TOLLYWOOD TRIP: April 2010

Apr 23, 2010

DARLING Telugu Movie Review

Film: Darling
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Prabhas, Kajal, Shradhdha Das, Mukesh Rishi, Prabhu, Chandra Mhan, Ahuti Prasad, MS Narayana, Sivannarayana, Tulasi, Kota, Srinivas Reddy etc.
Music: GV Prakash
Fights: Peter Heins
Dialogues: Swamy
Producer: BVSN Prasad
Direction: Karunakar
Release Date: 23rd Apr 2010

‘Darling’ is the word that Prabhas uses to call his close pals. That was made a title now for the movie with him in lead. Let us see how darling it is for audiences.

Story:
The movie starts with enthusiastic 1980 backdrop in black and white. The college mates disperse after farewell and they keep themselves in contact even after decades.

Prabha (Prabhas) is the son of one of those old friends (Prabhu) and Nandini (Kajal) is the daughter of another (Ahuti Prasad). They live in various places.

A lady (Shradhdha Das) loves Prabha and proposes him. But he negates. The father of that lady is a goon (Mukesh Rishi) who surrounds Prabha and his friends’ gang for negating his daughter. To escape from that goon Prabha narrates his flash back stating that he has love interest by name Nandini and he met her in Switzerland. The goon leaves him knowing that.

After a while, the old friends wish to have old friends’ reunion with families. They all meet in a village and how Prabha and Nandini meet again (?) and end up with love-union forms rest of the story. Many twists, turns and secrets will be unleashed in narration for the entertainment of audience.

Performances:
Prabhas is at his best. His gait, his glow, his performance and confidence carried the movie happily.

Kajal enticed audiences with her magnetism. Shradhdha Das, although had small role, she made her presence felt.

Mukesh Rishi is ok as goon but he has lighter vein characterization.

Chandramohan, Ahuti Prasad, Prabhu, Tulasi, MS Narayana are all ok.

Sivannarayana performs comedy up to the perfection with his single dialogue ‘tinnaaaraa..!!??”. Kota has no dialogue at all in the film.

Music is bad. Background score is poor. If those were good, the movie would have scored well among audience. It is single line story but narrated in three layers. It’s all screenplay technique that which may be liked by many.

Analysis:
Watching this movie is not like eating an apple or banana but like chewing an orange. You need to spit the seeds and enjoy the rest. It surely entertains but lacks in consistency. It’s good in bits and pieces but cannot be declared ‘wholesome wonder’. The major asset for this movie is Prabhas who handled the audience with his great looks and confident performance. Female audiences definitely feel ectopic tintinnabulations in their heart. Action part, generally finds it difficult to get encomiums. But Peter Heins stood as top entertainer in this movie with his wonderful composition of fights.

The best parts of the movie are:
Prabhas
Peter Hein’s fight compositions
‘Kadupu Manta’ scene between Prabhas and Srinivas Reddy
Inka Edo song picturization
Watching Hyderabad with Switzerland snowfall

The director has rightly used the technical elements to make the movie a pleasant feel to watch. The entire movie has got elevated in picture quality due to DI and other effects. Technically on a whole, with editing, cinematography and CG stands great. But the main factor of the movie, the music, is unpleasant. RR is also very weak and failed to bring in right elevation for narration.

First half is entertaining but declares to be a fiction by interval (watch it to get clarity). Second half is on beaten track with predictable screenplay. Climax is crisp and closed on lighter note without any extraaaas.

The film has got the muscle to run in theatres for some time with summer factor and bits and pieces of entertainment.

