TELUGU MOVIES: 2012

Camera Ganga to Rambabu Movie Review(123telugu.com)

Camera Ganga to Rambabu Movie Review

Power Star Pawan Kalyan is back with ‘Cameraman Ganga tho Rambabu’ after scoring a massive hit this year in the form of ‘Gabbar Singh’. The movie has been directed by Puri Jagan and the film has released in a massive way across the world today. Let us see how the film is.

Story :

Rambabu ( Pawan Kalyan ) is a socially responsible guy who earns a living as a mechanic. He reacts to news reports of atrocities and personally goes to punish the offenders. This fire and passion is noticed by Ganga (Tamanna), who then motivates and convinces him to join a Tv channel as a journalist. Rambabu agrees and hops on board a TV channel owned by Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam.

During his work, he comes across Jawahar Naidu (Kota Srinivasa Rao), an opposition party leader and ex CM, who is hell bent on reclaiming the CM’s chair. His son (played by Prakash Raj) is an evil force and Rambabu decides to take him on.

As the proxy battle turns ugly, the fight between Rambabu and Prakash Raj assumes statewide significance. Rambabu must now muster all his courage and his skills of persuasion to rally the people and prevent the divisive force of Prakash Raj from taking over.

How Rambabu achieves this forms the rest of the story.

Plus Points :

Pawan Kalyan has done a superb job in this movie and he shoulders the movie admirably well. His sheer force and powerful screen presence is the biggest asset for the movie and Puri Jagan’s powerful political dialogues have worked well when uttered by Pawan Kalyan. He has also showcased his humorous side quite well.

In the current political climate of the state, some dialogues will strike a chord. For example, “Aadiki dhoola ekkuvai kurchi ekkithe meeku dhoola teeripoddi” etc. evoked a superb response from viewers.

Tamanna looks gorgeous. She only looks gorgeous (More on this later). Prakash Raj and Kota Srinivasa Rao have done a good job as the evil politicians. Nasser is dignified as Chief Minister Reddy. Tanikella Bharani is alright. Brahmanandam and Ali bring a few laughs as TV channel creative heads.

The film’s second half is a major asset, with powerful political elements and highly charged emotional sequences. The way Pawan rallies the youth of the state, the way he counters Prakash Raj and speaks about National Integration etc are highly entertaining.

The comedy scene in the second half where Pawan and Brahmanandam read the news jointly had crowds in splits of laughter.

Some scenes between Pawan and Tamanna have come out well, especially where Pawan tries to be timid and shy on purpose.

The pre-climax episodes will give great cheer to Pawan’s fans and Mani Sharma’s background score works like a charm.

Minus Points :

As I said earlier, Tamanna looks gorgeous in the movie but her characterization is very disappointing. One wonders why women in Puri Jagan’s films have to have extreme personalities. Ganga’s character is way too loud and actually gets on your nerves at times.

Some scenes should have been toned down. Like the scene where Prakash Raj and his MLA’s feel a tremor in the building towards the end. Also, there is no substance in the plot. But for Pawan’s sheer magnetism and some good dialogues in places, this movie has nothing in terms of story.

All the characters are superficial. Prakash Raj’s character in particular had great scope for picturization as a cunning and evil politician, but Puri only scrapes the surface. Also, there is no strong motive for Prakash Raj to betray his father as both of them are on good terms and both want to see Prakash Raj as the CM.

The first half could have been more entertaining. Gabriela is irritating as a TV channel boss.

Technical Aspects :

Mani Sharma’s background score is a major asset for the movie, especially in the second half and pre-climax scenes. But his songs are not too good. Dialogues are very nice in places. Editing is neat overall, but could have been crisper in the first half.

Fights have been shot well and they suited Pawan well. Cinematography is good. Puri Jagan’s direction is not too impressive. It is about time he spends more time (pun intended) on the development of characters in the story.

Verdict :

‘Cameraman Ganga tho Rambabu’ is a movie that works primarily due to Pawan Kalyan’s sheer force and powerful on-screen presence. A good second half, solid punch dialogues and a terrific performance from Pawan elevate the movie. Better script and more involving characters would have helped the movie. The film will be a great watch for those who are interested in politics, and a decent one for regular movie lovers.

123telugu.com Rating – 3.25/5

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru

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Boochi Movie Review

Boochi Movie Review

Maverick movie maker Ram Gopal Varma is a past master of horror thrillers. ‘Bhoot’, which released in 2003, was a good hit and he has now come with ‘Bhoot Returns’. ‘Boochi’ in Telugu. And this time, he has 3D to add to the effect. The movie has released all over,

Story :

An attractive house is up for grabs for a very low rent, a prospect that is immensely appealing to Tarun Awasthi (J.D. Chakravarthy) and family. His wife Namrata (Manisha Koirala), and kids Tapan and Nimmi are excited about the new house. But as in all RGV ‘horror’ flicks, the building has a past, a quite mysterious one at that.

