugu film industry's future.When I look at box office collections of superhit films, I am optimistic of Telugu cinema's future.When I think of the monopoly in film exhibiting system in Tollywood, I am pessimistic.Hundreds of theatres are in the hands of five people.Of the 30 heroes, 25 are from film families.Industry unfortunately works on 'Caste'ing rather than on 'Casting'.This monopoly is dangerous for a creative industry.Telugu cinema is a fan driven industry and movies are hero centric as against story centric.We need to graduate to being 'audience' driven industry with story as the hero if we have to uphold the glitz of her golden past.


Every time she is bruised with an utter flop and I am worried of her,Telugu cinema tells me

"Don't worry a Magadheera will soon be born to save me.I will continue my Dhookudu again.... I am Telugu cinema...Neninthe!!


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An Enigma called Pawan Kalyan!!

Months after I stopped blogging thanks to my laziness, I decided to write again.The motivation was Pawan Kalyan's 'Panjaa' audio launch.
Before you could conclude me as Pawan Kalyan fan, let me disclaim:I have been a biggest critique of Pawan until what I saw at the audio launch of his film 'Puli'.
I remember driving down to HICC Convention centre in Madhapur to cover the audio launch.It was a lazy day.I wasn't too excited but was curious to see Pawan Kalyan. A kilometre before HICC, I saw a huge group of youngsters walking.
As I reached closer to HICC, the groups started getting bigger.By the time my car reached the main gate of the venue, the crowd size was unbelievable.I wondered who they were and why they all walked and where to.

The first major shock hit me when a few of them peeped into every car that passed by.A lot of them were not allowed to enter the main gate. Cops pushed them away to make way for cars entering the venue. After the security check, I parked my car and walked towards the main entrance.What I saw then was unforgettable.Thousands of youngsters stood in the line to get into HICC.I boast myself as a journalist who covered hundreds of events.I have never ever seen something like this.

Public relations head Mr.B A Raju spotted me looking at the crowd bewildered.He escorted me in.I was still dazed and wide eyed unwilling to believe that so many people could come for a hero who hasn't had a big hit for a long time.A youngster found press pass in my hand and came up to me.He requested me to give him the pass.I explained that it was no more valid because I am already inside.He said he wants to go back to his hometown Vizianagaram and flaunt it in his village.I asked him if he really came from Vizianagaram for this audio launch.He nodded and there was no need for him to lie to a stranger like me.Bang, second shock!

As I entered the hall, I was in third stage of Power shock.The auditorium was full.A R Rahman had just arrived.When his arrival was announced, the crowd cheered and that sound strolled me back to reality from the shock.The then Chief Minister Rosaiah was to be the chief guest for that event.

Even as the compere was struggling to find space between the screams of the audience to announce something, the LED screens in the hall showed Pawan Kalyan's entry.
What followed then blew my mind off.For the next ten minutes, I could only hear 'Power star... Power star'' and something that sounded like a wave.I looked back at the crowd and found most of them standing on their seats trying their luck to find Pawan Kalyan walking in.
Minutes later Chief Minister Rosaiah came in.After the usual 'oh this is a great movie' lines, CM Rosaiah said, 'I am a fan of Chiranjeevi'.For the next few minutes CM couldn't talk.We only heard a massive wave sound again.This was an experience to experience.I looked at other journalists and raised my eyebrows.

Pawan Kalyan spoke and there I was armed with pen and notepad scribbling every line he said.His speech had honesty, something I never found in most actors in Tollywood.
I found him genuine and realistic.There was no pretence, no fake words, no arrogance, no deceit, no false praise.It was straight from the heart.For someone who was sick of stereotypical film speeches praising themselves and their unbearable films, his speech came as a pleasant surprise.He left the venue.I walked back to my car and as I drove towards the main gate of HICC, I found people peeping into my car.I realised whom they were looking for.

For most other stars, box office success matters because they are rated on those parameters.For Pawan, it doesn't. Audience like him for something beyond his cinema.I guess it is honesty, sincierity in his eloquence and truth in his voice that most actors lack.He is one of the fewest stars who don't take stardom seriously.This attitude is perhaps a style statement in itself.

Puli came and went.It was a disaster.I ripped it apart. Months passed and then came Theenmaar.I went to Prasads to review the movie on the first day.
Nothing changed.The crowd, the cheers, the screams and the fans from across the state.Though I liked the film, I am told it was an average performer at the box office.Months passed...

And now as I see Pawan Kalyan at the audio launch of Panjaa I flash back to music launch of Puli.Nothing changed.The crowd, the cheer, his speech, the honesty, eloquence...
For me and many more journalists who track the lives of celebrities from close, Pawan Kalyan is and will remain an enigma, a riddle and an unsolved puzzle for long years to come....

As I ready myself to post this on my blog, I can hear Pawan Kalyan's voice.It is my roommate here in Washington DC glued to youtube video of Panjaa's audio launch...An enigma indeed!!

Disastrous debut for Walt Disney in Telugu!!

Review:

Title:Anaganaga Oo Dheerudu

Walt Disney Production.

Starcast:Siddharth, Shruti Haasan, Laxmi Manchu, Tanikella Bharani, Bramhanandam, Ravibabu et al.

Walt Disney's debut production in Telugu, 'Anaganaga Oo Dheerudu' starring Siddharth, Shruti Haasan and Laxmi Manchu was touted as one of the most awaited films of this year.Directed by K Raghavendar Rao's son Prakash Kovelamudi, the trailers of this socio fantasy evoked massive curiosity among the audience.The movie crew went gaga over the film on twitter and promoted the film in every possible way.The magnum opus released with huge expectations all over the state.


Story:

Irendri(Laxmi Manchu) is an evil snake queen who occupies the throne of 'Anga' kin'gdom. Her cruelity known no bounds and tired of her.She casts her evil spell on children in Agarta region of her kingdom.One of the parent suggests that they go in search of a little girl 'Moksha' who is blessed with noble powers which can heal their kids.'Moksha' is in a divine ashram under the protection of 'Yodha'(Siddharth) a blind body guard.A parent comes to the ashram and requests the Guruji(Subbaraya Sarma) to send Moksha to Agarta to heal their kids.Guruji agrees to his requests and sends her with Yodha as her body guard. Enroute, Yodha narrates his story to Moksha on how he became blind.He reveals how much he loved Priya(Sruthi Haasan) a fortune teller, whom he had met at a carnival few months ago.Yodha gets blinded as he tried to protect Priya from a local king(Ravibabu).Meanwhile, Irendri is told by her snake messengers that she needs to give Moksha as a sacrifice in order to attain salvation.The rest of the story is on how Irendri finds Moksha, what is the connection between her and Priya and if Yodha manages to protect Moksha.