The film has got the muscle to run in theatres for some time with summer factor and bits and pieces of entertainment.
source:greatandhra.com

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Lisa Ray Cured of Cancer

Apr 22, 2010

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Actress TANUSHREE DUTTA Profile

Apr 21, 2010

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T-town's lucky debutants Samantha, Priya Anand, Bhanu, Anita, Shruti, Richa and Sheena

SAMANTHA - YE MAYA CHESAVE

That every year many debutantes test waters at the T-town BO is a given. Predictably only a handful hit the jackpot, while the others fade into oblivision.

richa gangopadhyay

The story’s the same this year too: as newcomers —Anita (Maro Charitra), Bhanu (Varudu) and Shruti (Taj Mahal) found no takers while pretty newbies Samantha, Priya Anand, Richa and Sheena emerged triumphant with their debut films and have bagged more plum film offers.

BHANU MEHRA (VARUDU)

After her hit Ye Maya Chesave, Samantha has already signed big-ticket films with superstars NTR Jr and Mahesh Babu and is being hailed as the next big thing in T-town. The level-headed youngster says, “I don’t want to get carried away with my maiden success. I did have lots of offers but I chose to do the films with NTR and Mahesh. The scripts and my roles were fascinating in these big-budget extravaganzas. I am playing a light-hearted role in Brindavanam and a fun role in Mahesh’s untitled film.”

ANITHA - MARO CHARITRA

Hotshot debutante Priya Anand had signed two noteworthy films even before the release of her maiden film Leader. “Leader catapulted me to the top league because it was a huge project and the response was overwhelming. I am now doing a big project (Rama Rama Krishna Krishna) with producer Dil Raju co-starring Ram. I am equally excited about my other film with Siddharth. With such big projects, I have resolved to settle down in T-town,” says the Mumbai girl, who has also begun dubbing for her films. “I dubbed for Leader and I’ll do a better job in Rama Rama,” she adds. Her co-star in Leader, Richa Gangopadhyay on the other hand has just signed a film with Ravi Teja. “I am happy to be part of this big venture,” she says.

PRIYA ANAND = LEADER

Director Saikiran Adavi says, “Every year we have 80 to 90 debutants but we can barely remember the names of just a handful of girls. Though fresh faces evoke some pre-release hype at the end of the day only good scripts can spell BO magic.”

SHRUTI - TAJ MAHAL

And if the fresh faces manage to strike a chord with the audiences and their launchpad also notches up good BO collections, then T-town becomes the oyster for them. After all, nothing matters more than a success.

SHEENA - BINDAAS

Apr 20, 2010

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Most Beautiful Celeb Brides

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza, who chose to wear her mother's wedding saree on her D-Day, has received a lot of criticism from the entire fashion fraternity. We bring you some celeb brides who looked a million dollars on their wedding day

Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik finally got married to Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza on April 12 in Hyderabad. The wedding took place at 1 pm at the Taj Krishna hotel and was a private function with close family members as invitees. Sania wore her mother's red wedding saree. Looks like Sania couldn't even take time out to shop for her wedding ensemble.

Aishwarya Rai looked beautiful in a traditional golden Kanjeevaram saree. She married co-actor Abhishek Bachchan on 20 April 2007.

Shilpa Shetty, who got married to her NRI beau Raj Kundra last November, wore a traditional saree designed by her favourite designer Tarun Tahiliani.(AFP)

Ayesha Takia tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Farhan Azmi in a cream coloured lehenga.

Bollywood's khallas girl Isha Koppikar wore a red lehenga designed by designer, Anita Dongre on her D-Day.

Karisma Kapoor, who married industrialist Sanjay Kapur in 2003, wore a Manish Malhotra designed pink colour lehenga studded with swarovski crystals.

Amrita Arora had a Christian wedding ceremony with boyfriend Shakeel Ladak on 4 March 2009.

Kajol wore a beautiful, green Paithani sari as is the Maharashtian custom when she tied the knot with actor Ajay Devgn.

Yesteryears actress Sridevi looked sweet in a Kanjeevaram.

Twinkle Khanna chose to wear a pink lehenga when she tied the knot with Akshay Kumar.

Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan wore a Kanjeevaram sari for the Mangalorean wedding and a blue and silver salwar kurta for the Nikaah. The outfits were designed by Karan Johar and Seema Khan respectively.

Seen here with her husband Shirish at their reception.