As the new tenants settle down, strange sounds and bizarre happenings start being noticed by the family. The young kid Nimmi (Alayana Sharma) claims that Shabbu (the ghost?) is creating all these disturbances. Her claims are not taken seriously by Tarun until he personally comes across certain strange apparitions.

Nimmi starts behaving in a weird and unpredictable manner and people keep disappearing around the house. What is the cause of these events? Who or what is Shabbu? That forms the story

Plus Points :

Some of the 3D shots and camera angles work well when coupled with the clever use of background score. The kid Alayana Sharma is good. Chakravarthy is decent.

The unexpected twist is good. The first half has a few decently scary moments. The crisp 88 minutes runtime is a blessing in disguise. We must thank RGV for letting us off so quickly.

I can’t think of any more positive points no matter how hard I rack my brain.

Minus Points :

Manisha Koirala looks like a very tired old lady in this movie. And she goes a bit overboard when the scene definitely does not demand it. Madhu Shalini is downright cheap.

The biggest problem with this film is the lack of a script, or more appropriately, a plan. It is almost as if RGV ran out of ideas after coming up with a few genuinely good scenes. The same scenes and scary moments are repeated quite monotonously, multiple times, and this spoils the show completely. And this movie is not a patch on ‘Bhoot’.

And coming to the ‘influences’ part. This movie can act as a visual quiz of sorts for horror movie buffs. Go with your gang of friends and you can start playing a guessing game Q. “Hey, which film is this scene from?”. Ans ” Paranormal dude.”

The climax, if you can call it that, is very abrupt and unconvincing. Perhaps, we are being given a very intelligent hint about ‘Bhoot 3′.

Technical Aspects :

As I said before, Cinematography is good and is one of the very few areas where RGV’s talent can still be seen or felt tangibly. The 3D effects are good. Sandeep Chowtha’s music is good and appropriate for the setting. Editing is neat.

As for RGV’s direction, I have been waiting for years to see if he can say ‘I am back’, you know, in an Arnold Schwarzenegger kind of way. But looks like he has gone beyond a point of no return.

Verdict :

The same old RGV horror tricks bag (comprising of weird doll,unconventional visual shots, shadows and horror stricken expressions) has been been opened and RGV tries to catch you by surprise and say ‘Booo’. But instead of scaring you, he actually succeeds in making youscratch your head or snigger (choice is yours). The cinematography and good 3D effects are the sole redeeming factors. As a dormant RGV fan, I am still waiting. But for now, he disappoints yet again.

Brothers Movie Review

Tamil Star Surya has come up with ‘Brothers’, the dubbed version of the Tamil film ‘Maatran’. The movie has released across Andhra Pradesh. Directed by K.V. Anand of ‘Rangam’ fame, the movie has Kajal Aggarwal as the heroine, Harris Jayaraj has composed the music.

Story :

Ramachandra (Sachin Khedkar) is a genetic scientist who tries to carry out radical experiments. One such experiment carried out on his wife goes bad and she ends up with conjoined twins. They are brought up as Vimal and Akhil (Dual role acted by Surya). Ramachandra succeeds in creating a hyper energy product called “Energion’. The product is a stunning success and catches the attention of many people worldwide. A desperate hunt begins for its secret formula and the seekers use every trick in the book to get to the source.

Into this scenario comes in Anjali ( Kajal Aggarwal ), as someone who tries to collaborate with the people who want to steal the Energion formula. Things take a violent turn in the struggle for the formula and the twins Vimal and Akhil must now fight for their lives as they become hunted.

Whether how is Vimal and Akhil succeed story is about.

Plus Points :

Surya has performed very well in the dual role. Karthi has dubbed for one of the roles and it suited Surya very well. He has shown good variations between the two characters and he has done his job as required.

Kajal looks quite glamorous in the movie, especially in the Rani Nanne and Neeve Neeve songs. She has a considerably big character in the movie and K.V. Anand has showcased her well. Sachin Khedkar is good as the evil scientist.

The movie is racy for about 30 minutes before the interval and this block is the best part of the film. The movie has good visuals and K.V. Anand must be appreciated for selecting a novel theme.

Minus Points :

The movie is long and this works against it. The racy pace shown in the 30 minutes prior to the interval could not be sustained in the second half. The movie’s pace is especially slow for the first half an hour or so.

Once the scene shifts to Ukraine, subtitles should have been used instead of the crude attempts at translation.

Screenplay is poor in the second half and a lack of entertainment is glaringly obvious. The romantic track between Surya and Kajal has not been handled well.

The concept of a father and son quarrel has not been handled very convincingly by the director and the climax is a big letdown. Also, some of the fights are way too outlandish and will not work with Telugu crowds.

Technical Aspects :

Soundar Rajan’s cinematography is top notch and a major bonus for the movie. Visuals are good in songs and in the Ukraine episodes. Editing is not upto the mark. Quite a number of scenes should have been chopped off in this 3 hour long film.

