I’m not a social media expert and I don’t think I completely understand the full potential of the medium. But I’m totally in love with the possibilities on Twitter. The other day, I found out that Navdeep, a Telugu film actor, has a die hard fan in Russia. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have understood how this is even possible, but then we live in a digital world where a geographical boundary has lost its meaning. Unlike Facebook, where you still get to decide whom you want to be friends with, Twitter is like a party where the whole world is invited. No cover charges. You walk in…get drunk…make friends…interact…say shit about others…turn philosophical and repeat the process the next day and so on.

So what does it take to become popular on Twitter? Unless of course, you are an SRK, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and other such big stars, it does take a bit of an effort to connect with people on Twitter. Here are few things I have learnt over the years on what it takes to become an online celebrity, especially if you are a celebrity (read as an actor) in real life :

1. Respect the medium

Twitter is not a ticketing platform. There’s no concrete proof that the frequency of your tweets, closer to the release of your film and the subsequent retweets, will increase the sale of tickets at box-office. People will watch a film, even if it doesn’t become a trending topic; however, it’s a big bonus if it does become a trending topic in the first couple of days. It’s good to inform your legion of fans and followers that your film is going to release soon and Tweet/retweet some of the interviews you might have given prior to a film’s release. Retweeting every tweet which has the name of your film or you is a big no-no and so is spamming.

2. Continue the act

The moment you join Twitter, with the intention of expressing your opinion, you are making yourself vulnerable. A lot of people are starstruck, but there’s a huge chunk of people on Twitter who have no interest in movies and all these people are going to judge you based on what you tweet. Now, you have two options here – immerse yourself or continue the act. Be one among us and immerse yourself in the so called silly conversations, which don’t really make sense. On the other hand, you can try to adopt the strategy which Prakash Raj has in Ongole Githa. Be the good guy. Always. No matter how much people try to provoke you or criticize you. Remember, you (as an individual) is more important to people than what you do onscreen.

3. Interact

Your debut film is about to release in few days and there are few who have already begun talking about it…so what do you do after they come across your profile? Of course, you have to interact with people and give them a reason to like you. This doesn’t mean they’ll watch the film, but once you make an impression, the word spreads around and more people start taking interest in you and your work. All it takes is a reply.

4. What to Tweet?

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you or (rarely) in your favour in future. In the last couple of years, tweets have become a major source of information to write news and it’s a gold mine for film journalists. Every tweet of yours has potential to become news, but it also means that if you goof up, it becomes breaking news. I hate the fact that some people don’t have the basic decency when it comes to interacting with people. No matter how much people try to provoke you, there’s no reason to go ballistic and start abusing either directly or indirectly. It just doesn’t look good. Ever. You being an actor doesn’t limit your options of what to tweet. It’s great if you have other interests ranging from sports to politics. No one is going to judge you for not tweeting incessantly about your films, but don’t succumb to pressure from people to tweet updates about your films, if you are under an obligation to not reveal anything. All said and done…just don’t fuck up.

5. Don’t be a douchebag

Being politically correct is a common trait among most of us, but Twitter is not the place to suck up to others. People are always looking for a chance to read between the lines and the moment you praise something, like a movie, which most others have hated, you can be assured that you’ll be hunted, taunted and criticized. Being under public glare constantly does take a toll but whatever happens, please understand that you cannot control people’s minds. No one’s paying to read your tweets and it’s a free-for-all party. Picking up fights or taking a dig at others which in turn would enrage others is akin to suicide. Unless you are someone whom people will not take seriously no matter what you tweet, watch what are tweeting. Don’t be a douchebag. Give people ample reasons to like you, even if your film bombs miserably at box office.

6. There are no rules

The most important rule of Twitter is that there are no rules. You can bend them, twist them or even break them, but no one controls anything. There’s no specific route to being an instant celebrity on Twitter. Things have to fall in place, the word has to spread and it’ll  happen constantly without your knowledge. It takes time, sometimes a lot of time, to climb up the ladder.

Don’t fuck up. People are always watching you, whether you like it or not.

Recently, a friend of mine brought up an important topic – Why is that we don’t remember much about films which we have just seen? Have they become so superficial that you stop taking them seriously? He has a point. When was the last time a film made you think over and over again? What was the last film which you would want to remember for a really long time?

Would it be blasphemy to say that contemporary Telugu cinema has ceased to inspire us? Even the cinephiles who once made it a point to remember minute aspects of Telugu films seem to be giving up hope. Why do we still talk about films made in the 70s and 80s when we think about ‘classics’ in Telugu cinema? When was the last time you looked at a film and thought – ‘this is the defining moment of our generation?’ Questions like these continue to remain unanswered.

