Vaishali Review

        

      




       Shankar has produced few gems on his S pictures banner in Tamil. Premisthe is one of those movies which was dubbed in Telugu and went on to become a super hit. Vaishali is the Telugu dubbed version of Eeram (Dampness) which was a critically acclaimed commercial hit in Tamil. Arivazhagan is the director of this movie. Dil Raju bought the Tamil dubbing rights of this movie and Vaishali is out in theatres from today. Here is the review…

Story:

        Vaishali (Sindhu Menon) commits suicide in her flat by drowning herself in a bath tub. This case will be taken up by ACP Vasudev aka Vasu (Adi), who feels that this cannot be a suicide. Vaishali and Vasu were ex lovers and the reasons for Vaishali killing herself doesn’t seem believable to him. He starts to dig deep into the case and meanwhile more killings take place in the same apartment. Vasu comes to know about a shocking truth about who the murderer is. You have to watch the movie to know who it is.

Analysis:

As a story Vaishali is clichéd and mediocre one. But the treatment and screenplay makes it worth a watch. It falls under horror/thriller genre with more dose of drama. As the director himself claims in a scene that this story is about a modern Seetha who proves her chastity, Vaishali is loosely based upon an incident in Ramayana.

Also there are many Hollywood thriller films which come to viewer’s mind while watching it. The killing pattern reminds you of Final Destination and few eerie scenes involving water looks like they were straight out of ‘Dark Water’.

Leaving those aside, Vaishali is an absolute cracker of a ride especially in the first half. It is breathtaking and engaging one hour in which the director cleverly interlaced the present and past. Although it might be quite confusing for masses, people with a little extra IQ will appreciate director’s efforts.

But the flashback part is dragging and it is filled with overdose of drama which is uncalled for. That part is prolonged too much and spoiled the fun of a thriller. That is so predictable to be dealt in detail. Also the climax looks forced and out of place.

We can ignore minor glitches in the movie as it is a well made movie which is definitely worth the ticket

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Performances:

Aadi who made his debut with Oka Vichitram has settled down in Tamil cinema. He is good and fits the role of a cop perfectly. Sindhu Menon is good. Her eyes do all the talking. Nandha as Vaishali’s husband is good. Srinath and Saranya Mohan did their part well. All others helped for the story to proceed further.

Tehnicalities:

Sashank Vennelakanti did a god job with the dialogue. Thaman’s background score is fine and his songs gelled well with the proceedings. Cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa is the major asset. The rain and scenes involving water are shown in aesthetic fashion. Kishore editing is brilliant in first half and could’ve been sharper in the second half.

Arivazhagan is brilliant with the direction part. He is also superb in mixing crime and romantic threads in a wonderful way. Had he taken more care on the latter half where the film drags for almost fifteen minutes, Vaishali might have ended up as a complete film. Nevertheless he is here to stay and we can expect more such good stuff from him.
      
Plus Points:

- First half
- Thrilling elements
- Cinematography
- Background score

Minus points:

- Dragging flashback in second half
- Poor climax

Final Word: Vaishali – Watch it if you are looking for some ‘Vaividhyam’ in movies!

Box office predictions:

Vaishali managed to get a reasonable turn out for its first morning show. It has chances to do well in A centers if promoted well.

Vaishali Review rating: 3/5

Banner: Sri Venkateswara Creations
Cast: Aadhi, Sindhu Menon, Saranya Mohan,
Music: Thaman S
Director: Arivazhagan
Producer: Dil Raju

Veera Movie Review – Raviteja

                 Raviteja who has been delivering successful films in a row is now back again as Veera. This film is directed by Ramesh Varma on Sanvi Productions banner. Mr. Perfect ladies Kajal and Taapsee played the female leads in it. Here is the detailed review of Veera…

Story:

Veera (Raviteja) comes in disguise of a security officer to save his sister (Sridevi) family which is being targeted by few goons from his bloody past. Veera is a good man who fights for his people. But his sister doesn’t like him to see as a killer. Therefore he hides that from her. However, she comes to know about this when her family gets brutally killed by Veera’s enemy Rayudu (Pradeep Rawat). Veera loses his wife Kabaddi Chitti (Kajal) and step mother (Roja) too. How he avenges their death and saves his sister family forms rest of the story.

Analysis:

                    Veera is a routine film blended with action, comedy and romance. Ramesh Varma who earlier directed Oka Oorilo and Ride has directed this film which is far different from his previous films. But is very similar to hundreds of Telugu films from the past.

