Tunes on Tuesday.

I just realized that this week does not have a movie releasing.(After almost a month of back to back releases.) I've been listening to new releases this week. Here are the top 10 picks.

• Anuraagame Harathulayithe, Movie: UKUP, Language: Telugu.
• Julaayi, Movie: Julaayi, Language: Telugu.
• Usumularsey, Movie: Daruvu,  Language: Telugu.
• Mast Jawani, Movie: Adhinayakudu, Language: Telugu.
• Gangster, Movie: Billa 2,  Language: Tamil.
• Madurai Ponnu, Movie: Billa 2, Language: Tamil.
• Yedho Mayakkam, Movie: Billa 2, Language: Tamil.
• Tumhi Ho Bandhu, Movie: Cocktail,  Language: Hindi.
• Papa To Band Bajaaye, Movie: Housefull 2, Language: Hindi.
• Pani Da Rang, Movie: Vicky Donor,  Language: Hindi.

As you might have noticed, Billa 2 is the only album am listening to in Tamil. Am super duper excited about this Ajith flick. The movie is expected to release June 22nd and I just can't wait!

Endukante Premanta

Endukante Premanta's team has been successful in their previous ventures, raising expectations with this flick. A few songs and the trailers have been appreciated. There have been many rumors circulating in the internet over the story line of the flick. Here's the lowdown on this movie.

Film: Endukante Premanta
Cast: Ram, Tamannah, Bramhanandam, Suman, Rishi, Anu Haasan, Shiyaji Shinde
Music: G.V. Prakash
Director: Karunakaran
Producer: Ravi Kishore
Release Date: June 8th, 2012
My Rating: 2.5/5

What's It About:

In 1980, Krishna (Ram) falls for Srinidhi (Tamannah) but she doesn't reciprocate his feelings due to family responsibilities. Krishna dies in an accident while trying to save Srinidhi. In 2012 Sravanthi(Tamannah) is the daughter of a Indian Embassy officer in Paris. She dislikes the heavy security around her due to her father's position and wants to lead a carefree life. Ram (Ram) is a happy go lucky guy in Hyderabad who always lands himself in trouble. Vexed by this his dad (Shiyaji Shinde) tricks him into going to Paris and work there. Both Sravanthi and Krishna try to escape from Paris and come to India for their own motives. What happens next? Will they remember their past? These questions are answered in the movie.

Artist Performances:

Ram is energetic in a role that has become his standard fare. He has a good comedy timing that he utilizes well in the movie. Tamannah is good in the variations of her character's sketch.Shiyaji Shinde  and Suman are good as the lead pair's parents. Anu Haasan did a full fledged role in Telugu and performs well. Richard/Rishi is good as the villian. Kona Venkat did a negative role in the movie but it didn't gel with his personality. Bramhi did a cameo role in the movie and brings lots of laughs whenever he appears on screen.

This & That:

The story line of this movie is such that I cannot  write much without spilling the beans. The concept is basically a fantasy drama. There was much more that the director could have done, which could have taken the movie in a different direction. There are a lot of twists in the movie right up to the climax.There is a sense of Deja-vu in the first half; its very similar to Darling, which incidentally was directed by Karunakaran also. The second half reminds us of Ready especially the family sequences. Some situations are outright illogical which hamper the narration. The length of the movie is too long and a couple of songs could have been omitted. That being said, the music by G.V. Prakash is good and the background music is better. There is ample comedy in the first half and 30 minutes into the second half. Ram dances like a charm. All the loose threads in the movie are well tied up in the end. Cinematography by Anthony is marvelous and the beauty of Paris and Geneva are shown well on screen.

Did I Enjoy It?
I enjoyed the first half but the second half is long and has way too many twists.

The Final Word:
Ram should have done the Gautam Menon movie instead of Endukante Premanta.

Tunes On Tuesday.

June 2nd is a very special day for me. First, It is my sister's birthday, my aunt's wedding anniversary and my god's birthday! By god I mean Isaignani Illaiyaraja. Since I could comprehend and appreciate music, this man has been my encyclopedia. The sheer range of his musical capacity baffles me. Having scored music for over 500 movies its very hard for me to pick up 10 songs to showcase his genius. I personally feel that Mani Ratnam and Illaiyaraja had the best combination, cinematically. More than Mani and Rehman. Since its also Mani Ratnam's birthday on June 2nd. I am doing a combined post on them. Instead of 10 songs. I've tried to pick 20 of my favorites.

