Ala Vaikuntapuram lo - Sankranthi blockbuster

Movie Name  :  Ala Vaikuntapuram lo 
Rating            :  3.75 / 5
Banner           :  Geetha Arts
Starring         :  Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, Tabu, Sushanth and others
Music  Director :  Thaman S
Cinematography : P S Vinod
Editing            :  Navin Nooli
Producer         :  Allu Aravind,S Radha Krishna
Screen play & Direction :   Trivikram Srinivas
Date of Release  :  12th January, 2020

The second big release of this Sankranthi season is Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapuramlo. It has hit the screen today and let’s see whether Bunny makes a comeback or not.

Story:

Valmiki  (Murali Sharma) is a small-time employee in a big company. During his son’s (Sushanth) birth, his boss’s wife (Tabu) also gives birth to a baby boy (Allu Arjun). But upset with his financial status, Valmiki cleverly interchanges the babies and brings the boss’s kid to his house and raises him. As time passes by, a tragic turn around of events happen and the truth is out in the open finally. The rest of the story is as to how Allu Arjun known as Bantu sets things right.

Pperformance of the artists:

The story idea is very good and Trivikram has given his own spin to the film with solid dialogues and breezy narration. From start to end, Ala Vaikunthapuramlo has non stop entertainment which will please everyone completely.

Allu Arjun is in his elements and proves that a star like him cannot be pinned back for long. Bunny’s all-round performance is the biggest highlight of the film. His dances, comic timing, and performance will be a treat for everyone. Bunny has grown as an actor as all his scenes with Murali Sharma have been designed quite well.

Speaking of Murali Sharma, he is the backbone of the film and delivers his best performance to date. He as a desperate and cunning father is terrific and gives a whole new angle to the film. Tabu makes a good comeback and was good along with Malayalam actor Jayram in crucial scenes.

Pooja Hegde is beautiful as her role and chemistry with Bunny is so cute. They make an adorable couple. Sachin Khedekar gets a crucial role and is quite good in the emotional scenes. Sunil is just about okay and so were Nivetha Pethuraj, Navdeep, Rahul Rama Krishna and Harshvardhan.

Lastly, Sushanth gets a good role. He is quite subdued in the beginning but performs well in the last part of the film. Last but not least, Thaman is the unsung hero as his music takes the film to another level altogether.

Minus Points:

The villain’s track is a bit weak as a talented actor like Samutrakani has not been used well actually. The so called hero-villain moments are just about okay and do not create much impact.

The emotional content in certain areas could have been even stronger. Tabu’s role is dull for the most part as some solid family emotions between her and the other family members at the end would have made matters better.

Technical Aspects of the movie:

Production values are top-notch as every frame looks superb. The camera work by PS Vinod is just amazing as he gives the film a classy look. Lyrics are very good and so was the production design. Bunny has been styled superbly as he looks uber cool in all the songs.

Editing is perfect and so was the dubbing done. Samutrakani’s voice and the way all the lead actors like Tabu and Pooja Hegde dubbed for themselves looks authentic on screen. The sets laid and the backdrop of the film is very good. Choreography in all the songs is dam good especially the Butta Bomma and Ramulo song.

Coming to the director Trivikram, he once again proves why he is the master of entertainment. The way he has written the story, dialogues and narrated the film with good entertainment and emotions speaks volumes of his work and gives an entertaining ride for the audience. He has showcased Bunny in a new avatar and made him the highlight of the film which his fans and general audience will just love.

Overall analysis of the movie:

On the whole, Ala Vaikunthapuramlo is a full-on solid family entertainer that ticks all the boxes right. Be it the story, dialogues, fights, romance and music, this film has it all and will be loved by the audience this Sankranthi. Allu Arjun makes a stylish comeback and is a treat to watch on screen with his all-round performance. The film will make good money this season and break many records in Bunny’s career. Barring the slightly dull and predictable ending, this film is a sure shot blockbuster this new year.

