Banam Review

Banam is a low budget film produced by Swapna Dutt Chalasani and directed by first timer Chaitanya Danthuluri. It also has the lead role played by debutante Nara Rohit, Andhra Pradesh’s ex-Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s brother’s son. Vedika plays the female lead. The story line is fresh unlike what we get to see these days barring a few films. Banam is technically very good with new and few stunning camera frames. Cinematography is also good and adds value to the film.

Bhagat Panigrahi (Rohit), son of naxalite Panigrahi (Sayaji Shinde) puts his heart and soul in preparing for the civil services. He finds Lakshmi (Vedika) at a railway station one day and brings her home after her father dies of heart attack and her in-laws disown her. Things turn out in such a way after her arrival that Bhagat unknowingly becomes the target of one Sakthi, a local goon. The rest of the film is all about how Bhagat realizes his dream of becoming an IPS officer while trying to clean the system from the grass root level. Chaitanya shows creativity in some places by masking the action scenes with the background drama.

Bhagat’s role is tailor-made for Rohit. The role doesn’t require a great display of histrionics. It is too early to comment on him, though he came out with a very decent performance in this film. Music by Manisharma is just adequate.

My rating for this film - ****

(* You will shoot me

** Waste of time

*** Can sit through

**** Worth watching once

***** Must watch)

My Films

I am planning to add a new column section called My Films to this blog, where I would be sharing videos of the short films or teasers that I had shot (also read involved with) or would shoot in future. Most of them could carry a message on civic issues, social issues, health etc.. Now let me see how far I can take this successfully.

Love Aaaj Kal -

Love Aaj Kal is declared a hit in Mumbai by film trade analysts. Is it that Mumbai audience has a different taste for films or is it that it has been deliberately declared a hit? Whatever it be, I did not like the film and I have a few reasons. Firstly, the film runs at a very slow pace. Secondly, the first ten minutes is made very complicated, in the sense that, the present and the past are shown back to back, compelling the audience to get confused. After something like Jab We Met, this film was quite disappointing.

Saif was good to watch, but there's nothing new from Deepika. The screenplay was complicated but Imtiaz handled it very well especially after the first 40 minutes. The film begins with a break-up between Saif and Deepika because they feel that they cannot sustain a long distance relationship. She heads for India for a career in art restoration and he stays back in London to pursue his dream of getting into Golden Gate Inc. in the US of A. Saif gets a new blonde girlfriend and Deepika dates her boss (the charming Rahul Khanna). Time and Rishi Kapoor make Saif realize that Meera (Deepika) has become an integral part in his life. He goes to Delhi to meet her and they eventually realize that they are together even after a one year break-up.

Rishi Kapoor was apt for the Sardar's role, who gives lots of gyan to Saif and narrates his own love story in a parallel track which runs in a similar fashion. There are few glitches like the episode where Meera gets married to her boss and the truth dawns upon her the very next day that she is in love with Saif. If it takes one day for her to make a decision, why couldn't she decide in the short span before her wedding?

The surprise package of the film is Neetu Kapoor's entry in the last scene as Rishi Kapoor's wife.

My rating for this film - ***
(* You will shoot me
** Waste of time
*** Can sit through
**** Worth watching once
***** Must watch)

Prayanam - A pleasant journey

Prayanam starring Manchu Manoj as Dhruv and Harika as is, is a feel good entertainer. More than 90% of the film is set in the backdrop of Kuala Lumpur airport. Dhruv and his two friends are on a holiday and plan to board a flight to Singapore. Harika is a hair stylist in Malaysia and is on her way back to Hyderabad to meet her prospective groom. The two of them meet at the airport and the next two hours show how Dhruv falls in love with Harika and tries to woo her.

Harika is expressive and perfectly fits the role. But, it was Manoj's performance that took me by surprise. I liked him for the first time in so many years with a handful of films in his list. Manoj literally lived Dhruv's role. In fact a director joked that Manoj has finally got a female fan when I told him this. :D. Brahmanandam provides comic relief as tiger man. The scenes between him and Dhruv's writer friend are funny.

Prayanam is a very light hearted film. It may not lie in the interest of those who look for a mixture of drama, action and romance.

My rating for this film - ****
(* You will shoot me
** Waste of time
*** Can sit through
**** Worth watching once
***** Must watch)

'Slumdog' Slum Kids

The 'Slumdog' kids are seen getting involved in many controversies with each taking a new turn every day. The last time we heard of them was when their houses were brought down by the railway officials because they were allegedly built on an occupied land owned by the railways. Now, the news is that these children have again set their base in the same land by building new houses.

Slumdog Millionaire might be a 'great' film having brought a couple of oscars to the country, but one thing I don't understand is that why should the actors be treated as if they have done something tremendous for the country - something that India could never think of or has been dying to feel good about. The cast of the film or particularly the slum kids Azhar and Rubina Ali have not done anything so great that people expect the government to recognize their effort and honour them with free income, a free apartment, or may be a free car too. They have just acted in a film like any any other child artiste or actor in any other film. There are many children like Azhar and Rubina who are left to their destiny to pull their lives through these slums across the country. What about them? And, they will not even get a chance to re-build their homes if demolished by the government once. Azhar and Rubina are at least lucky to have lots of support from the media and the public who think they have brought laurels to the country.

'Let's Vote' Campaign Shoot

We shot a film for the Let's Vote campaign on Sunday. It is a 1 minute film made on a very simple concept - A group of friends having tea at their favourite hangout are made to realize the impact of one's vote by one amongst them. We were unaware of the impending JEE exam at a centre very near to our selected location. The shoot went uninterrupted, though. All of us (crew) gathered at the spot by 8:30 A.M. and called it a day (pack up :D) at 12:30 P.M.; of course not to forget the gallons of Irani chai and dozens of osama biscuits we had munched on at the road-side tiffin stall (a small road side dhaba will definitely earn us much more than what we would be earning otherwise :D). We were lucky enough to get an experienced person (Suresh) to handle the camera for us. The first cut editing is done. The re-recording is scheduled for today and if everything goes as planned, we should be ready with the final copy by tomorrow.
Let us Vote.