The early 90s was the beginning of the kind of cinema which is prevelant today. Telugu filmmakers who once drew inspiration from literature and the changes which the society was undergoing looked elsewhere. The moment stories stopped from being rooted in reality, we began making films which were larger than life. There’s no denying that several directors have made films which entertained us at large, but were there films which changed the course of how films would be made subsequently? People often quote RGV as one of the greatest influence on contemporary Telugu cinema. The year was 1989. Shiva changed everything. True indeed. By the mid 90s, we had gotten used to rib tickling comedies from the stable of EVV Satyanarayana and towards the end of the millenium, the rise of B Gopal who popularized the concept of factionism in Telugu cinema was another trend which ruled the industry till 2004.

In the early stages of last decade, we saw new age actors like Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, NTR, Prabhas, Siddharth, Ravi Teja and Allu Arjun take centre stage. Later on we had the likes of Ram Charan, Ram and Allari Naresh who rose to fame in their own domains. Recount all the films which they have acted in and make a list of films which would be talking about 20 years down the line. What do you think the list is going to look like?

Films, like memories, continue to simmer within our psyche and only a chosen few keep flashing in our minds every now and then. Why do we keep talking about Mayabazar or Shankarabharanam even today? What made them so different from the kind of films being made these days? One convincing argument would be that you cannot guage the real impact at the time of its release. You have to let your memory soak the gravity of the situation before attributing a film the status of a ‘classic’. Fair enough. So, are there any contemporary films which you think would be considered as classics 30-40 years down the line?

Our obsession with a film’s box office potential has shrouded almost every other discussion that a film warrants. The bad blood between different sections of the audience right at the time of release is yet another unfortunate trend which has become all the more vicious these days. Like Brahmi says (in Adhurs) – “Charithradhemundhi ra …chimpesthe chirigipothundhi”, does it even matter whether a film is a hit or a flop at box office? The only one who should be really bothered about that is the filmmaker/producer because it’s his/her money at stake. It’s important that we discuss about cinema rather than analysing its potential at box office, but I presume there’s still sometime before we see that trend catch up in Telugu. What’s even more bizarre is that opinions are almost never weighed against reason. It’s okay to like or not like a film and you have the right to defend your opinion, but does this process really have to be so repulsive that you are made to believe that it’s better to keep quiet rather than make your point heard?

2012 was a great year for Telugu cinema. We have had as many as 12 hits, which is a record in recent years. Yet, when you try to recount what you have witnessed in the theatres, the number is likely to fall below 5. We are bombarded with so much information that it’s not possible to remember everything that has happened over the past few weeks, leave along months. As we continue to struggle to retain that special feeling we felt after watching a truly great film, there comes a point where you question the longevity of the kinds of stories filmmakers choose these days. Almost every big budget film is a mass entertainer with a good dose of comedy and sentiment. You have your share of fun for those 3 hours and it stays in your mind for a week or maybe a month. What happens after that? The memory gathers dust, just like the CDs in your shelf and unless you have a razor sharp memory, it’s difficult to conjure that memory.

2013 began on an extremely positive note for Telugu cinema. Perhaps, this is the moment where we question how we perceive cinema. Should it be a fast food which you would rather not think about a week later? Or do you expect films to withstand the test of time and challenge the boundaries of your psyche? No one knows how the future is going to unfold and what changes will Telugu cinema witness in the next few years. The least we can do is talk about it because, quite frankly, films are such an important part of our identity and region. For now, it’s grappling with the paradox of existence. Or maybe that’s the way I see it.

It’s been a week since I saw Thanikella Bharani’s Midhunam and I still cannot completely fathom the beauty of this tale. It’s a love story of a couple who are past their prime and spend every day doing the same things over and over again. There’s something surprisingly pleasant about the story and yet, you cannot overcome the gut feeling that it will not have a happy ending after all. But why did it strike me as a precursor to the inevitability of my own life? That feeling, frankly, is what makes the film so endearing and captivating.

Appadasu (SP Balu) and Buchi Lakshmi (Lakshmi) live in a remote village in an isolated house. They have no visitors and Appadasu shoos away anyone who tries to get a sneakpeek into their lives. Their only connection with the outside world is a letter box and a telephone. Appadasu receives letter at regular intervals and once in a while his children and grand children call him from US, a routine which he hates. He screams at his kids for disturbing his sleep and even when he has speak to them, he sounds dissatisfied. However, Buchi is the extreme opposite of Appadasu. You can see her longing to meet her kids and grand children. Her face lights up when she hears that her grand children will talk to her in Telugu, but soon she’s dejected that she’ll have to wait a little longer. She wants to visit them at least once, but Appadasu doesn’t seem to be interested at all. In the meantime, they find solace in each other’s company and the duo have their share of quirks and quarrels. For instance, Appadasu’s love for food and coffee, interest in gardening and recounting memories of their youth while Buchi’s candid revelations that she had got a different alliance before she married Appadasu form a major part of the story. It’s moments like this which are peppered all over the film that made the plot so charming.

