Musings - Sreelakshmi's myriad characters Part 2

Last week, I had mentioned a few memorable characters of Sreelakshmi in Jandhyala's movies.  There are many more of such roles that I want to talk about this week.

A classic unforgettable role was that she played in the movie Chantabbai. Who doesn't know her famous dialogues "Bhangala Bhow Bhow" and her "Kavitwams" in the film? My favorite has to be this one "Nenu Kavini kadannavadni" You can watch the scene here. Another role which made the movie worth watching is Jayammu Nischyammu Raa, where she plays a mother who loses her young son and gets emotional every time she hears some one say anything that reminds her of him. She ends up hugging them no matter what their age is and cries out loud "babu chitti" watch and laugh here.

In Choopulu Kalasina Subhavela, she plays a role of mandodari (Kappa potta gala manishi) who loves her food and can spend hours and hours discussing and eating food. She marries Kukuteswar Rao (Bramhi) (Kukka choopu gala vaadu) and they are a match made in heaven. (Yet another piece of Jandhyala's brilliance) Watch here. In Hai Hai Nayaka, she plays Urvasi, a single middle aged teacher who is in love with an unmarried, middle aged principal in her school. She cannot get married because of an elder sister who is yet to get married and their father instead of looking for a groom, spends all day sleeping. Her trademark dialogue in the movie can be watched here.

Her roles weren't that effective in two other Jandhyala movies, Bava Bava Panneru and Vichitra Prema. In the former, she plays Kokila, who in order to escape marriage with her bava, pretends to have a vision of her former life where is married to a boy who stays in front of her house and tries to remind him of their two kids and family, much to his amusement. See here. In the latter, she plays a writer who calls herself Christie(after Agatha Christie) and in order to find inspiration for her novels, has her bava (brahmi in both) don various get-ups leading to him landing in trouble. See here.

She bounces back with an excellent role of a short tempered bank manager in Shh Gup Chup. Her bouts of anger, followed by the dream song sequences with Dharamavarapu Subramanyam, her ex-boyfriend (RIP) when he tries to pacify her are hilarious.So is the whole Titla dandakam sequence. I'll finish the post with my favorite role of her's in all time. The one she plays in Ladies Special. She plays a lazy housewife who had a lot of prospective grooms come see her while she was single. She remembers each one of them and also remembers what food her mother served when they came to her house. Hilarious here.

It's not to say that she didn't play other noteworthy characters in other director's movies. Some roles worth mentioning are the abba dabba jabba role in Subhalagnam,  role in Kobbari Bondam, the role in Chevilo Puvvu, the writer's role in Edurinti Mogudu Pakkinti Pellam to name a few. Do you have any roles of Sreelakshmi that stands out?

Musings - Sreelakshmi's myriad characters

In a world where movies are all about super hero like lead actors who carry the whole film on their shoulders, item songs are all that the actresses are good for, comedy equals double entendres and character artists have story lines that do not gel with the storylines; I crave for the good old days. Days where heroes were human, women dignified, music was melodious and character artists actually belonged to the storyline. A chilly rainy weekend and no social plans gave me some time to catch up and watch old favorites. Jandhyala and his movies has always been movies that are close to my heart. One thing that always struck me was how brilliantly he sketched the roles of the various artists in his films; mainly the sutti janta and Sreelakshmi.  I wanted to do a post on this after many conversations with fellow movie buffs and family where we always reminisced about that comedy scene which made you hold your stomach is pain as you laughed out loud.

I seriously believe that no one used Srilakshmi to her full potential as much as Jandhyala has. Picture this; a newly wed naive wife of a man who is a worry wart. They live in a section of a house where some bachelor boys live too. The husband is worried and tries to lock his wife indoors preventing her to associate with them. The wife however spends time with them leading to a series of funny suspicions (Rendu Jella Seeta). Or in another movie, a lazy wife who is married off to a simple husband who loves food and music but does not know that the wife can't cook to save her life and singing does not agree with her.  When he knows that he was duped into the marriage and lied to, the wife tries to make amends by trying to learn both arts and failing miserably. The husband is left to cook food everyday and tries to hypnotize her in order to make things better, leading to a comedy of errors. (Rendu Rella Aaru).