Performances:

Siddharth is absolutely not convicing as a warrior.His Telugu has a heavy urban accent which doesn't match his charecter.He is a classic case of wrong casting for the right role.Shruti Haasan is beautiful in every frame of the film.She is potrayed splendidly and is a treat to watch.Shruti did well in her damsel in distress role in this film.The saving grace of this much hyped movie is Laxmi Manchu.She unleashes reservoir of energy hidden in her for years.Her body language, dialogue modulation, expressions and laugh reverberate villainism to the core.Laxmi is dominating and dynamic.Subtract her, and the movie falls flat.She is outstanding and is here to stay.Comedians Bramhanandam and Ali had only one scenes each.Tanikella Bharani's role too is pigmy short .Ravibabu delivers a whistle worthy performance as a comedy villain.


Remarks:

The costumes are a visual treat. Shruti Haasan, Siddharth and Laxmi look a million bucks in those splendid and flamboyant outfits. Shruti's naval is seen almost everytime she is on screen and she is superhot.The make up artistes too need a pat on their backs for a good job.Laxmi's make up by Mumbai team adds to her captivating look.Only one song, 'Ninnu Choodani' by Anuj is ear soothing and the rest are yawn inducing.The background score is not upto the mark. Saleem Sulaiman who gave the background score, shamelessly copied 'Chaand Sifarish' music from his own film 'Fanaa' in a couple of scenes. The Arabic background score to Telugu movie don't suit one bit.In many scenes, people around are wearing costumes like belly dancers and Arabians which was funny to the core. Siddharth is a big draw back to the film .He is not serious and no match to the tall villain Laxmi.The story is known to everyone who has ever watched a film and the narration is pathetic.

The visual affects are not upto the mark.A few sets are clearly identifiable.The only good thing about visual effects is those snakes in a rope form that come from Laxmi's hair and talk to her.Barring Ali's one scene comedy, not a single frame in this film has comic scene.The scenes where Irendri's masked men chase little girl Moksha are so badly shot and makes you cringe and frown.The movie is a let down in many ways and is not in commensurate with the hype generated by the director and its twitterati stars.

Verdict:

'AOD' is a predictable story narrated very badly.The visual effects might interest kids. But, go to this film only if you don't get the tickets for 'Mirapakayi'.

And the next big Superstar is.....

In an industry where every second hero is a star kid, Nani carved a niche for himself even without a godfather.An ardent lover of cinema who started off as an assitant director, Nani is now one of the few bankable stars at the box office while the rest of the actors in his league are following the popular formula of four fights and six songs in a movie, this young star defies those rules and is now the most sought after actor for film makers who make cinema with a difference.His latest release 'Ala Modalaindi' which hit the screens this week has evoked huge response from Tollywood reasserting the theory that Nani does movies of a standard.

"In all my movies before, I had to act and emote. In Ala Modalaindi, my charecter is more like me in real life.The film is very different from what I have done before.The director Nandini Reddy is my friend and our comfort level reflects on the screen.She told me the idea and wrote five scenes.She used to share her idea as she was developing the script and I witnessed its evolution.The USP of the film is every youngster connects to the charecter and there is nothing over the top.This is the kind of cinema I would love the watch as audience."




Half a dozen movies old Nani opines that in an attempt to remain safe, a few stars calculate too many factors and second guess what their audience want while chosing their films.He reveals that he always choses scripts that appeal to him irrespective of whether it will work at the box office.

"In an attempt to carefully chose scripts, they calculate too many things. A few actors second guess if the film will work in 'B' and 'C' centres. They brainstorm if the director is bankable, who is the target audience and what content would appeal to that crowd et al. All these calculations don't work and they most often go wrong.Audience come to theatres and they always welcome movies with a difference.The actors must follow their heart and do it if they like it.I always check if the director can handle the subject well and the producer is passionate enough to give the film a decent platform.Beyond that my only checklist is if the film appeals to me or not." Nani quips.

Case in a point is the actor chose to die in the climax of his last film 'Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu', something no hero in Tollywood ever dared to agree to.What made

"In several theatres, women sat weeping even after the curtains went down on that film.Movies are all about made an impact and this film had a huge impact. I want to defy rules because if we follow rules, we will never evolve.I don't believe in rules.In an attempt to break the rules, most of the times, it may go wrong but one day it will work and when it does, it becomes a new 'rule'.Cinema is progressing because someone is breaking the rules and the others are following it.In a true sense, I have done roles of extreme variety. I avoided being typecast.With the versatile films I have done so far, film makers for sure know they can cast me for any kind of role. I would like to be known as an actor than as a hero. I am happy to be where I am today"



This assistant director turned star is debuting in Tamil cinema this year with his film 'Veppam'.The first look of the film has created a sensation of the sorts and is touted as one of the most awaited films this year.Nani says after the first look, directors are approaching him with bi-lingual projects.

"The dynamics are different between Tamil and Telugu cinema.The content of a few films don't suit the sensibilities of our audience. But whenever there are scripts that Telugu and Tamil audience can relate to, I will do a bi-lingual. I didn't chose to do a Tamil film with an intention to expand my market.I liked the subject and hence went ahead with it. Infact I always loved Tamil films for the 'raw' cinema they make.I appreciate the technical standards they apply in making their films.Ever since the first look of Veppam is out, I am being approached for bilinguals.If I am offered a typical commercial movie in Telugu and a script that appeals to me from Tamil, I will always chose the latter as job-satisifaction matters the most to me" the star boldly declares.





Many actors envy Nani for bagging the lead role in ace director S S Rajamouli's project 'Eega'.The actor has raised quit a few eyebrows as he bagged a project with the hit machine director.

