Devudu Chesina Manushulu

Puri Jagan is on a roll. He's starting a new trend of wrapping up movies in record time. Ravi Teja and Puri have had a very successful stint barring Neninthe. Illeana is back too after a successful Julayi. Here's the lowdown.

Film: Devudu Chesina Manushulu
Cast: Ravi Teja, Illeana, Prakash Raj, Subba Raju, Brahmanandam, Ali, Kovai Sarala etc.
Music: Raghu Kunche
Director: Puri Jagannath
Producer: B.V.S.N. Prasad
Release Date: August 15th, 2012.
My Rating: 3/5

What's It About:
The film starts in Vaikuntham  where Vishnu Murthy (Bramhi) is coaxed by Lakshmi Devi (Kovai Sarala) into telling her a love story. The lord narrates a story of Ravi Teja (Ravi Teja), a mediator in  Hyderabad and Illeana (Illeana) a taxi driver in Bangkok. He uses a banana peel to create a series of chain events which cause Inspector Subba Raju(Subba Raju) to accidently kill Sandy a henchman of Prakash Raj (Prakash Raj) a mafia don in Bangkok. Prakash Raj suffers from a "short circuit" in his brain making him absent minded. His henchman "Fish" Venkat is asked to avenge Sandy's death by killing Subba Raju, who in turn asks Ravi Teja to mediate causing the pair to meet and fall in love. The interval bang gives you an alternate scenario where the banana peel is not used. Will the lovers meet in this case? What happens in this version of the story? These questions are answered in the rest of the movie.

Artist Performances:
Ravi Teja is as usual energetic and eccentric in his portrayal. His comic timing shines in the second half. Illeana performs well but I wish they had not chosen to use that horrendous wig on her. Prakash Raj has the opportunity of showing his negative and comical sides in the first and second half of the movie respectively. Ali and Subba Raju bring laughs. Bramhi and Kovai Sarala were okay as Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi Devi. However, I wished they chose some one else to play Lakshmi Devi.

This & That:
The basic story line is similar to a Tamil movie 12B. This is a movie about 2 people meeting in 2 very different circumstances. While the first story deals with the meeting in a cliched telugu movie format, the second story is what held my attention. The humor in the second half takes the film up many notches. The scenes where Ali prays to Goddess Lakshmi and the sequences that follow are hilarious as is the climax. Music by Raghu Kunche did not impress me much while I listened to just the audio. However, they do grow on you once you see them on screen. My picks would be Subba Lakshmi, Yemi Sethura on a audio level and Nuvvele and Nuvvante Chala Istham for the way they were shot. The hugely hyped item song of Gabriella disappoints. I didn't quite get why they wanted to paint up her face? One thing that I felt was a major missing factor is Puri's punch dialogues.It seems like Puri Jagan is experimenting in his recent movies and trying to get away from the existing formats. If only the first half had more humor and a non routine narrative, this could have been a sure shot winner.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, I know this review has come after a lot of negative reviews up on the web. All I want to say is, I go to watch a movie to laugh, have fun and relax. If these factors are present, it's usually a good watch for me. That's exactly what happened in this case.

The Final Word:
Go watch the movie for what it is - Entertainment.

Julayi

After being postponed for quite some time, Julayi releases today. There has been a tremendous buzz about this movie as Trivikram helms this one. Trivikram movies have always been entertainers and this one promises to be no different. It is an important one too for everyone involved as Trivikram, Arjun and Illeana are looking for hit after their last ventures Khaleja, Badrinath and Nenu Naa Rakshasi haven't done that well at the box office. Here's the review:

Film: Julayi

Cast: Allu Arjun, Illeana, Bramhanandam, Rajendra Prasad, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani

Music: Devi Sri Prasad

Director: Trivikram Srinivas

Producer:S. Radha Krishna

Release Date: August 9th, 2012

My Rating: 3.5/5

What's It About: 

Varadharajulu (Kota) is the chairman of a co-operative bank in Vizag who collects 1500 crores as deposits from his customers. The same time he is planning on usurping the money on the sly with the help of Bittu(Sonu Sood) and his brother Lala (Shafi). On the night of the planned robbery, Ravi (Arjun) ends up getting in Bittu's car, asking for a lift. Ravi is on his way to a bar where IPL betting is going on and he accidentally slips the info to Bittu who uses it to his advantage and alerts the cops to clear his way. Ravi ends up realizing his plan and helps the cops catch Bittu and ends up killing Lala. Bittu escapes the next day and Ravi is entered into a witness protection program by the cops, moving him to Hyderabad. He lives with ACP Sitaram(rajendra prasad) and his family and falls for a geeky Madhu(Ileana). What happens next forms the rest of the story.

Artist Performances: 

Allu Arjun's performance is full of energy and his comic timing is on dot in this film. He dances like a charm and has a strong screen presence that he shared with all the other characters of the film especially Rajendra Prasad. Contrary to rumors, Rajendra Prasad has a full fledged role in this movie and he shows why he is the king of comedy with his acting. He should get more roles like these. Illeana looks good and provides some glamor in songs as usual. Sonu Sood is top notch. Bramhi and M.S. Narayana are funny. Rao Ramesh and Tanikella Bharani have some well etched roles. 

This & That: 

You expect a lot of freshness when you go to a Trivikram film. He does not disappoint. He wrote some rib tickling dialogues. There is a lot of tongue in cheek humor all through  the whole film. There are a few scenes that have been inspired by hollywood movies. Like for example: The robbery scene looks like a direct lift from The Dark Knight and the climax scene is identical to The Italian Job. The scenes that I personally liked were the pre interval bang, the scenes where he tries to impress Illeana, Rajendra Prasad and MS Narayana's bus scenes and Bramhi's scene in the prison cell. Music by Devi Sri Prasad has been topping the charts and the choreography has been well done. My picks would be O Madhu and Julayi. The  The climax was a mix of action/emotion and comedy which impresses. Instead of having 5 minutes of fights, you have the hero and the villan talking in a casual and light manner. The first half moves fast with high humor but the second half felt a little dull and heavy. Overall, the movie is an entertainer and has repeat value. It should do well at the box office.

Did I Enjoy It?

 Yes, no dull moment in this film.

The Final Word:

Julayi impresses you in August! 

Tunes On Tuesday.

Today is my dad's birthday. My dad has always been an avid music lover. Ever since I could comprehend, he had these great collection of CD's and cassettes full of musical gems. My love for Kishore Kumar, Illayaraja and Yesudas have all been cultivated by him. It is thus fit to dedicate this Tunes on Tuesday post to my daddy dearest! Here are some of his favorites.

• Oohala Uyalalu, Language: Telugu, Movie: Neerajanam
• Maha Ganapatim, Language: Telugu, Movie: Sindhu Bhairavi
• Sannaga Veeche, Language: Telugu, Movie: Gundamma Katha
• Yekkada Yekkada, Language: Telugu, Movie: Ladies Tailor
• Oka Sari Kalaloki, Language: Telugu, Movie: Gopaludu Bhupaludu
• Yaad Na Jaaye, Language: Hindi, Movie: Dil Ek Mandir
• Chingari Koi Bhadke, Language: Hindi, Movie: Amar Prem
• Gulabi Aanken, Language: Hindi, Movie: The Burning Train
• Are Yaar Meri, Language: Hindi, Movie: Teen Deviyan
• Anamika, Language: Hindi, Movie: Anamika

These are a few of my dad's old favorites which he plays frequently. Until next week, happy listening!