Or even better, a movie lover who watches a new movie every day and bites off her husband's ears narrating the whole movie, right from the credits to the end titles. When her husband isn't willing to listen, she makes a bargain with the vegetable vendor to buy vegetables from him if he is parlay to listen to her "narration". A couple of minutes into this, the vendor runs away, vowing to never step foot into that street ever again (Srivariki Premalekha). In another setting, she is a movie lover too but in this case she is so into the movie emotionally that every time some thing bad happens in it, she runs out of the theatre bawling and goes to her mom where she talks about who died in the movie and they cry together. (Babai Abbai)

A personal favorite role was one that she plays in Mogudu Pellalu. She plays the role of a pampered daughter who fights with her husband every day and runs off to her mother's house conveniently located next door. She plays Uttara who would buy an expensive saree if she knew she was going to get a spoon free vexing her husband Dakshina Murthy. (See Jandhyala's brilliance here, naming them uttara-dakshina, two opposite directions)

There are many more movies where Sreelakshmi's characters took the movie to another level and I think I should stop here and continue talking about them in Part 2, next week. If you have come across more such roles that you think are worthing talking about, feel free to leave comments!

Tunes On Tuesday

This week I've been listening to a mixed bag of songs. Some old, some new here are my picks for this Tunes on Tuesday post.

• Kiraaku , Language: Telugu, Album: Attarintiki Daaredi
• Ninnu Choodagane , Language: Telugu, Album:  Attarintiki Daaredi
• Oh Laila , Language: Telugu, Album: Ramaiyya Vastavayya
• Neneppudaina , Language: Telugu, Album: Ramaiyya Vastavayya
• Satrangi Re , Language: Hindi, Album: Dil Se
• Tujhe Bhula Diya , Language: Hindi, Album: Anjaana Anjaani
• Lungi Dance , Language: Hindi, Album: Chennai Express
• Oh Mama , Language: Hindi, Album:  Saat Khoon Maaf
• Tanhayee, Language: Hindi, Album: Dil Chahta Hai
• Maiyya Maiyya , Language: Telugu, Album: Paisa

These are playing in my car this week, Until next week, Happy Listening!

Ramayya Vastavayya

I have been waiting to watch this movie ever since the promos released and the songs have been playing non-stop in my car. NTR's new look, Harish Shankar's imminent hat trick, Samantha's golden leg along with Thaman's music all added to the expectations. Did the movie hold up to the expectations? The review follows.


Film: Ramayya Vastavayya
Cast: NTR, Samantha, Shruti Haasan, Rao Ramesh, Rohini Hattangadi, Tanikella Bharani etc
Music: Thaman
Director: Harish Shankar
Producer: Dil Raju
Release Date: October 11th, 2013
My Rating: 3/5

What's It About: 
Nandu(NTR) is a happy go lucky guy who happens to come across Akarsha (Samantha) and it's love at first sight. He follows her around, teases her and even gets close to her grandmother Baby Shamili (Rohini Hattangadi) to woo her. He finally impresses her and attends her sister's wedding. Her father (Mukesh Rishi) is a powerful man who faces a death threat. He promises to save him. What happens next? Will he be successful? All these questions are answered in the second half.

Artist Performances: 
I must say that NTR has lost oodles of weight and he looks very fresh and fit in this movie. He has been renowned for heavy/hard hitting roles but he is surprisingly very good as a tapori youth. His scenes with Samantha and his dialogue delivery make the movie much more interesting. Samantha looks great but doesn't really have much scope to perform apart from the songs. Shruti Haasan's cameo is good. Saikumar's brother Ravi acted well as an antagonist. Rohini Hattangadi was hilarious and so was Vidyulekha. I have to mention that there are no comedians in this film. Harish Shankar had once said that he doesn't need character artists to bring humor in his movies and must say that he has been successful in that front.

This & That: 
The dialogues are punchy and the songs are catchy! My picks would be O Laila & Nenepudaina for both their music and picturization. My favorites scenes are the diary sequence, the interval bang and NTR's scenes with Shruti Haasan. NTR has some good dance moves in this movie. The film looks very promising all the way up to the interval bang. Infact, even after the interval, NTR's scenes with Rao Ramesh are also worth mentioning. However, the movie goes downhill from that point. The flashback episode and the climax are cliched and you have a deja-vu effect. Harish Shankar had so much potential and so many factors working from him but he could not ulitize them to a maximum potential. The climax was a routine fare. Production values by Dil Raju were good.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, I enjoyed the first half and the comedy/punch dialogues in the second half. I felt restless during the tail end of the movie.