"There were rumours that I was doing a Rajamouli film even before I was approached for the project. One day, I was told that he was trying to reach me on a project.He was down to earth and narrated the script to me. Despite being number one director, he described the story in detail and I was very impressed on how grounded he was.I immediately agreed to do it.It is a nice oppurtunity for me to prove myself as an actor and since it is his film, a lot more people will watch my performance as Rajamouli has a huge fan base too.This movie is going to be one of his best films and he is all set to start a new trend in Tollywood" Nani says with confidence.


Apart from his movies, Nani is a hot topic online and for tabloids which hooked him to actor Swati earlier and now to his co-star Nitya Menon.The actor takes these link-ups with a pinch of salt .

"If I was linked up with Swati or Nitya Menon it only means our onscreen chemistry is good.It works well for my movie. Both of them are my good friends. I am not seeing either of them and all these rumours are baseless" he clarifies.

"Making people laugh is the toughest task"

His name has become synonymous with success.Tollywood's hit machine who makes more movies than any other star, Ravi Teja is on a high.Of all the releases this Sankranti, Raviteja's 'Mirapakayi' is doing exceptionally well at the box office.Despite competition from an A-lister hero Balakrishna's Paramaveera Chakra and socio fantasy film Anaganaga Oo Dheerudu, Mirapakayi emerged box office winner.A confident Raviteja says he released it because he was sure it will work this season.


" I am happy it is doing very well.Audience will watch the film if it is good no matter how many release at the same time.In my career, there were four releases for Sankranti festival and this is one of the most successful of them.I never planned conciously to release my film for Sankranti but it is just coincidence. I am overwhelmed with the response" he says with a glint in his eyes.


Overtly shy, Raviteja who entered the film industry with no godfather, today is one of the highly paid stars who is branded as 'minimum guarentee' by the producers. Popular perception is his movies either do exceptionally well or get the money back.Given his 'Akshay Kumar' histrionics blended with slapstick comedy body language, he was recently conferred the ephithet 'Mass Maharaja'. Is he happy with such titles?

"I don't believe in taglines and titles. I don't like them. But my directors and producers call me so.People watch some movie and then compare me with Akshay Kumar or someother actor. I don't believe in number games. Such comparisons keep popping up in media and distribution circles but I don't take them seriously. I would like to be called just Raviteja and nothing else" says the actor who is now giving established A-lister stars a run for their money.

Raviteja's films are a type with trademark comedy.The actor admits that his comedy timing draws crowds and that 'entertainment' is his first priority.

"I like people to laugh and enjoy when they come to watch me in theatres. There is so much drama and pain in everyone's lives. I don't like to replay them in my movies. My films are for those who want to forget their troubles and relax for two and a half hours. Entertainment is my priority.I don't like tragic films and so I believe in making people laugh watching my films" he claims.


This star is one of the few actors in Tollywood who has an image. Though he has done a few thought provoking films like 'Shambho Siva Shambo' and 'Naa Autograph Sweet Memories' in between, offlate he is typecast as an action and comedy hero.The hero opines that though he likes to do scripts that merit critical acclaim, it is not commercially viable.

"I would like to do movies that can win critical acclaim but audience won't watch. People want entertainment.If we make 'different' cinema, the results also will be different.Going by the history, such films didn't do well at the box office.Audience who watch such critically acclaimed movies are very few and we can't keep making films only keeping them in mind.Only musical entertainers with some action have gone on to become hits.Serious films get awards but not money" he says.


"The trick is to try and blend both.For instance in my film 'Vikramarkudu', I play a serious charecter and a comic one and both compliment each other.However, not every script can accomodate both serious and comic charecters.It is rare."Ravi adds.


His comedy timing is earning rave reviews and his movies don't need too many comedians as he makes up for all of them.Ravi reveals that he watches the films of superstars Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda for inspiration.Ravi defends his 'comic' action and declares that making people laugh is one of the toughest thing.

"I observe people outside and their expressioTns.Most of my emotions are picked up from observing people in real life. Besides, I am an avid follower of Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Rajinikanth,Chiranjeevi and Mohanlal. All of them are masters in blending comedy with action.Their comedy timing is splendid and are absolute entertainers.These five are commercial mass actors and are popular because they did 'entertaining' films.Making people laugh is one of the toughest things because the timing is very important." he says.


Hit or flop, he has always been consistent in doing films. He does over three films an year and currently he has 'Veera' a film directed by Ramesh Varma and another untitled film in kitty.Despite his superstar status, Ravi maintains very low profile outside cinema world.He is never seen in social dos or partying with the city's who's who.

"I love to keep a low profile in my personal life. I eat, breathe and live cinema. I don't know anything beyond showbusiness.This is my favourite world and I would like to confine myself to it"


"I don't have future plans and ambitions in life.I love to work round the year. I don't have a fixed rule that I should do these many movies an year. I would like to remain an actor and keep working in cinema until I die" he ends in a typical filmi style.

(Published in Times of India on 18-01-2011)

Taapsee rejects Amitabh's film offer!

Taapsee who is now on a high with two films ready to release in Telugu and a couple in Tamil is on a rejection spree. Sources confirm that this Punjabi girl from Delhi was approached by Puri Jagannath for his upcoming film starring Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi.The movie is titled 'Budda'.

Deeksha Seth and Taapsee were to play roles in this film but Taapsee is believed to have rejected it. The reason-she is not going to act with Amitabh but will be paired next to Sonu Sood.

"She is busy and her dates are crammed now.She will do a film in Hindi only if it is a great script and a seasoned director.In this film, her role is next to Sonu Sood and her rejection has got nothing to do with Amitabh Bachchan" a close aide of the actress informed.

Pawan Kalyan in 'Dabangg' remake

Powerstar Pawan Kalyan is all set to redo what Salman Khan did last year in Dabanngg. Sources from Tollywood confirm the news that Pawan will do the remake of Dabangg in Telugu.Whats more, he is all set to produce this film on house Pawan Kalyan creative works. The project has been titled 'Gabbar Singh'.Director Harish Shankar who directed 'Mirapakayi' with Ravi Teja this Sankranti, will direct this project.

A little birdie tells us that Pawan Kalyan was supposed to do 'Mirapakayi' earlier but it went to Raviteja at the end.The heroine of this film is yet to be finalised. We hear that 'Gabbar Singh' will be shot and released this year itself.