Shatamanam Bhavathi Movie Review - Simple and Sweet

Movie Name  :  Satamanam Bhavathi
Rating            :  3.25 / 5
Banner           :  Sri Venkateswara Creations
Starring         :  Sharwanand, Anupama Parameswaran, Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Indraja, Sivaji Raja, Praveen, and others
Story             :  Satish Vegesna

Music             :  Micky J Meyer

Cinematography : Sameer Reddy
Editing            :  Madhu
Producer         :  Raju
Screen play & Direction :   Satish Vegesna
Date of Release  :  14th January, 2017
Sri Venkateswara Creatins and Producer Dil Raju are well known for producing family entertainers.  The movie "Shatamanam Bhavathi" created a lot of vibration when producer Dil Raju announced the movie with Sharwanand and Anupama Parameswaran in lead roles.  
The film has hit the screens during the Sankranthi season.  The songs, trailers have been very good.  Let us see the story of the movie.

Story  

The old couple Raghava Raju (Prakash Raj) and Janakamma (Jayasudha) live happily along with their grandson (Sharwanand) in a calm and peaceful village called Atreyapuram in East Godavari District.  They have three children - two sons and a daughter who are well settled in USA who rarely visit them and neglecting them which hurts them the most. They do not even come to India for festivals.  Raju has a special bonding with his grand parents and lives with them.  

In order to get back the sweet memories, Raju comes out with a master plan and emerges successful in making all his children come back and celebrate Sankranthi festival in the house.  The family begins to enjoy the time together.  On the other hand Raju falls in love with his niece (Anupama).  But the plan also creates problems between Raghava Raju and his wife.  What happens next is the story.,   To unravel the mystery of Shatamanam Bhavthi and grand daughter Nithya ( Anupama )'s connection enjoy the film on the silver screen.

Performance of the artists

Sharwanand attracted with his good performance.  He has given excellent emotions and expressions like in old Venkatesh movies.  Anupama Parameswaran stole the show with her cute looks and lovely expressions.  Chemistry between Anupama and Sharwanand floors every one.

The emotional performance of Prakash Raj and Jayasudha steals the hearts of all.  Naresh performance was good.  Indraja and others played their roles accordingly.

Technical aspects of the movie

The movie is dipped with greenery.  Sameer Reddy shot beautiful village locations richly and the movie has good production values.  Micky J Meyer's melodious music mesmerizes people taking them to another world.  All the songs are beautiful and well shot.  Many people get a feeling that the tunes are repeated.  Pace of the movie is slow.    

The highlights of the movie are - Cinematography, Music and clean family drama

Some of the drawbacks are -  Predictability, Dragging narration, outdated scenes and bad comedy.

Overall Analysis of the movie

The movie is a mix of many super hit family entertainers.  The director has taken the scenes from movies like "Seetharamayya gari manavaralu", "A aa", "Govindudu Andarivadele", "Brindavanam"  etc...  If you have seen all these movies, you will know what happens next as the basic story is very thin.  Sharwanand's role is a mix of many movies.   

The conflict between Prakash Raj and Jayasudha that arises due to his secret plan defies logic.   Once their two sons and daughter and their kids come to their home, the movie completely goes like a typical village dramas with heroine asking questions like - what is muggu?  what is VP?

Then the movie goes on with predictable sequences but they also make a decent fun till the interval.  Post interval the movie is filled with even more outdated and predictable sequences.

Overall,  the movie Shatamanam Bhavathi is a typical family drama with predictable sequences and routine narration.

Gautami Putra Satakarni Movie Review -

Movie Name  :  Gautami Putra Satakarni

Rating            :  3.00 / 5
Starring         :  Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shriya, Hema Malini, Kabir Bedi, Milind Gunaji, Farah Karimi, Tanikella Bharani, Subhalekha Sudhakar and Others.
Story             :  Krish Jagarlamudi

Music             :  Chirantan Bhatt

Cinematography : Gnanasekhar
Dialogues     :  Sai madhav Burra 
Producer         :  Y Rajiv Reddy, Jagarlamudi Saibabu
Screen play & Direction :   Krish Jagarlamudi
Date of Release  :  12th January, 2017


One of the awaited  movies in recent times is the 100th film of Nandamuri Balakrishna - Gautamiputra Satakarni.  This is a major mile stone in his film career.  This movie is about a great Telugu emperor Satakarni who ruled a major part of India from Amaravathi ( currently in Andhra Pradesh ).  This movie has generated a lot of curiosity among the audience.

