For a long time I wanted to write a review of a Telugu Film but was not sure how it will be received, especially since there would be very few MSians who have knowledge of Tollywood. A little blue bird chirped in my ear and boosted my confidence. Sitting in front of my computer on this last day of 2002, I decided to write this review.
Indra , the movie, is set in the typical Rayalaseema background.
Rayalaseema 101 :
Rayalaseema is the rain shadow region of the Deccan Plateau and has a perennial water problem. The main occupation is agriculture and the residents of this region are militant – you have the right climate for factionism. Families are sworn enemies over generations and pride themselves on their ability to stand on their word – very similar to the Rajput clan - “baap ka diya hua vachan, beta nibhata hain”. Even the fairer sex take up arms and avenge their husbands death – and it is said that a women whose husband is killed will not assume widowhood till she herself kills her husband’s murderer - such is the spirit of all Seema (abbreviated form for Rayalaseema) residents.
The Plot:
The story is best related while introducing the cast. It involves two such families who have bad blood between them over three generations – one family is the aggressor and the second family is the peace keeper. When the sins committed by the aggressor go unchecked, the peace keeper roars like a lion, resorts to violence and bloodshed, gets rid of the villains and peace reigns in the Seema again.
The Cast:
Family # 1 (aggressor)
# Raza Murad as Veera Keshav Reddy. The violence begins with him. He gets jailed for killing some members of Family # 2 over a misunderstanding during his sisters’ marriage to a Family #2’s member. He has five sons and one daughter.
# Mukesh Rishi as Veera Shankar Reddy, the eldest son. He is hot-blooded. In a bizarre incident, he kills his own son.
# Aarti Agrawal as Sneha Latha Reddy, the only daughter. She falls in love with Indra, wants to marry him and through some misunderstanding, becomes his sworn enemy.
Family # 2 (peace keepers)
# Chiranjeevi (aka Chiru) as Indra Sena Reddy. A good natured person who sacrifices all his wealth for the good of the town and even is willing to leave the town, never to return back. He takes on a different identity as Shanker Narayana and ekes out a living as a tourist taxi driver in Varanasi. Circumstances force him to come back to Seema where he establishes himself again and clears the misunderstanding with Latha. The rest of his family is “mowed” over by Family # 1.
# Sonali Bendre as Pallavi. She is studying in Varanasi and falls for Chiru and wants to marry him. She gave an excellent performance as a fun loving college girl.
# Tanikella Bharani as Valmiki – he is the trusted servant of Chiru and gives a restrained performance.
# Brahmanadam is a famous comedian and his role is limited to his exploits on the banks of the river Ganga where he dupes pilgrims.
# Sunil is an upcoming comedian who stays back in Seema and solves the mystery of “whodunit” – that is the “mowing” of Chiru’s family.
# Sivaji as Giri is a trusted helper of Chiru in Varanasi and wishes to marry Chiru’s niece Nandini. He is a ’’fox in sheeps clothing’’ and turns out to be the nephew of Latha.
# Nephew of Chiru– he falls in love with Puneet Issar’s (Mahabharat’s Duryodhan) daughter – a muslim. This marriage establishes the friendship between Puneet and Chiru.
# Prakash Raj as Chenna Kesava Reddy – he was the collector in Seema and knows Chiru “up, close and personal”. He again bumps into Chiru (as Shankar) in Varanasi. His daughter is Sonali.
I guess all the loose ends are tied together at this stage.
Songs (Music: Mani Sharma and RP Patnaik)
There are 6 songs and each one is a gem:
# Bham Bham Bhole: The background is Varanasi and Chiru exploits his Bharat Natyam dancing skills.
# Radhe Govinda: A fun song between Chiru and Sonali.
# Day Day Dhamma: Shot in Switzerland between Chiru and Sonali – the hallmark is the veena steps, which are unique and is a popular dance movement in the local discos.
# Ghallu ghallu: A rain dance song – on the lines of Lagaan, only difference being it pours at the end of the song.
# Ayyo Ayyo: Chiru flirts with Aarti in this song sequence shot entirely in Switzerland.
# Ammadu Appachi: After Aarti’s misunderstanding is cleared, this is a dream sequence between her and Chiru when she is ready to accept him as her mate
The movie was released in July’2002 and directed by B.Gopal.
Personal Touch:
An entertaining movie – appeals to both the masses and the classes. All the three – Chiru , Sonali and Aarti have performed well and were backed by some powerful script.
Sometime the violence and the bloodshed got out of hand and were unnecessary.
Finally, Chiru lands up with both the heroines – Aarti and Sonali. Being a smart guy, he accepts both as his life partners – I do not blame him – I guess only in Tollywood this is tolerated. Ek phool do maali .
Wish all the readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2003