Nagma's younger sister Jyotika, who is also a big star down South fell for the colour on her D Day.

Actress Rambha, who tied the knot with an NRI recently, wore a traditional white saree.

Preeti Jhangiani wore a shining golden lehenga

Model Jesse Randhawa in a bronze coloured lehenga.

Yesteryear's actress Mumtaaz wore a saree on her wedding.

Poonam Sinha wore a red saree for her wedding with actor Shatrughan Sinha.

Actress Rakhi also wore a saree on her wedding.

Amrita Singh in an orange lehenga on her D-Day. The actress was married to Saif Ali Khan, who is 16 years younger to her.

Dimple Kapadia in a saree on her D-Day.

Pooja Batra in a red lehenga.

Actress Saira Banu looked sweet in a saree on her D-Day. The actress is married to legendary actor Dilip Kumar

VJ turned actor Maria Goretti had a Christian wedding. She is married to actor Arshad Warsi.

Renuka Shahane in a green-red attire. She is married to Ashutosh Rana.

Actress Babita wore a saree for her wedding. The former actress was married to Raj Kapoor's son Randhir Kapoor but the two are now separated.

Malaika Arora Khan looked pretty in a white gown. She is married to Arbaaz Khan and the couple has a son.

Neetu Singh also wore a traditional Punjabi saree for her wedding with Rishi Kapoor, the youngest son of Raj Kapoor.

Mandira Bedi chose to wear a red lehenga. She is married to director Raj Kaushal.

Raveena Tandon wore her mother's wedding saree for her D-Day. She got it re-done by her favourite designer Manav Gangwani. Raveena is married to Anil Thadani.

In 1999, Madhuri Dixit married Shriram Madhav Nene, a UCLA-trained cardiovascular surgeon who practices in Denver. In this pic with DR Nene at their wedding reception.

source:ndtv.com

Apr 19, 2010

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Gopika gives birth to a baby girl

Apr 17, 2010

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Samantha Luck is Finally Smiling

Samantha's walk in the clouds

She is the new Sam who is making waves in Tollywood and Kollywood, following the mega success of her debut film in Telugu Ye Maaya Chesave (YMC). The film, which is the Telugu version of Gautham Menon’s Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, has turned out to be a superhit in Andhra Pradesh.

The irony of it is that Samantha, who was a top Chennai model, actually started off her filmi career with cinematographer-turned-director Ravi Varman’s debut film Moscovin Kaveri, which is yet to release, and followed it up with Pookada Ravi with Narain which got stalled. Her third Tamil film — Baana Kaathadi — will be her launch film in Kollywood as it gets ready for a May release. The pretty actress is hoping that the film, a romantic romp, will be her YMC in Tamil.

Lady Luck is finally smiling on Samantha who comes across as a very confident, charming and self-assured person. In an exclusive interview to CT, Samantha says, “I was unhappy after both my Tamil films got delayed. But all that changed overnight following the success of Ye Maaya Chesave. My life changed and I’m on cloud nine, thanks to Gautham Menon. I was called a nerd in school and college and everybody thought that I would go the academic way. Nobody, even in my family, thought in their wildest dreams that I would land up in tinsel town.”

Samantha takes heart in the fact that she got the opportunity to work with a director of repute like Gautham Menon so early in her career. Says the actress, “But for Jessie (the character she played in the film), I would not be here. I was very lucky to work with a director who knew exactly what he wanted and shaped my look and body language in the film. He has drawn out a performance from me which I didn’t think I would be capable of so early on in my career.” The film has made her the hottest star in Telugu and she’s now doing projects with superstars Mahesh Babu and NTR.

However, Samantha’s heart is in Kollywood. Born to a Malayali mother and a Telugu father, Sam lived all her life in Chennai and started her career as a model with a top textile showroom. Confesses Samantha, “I consider myself a Chennai girl and it would be a dream come true to make it big in Tamil films.” She is pinning a lot of hope on Baana Kaathadi, directed by debutant Badri Venkatesh. The film will mark the debut of Adharvaa, son of Tamil actor Murali, as hero. “It is a romantic film laced with action and suspense. I play a college girl Priya who’s doing her fashion designing course. She is a bubbly girl and meets a guy, who thinks differently, at a kite festival.”