Pawan Kalyan is currently doing three films. One with Jayant Paranjipe which is 'Love Aaj Kal' remake, the other on Jesus Christ and an untitled film. At this rate, Pawan is all set to have four releases in 2011.

(Published in Times of India on 23-1-2011)

Sundeep Kishan-Best Debutant of the year

In Tollywood where movies of three fights and six songs are a standard staple for cinema, 'Prasthanam' directed by Deva Katta came as a surprise to many who gave up hopes.The movie had intense performances, strong dialogues, sensible story line and applause worthy cinematography and more than anything else, the film had Sundeep Kishan.This 23 year old with a mammoth love for cinema is the most critically acclaimed actor this year.Basking in the glory of appreciation for his whistle drawing performance, Sundeep admits that he did the role as he liked it immensely and spontaneity did the wonders on screen.

"Method acting doesn't work for every charecter.For my charecter 'Chinna' in Prasthanam, I had to be unpredictable and spontaneous.I used to reharse my dialogues just minutes before the shot. My body language for that charecter had to be A surprise for the audience and so I conciously didn't follow any method for the performance in it. While shooting for it, I used to talk very little and was in my own world.This process made Chinna an unpredictable charecter on screen that worked" says the actor.Incidentally, Prasthanam was the only Telugu movie that got selected for Indian panorama in Goa film festival this year.

Nephew of ace cinematographers Chota K Naidu and Shyam K Naidu, Sundeep consisders compliments from his family and film maker Krishna Vamsi the best ones for his acting in the movie.

"Krishnavamsi is my favourite director and I admire him a lot . After watching the movie, he walked up to me and abused me with foul words saying how I could deliver such stupendous performance in my first movie. I guess that is the best thing one has ever said to me in appreciation of my work." he reveals.


An MBA from Loyola college in Chennai, Sundeep grew up loving cinema and worked as assistant director to film maker Gautam Menon for the movie Surya S/ Krishnan. This year, his yet another release 'Snehageetam' did decent business in the state cementing his position in Tollywood. Sundeep is now looking forward to the release of his first Hindi movie 'Shor', a Balaji Telefilms production, in which he shares screen space with Tushar Kapoor and Senthil Ramamoorthy. 'Shor' too got rave reviews in all the international film festivals.He says while he loves to do Telugu movies, he saw a great oppurtunity in 'Shor' that made him sign the film.

"Shor is an international film the country will be proud of. Mine is a realistic role in the film and with a strong performance oriented charecter.I thought Shor was a great oppurtunity for debutant like me and I grabbed it. The director of the film Krishna whose earlier movie 99 was my all time favourite . When he wanted to cast me, I went ahead without second thought" Kishan says.

Sundeep is a part of critically acclaimed cinema. Will we ever get to see him in a gravity defying fight sequence and a movie with illogical SUV flying scenes?

"I am not making films for the critics or the audience.No one knows what kind of movies appeal to critics and audience.I can only be a part of a film I believe in. I am not here for money but for satisifaction. I want audience to get value for money when they watch my movies.I want to have a filmography with movies I can be proud of. I don't see anything wrong in movies with gravity defying fights as long as it is value for money to audience. I enjoying movies with fights and songs.'Robot' too had logic defying stunts but audience loved it.I will do any genre if I am confident it will be 'paisa vasool 'for movie goers"

However, Prasthanam wasn't a commercial blockbuster at the box office. Does he think Telugu audience ready to watch parallel cinema?

"For a film not to do good, there are so many factors. Telugu audience adored films like 'Sinduram' and 'Anthapuram'. If a film is good, it works and the movie's success depends on lot of circumstances. For all you know the taste of the audience might change by the tiime you finish your movie. For instance, Prasthanam had four songs. But after the morning show, audience wanted us to remove those songs immediately.Commercial cnema is something that works at the box office. There is nothing called parallel cinema genre, because all movies are made to work at the box office. Audience love to watch good cinema anyday" he quips.

Sources say, Sundeep is waiting for the response to' Shor ' to make his next move in Tollywood and is also in talks with Tamil film makersAn ardent cinema lover, this three movie old star reveals that his life time ambition is to make his name synonymous to good cinema and worth applauding acting.

"I am ambitious and want to do lot of films. I want audience to believe in me for my films. I want to do movies that make people trust me.I want to be a reason for them to come to theatres. I would consider that my life time achievement if they associate me with sensible entertainment." he says on a parting note.

(Published in The New Indian Express on 20 Dec, 2010)

"I don't care who my co-star is"

After 'Anand' and 'Godavari' became blockbusters, everyone thought she will be the next big thing in the industry.Her sky rocketing career didn't take off at the pace her fans thought it would.With no regrets of where she is today, Kamilini Mukherjee is back with whistle worthy performance in the latest release 'Nagavalli'.She plays a mentally disturbed girl and looks a million bucks after she lost weight. She clarifies that she didn't lose weight because she wanted to and not becuase any role demanded her to.

"It was just a wake up call and I realised I was chilling and need to be more fit. So I started working out. It is purely coincidental that my slimmer look worked for my charecter in Nagavalli where I play a mentally disturbed girl who is kept indoors for two years. Also when I started shooting for Nagavalli, I fell ill which actually worked wonders for the role." she explains.

This Bengali bombshell rubbishes the rumours that she was not happy with the length of her role in 'Nagavalli'. She says that her screen time in this movie is more than the same charecter in Kannada version.

"I am happy with the time I got to be on screen in 'Nagavalli'.Infact the director and the team worked on my charecter and added a song to it which wasn't the case with in its Kannada version. I have done such short length roles in 'Happydays' et al. The duration of my role never bothered me as long as I got to perform and my presence has relevance to the story"




The actress was last seen in ' Maa Annaya Bangaram' starring with Rajasekhar. While most of her contemperaries who are far less critically acclaimed chose to work with A-league stars, why does she work with a star from any league?

"For me, script, my role and the director I am working with matters and not the co-star.I know that most starlets work in projects with hardly any role just because a big hero is acting it.That is a conventional way of working. But I don't measure my career graph on the basis of how big the hero I worked with. I see if I am growing as an actor and the kind of roles I have played than whom I am seen on screen with. For me acting with Sharwanand or Venkatesh next to me is all the same. I would like to work with any actor as long as my role is challenging and different from the ones I did before" Mukherjee says.

