Telugu Movie review - Maro Charitra

Jeevi rating: 2/5
Punchline: Lacks Soul
Genre: Romance
Type: Remake (KB's Maro Charitra)
Banner: Matinee Entertainments

Cast: Varun Sandesh, Anita, Shraddha Das, Adarsh Bala Krishna, Prathap Pothan, Urvashi, Thalaivasal Vijay, Naresh, Kota, Venky, Venu

Music: Mickey J Meyer
Background score: SS Thaman
Cinematography: Ravi Yadav
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Dialogues: Anuradha
Story - screenplay: K Balachandar
Direction: Ravi Yadav
Producer: Dil Raju, Sirish & Laxman
Release date: 25 March 2010
Theater watched: Screen 2, Prasads Multiplex

Story

Balu (Varun Sandesh) is born and brought up in USA. Swapna (Anita) moves to USA because her father’s research on Telugu folk song is being encouraged by a university in USA. Balu and Anita are neighbours. Balu’s father (Pratap Pothan) is highly sophisticated and is extremely strict in nature. Anita’s mother (Urvashi) is highly rustic (Srikakulam accent) and narrow-minded. Balu and Anita fall in love, but parents oppose. Parents put a restriction that if these two lovers don’t meet/communicate for a year, then they can get married. Balu joins a job. His boss (Shraddha Das) is a tender woman who is coming out of depression due to a personal loss. Anita’s brother-in-law (Adarsh Bala Krishna) tries to create rift between Balu and Anita. Rest of the film is about how love prevails and lovers overcome all the obstacles.

Artists Performance

Varun Sandesh looks dashing as a NRI youngster. However he accent is highly artificial. I liked Varun Sandesh’s spontaneity in Happy Days and I expected the director to extract it more in this film. But the characterization of hero in this movie doesn’t gel well. Anita looks good in modern dresses that she wore in songs. But she is unappealing in traditional outfits. Director tried to extract creative expressions from her, but something is amiss due to unappetizing characterization.Shardaddha Das is endearing in a short role. She suits modern characters very well. Upcoming actor Adarsh Bala Krishna did the role of heroine’s bava. His sophisticated accent and looks are apt for this role. The character artists chosen for parents characters are from Tamilnadu. Though they have done well, it creates nativity problems in Telugu. That is the reason why the scenes involving Kota, Venky and Venu offer relief because their language is the only familiar language in the entire movie.Venky entertains with his Telangana accent (especially dinaamu... dialogue).Naresh played the role of a local cop. Though he has done well, his fake NRI accent doesn’t render credibility to his character.

Technical departments

Story - screenplay - direction: This is the remake of yesteryear’s classic Maro Charitra. Hence story and screenplay is borrowed from the old movie. Though Maro Charitra is a great film, it holds no relevance and freshness in the contemporary scenario. Old movie banks on the cultural differences between a couple (Tamil boy and Telugu girl). The director has modified it to a rustic girl and uber-cool boy. If Vizag beach was the backdrop of old film, Niagara Falls is the backdrop for the new movie. Debutant director Ravi Yadav fails to recreate the magic of old classic. He doesn’t have grip of narration. It is a love story and establishing romance between the lead pair should be impact making. But the director couldn’t get it right in the movie. The movie also shows director’s lack of understanding of Telugu language and local sensibilities. Since the movie is set in USA, the director should have cast Telugu character actors to get feeling of familiarity. By having Tamil actors (Pratap Pothan, Thalaivasal Vijay and Urvasi) doing the roles of lead pair’s parents, the movie becomes much unfamiliar. May be the producer wanted it to be dubbed in Tamil if this movie becomes a hit in Telugu. One scene that deserves appreciation is the one where lovers feel the presence but avoid making eye contact in Times Square, NY.

Other departments: Music by Mickey J Meyer is excellent. It is a big challenge to score fresh music for old lyrics and Mickey came up with fabulous job. Background score by Thaman is also good. Cinematography by Ravi Yadav is a huge asset to the movie. His top class cinematography is a treat to eyes. The locations chosen are excellent. All the songs are shot in exquisite locales. Probably no other Telugu movie in the past was shot in USA so beautifully. The Niagara falls, Las Vegas (we don’t care song), Times Square and Salt landscapes in Utah (Bhale Magadivoy song) are superbly mounted. Editing is ok. Dialogues by Anuradha have depth in them, but they appear verbose on the screen as the scenes are not conceived in an interesting manner. Matinee Entertainments and Dil Raju have spent a lot of money on quality of the movie and it shows on the screen.