                  Veera heads in the eighties kind of narration with a song-fight-comedy-song-fight… type of treatment. It lacks the soul and purpose to keep the audience glued to the screen. Highly predictable storyline and boring screenplay are the major drawbacks of this film. Anybody who is known for being immensely patient too will be tested by this torturous flick which never seizes on boring to the core.

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                    Veera is for die hard mass fans who like to see severed limbs and arms flying all over the screen. Audience with sensibilities won’t like it a bit. This is one of the worst films that are released in the recent times, we can say.

Performances:

           Raviteja looked unenthusiastic and uninteresting throughout the film. His chemistry with Brahmanandam is usually sparkling but it lacked the bite in Veera. There are two shades to his character and both of them are very badly done.

         Kajal is Okay when compared to Taapsee. Neither of them got any chance to leave a mark. Roja and Divyavani played two important characters and they proved that they have grown better with age. Sridevi gets her expressions right. Pradeep Rawat is standard. So are other baddies. Brahmanandam is below average. Ali is Okay up to some extent. Kick Shyam got wasted. Rest of the cast didn’t have anything special to mention.

Tehnicalities:

Thaman SS music is routine. He is repeating himself very often. If he does the same very often he will soon see the exit door. A couple of songs are catchy and hum-able though. Abburi Ravi dialogs lacked the spice. He doesn’t have powerful lines to elevate the character of Veera. Chota K Naidu’s cinematography is fine. Editing by Gowtam Raju isn’t slick enough. Production values are good. So much money is spent and that could be seen on the screen.

Ramesh Varma isn’t a director material. His shot making and framing shows his inability. A reasonable director might have made a film out of this. Whereas Ramesh Varma made a disaster out of it. He should get back to basics if he wants to survive in the industry.

Plus Points:

- Raviteja up to some extent
- A couple of songs
- Production values

Minus points:

- Story and screenplay
- Too much blood and gore
- Lack of proper comedy
- So called entertaining scenes fell flat
- Direction

Final Word: Veera – Torture redefined!

Box office predictions:

Veera opened to weak collections all over. With the talk ranging from disaster to flop, it will find tough to get back the investment. Has a chance to do better in mass centers while it will be a washout in A centers.

Veera Review rating: 2/5

Banner: Sanvi Productions
Cast: Ravi Teja, Kajal Aggarwal, Shaam, Taapsee Pannu
Editing: Marthand K. Venkatesh
Cinematography: Chota K. Naidu
Story: Parachuri Brothers
Music: Thaman
Producer: Ganesh Indukuri
Director: Ramesh Varma

Seema Tapakai Review

                   

 Allari Naresh, who has been consistently delivering hits in his ‘zone’, is back with Seema Tapakai. Directed by G. Nageswara Reddy, Seema Tapakaya attracted comedy film lovers with fun filled trailers. Audience expected a laugh riot out of this. Read on Seema Tapakai Review…

Story:
Sri Krishna (Allari Naresh) is the son of a multimillionaire (Sayaji Shinde). He falls in love with the girl named Satya (Poorna) who hates millionaires and serves the poor. Sri Krishna bluffs her that he is a poor man and also makes his family to act like poor people. But he doesn’t know about Satya’s background which will put him and his family in furthermore trouble.

Analysis:

Like all Allari Naresh films, Seema Tapakai is also made with single agenda i.e. to make audience laugh. G. Nageswara Reddy succeeded up to some extent in making this film a ‘laugh riot’. But it turned out to be a ‘riot’ as it headed towards the climax. Whole film drives on a single point and that is the reason why it turns tiresome after the first hour.

Scenes and situations too didn’t help much. Many gags failed to tickle and the characterizations, writing let the film down. What’s more painful is ST turns sentimental all of a sudden as ‘glycerin rain’ pours down for almost fifteen minutes at a stretch

Scenes involving Jaya Prakash Reddy and the parody on recent hit songs pulled the film from ending up as a disaster. On a whole, Seema Tapakai is just another Allari Naresh flick which doesn’t need immediate attention. You can happily wait for the DVD.

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Performances:
Allari Naresh is in his usual self. He is supremely confident as an actor now. His lengthy dialogue on rich and poor is worth a whistle. Poorna resembles Asin in many angles.

Her performance is okay and she didn’t hesitate to show off her assets. However, Poorna needs to concentrate on her physique and slim down immediately if she is hoping for a longtime career in Tollywood. The characterization of heroine is the most irksome part in this movie. She continues to mouth the same dialogues throughout leaving audience in agony.