The Final Word:
Ramayya comes with an average fare. The holiday season might work in it's favor. Go watch it once, time pass flick.

Attharintiki Daaredi

I am sure telugu movie audience all over the globe have heard the news about the first 90 mins of the movie's pirated version being released over the internet.  There has been a tremendous pre-release buzz around this film as it repeats the super hit combo of Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram. How did the movie fare? My review follows:


Film: Attarintiki Daaredi
Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Samantha, Pranitha, Nadia, Bramhanandam, Ali, Rao Ramesh, Boman Irani etc.
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Director: Trivikram Srinivas
Producer: BVSN Prasad
Release Date: September 27th, 2013
My Rating: 3.25/5

What's It About:
Gautam Nanda (Pawan Kalyan) is the scion of the super rich Nanda family. His grandfather Raghu (Boman Irani) is pining for his daughter Sunanda(Nadia). She was disowned by him for marrying Shekhar(Rao Ramesh) a middle class lawyer against his wishes. He wants to re-unite with his stubborn daughter and pleads Gautam to go to India and persuade his aunt to forgive them. Gautam joins his aunt's house as a driver and meets her daughters Pramila (Pranitha) and Sashi(Samantha). What happens next? Will his family re-unite? Or will they throw him out o knowing his facade? These questions are answered in the second half.

Artist Performances:
Pawan Kalyan's mannerisms are fully supported by Trivikram's razor sharp dialogues. His comedy timing is top notch and he is aptly backed up by the support cast of ali and M.S. Narayana. His best pairing though is with Bramhi who entertains as "Bhaskar". Samantha performs well in a role that mixes innocence with humor. Pranitha is beautiful. Nadia is very graceful. I personally like Boman Irani's performance when he tries to convince his son that his pining for his daughter is justified.

This & That:
Trivikram's movies are known for their witty, rhyming punch dialogues and he is in full form in this flick. Pawan Kalyan's entry scene is good and the title song's flashback concept was unique.I loved the kevvu keka comedy track as well as the Gautam-Ahalya drama scene. I also enjoyed the scenes with Pawan Kalyan and his assistants who try to solve all of his problems with money. Music by Devi Sri Prasad didn't impress me much when I listened to the audio but they do grow on you once you watch them on screen. My picks would be the title song and bapu gari bomma. There is no novelty in the storyline, it is a simple story of re-uniting estranged family. However, the treatment, screenplay and the comedy track elevate the movie and entertain you. I've always felt that Trivikram's forte is his ability to handle emotions in a subtle format and the mild interval bang is an example of this. The film looks stylish and the producer must be appreciated for the rich production values.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, only because of the non-stop entertainment provided by the comic situations in the movie.

The Final Word:
The producer will walk to the bank smiling, the movie will do good business.

Tunes On Tuesday

Like I mentioned last week, I've been listening to a lot of indi-pop songs lately. This week I want to talk about some popular remixes that have rocked the charts in the last decade or so. Here are my picks:

• Aise na mujhe tum, Artist: Vikas Bhalla
• Kehedoon Tumhe, Artist: DJ Aqueel
• Sajna Hai Mujhe, Artist: DJ Hot Mix
• Yeh Vaada Raha, Artist: DJ Aqueel
• Mere Naseeb Mein, Artist: Baby H
• Kaliyon Ka Chaman, Artist: UMI
• Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar, Artist: Smita
• Kaanta Laga, Artist: DJ Doll
• Bin Tere Sanam, Artist: DJ Suketu
• Chadti Jawaani, Artist: DJ Aqueel

These are playing this week. Happy Listening!

Video Courtesy: YouTube

Tunes on Tuesday

This week's theme is Indi-pop. There was a time when pop albums were more popular than movie songs and they came with their very own story lines! I gave my iPod a break this week and listened to CDs in my car. One long forgotten CD was filled with my favorite Indian Pop songs. Here are a few favorites.