I wouldn’t refrain myself from claiming that Midhunam is one of the most beautiful Telugu films I have seen in a long time. It’s like a page straight out of our parents’ lives. You may not understand the subtelty of the story, but it won’t be too long before you go through a similar routine in your life. I have always been intrigued by what do my parents talk about when they are alone. Midhunam throws a glimpse on what it’s like to be with your soul mate. No one’s life is perfect, yet when you are with someone you care about and love, you’ll forget the fact that your life isn’t perfect. That’s the lesson I am going to take back from this film. Quite frankly, it’s not a film I would relate to because I have no idea what it feels like to be in the shoes of Appadasu, but then, I’m sure I’ll figure it out 40 years from now. Maybe the film will mean a lot more to me at that point of time.

In a way, the film reminded me briefly of Michael Haneke’s Amour. The plots of these two films has no connection whatsoever; however, I couldn’t get over the portrayal of how people fall in love with each other as they grow old. How do you express love to someone you have known throughout your life? In Amour, Georges takes care of his ailing wife Anne and he makes sure that he’s always there for her, although she has no clue what’s happening around her. There’s absolutely nothing else that he would think of doing if Anne weren’t around him. In Midhunam, whose tone is completely different to Amour, we see a couple celebrating life day after day. Buchi keeps cribbing that Appadasu is over indulgent with his hobbies, yet she wouldn’t stop him from enjoying his freedom. Appadasu, on the other hand, is so completely in love with Buchi that he expresses it in the most subtlest of ways. While Amour made me think twice about the prospect of growing old, Midhunam left me with a tinge of hope that age doesn’t really matter if you have someone who can make you smile, laugh or cry all your life.

Thanikella Bharani has done a commendable job in weaving this story and taking us into the lives of a couple. Nothing much really happens in the film, but the conversations between Appadasu and Buchi are so well written that you expect it stretch a little more, every single time. There’s only one subplot I didn’t quite understand. Why doesn’t Buchi confront Appadasu after learning that he has been helping her friend? It certainly wouldn’t have changed the course of the story, yet this omission of a primary subplot in the film came as a brief jerk in an otherwise beautifully written script.

A lot has been written about how well S P Balasubramaniam and Lakshmi have performed in the film. They reminded me of my parents and grand parents. Is there anything else one would have expected them to do in the film? I doubt it. Maybe my parents can answer that question. Because it’s their story. I still have a long way to go

I doubt if the film is going to run longer in theatres, but don’t miss the film. I can’t tell you all the reasons why you should watch the film, but I don’t think there’s a reason why you should skip this film, if you get a chance. A simple, charming film which celebrates life. One moment at a time. It really is ‘Adhbutha ha’, if you can understand the subtext.

Check out the sneak peek of Midhunam -

It’s been over 18 years since that incident happened, in a town named Pochampalli, which is now almost a part of Hyderabad. My interest in cinema has grown by leaps and bounds, but the most noticeable change I see is how I react after watching a film. Quite rarely do I not let myself into the subject of the film and as a result of this process, it takes a huge toll on my mind. Most of times, I end up being confused and curse myself for subjecting through the torture, but every now and then, I come across films which leave me spellbound or evoke a memory which I had long forgotten. Here are five such films I saw in 2012 and this is what I did after watching each one of them :

Eega

One of the advantages of being a fanboy is that you forget about everything that happens around you while you watch a film. S S Rajamouli’s Eega was a terrific experience. I couldn’t believe that I was cheering for a fly. A FLY, of all the animals and insects I could think of. I have had the privilege to meet Rajamouli few times after watching the film, but I didn’t know what to ask him about the film, except HOW DID HE MANAGE TO DO THAT? It’s extremely difficult to be objective and put yourself in a third person’s shoes and analyze a film which you have immensely liked. After a long time, I felt proud that a film like Eega was made in Telugu film industry and I wrote this blog about Eega. Lets face it, we are not particularly known for our creativity and after watching more than 50-60 films in Telugu alone, every year, a film like Eega feels like a dose of LSD. Eega is one of the best Telugu films in a long long long time. Period. Dot.

Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu

I am a huge admirer of Gautham Menon’s work. Right from his first film Cheli to his latest Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu, my fascination for the characters he creates has grown consistently. Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu was indeed a far more restrained film compared to his previous film Yem Maya Chesave. Yet, I couldn’t myself from writing this letter to Gautham Menon, where I had to express my anguish for making me feel quite miserable. I thought I had moved on from a lot of things and this film dug so deep into my past that I could see flashes of my own life passing by. Maybe, that’s one reason why I connect with his films, especially the love stories, so much.