For long she played Miss good two shoes and was seen drapped in saree, running around trees. Her last few movies like 'Maa Annaya Bangaram' and
'Bramhanandam drama company' in Telugu went unnoticed. She says she doesn't regret doing films because she didn't want to be typecast.

"In Maa Annaya Bangaram, I played the role of a timid spineless girl, something I haven't done before.I am always in look out for roles I haven't played before. I was being typecast and so I am glad I decided to come out of it and something unconventional.Otherwise it would have been boring for me and the audience too.The day acting bores me, I would venture into a new branch of cinema perhaps.If I stick to the same image comfortable in that zone, I would n't have viewed myself with a compliment." says the actress who keeps shuttling between Hyderabad and Mumbai.

She candidly admits that her staying in Mumbai might get her lesser offers from Tollywood but that she believes in her work speaking for itself than PR around being in Hyderabad.


"I am very recluse and maintain a low profile.I am perpetually hiding. I always promote my films pre and post release but I am not someone who will be conciously seen at events to build my PR. Even when I am in Hyderabad, I would finish my shoots and do things that have nothing to do with cinema. I know that by being in Hyderabad and attend events, be seen and get clicked, I might get more offers. But I would like to stay in Mumbai because it gives me that personal space. I let my work speak for itself" says the actress who is doing a film with Venu and has two more Telugu films in her kitty which will go on floors in the next two months.She is also looking forward to doing her first 'Bong' movie which was to start shooting long ago.

Despite her goody two shoes image, she had her share of controversy too. She was potrayed nude in national award winning Malayalam film Kutty Shranku. Though she clarified that it wasn't she but a body double, the number of hits on you tube to get a glimpse of her is only on the rise. Did this controversy bother her?

"I am not a net savy person and so I didn't pay attention to it initially. But my mom told me that it is doing the rounds on youtube now. It is an award winning cinema and I did a decent job but people are making an issue out of that 100 seconds visual.People are ignoring the value of that movie by cringing about that scene.The episode made me angry.When I wore a saree, a few said she only wears saree and can't carry off western attire. When I wore modern outfits they said something else. People will forget all this soon and only a great movie called 'Kutty Shranku' will be remembered" she says confidently.

(Published in The New Indian Express on 22 Dec, 2010)

10 Chartbusters of T'wood-2010

1) Inumulo Hridayam ( Robot)

Like Rajni, like song. AP got hypnotised to this track which released a month in advance to the movie.Lyrics penned by Suddhala Ashok Teja and sung by Suzzane, Kash n' Krissy, A R Rahman's ' Inumulo Hridayam' was a classy number that is still numero one in the charts.The song is a must play in all radio stations after audience watched stylish Rajnikanth wear silver and gold coloured suits depicting Robot and splendid Aishwarya potrayed as Robot woman who set the screen ablaze in this number. 'Khilimanjaro' and 'Neelo Valapu' from this movie were also notable musical hits this year.



2) Ee Hridayam( Yem Maya Chesave )

The movie wouldn't have been as big a hit it was, without this track.The song was in air every five minutes. It was in malls, radio stations, theatres, TV and hotels.Vijay Prakash and Suzzane sang this western classical number composed by A R Rahman.It was shot on Nagachaitanya and Samanta in exotic locales of New york and other parts of US. The song left an indelible impression on young audience who flocked the theatres to watch it.The tunes with the chorus in a new format, English lyrics mocktailed with visuals of a saree clad Samanta and blazer garbed Nagachaitanya was an experience to experience.


3) Bangaru Konda(Simha):

This track was the soul of Tollywood's Dabbangg, 'Simha' that gave new life to flickering career of Balakrishna. Composed by Chakri and shot on Nayanatara and Balakrishna, Bangaru Konda is one of the biggest hits this year.Sung by Hariharan and Kausalya, this title song was played where ever Balayya went.Filled with conventional instruments like drums and choreographed well this harmonious and prayer like song proved a great asset to the movie. Other tracks like 'Simhamanti Chinnode'. and 'Janaki Janaki' too complimented this song making this album a chartbuster in 2010.


4 )Aunana Kaadana..( Leader):

Shekhar Kammula, the director of this movie has given the musical helm to his find Mickey J Meyer once more and to Mickey's credit, he hasn't sullied the faith shown in him. This slow song picked up fast and helped create buzz around the movie.Kudos to singers Naresh Iyer and Shweta Pandit whose voice suits the romantic flavour of this track made audience excuse the minor glitches in the movie.This song was one of the most melodious numbers in 2010 that was pleasant hearing.

5)Inka Eedo( Darling)

G V Prakash Kumar, nephew of A R Rahman who gave music to this movie set a standard for melody tunes with this track. Super sweet melody that rejuvinates our ears,' Inka Eedo 'is the best thing about this film with a tune hard to forget. Shot on Prabhas and Kajal, the visual spectacle created by the movie maker by choregoraphing it in jaw dropping locales in Europe and potraying the actors infront of visual effects soaked Charminar and Buddha statue in Hussain sagar lake that is wet with snow, audience were mesmerised and it will take a long time to forget this super melody.


6)Chiru Chiru Chiru Chinukai(Awara):

Music maestro Ilayaraja's son Yuvan Shankar Raja proved that music is in his DNA through this song. The song made this Tamil to Telugu dubbed movie a hit and earned its star Karthi huge fan base in the state.Yuvan maintained a fine balance between melody and jhatka beats that caught the listeners interest.The orchestration was truely gimmicky and no other singer could have carried it off other like Haricharan did.The zest with which he sang the song reflects in its energy and it remained chartbuster all through the year.




7)Where is the Pancha Kattu?( Adurs):

This track 'Chary' for which Junior NTR turned singer worked wonders and how.The lyrics that wittily teased 'Chary' and his Shikha hair style and dhoti were new and catchy.Rita who sang with NTR pepped up this number with her husky voice.The song worked also as it was picturised on NTR himself. It doesn't have an overdose of orchestra and makes for a pleasant hearing. The music director Devi Sri Prasad realised the importance of lyrics in this song and didn't bombard it with too much noise making it one of the most heard songs in 2010. Chandrakala.. sang by Haricharan was another impressive number from this album.