Sayaji Shinde is good. Nagineedu is wooden. Brahmanandam’s comedy hardly clicks. LB Sriram is Okay. Vennela Kishore has few light moments. Rest of the star cast did their bit.

Tehnicalities:
Vandemataram Srinivas’s music is not bad. But excessive usage of rap mix is not required. Most of the songs are picturized in same fashion. Much talked about Akasamlo Oka Taara remix is pathetic at best. Marudhuri Raja dialogs hardly evokes laughs. Cinematography and editing are up to the standards of a low budget film.

Director Nageswara Reddy tried to make this film another faction comedy ala Seema Sasthri but he ended up making just half of it.

Plus Points:
- Few comedy scenes in the first hour
- Allari Naresh
- A couple of dance numbers

Minus points:
- Comedy scenes failed to tickle
- Dragging second hour

Final Word: Seema Tapakai – This cracker lacks the spark and sound!

Box office predictions:
It is made on a low budget and hence has a chance to recover the production cost if the masses lap it up.

Seema Tapakai Review rating: 2.5/5

Banner: Wellfare Creations
Cast: Poorna, Allari Naresh
Music: Vandemataram Srinivas
Producer: G Nageshwara Reddy
Direction: Vijay Prasad Malla

100% Love Review – 100 percent love movie

                       Director Sukumar has proved that he is not the run of the mill director and always tries to be different from the other directors. He has cult fans and even his flop films have stunning and intelligent scenes that prove his mettle. However, except his debut film Arya, Sukumar didn’t taste commercial success with his other films. But the audience who has high regard for Sukumar as a director never lost their faith in him. His latest film 100% Love is released today and check out the review to know whether he succeeded in delivering a hit or not.
Story:
                      
                  Balu Mahendra (Naga Chaitanya) is a number one student in his college. Mahalakshmi (Tamanna), his cousin comes to Balu’s house to continue her studies. She is in awe of her Mr. Perfect ‘Bava’ and takes his help to achieve big in studies. Surprisingly, she surpasses him and becomes the first ranker. Balu gets deeply hurt by this and he resorts to cunning ways to deviate Maha Lakshmi. But to his surprise Ajith (Anand) stands first this time. Meanwhile Maha Lakshmi father brings her a match but she doesn’t want to marry him. Balu helps her in getting the match canceled and Mahalakshmi starts deviating Ajith from studies for the sake of Balu. When the couple is heading to fall in love, Maha Lakshmi unknowingly hurts the ego of Balu and they get separated. How they unite forms rest of the story.

Analysis:
                   100% Love starts with a bang right from the title credits. Sukumar’s creativity is visible in the title designing. This is easily one of the best title credits we have ever seen. Even if you go with zero percent expectations to the movie, the title credits itself will raise your expectations over 80 percent. Sukumar did his best to live up to the expectations in every scene.

Most of the scenes and situations are refreshing. Characterizations are pretty unique too. None of our directors touched this complex angle in the lead man before. Sukumar did a brilliant job with the screenplay but it loses pace as it reaches the interval point. The intermission scene looked out of place but it is vital for the story to take a different path from then on.

Second half is mainly focused on the family values and the virtues of relations. Although the lead man irks you at times with his stupid ideology he makes it up in the scene where he reveals his love to the heroine. In the process of avoiding a predictable climax, Sukumar once again took the eccentric path and the characters starts talking illogically. But by then the film already proves your ticket worth and anything excess is just a bonus.

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Performances:
Naga Chaitanya improved from his previous outings but he still needs to improve. His expressions in comedic scenes are not up to the mark. He failed to get the body language right in the drunken scenes. He is sophisticated and gives a feeling that he suits better to certain type of characters.

Tamanna is a good actress and she has proved her mettle yet again. Anand and Tara Alisha are just okay. Naresh is decent and Dharmavarapu’s comedy worked in parts. Most of the star cast consists of new actors and they did well. KR Vijaya and Vijaya Kumar are standard.
Tehnicalities:
Most of the songs were situational and Devi Sri Prasad did a fine job. Dooram Dooram and Infatuation songs stand out. Diyyalo Diyyala lacked punch on the screen. Background score is pretty good. Dialogues are decent without any drama or purposeful rhyming lines. Editing is up to the mark. Cinematography is an asset to the movie. Special care is taken in the detailing and Art department did a wonderful job. Production values are neat. Although the movie is made with a medium budget the producer never compromised on the quality of films.
Plus Points:
- Youthful elements
- Entertaining first half
- Novel approach

Minus points:
- Second half slows down a bit
- Climax is somewhat confusing

Final Word: 100% Love satisfies the targeted audience. Youngsters will fall in love with the film. It will do well in A centers and given its budget it should work on the commercial front too. People who love to watch different movies can give it a try. We have to wait and see if this film has something in it to pull the masses. That seems highly unlikely.