English Vinglish

Sridevi made a dazzling comeback with English Vinglish. It was a simple film about a woman overcoming several issues, one of which is her inability to speak in English, before she manages to command the respect of her entire family. English Vinglish is one my favourite films of the year and I had tears in my eyes when Sridevi delivers that final speech at the wedding. She reminded me of my mother, who at one point of time had enrolled in spoken English classes. I don’t think I have ever made fun of her for not speaking in English, but I was disturbed by the thought that I had hurt her several times in the past few years. A day after I saw the film, I called up and apologized for a lot of things. Not surprisingly, she was stunned and couldn’t believe that a film had made me do that. I still owe her an apology

Dark Knight Rises

I have rarely followed a contemporary Hollywood filmmaker’s trajectory as much as I did for Christopher Nolan. He’s easily among the finest talents in the world today and with each film he makes my respect for his style of filmmaking keeps growing. Honestly, I haven’t read comic books of any superhero and despite watching films featuring Spiderman, Superman and few other superheroes, I have never taken them seriously. And then I saw Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. I couldn’t help but notice the moral conflict which this superhero goes through. For me, Batman is one of the superheroes ever created and in the hands of Nolan, this trilogy reached great standards. The day I saw Dark Knight Rises, even thought it wasn’t as overwhelming as The Dark Knight, I knew that it was the end of an era. Christopher Nolan doesn’t seem to be interested in making yet another Batman film and I don’t know what the studios will do with this franchise. During the run up to the release of Dark Knight Rises, I read scores of interviews about several things related to the film and I kept reading and I kept reading. About Batman. About Nolan. About his life. About his vision…..

The Hunt

Thomas Vinterberg’s astonishingly bone chilling film, The Hunt starring Mads Mikkelsen was one of the 26 films I had seen at the Mumbai Film Festival in October, 2012. The film is about a man who’s wrongly accused of sexual abuse by a child and how he becomes the victim of mass hysteria across the town he lives in. It’s almost impossible to not feel empathy for this innocent man who faces humiliation every moment of his life after the accusation shatters his life. The story may have been a work of fiction, but it’s entirely plausible and that is perhaps how a lot of us would react in real lives. Such deep insight into human psychology and how we don’t want to know the facts before being judgmental was terrifying to say the least. Mads Mikkelsen is so good in this film that he deserves a lot more than just awards. A must watch. The Hunt is one of the films which got me interested in Danish cinema and I think I’ll explore a lot more films being made in that part of the world. And yes, it’s one of the few films which I have rated 5/5. (you can read the review here)

I spend nearly 10-12 hours a day on the internet, which is pretty much the amount of time I spend to write, read and talk to friends who are in different parts of the world. Going by the normal standards, that’s a lot of time and it does seem like I am wasting way too much time doing frivolous things. I cannot deny that I have been spending a lot of time browsing scores of websites everyday, but then it’s an investment I have been making for quite sometime now. The obvious question to that statement would be – does it really matter what you read, write or share on the internet? Of course, it does. But to understand the psyche of an internet addict, it’s important to understand the routine.

Morning : 10 AM – Logon to – Gmail, Facebook, Twitter (These tabs are always opens as long as I am online)
10:15 AM – Open every possible website which is directly related to your work. Tweet
Since I write about Telugu cinema, it’s imperative that I keep an eye on what my colleagues in the industry have been writing about. So, I end up, browsing through every possible website and E-papers which I trust will have fresh content everyday.
10:30 AM – Go through the tweets of Telugu film celebrities, which is another major source of information for film journalists. Tweet/Retweet
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Complete that day’s assignments, which could be anything ranging from an interview, feature or regular news.
3:00 PM – Open every possible link which is directly related to your work/Refresh the Tweets. Tweet
4:00 PM – Make appointments for interviews, if necessary
4:30 PM – Read news from trusted sources about what’s happening in other South Indian film industries and Bollywood. Tweet
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Go through IMDB.com, Hollywoodreporter.com, Totalfilm.com, empireonline.com and other websites/magazines. Tweet
10:00 PM – LOGOUT
11:30 PM – Watch a Film/TV show. Tweet
2:00 AM – Sleep

This is pretty much a routine which I follow every other day and once you get used to it, I don’t think it seems that daunting at all.  One of the most important things which a lot of people, who spend way too much time on the internet, do is indulge in conversations with others. The stakeholders could be anyone and all along, you are learning a bit from them and they from you. Sometimes, it’s pointless as is the case on most of the days, but every now and then, you come across some really really smart people on the internet.

Pro Tip – If you are in the mood for trolling or abusing someone who you disagree with, no one is going to stop you. But then you’ll be judged. At least have the common sense to not leave any traces behind about your life. Not that someone is going to come hunting for you offline, but it leaves a bad impression on what kind of a person you are, if you have put you own name and a face to your profile.