• Made in India; Artist: Alisha Chinoy
• Boom Boom; Artist: Nazia Hussain
• Tu; Artist: Sonu Nigam
• Suno To Deewana Dil ; Artist: Kamaal Khan
• Pyar Ho gaya; Artist: Stereo Nation
• Pari Hoon Main; Artist: Sunita Rao
• Chandu Ke Chacha; Artist: Aasma
• Gore Naal ; Artist: Baloo Sagoo
• Ishq; Artist: Sukhbir
• Aaja Nacchle; Artist: Hans Raj Hans

These songs surely put me in an amazing mood all week. Next week, I'll look at popular remixes from the late 90's and early 2000's. Happy Listening!!

 

Videos Copyright: YouTube

Tunes On Tuesday

Every week when I plan Tunes on Tuesday's posts, I try to come up with a theme that could tie the different set of songs that I listen to everyday. Sometimes the songs are all fast and peppy, sometimes when I am stuck in traffic I find myself gravitating towards songs that are more soothing to the ear. In both cases, one thing remains constant, singing out loud using my lungs :) Here's the list of songs on my mind this week.

• Janmon Ki Jwala, Movie: Hey Raam, Language: Hindi (I swear, this song gives me goosebumps, every time I listen to Ashaji hum)
• Tasveer Teri Dil Mein, Movie: Maya, Language: Hindi (Love the lyrics of this song :) )
• Yeh Parbaton Ke Daayre, Movie: Vaasna, Language: Hindi (I had a crush on Biswajeet for the longest time. This one is one of my favorites to hum while driving!)
• Rama Rama, Movie: Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, Language: Hindi (I don't have a reason as to why I like this song, I think it's probably because of the high octanes in the stanzas!)
• Bujji Pilla Tella Pilla, Movie: Potugadu ,Language: Telugu (Funny Lyrics!)
• Gulabi Aankhen, Movie: The Train, Language: Hindi (I searched for this song in YouTube and found this instead. I think my friends should have this as my ringtone :) )
• Raanjhana, Movie: Raanjhana, Language: Hindi (Watched the movie over the weekend, loved Dhanush in it!)
• Ek Ajnabi, Movie: Ek Ajnabi, Language: Hindi (This song reminds me of my sister's first stage performance, I think I still remember some of the steps.)
• Chennai Express, Movie: Chennai Express, Language: Hindi (Love Love Love SPB singing this song, this one's a new favorite!)
• Jalte Hai Jiske Liye, Movie: Sujata, Language: Hindi (This is one of my go-to sad songs :) )

I read somewhere that you can deduce a person by the songs that they listen to. I wonder what people think, based on the choice of songs this week? Happy Listening!

Tunes on Tuesday

This week's Tunes on Tuesday post comprises of random songs I've heard over this week, in no particular order.

• Titli, Movie: Chennai Express, Language: Hindi
• Kabeera, Movie: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Language: Hindi
• Lazy Lad, Movie: Ghanchakkar, Language: Hindi
• Ninu Chusina Kshanamlo, Movie: Balupu, Language: Telugu
• Nee Jathaga, Movie: Yevadu, Language: Telugu
• The Violin Song, Movie: Iddarammayilatho, Language: Telugu
• Poolu Gusa Gusa, Movie: Saleem, Language: Telugu
• Sumam Prathi Sumam, Movie: Maharshi, Language: Telugu
• Lonely No More, Album: Lonely No More , Artist: Rob Thomas
• Give it to You, Album: Jordan Knight, Artist: Jordan Knight

These are playing in my car this week! Happy Listening!

Tunes On Tuesday

If you've been following my twitter feed, you'll notice that lately I've been listening to a lot of English pop songs from the 90's. So I thought I'd mix it up this week with a few favorites from the 90's and early 2000's.

• If You Had My Love, Artist: Jennifer Lopez , Album: On the 6
• Genie in a Bottle, Artist: Christina Aguilera , Album: Christina Aguilera
• Hit me baby, Artist: Britney Spears, Album: Baby one more time
• When I dream, Artist: Marc Anthony, Album: Marc Anthony 
• Crush, Artist: Jennifer Paige, Album: Jennifer Paige
• Loaded, Artist: Ricky Martin,  Album: Sound Loaded 
• Am not in love, Artist: Enrique Iglesias, Album: Seven 
• Insatiable, Artist: Darren Hayes , Album: Spin (This is for my boo!)
• Smooth, Artist: Rob Thomas/Carlos Santana , Album: Supernatural
• Desert Rose, Artist: Sting/Cheb Mami , Album: Brand New Day

All videos courtesy: Youtube, Happy Listening :)

Tunes On Tuesday

Finally a Tunes on Tuesday post! The weather today is dark and gloomy just as my mood. I see the rain  falling from my windows, calling out for some soothing soul stirring music. Here is a list of songs old and new that suits my temperament tonight!