• Mandram Vandha, Film: Mouna Ragam, Language: Tamil   (Reused by Raja in Cheeni Kum)
• O Priya Priya, Film: Geetanjali, Language: Telugu               (The Only Telugu Movie By Mani)
• Iravu Nilavu, Film: Anjali, Language: Tamil                         (Yuvan Shankar, Premji Amaren, Karthik Raja, Bhavatarani, Venkat Prabhu sang this song!)
• Ninnukori, Film: Agni Nakshatiram, Language: Tamil           (A classical raga turned into a commercial song. Kudos)
• Kattukuyilu, Film: Thalapathi, Language: Tamil                     (Mani + Raja's last collaboration)
• Pudhu Vellai Mazhai, Film: Roja, Language: Tamil                 (Mani + Rehman Pair up)
• Chandralekha, Film: Thiruda Thiruda, Language: Tamil         (The song's vocals amazed me as a kid!)
• Humma, Film: Bombay, Language: Tamil                             (Rehman sings,  RAP in Tamil films)
• Narumugaye, Film: Iruvar, Language: Tamil                       (Rahman mixes 2 ragas Naatai & Gambheera Naatai)
• Satrangi Re, Film: Dil Se, Language: Hindi                       (Sufism Influenced Song. Great Lyrics by Gulzar)
• MahaGanapatim, Film: Sindhu Bhairavi, Language: Tamil (Yesudas + Raja + Carnatic = Divine)
• Kanmani Ambodu, Film: Guna, Language: Tamil               (Sung by Mr. Haasan himself)
• Inji Idupazhaga, Film: Thevar Magan, Language: Tamil     (Re-used by Anu Malik in Virasat)
• Muthu Mani, Film: Chinna Gounder, Language: Tamil       (Swati Mutyamala in Telugu - Chinna Rayudu)
• Poovomaa, Film: Chinna Tambi, Language: Tamil       (Yenenno Andalu in Telugu - Chanti)
• Maate Mantramu, Film: Seetakoka Chilaka, Language: Telugu (Trust me on this just listen!)
• Kinnerasaani, Film: Sitaara, Language: Tamil                         (Vamsi + Raja  = Most Memorable songs in Telugu)
• Ekanthavela, Film: Anveshana, Language: Telugu                   (A question & Answer form with a very intresting Pallavi)
• Prema Ledani, Film: Abhinandana, Language: Telugu       (Classic Raja + Best Pathos song ever!)
• Asalem Gurthukuradu, Film: Anthapuram, Language: Telugu (Raja hums in this song! Awesome.)

What I've tried to do here is to pick the unique works of Raja and Mani Ratnam both together and individually. I know there are many more amazing songs that Raja has done; but these songs have something special in them in terms of composition. I wish Raja a very Happy Birthday and hope good blesses him with god health, wealth and happiness, so he can continue to give us the excellent melodies that we love.

2012 So Far - A Half Yearly Report

It's June! 6 months into 2012 already. I though it might be a good idea to put together a post of the movies in the first half of 2012 and see how they fared. Here's what I thought!

Film: The Business Man
Cast: Mahesh Babu, Kajal Agarwal
Director: Puri Jagannath
My Review: 3.75/5
Here

Film: Bodyguard
Cast: Venkatesh, Trisha, Saloni
Director: Gopichand Malineni
My Review: 3/5

What's Hot:

Songs by Thaman. Venkatesh's acting in the sentimental and romantic scenes. Comedy is good in Places.

What's Not:

No novelty factor as the story has been remade to death. Dragging screenplay in the second half. No story-line in the first half and a slow climax.

Film: Love Failure
Cast: Siddharth, Amala Paul
Director: Balaji Mohan
My Review: 3.5/5

What's Hot:

Good cast, Dialogues, Screenplay. The changes made to the story to adapt from a short film to a full fledged one.

What's Not:

Music could have been better. Very Urbane so does not sit well with audience who have a commercial frame of mind.

Film: Nippu
Cast: Ravi Teja, Deeksha Seth
Director: Guna Sekhar
My Review: 2/5

What's Hot:
Music in parts. Ravi Teja's acting.

What's Not:

Comedy, Deeksha Seth, outdated storyline and a sloooow screenplay.

Film: Ishq
Cast: Nitin, Nitya Menon
Director: Vikram Kumar
My Review: 3.25/5

What's Hot:

Nithin, Nithya Menon and Ajay's acting. Music by Anoop Ruebens. Cinematography by P.C. Sreeram.

What's Not:
Lack of Comedy, Slow paced film and an abrupt Climax

Film: Poolarangadu
Cast: Sunil, Isha Chawla
Director: Veerabhadram
My Review: 3/5

What's Hot:
Sunil's six pack abs, dances and fights. A few songs, comedy.