8)Naa hridayam (Yamudu)

Dubbed version of Tamil blockbuster 'Singham', 'Yamudu' did decent business in the state. 'Naa Hridayam' sang by Suchitra Karthik Kumar brought some succor to one's ears.Music director Devi Sri Prasad proved his forte in giving music that lasts for years.This song had simple chorus,soothing instruments that can take you into another world. The lines in the song have ' Naa Hrudayam' in a few lines sung by chorus that makes the listener remember the words and stores the song in his memory for a while.It was a visual treat too to see bikni clad Anushka dance to this song with hunk Suriya. Naa Hrudayam created a record of the sorts by being played the highest number of times by radio stations in the city.



9) Amma Talle Noru Muyave( Puli)

Poor script, pathetic performance by stars and lousy screenplay of Puli didn't stop people from listening to 'Amma Thalle'. A R Rahman's music for Pawan Kalyan movie though didn't seem to impress audience here initially grew on them slowly.Lyricist Chandrabose took three months to write the songs and it paid off. Superfast utterances of tongue twisting lyrics by Shweta Mohan for A R Rahman's music made this song a new experience for Telugu audience. The audience adopted the song and ditched the movie.


10)Sydney Nagaram ( Orange):

The beauty of Australian city Sydney got multiplied with this song. Composed by ace music director Harris Jayaraj with the voices of Karunya and Ranina Reddy, this track was the most in demand this year.This romantic track made the audience go jiggy. With not too many instrumental interludes, Harris kept it simple and let the voice of Karunya work wonders. His voice echoed the feeling of love and joy in this track.As the lyrics of this song went ' This is the time to fall in love...oh my love...welcome to my heart..fall in love.. fall in love, the audience truely fell in love.

(Published in Times of India on 29-12-2010)

10 Important incidents of Tollywood in 2010

10 Important incidents of Tollywood in 2010:

Telangana agitation, stalling movie screenings, attacks on film shoots:

Telangana agitation that spilled over to the first half of this year had an impact on movies like 'Adurs' that released in January this year. Shooting sets of Mahesh Babu's 'Khaleja' were burnt, slogans were raised at ' Brindavanam' shoot of NTR, shoots of a few films abrupted across the region. The release of NTR's 'Adurs' was in dilema owing to the producer's support to anti Telangana agitation.A few film makers accused agitators of blackmailing them for money and a few others silently 'discussed' the matter with the agitators.

Navdeep goes to jail:

All party and no work made Navdeep a bad boy. Drunk at a party in a night club on 9th May, the actor drove his car in the wrong direction and abused cops who tried to stop him in a filmi style. IPS officer Stephen Ravindra arrested the actor after chasing him and sent him to police station late in the night and that too in an auto. Eeeeks!! Whats more, TV media covered it live. Navdeep whose hangover died the next morning realised the blunder and apologised but it was too late. The actor was in the news for wrong reasons yet again when he and his friends went boating in Nagarjuna Sagar and were alleged of boating in the river bed without permission.

Small Vs Big films:

T-town's favourite dispute topic-big movie makers acting like mafia, continued to hog news print this year too.Small budget film makers accused the President of Telugu film producers' council , Shyam Prasad Reddy of being biased towards big shots like Allu Aravind and Suresh babu and carried an aggresive SMS and email campaiign against him, forcing him to resign. A blog campaign against Sureshbabu and Allu Aravind accusing them of killing cinema, by holding hundreds of theatres in their hands sustained a cold war environ in Filmnagar.

Veturi Sundara Rama Murthy Died:

One of the legendry writers , Veturi ,who could write on any genre and emotion and considered one of the biggest assets of Telugu cinema passed away in May this year. His death is the biggest loss to the creative quotient of Telugu cinema.He penned songs for hundreds of movies that went on to become the blockbusters. He had a great art for writing lyrics for dubbing songs for the original tunes of the song.

Fight for titles:

As if titles matter in the success, of our films, Telugu film makers spent more time this year in fighting for titles than use their creativity in making watchable movies.First it was amatuer film maker Vijayabhaskar Reddy who filed a case against Mahesh Babu's movie Khaleja for using the title he had already registered. However, the court allowed Mahesh to use the title Khaleja prefixing 'Mahesh' to it. Another film maker Gunasekhar accused actor Nandamuri Kalyanram of encroaching his title 'Kathi' for his movie through series of press conferences. T-activists also hogged limelight demanding Pawan Kalyan to remove 'Komaram' from his movie title 'Komaram Puli'.Title war this year offered better entertainment than the films this time, must say.

Drug arrests:

This is the biggest of all controversies that shattered the image of Tollywood.City cops nabbed actor Ravi Teja's brothers Bharath and Raghu, red handed while purchasing cocaine from a Ugandan on August 20 in Banjara Hills .In the next two days, cops leaked a few names of star party animals whose contact details were reportedly found in that Ugandan's phone.Stars were seen barging into TV stations to give explanations, rushing with rejoinders and 'ready for blood test' slogans for the next few days until the issue mysteriously subsided.Cops have been repeating what has now become the most popular TRP getter for channels, with their once every month statement' we are investigating the involvement of actors in the drug case'. !!

Big movies, bigger flops:

Fans waited three years for Mahesh Babu to do 'Khaleja' and two years for Pawan Kalyan's 'Puli'. The movies released and left the producers in tears and fans distressed.The screenplay and story line in 'Khaleja' made the movie a flop and Puli was awful. Multiplexes saw people returning their tickets of these movies or reselling them to less informed souls. And films like 'Marocharitra' starring Varun Sandesh made audience scream and rush out of theatres as if they were escaping from a haunted house.Ditto with Ramcharan's 'Orange' too didn't meet expectations.Big movies made the the industry bleed a loss of Rs 100 crore this year.

Nandi awards controversy:

When 65 something year old director turned actor turned MP, Dasari Narayana Rao was declared the state government Nandi award best actor this year for his performance in 'Mestri', everyone in Tollywood jaw dropped. Ramcharan Tej was expected to bag the award for 'Magadheera'.Street talk was Dasari influenced the Nandi jury to name him the best actor. Fuelling the controversy, Chiranjeevi in his speech at a filmi do said his son doesn't crave for awards. Ouch!!The war of words from both the sides proved a popular perception that Nandi awards like every other awards are about influence and not talent.