• Idedo Bagunde, Movie: Mirchi,  Language: Telugu
• The Violin Song, Movie: Iddarammayilatho, Language: Telugu
• Sambhala Hai Maine, Movie: Naaraaz, Language: Hindi
• Saans, Movie: Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Language: Hindi
• Dil Gira Dafatan, Movie: Dilli 6, Language: HIndi
• Humko Sirf Tumse, Movie: Barsaat, Language: Hindi
• Rehna Tu, Movie: Dilli 6,  Language: Hindi
• Ninnu Choostunte, Movie: Aata,  Language: Telugu
• Yela Yela, Movie: Panja,  Language: Telugu
• Mellaga Karagani, Movie: Varsham, Language: Telugu (How can you have a rain related post without a rain song :) )

These re playing right now. Until next week, Happy listening.

Iddarammayilatho

I've always personally enjoyed Puri Jagan's films; they are your typical masala movies, with some punchy dialogues, good comedy and generally very entertaining. I've been listening and loving the music of this film, especially the violin song. Here is the review:

Film: Iddarammayilatho
Cast: Allu Arjun, Amala Paul, Catherine Thresa, Bramhanandam, Ali, Subba Raju etc.
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Director: Puri Jagannadh
Producer: Bandla Ganesh
Release Date: May 31st, 2013
My Rating: 3.25/5

What's It About: 
Akansha (Catherine) is the daughter of a central minister who travels to Spain for her PG. She ends up staying in the same room as Komali (Amala), a bramhin girl from India. Akansha reads Komali's diary that she accidentally leaves behind, in which she talks about her love story with Sanju(Arjun) a guitarist. On a parallel thread, Shawar (Shawar Ali) is looking to deposit illegal mining scam money from India in Spain. Komali accidentally records Shawar killing a man in connection to this illegal money. What happens to Komali and her love story with Sanju? Will Shawar be successful in his attempts? These threads are tied up in the second half.

Artist Performances: 
Allu Arjun is top notch with his dialogue delivery and comedy timing. He is surprising very good in romantic scenes as well. Amala Paul has a shorter role compared to Catherine, she does her bit as required and did not impress me much. Catherine is good , however she hams and over acts in the beginning of the film and leaves a mark in the second half. Bramhi is excellent as fidel Bramha. Ali comes in the second half as Mental Krishna and provides some comic relief. Subba Raju and Shawar are adequate. Other supporting cast of Tulasi, Pragathi, Bharani and Nasser do their bit as required.

This & That: 
Puri is known for his punch dialogues and he is back with a bang in this flick. His dialogues are hilarious, hard hitting and thoroughly entertaining. My favorites have to be the tuppalo scenes, the climax  and the bapanese dialogues. Music by Devi is an asset. My personal favorite was the Violin song and I ended up liking top lesi poddi for its picturization and Arjun's dance moves. Cinematography is beautiful and I have to specially mention the fights by Kicha, I loved the interval bang and the action scenes associated with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half and I felt that the tempo was lacking a bit in the second half. The twist is interesting and it turns an ordinary story into something completely different. I also enjoyed Arjun's dance moves for the Gang Leader song.
Was Bramhi's dialogue of Pawan Kalyan's fan meant for Nithin? :-P I wonder!!

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, I found myself laughing every time Bramhi came on screen and gushing at the romantic scenes.

The Final Word:
Iddaramayilatho, Puri and Arjun , top lepestaru :)

Gundejaari Gallanthayyinde

Nithin and Nithya Menen's last venture Ishq was a surprise hit last year. The pair is back with Gundejaari Gallanthaiyyinde. Most of the cast and crew of Ishq have been repeated, hoping for some luck. Will there sentiment work? Here goes the review:

Film: Gundejaari Gallanthayyinde
Cast: Nithin, Nitya Menon, Isha Talwar, Madhunandan, Ali, Tagubothu Ramesh, etc.
Music: Anoop Ruebens
Director: Vijay Konda
Producer: Sudhakar Reddy
Release Date: April 19th, 2013
My Rating: 3.25/5

What's It About: 
Karthik (Nithin) falls for Shruti(Isha Talwar) at his friend Pandu's(Ali) reception, whom he asks for her number. Pandu in a drunk stupor gives him Shravani's(Nitya) number. Karthik starts calling Shravani and simultaneously helps his friend Madhu (Madhunandan) to fall in love with his friend, who turns out to be Shruti. What happens next?  Will he realize that the girl he is talking to is not Shruti? What happens to Shravani? All these loose ends are tied up in the second half.