Quite often, I come across people who get irriated by these random conversations I have with my friends. And most of them have the same question, “Can’t you guys talk on the phone or have a private conversation atleast?” Well, they do have a point. But tweeting, if you are an addict, is an impulsive reaction. If only you have the patience to share an opinion and elucidate your point of view, you’ll be writing elaborate blogs.

Being an internet addict does have its share of psychological issues. While you are wading through the sea of information, it does get a little overwhelming. On few occasions, you tend to develop a fatigue over internet addiction. Sometimes, there’s even a sense of isolation, especially when you can’t find people whom you often talk to on the internet. That’s a clear sign to take a break from what you have you been doing. In other words, “Go, get a life” as ‘normal’ people always advice you to. But then, life can be so boring most of the times, if you don’t have the urge to be like almost everyone else you see around. Once you master the game on the internet, you can control nearly everything. Yes, it’s a game which you can’t or rather, don’t want to quit. The player who can bat the longest becomes wiser about what to and what not to say or do on the internet.

As we move beyond Web 2.0, the dynamics of how these conversations happen have already begun changing rapidly. It’s ironic that the web has brought so many of us closer while alienating so many people and things which were once dear to us. But then, time is a precious commidity. By the time you get to analyzing why you have been doing what you have been doing, you are back on your daily routine. That’s precisely what being an internet addict feels like. That adrenaline rush to learn, write, read, talk. Even if it’s with Siri. Learn. That’s all I do.

P.S : On that note, here’s my recent column about what’s it like to work on a New Year’s Eve @ http://bit.ly/Rg9HIk )

By,

Hemanth

(You can follow me on Twitter @generic viagra online buy cialis online generic viagra online buy cialis online crhemanth)

Few years ago, I went through a similar feeling after I read Gabriel García Márquez’s novel ‘Love In the Time of Cholera’. The novel was so charming that I wished I had been part of the story. Great works of art especially literature and cinema have had this impact, but I was puzzled that your film, about a boy and a girl who fall in and out of love, not once but thrice, had a similar effect on me. I do not know whether it was the way you projected the characters – Varun and Nithya, in such a manner or whether my mind had already transported itself into my past while watching the film. I can’t find a reason why I absolutely fell in love with your film, despite its depressingly slow pace, but I do know for sure that you are way ahead of your contemporaries when it comes to making romantic films.

There was a scene in your film where Varun sees Nithya dancing on stage and for a moment it felt like time had frozen when I saw the expression in his eyes. That reminded me of what I had felt nine years ago when I saw someone walk into a class I was attending in college. Although my life differs a lot from the lives of Varun and Nithya, but I could relate so much to the little moments of joy which they share right through their school and college days. Few years later, I met someone else. I thought I had moved on from the joy that I had once experienced. But then, love is so transient and in that state we all try to find happiness. I still can’t decipher or explain what I feel when I am in that state of joy and I was stunned to find that you had captured that precise feeling in your film, especially the scene where Varun has a tinge of smile when Nithya proposes to him. At that moment, nothing else mattered.

Last year, while I was watching Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, I got hooked on to this conversation between Gil Pender and Ernest Hemmingway, where the latter talks about love and death.

“Ernest Hemmingway : I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave… It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds… until it returns, as it does, to all men… and then you must make really good love again.”

I reckon that your film has got nothing to do with this quote, but in a way, the joy of watching a film like this made me forget everything else and just live in that moment. The plot was woven so well that I can’t pick out a scene and suggest that it was irrelevant. But the most amazing aspect of your film, which got me thinking, was the conversations between Nithya and Varun. Yes, they are madly in love and every single time they meet, after a gap, they are carrying an emotional baggage of their past. There’s so much to be said, yet words elude them when they meet. They forget about what had happened and crave to be with each other. If this isn’t love, then I don’t know what is. And then I got restless to confess a lot to someone I adore, but words continue to elude me. Like always.

As I continue to relentlessly pursue the state of happiness, watching your film was like floating in the ocean where every wave is a reminder of our existence. That someone somewhere is thinking about you. That it’s perhaps destiny that our lives are meant to be intertwined in mysterious ways. And I can’t help but thank you for rekindling this emotion in me. Whether I succeed or not is another debate, but the most important thing was that your film had put a smile on my face. Something which hasn’t happened in a long time. And I hate you for that. I hate you for the fact that you make life seem so abnormally beautiful that it makes me delve deep into my memories to relive the past. The moment this feeling of nostlagia pervades through my mind, I know that I have watched a film which has and will remain a part of my memory. That’s a good place to be, because that’s what has shaped my thoughts over the years. Thank you for the film and I hate you that you made me feel so restless, miserable and empty. Thank You once again and I hate you….