Ramanaidu wins Dadasaheb Phalke:

A stalwart in Indian cinema production, Daggubati Ramanaidu won the Dadasaheb Phalke award this year for his contribution to Indian cinema. Before him, Nagireddy, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, LV Prasad et al won the award in Telugu.Naidu produced about 130 films in about a dozen languages and continues to produce films even today. His award was celebrated by Tollywood.

Nagababu raises budget issues:

Chiranjeevi's brother Nagababu dropped bomb shells and almost wept at an audio launch. We are sure anyone who loses Rs 6.5 cr on a movie, thanks to terrible direction and heroine tantrums will do the same.'Orange' starring Ramcharan Tej and Genelia bombed badly at box office making its producer Nagababu spit fire on the director Bhaskar for taking an year to make an unwatchable and complicated movie.Nagababu accused Genny of blackmailing him of walking out of the movie if Rs 10 lakh was not paid in excess to her remuneration. His outbursts sparked off a debate in Tollywood on minimising movie budgets.

T'wood strike against piracy:

Telugu film industry came together in unity to support film producer Yalamanchili Ravi Chand who sat in for a surprise hunger strike on March 17, demanding the government to bring in stricter law against video piracy. Tollywood unanimously decided to go on strike in support to Ravi's cause. Actors lined up infront of Ravichand's hunger strike camp to pledge support and the government decided topunish bring video pirates under goonda act. The act however is yet to be passed in the legislature.

Film federation and Producers' council strike:

For the first time, Tollywood shut down for more than a week. Producers demand increase in working hours for stars and lesser number of shooting days, employees demand producers to pay more, actors refuse to take pay cuts-mocktailed to occur the biggest logjam in history of Telugu cinema. With crores of rupees at stakes and bloated egos on all sides, shootings came to a halt, schedules went haywire, releases put on hold, making it a worst ever phase for Telugu film industry.Thanks to the strike, the industry which is already in deep losses has suffered more due to shooting delays.Shootings resumed on December 30.

(Published in Times of India on 28-12-2010)

'Ragada' Review

Starcast: Nagarjuna, Anushka, Priyamani, Pradeep Rawat, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Bramhanandam, Raghubabu, Dharmavarapu Subramaniam, Master Bharath. Director:Veeru Potla

Producer:Shivaprasad Reddy

Music: S S Thaman

Rating: 2/5


Ragada is a typical Telugu film with reel load of fights and six songs a stanard staple for hero-centric movie in Tollywood.

'Ragada' is a story of Satya alias Kadapodu(Nagarjuna) who comes to Hyderabad with a motive.Peddhanna (Pradeep Rawat) is a gangster operating in the city with three important goons executing his orders.GK( Dev Gill) is Peddhanna's principal opponent. Satya saves GK from Peddhanna's men when the latter tries to kill him. Impressed with him, GK requests Satya to assist him in fighting Peddhanna. Sirisha(Anushka) is the daughter of GK's partner and stays in his house. With Satya and Sirisha meeting quite often, there is attraction and romance between them.Peddhanna sends his men to Satya's hometown Kadapa, to find out the whereabouts of his family.The story takes an interesting turn when Ashtalakshmi,(Priyamani) a bramhin girl requests Satya to help her family from Peddhanna.The rest of the story is full of twists and turns that makes for an interesting watch on whom is Satya in love with, what is the connection between his family and him coming to Hyderabad and his rivalry with gangster Peddhanna.

Nagarjuna looks stunning and is every man's envy. Infact a few dialogues and scenes in the movie revolve around the topic of Nag's handsome personality.He looks a million bucks in every shot. However, the Rayalaseema accent didn't suit the hero. He couldn't make 'Manchiki Cheruku gadda.. cheduki Ragada' applaude worthy.There are too many fights in this film and the actor pulls it off His comic timing with Bramhanandam is perfectly entetaining. Anushkha and Priyamani don't have much to do in the movie and are seen dancing more than acting in this film. One gets the feeling if Anushka agreed to do this movie more out of obligation than out of interest as her role doesn't leave an impact on the audience.

Bramhanandam manages to tickle your funny bones with his trademark histrionics.Kota Srinivasa Rao, Pradeep Rawat, Dharmavarapu Subramaniam did well. Dev Gill didn't impress with his performance at all. Child artiste Bharath was at his best and gave Bramhanandam a tough contest on screen.Raghubabu is cliched and yawn inducing.Priyamani delivered a better performance than Anushka in the little acting she got to do in this movie.There are half a dozen villains in this action flick and all of them gave whistle worthy performance.Charmee who lost oodles of weight looked smashing in the item number. She moved her butt with a rocket speed and set the screen ablaze with her movements.
The story is very predictable cocktailed with fights, songs and comedy. Over one and a half hour of the film has fights.

Infact, every ten minutes in the movie has a fight scene. Nagarjuna does a Vijayakanth by killing a villain not by shooting him but by making him eat bullets.The dialogues are not competent enough to make you feel the emotion in the scene. Most of the dialogues give the audience a feeling of deja vu. For instance, the hero's sister screams in a scene, ' Champeyi annayya.. vaadini Champeyi' which reminds one of Ghazini and several other films with similar crowd cheers while hero gears up to murder the villain.

Thaman's music was in tandem with the mass storyline of the movie. Three songs are worth listening to in this album. The locations in Jordan and Greece chosen to shoot the songs were feast to eyes. Bramhanandam's comedy in this film is far better than his painfully boring performance in his other releases this season.Comic scenes with Bramhy and Bharath come as a great relief in between innumerable fights.Pradeep Rawat is seen wearing the same black Kurta all through the movie which makes one wonder why.

The director failed to exploit Pradeep's acting skills in the script.The story in this film is no different from hundred others that released in the past one decade. The cinematography is not worth a mention. Despite several glitches, the movie doesn't bore as much as it should because of perfect screenplay. Every fight is followed by a comedy scene or a song which makes the audience bear the otherwise cliched movie.

If you are a regular Telugu movie goer, you have already watched 'Ragada' in several movies before.Search for other options of entertainment this weekend because Ragada doesn't offer it for the money you pay.