We all know that Director Krish made some memorable movies like "Gamyam" and "Kanche".  He created huge expectations on the movie after releasing the trailer.  Let us see whether this movie has lived upto the expectations of the audience?

Story  

Satakarni is a Telugu emperor ruled most parts of India in the 2nd century.  The story begins with Satakarni winning yet another battle and bringing another province under his control.   He wants and aims to bring many states or Rajyas under one rule and unite them as one country.  His wife Vasista Devi does not like his war-spree but his mother Balasri supports him.  

After winning a major battle with Western King Nahapana, he prepares to fight against external forces such as Greek King Demetrius.  But this fight is not going to be on a small scale.  Let us see whether Satakarni wins this battle?

Performance of the artists  

Balakrishna is one of the popular actor for playing such historical roles and kings.  He is best suited for this kind of characters.  Balakrishna gives his best performance as the Emperor Satakarni.  This may be his best performance in his career.  His command over Grandhika Telugu language is an asset in his role.  Even though he looked little old for his role, he managed to cover it up with his good acting.  

Shriya as his wife has provided her best acting.  As a mother of two sons, she hates wars but she has to perform her dharma.  Hemamalini does not have a substantial role but she is perfect in her role as mother of Satakarni.  Kabir Bedi is wasted in this film.. There are many other actors in the movie but they hardly make an impact.  The actor who has played the role of Greek dancer gets noticed.

Technical aspects of the movie  

There is no doubt the movie has extra ordinary camera work, production values, art work, production design and graphics.  The movie was completed in just seven months.  Within such a short time, Krish has extracted best output from his technicians.  Excellent cinematography by Gnanasekhar is excellent and is a major highlight for the movie.  He has filmed the war sequences very nicely.   The movie has excellent art work and graphical output.  The visual effects in war sequences are terrific.   The songs are a huge drawback to the movie.  Burra Sai Madhav shines as his dialogues were the main pillar to the movie.

The main highlights of the movie are -  Excellent visuals, Cinematography, Dialogues and Balakrishna Charisma.

The main drawbacks of the movie are -  Lack of gripping screen play and story, Shivaraj kumar's Burra Katha and Climax

And finally this movie is about our Telugu people's rich heritage and history, we should applaud Krish for attempting to tell this story.   He could have concentrated more on story, dramtic moments and make up of Balakrishna.  This is a good movie to watch with rich visuals.

Khaidi No. 150 Movie Review - Megastar's Show

Movie Name  :  Khaidi No. 150
Rating            :  3.25 / 5
Banner           :  Konidela Production Company
Starring         :  Chiranjeevi, Kajal Agarwal, Tarun Arora, Ali, Brahmanandam, Posani, Prudhvi and others
Story             :  Murugadass  AR

Music             :  Devisri Prasad

Cinematography : Ratnaelu
Editing            :  Gowtham RAju
Producer         :  Ram Charan
Screen play & Direction :   V.V. Vinayak
Date of Release  :  11th January, 2017

Megastar Chiranjeevi started ruling Tollywood by beginning with Khaidi in 1983 for more than 2 decades until he entered into full time politics in 2008 and quit acting.  Nearly a decade later, he is back to the movies.  

Khaidi No. 150 has been in the news for over a year and has hit the silver screen today.  This movie is a remake of Tamil super hit "Katthi".  VV Vinayak worked with Chiranjeevi  for the first time for "Tagore" which stood as the biggest hit in Chiranjeevi's career.  Let us see whether Khaidi No. 150 will repeat the same feat and whether Chiranjeevi reclaim his glory and position with this movie?

Story  

The farmers of a very remote village in Ananthapur district are fighting a corporate company which is trying to grab their lands believed to contain untapped water.   Shankar ( Chiranjeevi, an idealist supporting these farmers comes to Hyderabad to bring the issue of the struggle to the notice of the media and judiciary.  