Though director K.V.Anand did a good job in a few episodes, he has failed to sustain the interest in the proceedings. The screenplay is not too good in the second half and the climax is a study in confusion.

Verdict :

Because of the novel concept, good cinematography and nice performances from Surya and Kajal, some viewers in A centers may find the film decent. But the movie will not work in B and C centers because of the excessive length and the lack of entertainment in the second half. Overall, this is a film that is ok, but could have been much better if a little care was taken.

Rani Mukherjee Biography

Rani Mukherjee Biography

Born on the 21st March 1978 in Kolkata, Rani became part of a Bengali family that was heavily involved in films. Her father is Ram Mukherjee, a director and co-founder of Filmalaya Studios while her mother Krishna was a playback singer. Her brother is producer turned director Raja Mukherjee. Her maternal aunt is a National Award winning actress Debashree Roy. Actors Kajol, Tanisha and Mohnish Behl are her cousins.

She did her schooling in Maneckjee Cooper High School and graduation from Mithibai College in Mumbai. She also took an interest in Odissi.
Rani was rumoured to have dated her co-stars Govinda, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bacchan. More recently she is said to be going out with director Adithya Chopra, all of which remain unconfirmed.
Rani was one of the actresses who visited jawans with the NDTV team. She participated in HELP! Telethon Concert to raise money for tsunami victims and also the Temptations 2005 show in Delhi, which forwarded the funds raised to National Centre for Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). The prize money she won on Kaun Banega Crorepati was donated to the Holy Family Hospital which cares for children with heart problems.

Living Life Queen Size
Rani first faced the cameras when she was fourteen years old in a brief appearance in her father’s Bengali film Biyer Phool in 1992.
Her first full-fledged Bollywood film was Salim Akhtar’s Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat in 1996.
But the film did not do well. Rani returned back to Bollywood in 1998 with two hits Ghulam with Aamir Khan and as Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai opposite Shah Rukh Khan and cousin Kajol. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Tina. After the initial success, the films that released in the following two years were average performers. Her film with Kamal Haasan Hey Ram, was India’s entry to the Oscars. Badal did well on the commercial front and her performance in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
In 2001, she starred in films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke with Salman Khan and Preity Zinta which dealt with surrogate motherhood. She also appeared in a cameo in friend Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The year 2002 saw a reverse in her fortunes with hits like Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Saathiya. Her role as Dr.Suhani Sharma in the latter won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Of the films released in 2003, her performance in Chalte Chalte received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
All three films that starred Rani in 2004, did a good job at the box office. Her convincing portrayal of Sashi Biswas in Yuva won her another Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in Hum Tum with Saif Ali Khan which was based on When Harry Met Sally. Her role in Veer Zara as a Pakistani lawyer was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
2005 was again a big year for Rani as her releases like the critically acclaimed Black, the comedy Bunty Aur Babli, Paheli and The Rising hit the screens. Paheli with Shah Rukh Khan was India’s entry to the Oscars. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award for two of her roles the deaf-blind Michelle in Black and the notorious Vimmi alias Babli in Bunty Aur Babli. She finally won it for Black along with the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.
In 2006, she appeared in the multi-starrer Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna which revolved around extra-marital affairs. The film was a hit overseas. In 2007, she had some moderate hits like Saawariya and Laga Chunari Mein Daag. Her only release in 2008, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic failed to do well.

Deepika Padukone Biography

One look at this dimpled beauty and you know she was marked for fame and the world of glamour. And she hasn’t disappointed. From the daughter of a famous sportsperson to a supermodel, to an actress and now dating the dishy Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone has done it all with panache.

Growing up
Deepika arrived into the scene on 5th January 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the daughter of Ujwala and Prakash Padukone, who was the Badminton Champion. The sports genes runs in her family, for she herself played badminton at state level until 10th grade while her younger sister Anisha has taken to sports on a more professional level, with a strong interest in golf. She did her schooling in Sophia High School and her graduation from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.

The Model
Deepika Padukone has appeared in several print and television commercials like Liril, Limca and Close-up. She was the brand ambassador for Jewels of India, a jewelry exhibition and the face of Maybelline, an international brand. She also appeared in the 2006 Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.
She received recognition on the modeling scene by winning the Model of the Year title by the fifth Kingfisher Fashion Awards. The India Zee F Awards saw her walking away with not one but two prizes – Female Model of the Year (Commercial assignments) and Fresh Face of the Year.
She graced Himesh Reshamiyya’s video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from his album Aap Ka Suroor.

Silver Screen Calling
It was hardly any surprise when she stepped into films in 2006 with her debut Aishwarya, a Kannada movie directed by Indrajit Lankesh, opposite Upendra who is one of the leading stars in the Kannada film industry.
Bollywood was not far behind. Her debut Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om was opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She played a double-role, first as Shanthipriya a movie star and later as the bubble gum chewing star-struck Sandy. She walked away with the Filmfare Best Female Debut award and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.
She starred opposite with Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Hai Haseeno, which released in 2008.