(Review published in The New Indian express on 25-12-2010)

"I don't belong to any camp"

NRI damsel Richa Gangopadhyay who got registered with much hyped about film ' Leader', is on cloud nine now. This season is a double whammy for this former model as ' Nagavalli', her movie with Venkatesh just hit the screens and ' Mirapakaya', her flick with Ravi Teja is up for release. But what took her more than six months to hit the screen again despite an impressive debut? "I was basking in the success of 'Leader' and wanted to chose the right script after working with Shekhar Kammula.

I wanted to do versatile roles.I don't want to be just another glam doll. My priority is to balance performance with glamour. While promoting Leader, Nagavalli and Mirapakaya came my way and I signed them. I went back home to US to spend time with the family before I start shooting again and here are my two films." she says with a voice filled with excitement. With three film releases in one year, Richa couldn't have asked for more.She has signed another film with ace director Selva Raghavan for a bi-lingual movie with Rana in the lead.Sources say Suresh Babu will produce the movie. With she doing three out of four of her films with Daggubati clan, isn't she wary of being branded as belonging to their camp?

"I don't believe camps exist and every film I have signed is purely coindiental.After Leader, director Vasu saw me in Sureshbabu's office and was convinced that I suit the role I played in Nagavalli. He wanted someone who looks innocent and has large eyes. I suited the charecter and was cast in the project. As far as my next movie with Rana is considered, a lot of my fans on twitter liked the jodi of me and Rana in Leader and wished to see our jodi together on screen again. The director of that film also zeroed in on me only after screen testing hundreds of girls.So, it is wrong to assume that I am doing a film only with Daggubatis.No artiste will seclude herself to one production house and miss out oppurtunities and I would like to work with everyone" she clarifies.

The actress has now silenced the critics with her performance in 'Nagavalli' who earlier thought she would be a one movie wonder.She managed to watch the original 'Aptarakshaka' and ' Chandramukhi' to see how Jyothika and Soundarya played the charecters and reveals that she was almost dropped from the project as the director was upset with her 'walking' style on the first day of the shoot. "After I signed the movie, I realised what challenging charecter I was signed up for. I was very nervous on the first day of my shoot. The director P Vasu was not happy with my walking style and had told people on the sets that If this girl can't walk properly, how can she act? I was almost dropped from the movie. However, there was a challenging scene which I reharsed a lot for.I gave the scene in one take and the director was impressed and put off his plans to drop me. I researched a lot for the role and even got fever out of sheer exorsion doing the role.I gave dubbing to a part of the movie and my voice went hoarse as I had to change the modulation often" Richa recalls.

This Bengali girl is learning Telugu and attempted to speak in the language at the audio launch of her movie recently. Does she have a Telugu tutor?

"I am not learning it from a teacher. I just talk to everyone around me on the sets in Telugu and started picking up. I have learnt music and so I can make out sounds easily. I understand Tamil easily too.I hope to speak Telugu fluently soon"

This former model is under the scanner of Fashion police and fitness advocates for putting on weight offlate.Doesn't she believe in working out and size zero looks? "I don't believe that size zero suits Indian women.Our women should have curves to carry off the saree well.I am a student of nutrition and feel that it is important to look healthy than size zero. I got to focus on my fitness now. I have been busy in shooting schedules which leaves me no time to exercise and also this city offers such delicious and irresistable mutton biryani , majjika Pulusu et al which obviously makes me put on weight.Also I can't do boring exercises like hitting the threadmill. I love kick boxing and hot yoga. I will work on it here on" she resolves.

Richa who is elated that her parents are in the town now who will get to watch both her releases says she wants to make them proud of her. "I am glad my parents allowed me to come to India and let me act in movies.They believed in me and are happy that I am doing good for myself.They are in the country now to attend a cousin's wedding and I am happy they will get to watch my releases this time.I don't plan my future anymore and accept things as they come. I want to live upto their expecations and make them proud" says Gangopadhyay signing off.

(Published in Times of India on 02-01-2011)

Female fans get Nag-Venky brand endorsments

Nagarjuna and Venkatesh, two of the big four in Telugu cinema industry, in their 25th year of stardom are still doing movies, more in number every year than their kids and nephews who are also actors now.Even at 50 years of age, both Nag and Venky are giving the young breed of actors a run for their money and most of the younger stars prefer not to release their films anywhere closer to the release of these two biggies for a common reason-their huge female fan following. Nagarjuna and Venkatesh are undoubtedly a big hit among female fans who even in TV smitten era flock to theatres to watch their movies.


This has worked in the favour of both these senior stars in getting them brand endorsments targetted at women customers.Unlike young Tollywood brigade who are vying with one another to turn brand ambassadors for soft drinks, jeans and telecom operators, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh are ambassadors for jewellery brands.

Nagarjuna left everyone wide eyed when he signed as brand ambassador for Kalyan Jewellers from Kerala. The star is splashed on hoarding all over the city endorsing the brand. Sources say the brand did a survey and found that these two stars are a hit with women audience watching Telugu movies which is why they went for Nag.

52 year old Nagarjuna who was away from endorsments for years and has recently got into this new venue of earning money explains,

"A few years ago I was busy and didn't have the time to do endorsments. When I got free , good brands didn't come my way. It just happened now.Both the endorsments are long standing institutions and financially also it works out for me.When the jewellery brand came to me with proposal to be their brand ambassador in AP, I told them to go to Anushka and Ileana. But they explained that they have succesffuly done it with Mammoty in Kerala and also feel that I have a female fan following that works for their brand. They needed a stature and image for people to believe their slogan on purity of gold and I was roped in"

Ditto with Venkatesh who recently turned 51. The actor was the first choice for Coke endorsment years ago when not many T'wood stars were into encashing their image.The actor too avoided endorsments then owing to his busy career and has now plunged into it now.

"Coke approached me years ago and I said no to them then as I was busy with films. This Manapuram gold loan came out of blue. They said they did their research on female audience and their favourite star. They approached me and I readily agreed to do it.I shot a few ads for them for a couple of days and I am glad I am with the right brand" Venky raves.

Sources say both these superstars are willing to endorse more brands now. Poor heroines, who thought will make quick money in their short lived stardom by endorsing apparel and jewellery have to face competition not just from fellow damsels but from Nag and Venky too.

(Published in The New Indian express on 30-12-2010)