Artist Performances:
Nithin is looking dapper and fit. He performs well and is very funny, especially in the "gay comedy" scenes. He should do more romantic roles, it suits his personality. Nitya Menon gives  an effortless performace. However, she needs to pay some attention to her weight. Ali brings in laughs in a full length role. Isha Talwar is pretty. Tagubothu Ramesh, Madhunandan and the guy who plays the gay guy are up to mark. There aren't many characters in this movie. Everything revolves around the main actors.

This & That:
Production values are good. The film looks lavish. I liked Nithin's styling in the movie. Harshavadhan's story and dialogues are a plus. Music by Anoop Ruebens is average. However, my favorite has to be the remix of emaindo emo eevela, from Toliprema. It's not just the song that was remixed, the video of the original was too. Jwala Gutta's item song was boring. The director needs to be applauded for doing a fine job of holding the audience's attention throughout the film with a taut screenplay.

Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, the film is a breezy entertainer.

The Final Word:
Gunde jaarindi, pilla maarindi.

Tunes On Tuesday

I haven't been scheduling Tunes on Tuesday posts off late. Every Monday, I think of all the songs that have been playing on my YouTube and Ipod and try to come up with a theme that I can use for Tunes on Tuesday's blog. I am in a 90's phase for the last few weeks, listening to some of my old favorites. I tried to listen to all Abhijeet songs on my Ipod and here are a few good ones. Like usual, I resorted to my trustworthy Wikipedia to read about Abhijeet and I was shocked to know that he just got one Filmfare Award. Truly a case of talent not getting it's due.

• Ole Ole Ole, Movie: Yeh Dillagi, Language: Hindi
• Aankhon Mein Base Ho Tum., Movie: Takkar,  Language: Hindi
• Shehar Ki Ladki, Movie: Rakshak,  Language: Hindi
• Tan Tana Tan, Movie: Judwaa,  Language: Hindi
• Main Koi Aisa Geet, Movie: Yes Boss,  Language: Hindi (His only Filmfare)
• Tum Dil Ki Dhadkan, Movie: Dhadkan,  Language: Hindi
• Woh ladki Jo, Movie: Badshah,  Language: Hindi
• Maine To Khai, Movie: Awara Pagal Deewana,  Language: Hindi
• Tauba, Movie: Chalte Chalte,  Language: Hindi
• Lamha Lamha, Movie: Gangster,  Language: Hindi

I've noticed that he usually sings for Suniel Shetty, Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar :) Until next week, Happy Listening!

Badshah

No beating around the bush, I am super duper excited about Badshah... as evidenced by my tweet earlier today. I've been watching the trailers and listening to the songs frequently.(How can you miss the buzz with the sheer amount of publicity going around this flick?). Kajal, NTR, Srinu Vytla all "big" cast and crew, hoping for a super success with this movie. Did they succeed? Review below:

Film: Badshah
Cast: N.T.R, Kajal, Nasser, Bramhi, M.S. Narayana, Navadeep, Vennala Kishore, Mukesh Rishi etc.
Music: S.S. Thaman
Director: Sreenu Vytla
Producer: Bandla Ganesh
Release Date: 4th April, 2013
My Rating: 3.75/5

What's It About: 
Rama Rao (N.T.R) alias badshah is the son of Dhanraj (Mukesh Rishi), a don in Hong Kong. Dhanraj works for Sadhu Bhai (Kelly Dorjee) who owns casinos in Macau. Badshah cons Sadhu Bhai into thinking that he helped him and wins over his trust. However, this is Badshah's plan to elimate Sadhu Bhai. As a part of his plan, he meets "Banti" Janaki(Kajal), a wannabe social reformer. Why does Badshah want to kill Sadhu Bhai and why does he need Janaki's help with this? What happens next is all tied up with the climax.