On the other hand Kathi Seenu ( Chiranjeevi) is a small-time criminal who serves jail sentence in Kolkata.  He manages the jail-break successful in the process of helping jail staff to nab a criminal and lands in Hyderabad.  There love at first sight happens to him on meeting Lakshmi (Kajal Agarwal).  Twist comes when Kathi seenu is a witness of a shootout and finds the injured person who is Shankar and looks exactly like him.  So Kathi Seenu admits Shankar in hospital and decides to impersonate Shankar to escape from the Police. He lands in the place where Shankar was residing with his villagers.  In a short period of time he realizes who Shankar really is and the noble cause for which he had been fighting.  Kathi Seenu  now takes up the war to bring justice to farmers. 

Does Kathi Seenu achieve Shankar's goal?  What are the tricks he played to realize the objective?  Watch the movie to get the answer? 

Performance of the Artists

Chiranjeevi looks 10 times better than his last movie "Shankar Dada Jindabaad".  He is simply exceptioal be it dances, fights, comedy or dialogues.  He  has worked hard to look young. He has done commendable job in dance and fight sequences.   

The role of Kajal Aggrawal is not an asset to this movie.  Her role and performance looked quite ordinary.  It looked as if she was taken only for songs.  Even in songs the focus is mainly on Chiranjeevi.  The comedy by Brahmanandam, Ali, Raghu babu and Posani is not that effective even though they managed to induce occassional laugh.    Tarun Arora as villain is OK.  Lakshmi Rai as item girl and Ram Charan in a cameo appearance added glitz to the movie.

Technical Aspects of the movie

Producer Ram Charan has provided best technicians to his father's movie.  Cinematographer RAthnavelu has shot the movie in a rich manner and he also made Chiru look younger.  The production quality is top class.   Director shot the film in grand way.  Music by Devi Sri Prasad is foot-tapping.  The songs became quite popular even before release of the movie.  The songs appear more effective on the screen due to picturization, locations and Chiru;'s dances.. Some dialogues are impressive while some are old-style.

Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavaada movie review - Entertaining thriller

Movie Name  :  Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavaada
Rating            :  3.25 / 5
Banner           :  Meghana Arts
Starring         :  Nikhil Siddharth, Hebah Patel, Nandita Swetha, Vennela Kishore, Raja Ravindra, Tanikella Bharani, Satya, Viva Harsha, Sudarshan, Bhadram, Apurva Srinivas and others
Story             :  VI Anand

Music             :  Sekhar Chandra

Cinematography : Sai Sriram
Editing            :  Chota K Prasad
Producer         :  P.V.Rao
Screen play & Direction :   VI Anand
Date of Release  :  18th November, 2016

With hit movies like "Swami Ra Ra" and "Karthikeya",  Nikhil Siddharth has developed a good following.   People are now awaiting for his films to be released as he is taking up different concepts.

His last film was "Sankarabharanam" which flopped miserably.  Even then he created a buzz for "Ekkdiki Pothavu Chinnavaada" with different promos.   Let us see what is the story of the movie?

Story  

Arjun (Nikhil Siddharth)  a visual effects supervisor, falls in love with a girl during his college days. They even get ready for Marriage but the girl doesn't come to the spot where they planned to meet and goes missing completely.   Story forwards to four years.

Now in 2016, he is working in Graphics Company and his friend (Vennela Kishore) has the problem of feeling of another person inside his body. He and his friend go to Mahishara temple in Kerala for treatment.  While his friend is being treated, Arjun gets in touch with Amala ( Hebbah Patel ) who also comes there for her sister's treatment.  They instantly fall in love and roam in the forest.  She hails from Vijayawada.  One day she suddenly leaves the place without informing him.  Once his friend gets well, Arjun goes to Vijayawada to meet Amala and he comes to know that she was killed in an accident few years ago.

So he gets shocked and comes to Hyderabad and in a twist he sees Amala again but her name and identity turns out to be Nithya. On the same day, he gets a call from Amala ( Nanditha Swetha).  Who is Amala?  and who is Nithya?  Arjun is clueless about what's happening in his life. How did he chase the mystery forms the rest of the tale!