What's Not:

Deja-vu feeling in the storyline. Especially the Maryada Ramanna feel. No sync between scenes. Underplaying the villains by showing them in a comical light. Sunil's makeup in the climax fight.

Film: Mr. Nokayya
Cast: Manchu Manoj, Sana Khan
Director: Anil Kanneganti
My Rating: 2.25/5

What's Hot:

Manchu Manoj's acting. Climax, Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

What's Not:

No Story or cohesion in the first half. Slow paced 2nd half. Editing in places.

Film: Naa Istham
Cast: Rana, Genelia D' Souza
Director: Prakash Toleti
My Rating: N/A

What's Hot:
Pairing up Rana and Genelia.

What's Not:

Story, screenplay, music by Chakri, acting, you get the point. Everything.

Film: Raccha
Cast: Ram Charan, Tamannah
Director: Sampath Nandi
My Review:1/5
Here

Film: Dammu
Cast: N.T.R., Trisha, Karthika
Director: Boyapati Sreenu
My Review: 3/5
Here

Film: Gabbar Singh
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Shruti Haasan
Director: Harish Shankar
My Review: 3.25/5
Here

Film: Daruvu
Cast: Ravi Teja, Taapsee
Director: Siva
My Review: 2/5
Here

My Picks for 2012 so far are The Businessman, Love Failure, Ishq & Gabbar Singh.

Adhinayakudu

Balakrishna is back with his Political thriller Adhinayakudu. There is a lot riding on this flick as almost all of the artists and technicians associated with this flick need a hit to survive in the industry. The music of the movie released last year and has been postponed many times ever since. It's finally releasing today and here's how it fared.

Film: Adhinayakudu

Cast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Saloni, Lakshmi rai, Jaya Sudha, Bramhi, Kota, Murali Sharma, Rahman, Sukanya.

Music: Kalyani Mallik
Director: Paruchuri Murali
Producer: M. L. Kumar Chowdary
Release Date: June 1st, 2012.
My Rating: 3/5


What's It About: 

Bobby (NBK) is a serial killer who looks at the character of a person before he accepts a hit job. He is sent on a mission to kill Rama Krishna Prasad (NBK) a well known politician in the Rayalaseema area who strives for the welfare of the region. Rama Krishna Prasad's enemies recruit Bobby not knowing that he is Prasad's son who is adopted by a crook, who raises him as a killer. Upon knowing the truth Bobby sets out to protect his father. In the process he meets Deepu (Lakshmi Rai) who is his maradalu. Why was Bobby adopted? Does he succeed in saving his dad's life? Will he re-unite with this family? This forms the rest of the story.

Artist Performances:

Balakrishna is seen in a triple role in this film. Of all the characters I personally liked the older generation character of Harischandra Prasad the most. It was in this role, that I felt I could see the actor in Balayya. I also liked the characterization of Rama Krishna Prasad's character. These are the kind of roles that one would like to see Balakrishna in. The third and the youngest character of Bobby did not suit him and his makeup and clothes were jarring. There is nothing much for the youngest character in terms of acting, merely used for songs and comic relief. Lakshmi Rai is adequate. Saloni has a guest appearance. Jayasudha steals the show once again and proves that she is indeed a sahajanati. Bramhi's comedy track is good. Rahman, Kota, Murali Sharma were all well suited for their roles. Sukanya is good as a mother.

This & That:

The director had a powerful story in his hands which he could have turned into a blockbuster. However, weak screenplay in the 2nd half and a routine 1st half proved otherwise.The film could have used a tighter screenplay for a better narrative. Comedy is good albeit a little vulgar, which is aimed at the mass audience. Balayya worked hard at dances and he does well in places. Music by Kalyani Malik is good. Adigo & Mast Jawani are the better picks. The background score could have been better. I liked the costumes and the dialect of the older charactors. Dialogues by Paruchuri Murali are nice and punch filled. Balayya should concentrate on roles like the older character which elevates him and stop dancing around the trees. I had a dejavu feeling of Simha while watching the movie. The flashback and the story lines seemed similar. On a personal note, I felt that Kota Srinivas Rao's character was modeled after Y.S.R and  Harishchandra Prasad and Ram Krishna Prasad characters were based on Paritala Sreeramulu and Paritala Ravi respectively. The film has enough ammunition to be a success at the box-office, provided some more publicity is done.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, It's got good comedy, a strong flashback and not too gory action scenes.


The Final Word:
Adhinayakudu is worth the wait.