Artist Performances: 
N.T.R performs excellently in a role which has multiple shades. If he plays an innocent guy while trying to woo Janaki in the first half, he plays a cunning guy with a fun side in the second half. After a very successful outing with Bramhi in Adurs, he pairs up with him once again to create peals of laughter in the second half of the movie. Bramhi is so hilarious in the movie with his funny one liners and expressions that every time he appears on screen you end up laughing out loud. Kajal plays Janaki who uses banti (ball) as an example for her philosophical thoughts. Her role is laced with humor and she performs well. Navdeep is good as a bad cop. M.S. Narayana steals the show once again as director Revenge Nageswara Rao. His role subtlety based on RGV brings a lot of laughs. Nasser does another full fledged comedy role after Dookudu, which he does full justice to. Lots of actors appear in bit size roles like Suhasini, Chandramohan, Naga Babu, Rajeev Kanakala and Suma and all of them add to the storyline in their own way.

This & That: 
The Inception based dream concept and the china dream machine used for Bramhis thread is personally my favorite. There are a lot of scenes with Bramhi where he imitates NBK and also Jr.N.T.R, these scenes brought the roof down. Jr NTR's get up as Justice chowdary brought a lot of whistles. As usual, Sreenu Vytla movies are famous for their drunk scenes. In this movie too, there is a hilarious drunk scene but this time with a twist. The ladies are drunk and dance for NTR songs which was nicely done.Thaman does a good job with music. My favorites are Diamond Girl and Sairo Sairo. Production values are excellent and the locales are beautiful. Special appearence by Siddharth and the voice over by Mahesh Babu in crucial scenes all add to the film in a positive way. Only thing that I felt was a feeling of deja-vu as most of the scenes and the concept of the hero using a bakra (mostly bramhi) to win over the girl's family and bash up the goons are similar to Sreenu Vytla's previous movies. However, the entertainement factor is high, which works in the film's favor.

Did I Enjoy It?
Absolutely, My stomach hurt with laughing too hard.

The Final Word:
Badshah will definitely rule the box office :)

Tunes On Tuesday

Today is my best friend's birthday.While I couldn't celebrate today the way I had planned, I wanted to do a special post on the blog today. This week Tunes on Tuesday will be my friend's favorite songs. Every time I listen to these songs, they put a smile of my face.

Happy Birthday Gogs! May you have a fantastic year ahead!!

• Niharika, Language: Telugu, Movie: Ooseravalli
• Chiguru Boniya, Language: Telugu,  Movie: Teen Maar
• Neetho Cheppana, Language: Telugu,  Movie: Athadu
• Guzaarish, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Ghajini
• Rehna Tu, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Delhi 6
• Idedo Bagunde, Language: Telugu,  Movie: Mirchi
• Diamond Girl, Language: Telugu,  Movie: Badshah
• Google Google, Language: Tamil,  Movie: Thuppaki
• Hey Ya , Language: Hindi,  Movie: Karthik Calling Karthik
• Balayya Balayya, Language: Telugu,  Movie: Lorry Driver ***

*** He just Looooves this song :)

Until, next week, Happy listening!!

Tunes on Tuesday - A Late Edition

Life has taken over of late and while I continue to watch movies with much gusto, premieres and blogging have taken a back seat. I hope to get back into the groove by blogging about Badshah as I plan on watching the premiere! This post was "scheduled" to be posted yesterday but for some odd reason it didn't; hence a Tunes on Tuesday post on a Wednesday :)
I've been listening to a lot of songs from the 90's recently. There comes a time in everyone's life where they feel nostalgic of their childhood and I am in one such phase currently. I've re-discovered why I loved Kumar Sanu's voice while I listened to these songs and wanted to do a blog on some of my favorites.
These songs are all from popular movies, where other songs of the album have taken prominence. Nevertheless, here are some of his beautiful melodies.

• Love Hua, Language: Hindi, Movie: Jaanam Samjha Karo 
• Hum To Dil Chahe, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Soldier 
• Tera Aana Tera Jaana, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Judwaa
• Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Baazigar
• Paas Woh Aane Lage, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Mein Khiladi Tu Anari
• Poocho Zara Poocho, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Raja Hindustani
• Meri Mehbooba, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Pardes
• Aankhon Se Tune, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Ghulam
• Chori Chori Jab, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Kareeb
• Aankhon ki Gustakhiyan, Language: Hindi,  Movie: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

While I was compiling this list together, ai came across many more favorites, that will go out next week! Happy Listening!