Performance of the Artists:

Nikhil once again pulls off this role with so much ease. He has played his character convincingly. Newcomer Nanditha Swetha completely owns the film, she makes the second half more interesting. She is 100 percent fitted in that role.

Hebbah Patel has done a neat job. Vennela Kishore provides some good laughs. Sathya, Praveen and others also have come up with best comedy act.

Technical Aspects of the movie:

True to its genre, the film has good technical values with perfect background score by Sekhar Chandra, rich cinematography (Sriram) and taut editing. Sriram’s cinematography makes the movie different.

Sekhar Chandra’s music is also plus point. Production values are excellent. Dialogues by Abburi Ravi are perfect.

Overall analysis of the movie:

'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada' is a fantasy thriller based on evil spirits. Director VI Anand succeeded in giving a new touch to the age old story. Thanks to the Strong Characterizations and Twists n Turns throughout the course of the movie!

A bit of time has been taken to enter into the actual story but thereafter it was smooth sailing. Viewers keep guessing answers after every Twist. There is good dose of comedy in the movie though its a thriller. Especially, Vennela Kishore and Satya leave a big impact.

Interval Bang takes audience into a serious mood. The manner in which flashback Love Story which ended abruptly was connected to the present times is pretty impressive. Minute details have been taken care & Screenplay does the trick. Twist in the Pre-Climax is thrilling. But, The Climax could have been better as conclusion appears unconvincing/illogical.   

Though Narration appeared a bit show at times & few scenes were dragged, 'Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada' has certainly engaged the audience. Overall, Nikhil strikes back with a promising film which offers a new experience with interesting twists and good humour.

Premam Movie Review - faithful remake!!

Movie Name  :  Premam
Rating            :  3.25 / 5
Banner           :  Sithara Entertainments
Starring         :  Naga Chaitanya, Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameshwaran, Madonna, Prudhvi, Srinivas Reddy, Chaitanya Krishna,  Praveen and othersStory             :  Alphonse Puthren

Music             :  Ghibran, Rajesh Murugan

Cinematography : Karthik Ghattamaneni 
Editing            :  Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao
Producer         :  Suryadevara Naga Vamsi
Screen play & Direction :   Chandoo Mondeti
Date of Release  :  7th October, 2016

There is a lot of curiosity on the telugu remake of Malayalam movie "Premam" which has become blockbuster in Malayalam.  The movie was a super hit in Malayalam and it is remade in telugu with same name.  

The curiosity has picked after Naga Chaitanya and "Karthikeya" fame Chandoo Mondeti joined hands.  Casting of Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameswaran and Madonna as female leads made the project something special.  This movie was released as Dussera special.  Let us see what is the story of the movie..

Story  :

Vicky ( Naga Chaitanya ) is a school student and is bewitched by the beauty Suma ( Anupama.  He follows her daily and makes friendship with her.  When he is about to propose her, he gets a shock from her.  His first love broke his heart.

When he joins college, he falls in love once again.  He falls in love with his college lecturer Sithara ( Shruti Haasan ) who also reciprocates the same.  When everything is going normal for him, he gets another shock.  Second time he gets a heart break.  

A number of years are passed and he is now settled in life as chef and restaurant owner. and this time a girl very much younger to him comes to his life.

Performance of the artists  :

This movie is one of the good works of Naga Chaitanya till date.  He shown the variation to all the three shades of his character.  He is perfect as school student and also as a university student.  As an entrepreneur also he is convincing.  He has not the intensity like the original Malayalam hero, but was suitable for the role.  

Shruti Haasan as a college lecturer performed well.  Both Anupama and Madonna have played the same roles that they did in the Malayalam movie.  Chaitanya and Praveeen acted well as Naga Chaitanya's friends.   Narra Srinu and Brahmaji's comedy is good.

Technical aspects of the movie  :

The music of the movie gives mixed feelings.  A couple of better songs in second half would have made a lot of difference.  Karthik Ghattamaneni's camera work is really decent.  Editing is very good.  Movie has rich production values.   Chandoo Mondeti as screen play writer and director did not spoil the original movie's content but he changed many things to make it more suitable for Telugu audience.