Yours truly,
Hemanth

There’s something strange about the whole point of humanizing God. Trivikram Srinivas tried to do just that in Khaaleja and now Krish has dabbled with a similar theme in his latest film Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum. While Khaaleja was about a man turning into a messaih to save a village, Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum is about a man putting justice before revenge and realizing that in our mythology every time someone helped others, he was called a God. The underlying message between these two films isn’t different as they profess the idea that when the right time comes, man will come to terms with his destiny. But the difference lies in their journey and that’s where Krish chooses to take a different route. So what’s the strange part about humanizing God? I believe it’s got something to do with our reluctance to define what makes someone God, especially when he or she doesn’t have any super powers. Somehow, we can’t digest the ideology that maybe ‘God’ could have been an idea rather than someone with a form.

Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (KVJ) takes off on an interesting note as a documentary filmmaker Devika (Nayanthara) tries to investigate the actual reason behind the displacement of scores of tribals. They tell her about the illegal mining which is rife around Bellary and how their forest was burnt down. Reddappa, the man behind all these atrocities, is a man with immense power. Elsewhere, B Tech Babu (Rana Daggubati), is vexed with his life. He doesn’t want to be a stage artist for the rest of his life and without informing his family he applies for a college in US. When his grandfather dies, he heads to Bellary, the native place of his grandfather to immerse the ashes in the river, and perform one last play as per his grandfather’s last wish. There he comes face to face with Reddappa and also comes to know about his past and the truth about his parents, which had been kept a secret for a long time.

These two parallel stories in the film form an interesting subtext and as they intertwine, we begin to see how Babu’s perception of the world around him changes gradually. He wants to stay away from trouble when it effects others, but will fight back when his own family member is in trouble. At one point of time, Devika calls him selfish because he doesn’t care about what’s happening around him. So what brings about a big change in his outlook? It’s the realization that, like all the tribals in the forest, he too has suffered a personal loss. While he wants to take revenge, he realizes that fighting injustice is far more important than his personal ambition. This is exactly why the choice he makes towards the end of the film, about whom to kill, is so important. For a split second, he sees flashes of his own past and how the tribals around him have been affected. At that point of time, he decides to fight for justice rather than take revenge.

Leave aside all the action sequences, you’ll see that Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum is essentially about people coming to terms with their identity and protecting their roots. Why is Babu so reluctant to be an actor when everyone else in their family has been just that for generations? Why do the elders in the tribal village refuse to move to the city when the younger ones urge them to move out? Why does Mattiraju have an inexplicable adoration for the soil? Towards the end of the film, why does Babu change his heart and decide to enact the play Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum which his grandfather had written? There’s one dialogue in the film, which an old man says in the forest, “When we didn’t have independence, we fought for it. It’s a different issue that even today we don’t have independence. That’s what youngsters today don’t understand. You fly away to places where you can find independence whereas we believe in collective harmony of the people and place we grew up in. That’s why we’ll never leave the forest.” That puts a lot of things into perspective.

A lot has been written about Rana’s performance in the film and it’s needless to say he dazzles with his impeccable diction and Krish makes good use of Rana’s physique. I felt that they went overboard with the stunts. Perhaps, an action sequence or two less would have sufficed, but then it was a creative choice which Krish and his team made. Same goes for couple of the songs as well which hamper the narration. Now the big question a lot of people have been asking is, could this film be any better? Maybe it could have been. Despite all the ideals which Devika professes, she doesn’t have much to do to actually make an impact on the story, except for that one dialogue about the difference between an animal and a man, which gets Babu thinking. For that matter, even Reddappa’s characterization could have been stronger. We agree that he is a mining baron who can’t think of anything beyond protecting his business interests, but we don’t get to see much about what he’s from the inside. He’s the personification of evil in the larger scheme of things, but even that element of ‘greed’ isn’t so obvious in the film. There are numerous other characters in the film which elongates the proceedings in the film.

Mani Sharma’s background score takes the film to a whole new level, especially in the climax. It stirs up so many emotions and perfectly compliments S P Balasubraniam’s rendition of Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum’s title track. V S Ganansekhar’s cinematography is top notch as well. The earthy colours and lighting throughout the film is a revelation. Sai Madhav Burra’s dialogues are brilliant and if you listen carefully, there are quite a few dialogues throughout the film where the dialogues are far more profound than what they seem to be. In the end, the film truly belongs to Krish. He moves away from the kind of films in the recent past and it would be unfair to compare how his style has changed in KVJ compared to what he had done in Vedam or Gamyam. Besides, would it fair to expect a director to stick to the kind of films he has been making in the past? I thought Krish did a good job in blending the stories of Babu and the tribals who were displaced after illegal mining. There’s an equilibrium in the story. Cause and effect. Revenge and justice. Life and death.