About Tamil cinema being too glamorous for her, the simple girl with a captivating smile says, “It is the character that makes the role glamorous. Jessie and her saris have made me look elegant on screen in YMC, but if the character demands it I can transform into a glam girl.” Wrapping up the interview, we ask her what her future projects in Tamil are, expecting her to reel out the names of top heroes. However, Samantha surprises us by saying, “I have no clue; I may do a film with a director I admire and respect.”

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Prasthanam Movie Review

Prasthanam Telugu Movie Review

Cast: Sharwanand, Ruby Parihar, Sandip Kishan, Kishore, Jayaprakash Reddy, Jeeva, Pavitra Lokesh, Surekha Vani and others.
Banner: VRC Media And Entertainments.
Cinematography: Shyam Dutt.
Editing: Marthand K. Venkatesh.
Music: Mahesh Shankar.
Presenter: Vallabhaneni Rosaiah.
Producer: Ravi Vallabhaneni.
Director: Deva Katta.
Release Date: April 16, 2010

Sharwanand A little Sharwanand tugs at Saikumar's finger for direction, for love, for security when his father is killed. He grabs for Saikumar's feet in the second half of the film when he is beaten mercilessly and declares that Saikumar is the only father he has and he knew. Towards the end of the film when he has the weapon in his hand and could use it to settle scores, he merely forgives and that forgiveness kills Saikumar. There couldn't have been a better full stop to wind up the story.

Deva Katta's euphemism surfaces when he writes, "Aham, aasa, akali, avasaram kosam dhaari thappe paatralu thappa, yee prasthanam lo herolo villainlu undaru." He balances the good, the evil perfectly and lets each character tell their story vividly, distinctly that you can't help but agree with them.

A head of the family is devastated when his son is killed and he passes over his legacy to a loyal outsider, offers his daughter in law in marriage and his grandchildren. One of whom clings onto Saikumar lovingly, haplessly and the other scorns him till death takes her away. There is a wife who watches each character take an unceremonious exit and realizes that her last few years of her life should be spent in a more fulfilling and a worthy place. There are loyal followers, silent spectators, fiery body guards in the family who have been used to slaving like dogs and have forgotten to live like humans.

FYI when it comes to reward them, stand by them or merely become their strength, the leader backtracks..blood becomes thicker than water. In the battle for power…infact there is no battle, support is thrusted on Sharwanand as he is a better player with thought, tact and experience. So where does the problem arise?

In a thrilling political drama, three people occupy centre stage and battle out their goals good and bad and reveal their character in layers that knock the senses out of you. The surrounding players are given equal importance some by being mute, some with dialogue. Watching the film is like reading a pulp fiction, the only drawback being the escapist commercial songs. Deva's awkwardness, lack of focus in picturising songs is visible. Romance is definitely not his terrain in this movie. He would have been better believing and concentrating in his core subject.

The heroine is a big minus. Technically the film is good, unsettling at times especially when Sandip Kishan takes on a menacing mood at the hotel. Splendid performances by one and all, Sandip is a pleasant surprise, Sharwanand consolidates his position, Saikumar shocks you with his ruthlessness, Surekha Vani becomes every woman's alter ego, the characters of Durga Rao, Basha who become a pawn in the power struggle shine through out, the villains pitch in entertainment.

On the whole Deva Katta's compact screenplay and narrative garnished with realistic, powerful dialogues show how a blend of artistes and a sensible story can whip up a satisfying celluloid drama. He guarantees a bond as a narrator between himself and the spectators letting the characters tell their story so smoothly and allowing them to defend themselves. It might be clichéd for people who have seen many movies on power struggle but this one is truly unforgettable.
source:cinegoer.com