Analysis: A film like old classic Maro Charitra becomes totally irrelevant in the presence scenario. We had seen many similar films with similar backdrops released after Maro Charitra. The conflict point and fun element in this movie has become clichéd by now. Hence, it poses a great challenge to the filmmakers to come up with an adaptation/remake. Director Ravi Yadav doesn’t do justice to the movie and the latest version lacks soul. Though the movie is technically brilliant (music, cinematography and production values), the wrong casting and unattractive narration lets the movie down. On a whole, Maro Charitra disappoints even if we don’t compare it with the classic.

Ram Gopal Varma Blogs Mr. Eyes

P.S: I am posting some pics of Surya in here from some scenes in “Rakta Charitra” to illustrate this point of mine.

I have always been asked this question regards to which actor surprised me the most that I have ever worked with and now I can say without a doubt that it is Surya. To elaborate on this answer I have to define first what the word ‘ACTOR’ means to me. Most people I know including both laymen and film industry people cannot differentiate between an Actor and a Character. A character is a sum result of various elements like the written role, the way the scene has been edited, the performances of the co-actors the progression of the screenplay with respect to that particular actor and of course what the actor himself brings to the table. But in this respect he is one of the many elements that contribute to the overall effect. The true test for a cinematic actor in front of a movie camera can only come in between action and cut. That’s because he has to draw an emotion on cue without the progression of the emotional content of the whole scene and the screenplay backing him up to as how it would be seen by the audience in the final cut.

Amitabh Bachchan has a holding power through his eyes which look outwardly as calm as a sea. But if you look closely enough they have the depth of an ocean. In contrast the feelings in Surya’s eyes are like a seething volcano erupting through a rough sea. In some close-ups in “Rakta Charitra” I felt that the intensity in his eyes would burn the camera. I find it difficult to understand what emotional depths and sensitivity Surya as a person could have experienced in life for him to be possessing so much within his eyes for him to be able to convey such tremendous intensity through his eyes. His eyes don’t just speak… they literally scream.

As a Director it’s my job to have certain visualization and understanding towards how a character I conceived should look like on the screen but it will be still theoretical no matter how much clarity I might have or how much I might prepare myself. The real effect of a character eventually will come only when the said actor performs in front of the camera.

A long time ago Cinematographer P.C.Sree Ram told me that there is no greater cinematic visual than an actor performing in a tight close up and he added that no grand sets or exotic locations can ever match up to the expressions of an actor. I completely endorse that and the best use of it I put for the first time in “Sarkar”. It was a study in close-ups where I was cutting from emotion to emotion rather than to have informative shots.

But with Surya in “Rakta Charitra” I had to reinvent my taking style to be able to do justice to what he brought out through his eyes in front of the camera. Agreed that the subject matter is volatile and the role he is playing is very complex but purely as an actor his understanding of the emotional nuances of the character simply blew me away.

They say that a man’s eyes are a window into his heart and his mind. In person when I interact with Surya regardless of his genuine warmth as a person the windows of his eyes remain closed but on the cue of mine as a Director when I call for “action” he opens those windows so wide and so correctly that you can peer into every nook and corner of his character’s emotional nakedness.

Purely for want of a better word to describe the effect I am feeling as a Director as I see his eyes through my camera, I want to call him Mr.Eyes.

Puli on 14 May

The re-recording of Pawan Kalyan’s Puli was started on 2 April. A couple of songs will be shot from 10 April. Producer Singanamala Ramesh is planning to release to the movie on 14 May. This movie features Nikeesha Patel as heroine. Manoj Bajmai, Charanraj, Nassar and Girish Karnad play other vital roles. Binod Pradhan handles cinematography and AR Rahman composes music. SJ Suryah (Kushi fame) directs it.

Chandramukhi 2 from 28 April

Venkatesh’s latest movie Chandramukhi 2 (remake of Kannada blockbuster Apta Rakshaka) will go to floors from 28 April. This movie features five heroines including Anushka. This period thriller is touted as sequel to Chandramukhi film. P Vasu who directed the Kannada version as well as Chandramukhi is going to direct it. Bellamkonda Suresh is the producer.