Sometimes, films are exactly what you expect to be and it’s up to you to choose what sort of experience you want to have while watching a film. It’s completely plausible that you would absolutely hate what’s happening onscreen, especially when you know that the film has the essential ingredients of becoming a great film. I have realized that it’s possible to switch off your brain from paying attention to what’s happening on screen and imagine what it could have been. At that point, you are no longer a viewer and you don the cap of a director who’s out to make the perfect version of what you are watching. In the end, the question is – What version of the film were we watching in your mind?

Pawan Kalyan plays Rambabu, a mechanic who reacts to news in his own way. Every time he comes across a news article about injustice he goes to the area and the house where it has happened to set things right. One night he tries to stop a fight between students who hail from two different castes. He asks them the reason behind why they are fighting and the media suddenly becomes interested in what he has to say. Elsewhere, the leader of the opposition party is angry that Rambabu has spoiled his scheme to ignite a furore in the state. Ganga (Tamannaah) is a daredevil reporter who believes she’s no less than a man when it comes to doing her job. She convinces Rambabu to join her news channel and they embark on a long journey which brings Rambabu face to face with Rana Naidu (Prakash Raj). Rana Naidu is the son of head of the opposition party and he wants to dethrone the current Chief Minister by hook or crook. The tussle between Rambabu and Rana Naidu forms a major part of the conflict in the film before it leads to an explosive climax.

I believe that making political dramas, especially in Telugu, is like treading a double edged sword. You can never stay faithful to the actual story and the director’s penchant to ‘entertain’ the audience does more harm than good to the film. For instance, take that scene where a honest reporter is killed in the beginning of the film. Rambabu and Ganga find out about his death and immediately Rambabu heads to the guest house where Rana is staying and drags him to the police station. Two minutes later, the action cuts to the romance between Rambabu and Ganga and five minutes later, they are back in the newsroom where Rana Naidu’s father, played by Kota Srinivasa Rao, threatens Rambabu and gang of dire consequences. Out of the blue, his left hand is paralyzed and going by how the contours of his face change, one would tend to believe that he has lost his ability to talk as well. But no, he recovers miraculosly, although with the left hand still dangling to give an impression that he’s paralyzed for the rest of his life. This lack of continuity of emotional integrity in the film is perhaps one of the major issues I had with the film. Nothing really takes off to get you hooked on to the proceedings on the screen and even if they do, the emotion crashes almost instantly.

Rambabu’s characterization is interesting in the beginning. He doesn’t give a damn about what would happen to him, but why is everyone in the film including the media, minister and chief minister so overwhelmed in his presence? Is it the classic case of a star’s image overpowering the character he’s playing? Right when Rambabu joins the newschannel, he tells his boss that he wouldn’t think twice before slapping someone if he feels that they are not doing the right thing. And his boss agrees to all his conditions. It’s implied that this is necessary to keep Rambabu with the channel. It’s never clear why Rambabu pursues only Rana Naidu. Initially, he’s portrayed as someone who can’t take injustice in the society. What stops him from doing that even after he turns a reporter? After all, one would expect him to question the society and therefore the current government led by an honest chief minister. But no. He embarks on a single point agenda that he has to stop Rana Naidu from becoming the next chief minister. Yes, Rana Naidu is a bad guy in the story, but in the larger scheme of things, he’s just a miniscule part. So why does Rambabu not utilize his seemingly overwhelming influence in the media and society? If it was the intention of Puri Jagannadh, the director of the film, to project Pawan Kalyan as a common man who rose to wield unimaginable power in the state, chasing one person feels like he has done gross injustice to the opportunity which this story provides. As surprising as it may sound, the story of this film makes sense if one were to see it from Rana Naidu’s point of view. But even he feels overwhelmed in the presence of Rambabu.

The conversations between Rambabu and Ganga are quite entertaining, although it’s extremely to find traces of romance. This film is a big improvement in terms of how Tamannaah has been choosing her characters. She does have her space and a tomboy who yearns for Rambabu’s love, she’s quite good in her role. Yes, she’s loud at times and some of the scenes, like that catfight between Tamannaah and Gabriela Bertante, were rather unnecessary, but then, this is the kind of film where the director chooses to mix action, drama, romance, comedy when he should have concentrated more on the political drama.

The film’s third act, right from the moment Rambabu finds himself in the hospital, picks up and finally, we see where the story and Rambabu’s life is heading. If only, the rest of the film was as gripping and intense as this part, this would have been a truly overwhelming experience. I really liked the speech which he delivers in the end where he appeals to each and every person in the state to stand by him as he takes on Rana Naidu. This brings me back the my dilemma – Can a film be termed as good if you liked only the climax which leaves a big smile on your face? Or is the experience a result of the sum of what you felt throughout the film? I haven’t found an answer to that question yet.