100% Love Review rating: 3/5

Banner: Geeta Arts
Cast: Tamanna, Naga Chaitanya, Tara Alisha
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Presented by: Allu Arjun
Producer: Bunny Vasu
Direction: Sukumar

Nenu Naa Rakshasi Movie Review

Puri Jagannadh promised that NNR would be a different film from run of the mill stuff. He said that it is a different film that falls under the genre of film noir. The trailers raised curiosity so much that people expected a completely new kind of cinema experience with Nenu Naa Rakshasi. Did the film live up to expectations? Know complete details in this review…




Story:

Abhimanyu aka Abhi (Rana) is a professional killer who falls in love with Meenakshi (Ileana) in the first sight. She has a strange habit of shooting live suicides and uploads them on Youtube. Cops are in search of her and at one point Abhi wants to commit suicide and calls Meenakshi. After attempting to kill himself Abhi comes to know that the girl who is shooting his suicide video is none other than the one he is madly in love with. He survives and asks Meenakshi to accept his love. Then he comes to know that she is going to commit suicide in fifteen days. What happens next in between this odd couple forms rest of the story.

Analysis:

The film started off an interesting note. Characters are not similar to what we get to see in regular movies. However, a professional killer falling for a girl at first sight didn’t suit the characterization. Remember Nagarjuna and Mahesh in Antham and Athadu movies? They don’t run after a girl. Professional killers are far from these sensitive feelings.

Leaving that loophole aside, there are interesting twists and turns in the movie, particularly in the first hour. The speed at which the screenplay races away is breathtaking. Interval point is good. But when the story shifts to Venice, the graph starts falling down. Suddenly the characters look out of place. The characters which seemed that they are going through so much pain in their lives turn jovial out of nowhere.

Puri’s promise of different cinema ends at the interval point and from then on it is sheer torture. Is Puri completely out of ideas? Although the basic plot is interesting the execution is pretty bad. We don’t expect this kind of output from Puri Jagannadh. Placing songs in this type of film is another major minus. Separate comedy track on Ali and Mumaith lacked the punch.

The movie doesn’t even end on a sad note to pass a strong message to audience. Puri chose a commercial climax which didn’t fit into this at all.

Performances:

Rana did okay in his role. He is raw at times and failed to show the pain and love in his expressions. He has a good screen presence and that comes to his rescue most of the times. He can’t dance too. His slight dance moves resembles his uncle Venkatesh. Rana has to work hard on his expressions and dances to try his hand at commercial films.

Ileana is good. Her role is a complicated one but the director left her version till the climax so that her character remains passive most of the time. She did her part well when it is required.

Ali, Mumaith’s comedy track is vulgar. Abhimanyu Singh who excelled in Raktha Charitra once again proved his mettle. But his character doesn’t have place in this movie. It seems as if it was forced into the movie. Subbaraju is fine and the child actress is cute.
                                       



Tehnicalities:
Music is heavily inspired from English songs. Actually there is no scope for songs in this movie. Background score is fine. Editing is the major asset. SR Sekhar did a wonderful job. Editor’s work, especially in the first hour is superb. Cinematography is good too. Technically Nenu Naa Rakshasi is a well made movie. Even the story is good. But Puri faltered with screenplay. This type of concepts should not be dealt in this manner. It will remain a good lesson for directors who forcibly try to inject commercial elements into such concept based movies.

Puri once again proved that he is out of form at the moment. Take a break Puri! Production values are good. Venice is turning out to be our South cinema’s favorite destination of late.

Plus Points:

- Interesting elements in the first half

Minus points:

- Screenplay
- Boring second half

Final Word: After watching the movie, anyone would wonder about why this film was made? There is no purpose for it. Suicidal tendencies are a strong sensitive subject and the director makes a mess of it. He should have done good research and made this movie on a small scale to justify the subject. Making a movie on sensitive subjects without any purpose is waste of money and time. Don’t waste your hard earned money on this movie.

Rating: 2/5
Banner: Lakshmi Narasimha Productions
Casting: Rana Daggubati, Ileana
Music: Vishwa, Rahman
Producer: Nallamalupu Srinivas (Bujji)
Direction: Puri Jagannath