Kamalinee with Rajasekhar

Kamalinee Mukherjee will be paired up with Raja Sekhar for the first time in a movie that is going to be produced by Natti Kumar on Visakha Talkies banner. Jonnalagadda Srinivasa Rao directs it. This movie will go to floors on 5 April. Producer Natti Kumar is also planning a movie titled Bhairava IPS with Srihari as hero in the direction of Gulabi Seenu.

Style’s sequel is Dhanadhan

Lagadapati Sridhar is planning to do a sequel to his movie Style. This movie is titled as Dhanadhan. It is going to be music and dance based movie. Other details are awaited.

Siri Mallepuvvu Muhurat

Yet another new film titled ‘Siri Malle Puvvu’ under Bharat Parepalli’s direction was launched on Thursday morning. To be produced by Neelam Shankar, the film features Nitish, Keerti, Nagasri, Jyothy and Rashmi in central roles.

The muhurat shot was inaugurated by the Congress leader G Venkata Swamy by tapping the clap board. State Minister Sudharshan Reddy switched on the camera and Sagar directed the first shot.

The director informed that ‘Siri Malle Puvvu’ is a remake of Kannada super hit film ‘Moggina Manasu’ that also won five FilmFare awards. The story is on college backdrop. Kota Srinivasa Rao and Ali will be seen in supporting roles.

Haasini Audio Release

‘Haasini’ starring Kamalakaa Reddy (producer of Haasini) and Sandhya (Premisthe fame) under B V Ramana Reddy’s direction and Boochepalli Venkayamma’s presentation had its audio released on Rock Gardens in Hyderabad on March 30th. While the chief guest wasY S Jagan, other prominent guests were Dr Srihari, Nithin, Ramesh Prasad, Kamalakar Reddy, Sandhya, Sivaprasad Reddy, Samudra, Sagar, Subba Reddy, B Venkayamma, Parachuri Gopalakrishna, V N Aditya, Ragini, Hema, Jyothi, etc.

Audio CD was launched by Y S Jagan and the first copy of it was received by Nithin. Likewise the audio cassettes were released by Dr Srihari and the first copy of it was received by Ramesh Prasad.

Later addressing the gathering Y S Jagan said, “This is first film function that I attended in my life. On the request of hero’s brother Siva Prasad Reddy I came for this function. My wishes to all unit members of this film and I wish a grand success for this film.”

Director B V Ramana Reddy while speaking, “I am very happy to see Y S Jagan’s presence for this audio function. Koti’s music is a big asset. Heroine Sandhya is a very talented actress.

Parachuri Gopalakrishna said, “Subba Reddy who is simple by nature had chosen politics for one son and cinema for other. Director Ramana Redy is a good comedy actor. He had directed ‘Mother India’ and ‘Prema Panjaram’ in the past and I hope ‘Haasini’ will bring him a big success.”

Producer Buchepalli Subbareddy said, “While we produced social oriented films like ‘Abhi’ and ‘Sunny’ in the past, quite contrast to that now we are bringing ‘Haasini’ as a full fledged entertainer. Koti provided an excellent music and the director shaped up the film in an outstanding way.”

“Haasini is my grand daughter’s name. That is why we have given the title as ‘Haasini’ to this film”, said Buchepalli Venkayamma.

According to hero Kamalakar, ‘Haasini’ is a complete entertainer and would make the audience spill laughs in theaters.

Pappu in dubbing

'Pappu’ featuring Krishnudu, Subba Raju and Deepika in central roles has completed his shooting part. Right now the unit is busy in dubbing and the film is slated to hit theaters in mid of May. Directed by Pawan Pasuparthi ‘Pappu’ is being produced by Praveen Reddy Nalla and Nagesh Yada under Arya Entertainments banner.

‘Pappu’ is a family entertainer blend with comedy and the story mainly revolves around the heroine’s role. Shooting has been done in Hyderabad and Araku locations.

One of the producers Nagesh Yada informed that they got the idea of making this film during the time of ‘Ashta Chemma’ making. Thereafter they worked hard to prepare this script.

K Rajendra handles the camera while Phani Kalyan is the music director.

Nuvvekkadunte….in final shooting

Uday Kiran-Swetha Basu Prasad’s ‘Nuvvekkadunte Nenakkadunta’ is taking shape under the direction of Subha Selvam. The film’s shooting has reached the final stage. This is a romantic flick with heart touching story blend with soft emotions. D Kumar and Eeswar Vara Prasad are jointly producing it under U K Avenues banner and releasing it during summer.