Majnu Movie Review - Nani Makes it

Movie Name  :  Majnu
Rating            :  3.00 / 5
Banner           :  Anandi Art Creations, Keva Movies
Starring         :  Nani, Anu Emmanuel, Priya Sri, Vennela Kishore, Sathya Krishnan, and others.
Story             :  Virinchi Varma

Music             :  Gopi Sunder

Cinematography : V S Gnanasekhar
Editing            :  Prawin Pudi
Fights             :  Anal Arasu

Art                  :  A.S. Prakash

Producer         :  Geetha Golla

Screen play & Direction :   Virinchi Varma
Date of Release  :  23rd SEptember, 2016

Nani is having great form with series of hit movies and every new film is creating  interest among the audience.  His dream run began with "Yevade Subrahmanyam" and continued till "Gentleman".  That means four hits in a row and two of them released in this year.   The movie "Majnu" also made the audience wait eagerly for the release of the movie.  The posters, promos and interviews with Nani generated a positive buzz..  So Nani has come up with another entertaining movie.  Let us see what is the story of this movie.

Story  :

Aditya is an assistant director working with Rajamouli for the movie "Bahubali".  He hails from Bheemavaram town.  He likes a girl in Hyderabad.  Her name is Suma ( Priya Sri ).  Even though he likes her, he does not forget his old girl friend.  One day he tells Suma how deeply he loved his Bheemavaram girl Kiran ( Anu Emmanuel ) and the reason for the breakup between them.  .Realizing his great love, Suma also starts loving him and asks him to come to railway station to meet her.  There he finds that Suma is receiving her cousin who turns out to be Kiran.  So what happens next?  is the story of the movie.

Performance of the artists :

As for as performance of Nani is concerned,  he is one of the most dependable stars in Tollywood for any kind of story.  He once again shines in this movie even though the movie does not give any scope for showing his acting skills.  

Now coming to the two heroines,  Anu Emmanuel is beautiful and has a nice role.  Priya Sri lacks both glamour and acting skills.  Vinnela Kishore is OK in a small role for a brief period.  Both Director Rajamouli and Raj Tharun made guest appearance.

Technical Aspects of the Movie :

There are no much technical values in this movie but is eye-pleasing.  We can thank the Jnasekhar's cinematograpny.  The frames which are shot in very few locations are colourful. The entire first half is told in songs.  Some of the songs are very good.  Other technical departments have done average performance.  Dialogues by Kiran are OK

Highlights and drawbacks of the Movie :

Some of the highlights of the movie are   -  First Half,  Cinematography and acting of Nani

Drawbacks of the movie is the dragging second half..

Overall analysis of the Movie :

Virinchi Verma has proved his mettle with "Uyyala Jampala" by presenting a routine story in a lively manner.  He relies on same formula for "Majnu" also.  The combination with Nani worked nicely here.  Even though it is like watching a routine story, the narration is so pleasant and there is no dull moment in the movie.  

Majnu is a love story with one hero and two heroines. Even though this is not a regular triangular love story, yet the story is quite routine.  It is very simple like this -  he loves girl A, but differences crop up and both of them split,  then  he meets girl B who fails for him but girl A comes back in his life and he realizes his feelings for girl A.

Even though the story is plain and simple,  the content dries up by first half and there is no further matter for the second half.  This is the issue with this movie even though the pre-interval are fun and entertaining.

The total first half of the movie is very much entertaining and enjoyable. After interval when Nani fails in the conflict with these two girls, the movie goes at an un even pace.  Some scenes are entertaining.   Overall the movie works fine and thanks to Nani for his effective charm and acting.

Nani has given his best for the role given to him to make the movie entertaining.  To impress Anu Emmanuel, he joins in her college as lecturer and there after how he woos her is quite interesting.  The student-lecturer love track has been dealt very sensibly and in a funny manner.  The movie has this kind of good moments in first half.

After the interval,  the comedy track between Nani and Vennela Kishore creates some laughs but it has side tracked the story and increased the length of the movie.  All in all it is a time pass romantic drama and watchable once.