My first impression of Hanu Raghavapudi’s Andhala Rakshasi starring Lavanya, Naveen and Rahul hasn’t changed yet. I was hoping that it would stand out as a lotus in a pond called Telugu cinema, but it didn’t. I found it tough to fall instantly in love with the film and like many people, I thought the film was too long and boring. No matter how hard I try, my perception doesn’t seem to change. However, as I ponder about why the film doesn’t live up to its promise, I have come to the conclusion that it’s quite abstract and takes time to understand the subtleties throughout the film. It’s not an instantly likable film, but I believe there’s a lot more to this film than what most of us think. Some films are tough to sit through but extremely interesting to analyze. Sometimes, it’s also important to understand what a film tries to convey instead of what and how we perceive. Andhala Rakshasi is exactly that kind of film.

Andhala Rakshasi is set in 1991, which signifies the age of innocence, much before globalisation changed our lives forever. People led a simpler life back then and that’s vital to this story. No one talks about money, future and it’s the simple things of life which bring them joy and tears. The film revolves around three characters – Midhuna, Surya and Gautham. Not surprisingly it’s a triangular love story but it’s constructed in a way that the central character in the film Midhuna never interacts with both the guys at the same time. In a way, it’s the characterization of these three principal characters which drives the story forward. Thematically, Andhala Rakshasi is an extremely poignant love story. The boundary which each character has is so clearly defined that it can’t be coincidence and that is a mark of a brilliantly written script. Midhuna is an embodiment of the earth. Her anger, love are always on her face and she doesn’t hesitate to show them on others. Surya is like the sun who’s extremely vibrant and always happy. Gautham is like the moon who’s calm and never reveals what he truly feels. This is why the film was touted to be a love story between the sun, earth and moon.

How can you analyze or dissect a film without understanding the nature of these three characters? One of the reasons why the first half seems so boring to sit through is because we can’t understand the pain which Midhuna goes through. As a result, Gautham’s endeavours to make her empathize with him seem futile. All we know is she was in love with a guy named Surya, who may very well be dead. No matter how hard Gautham tries to tell how much he loves her in his own ways, she doesn’t accept him whole heartedly. Why should she? She hardly knows him and except for the fact that he has helped her recover from a fatal accident, there’s nothing about him which even comes closer to the effervescence which Surya had. After days of pondering about Surya and her willingness to move on after hearing that Surya might be dead, Midhuna finally decides to reciprocate to Gautham’s proposal to marry him. But is she in love with him? We don’t know. When the film shifts to the second half, everything seems so vibrant and pleasant. Surya’s entry into Midhuna’s life peps up the pace of the film and there’s happiness all around. Unlike Gautham who hardly confesses his love for Midhuna and keeps his true feelings for her within his heart, Surya makes it clear that he has so much love for her that the world isn’t enough to contain his love for her. No wonder Midhuna falls in love with him after a point. There’s a brilliant scene where a blind man tells Midhuna that you don’t need eyes to see love. That incident moves Midhuna to the core and she understands the love which Surya has for her.

Most part of the first half is shot in Munnar. There’s a lot of rain and fog which reflects the ubiquitous gloom shrouding the relationship which Midhuna and Gautham share. I was quite impressed with the way rain is depicted in this part of the story. Every time Gautham tries to speak out what’s in his heart, you can see the rain which signifies the outpour of emotions. There’s even a frame in one of the scenes where Gautham sits in a distance and the camera focuses on the raindrops falling on the lake. And the song Manasu Palike is filled with plenty of such motifs. In complete contrast to this setting, the track between Midhuna and Surya is shot in the sun. There’s hardly any rain or clouds. The fact that Surya is so forthright in expressing his feelings for Midhuna makes all the more sense considering this visualization. Cinematography by Murali is stunning for a film which is so abstract and thematically splendid.

The film’s climax has caught a lot of people off-guard. Could there have been an alternative version to conclude the story on a happier note? Perhaps, yes. But then it’s a film which is so clearly defined by the choices one makes that sacrifice sounds like the ultimate testimony to love. The only difference is that none of us saw that coming and the term ‘shocking’, which is so loosely used these days to describe such incidents in a film, is a result of decisions taken by people who are fundamentally emotional. Why didn’t Gautham’s father consider the consequences of his decision to kill Surya? Why does Gautham decide to sacrifice his life when he comes to know about his father’s scheme? Why does Midhuna regret the loss of Gautham more than being happy about her reunion with Surya?  If you have observed carefully, you would have noticed that there’s a reflection of the moon on Gautham’s car just before he make the choice of sacrificing his life. It’s a lunar eclipse. Things were bound to be doomed.

Films are often the only means of escaping the reality of our treacherous lives. However, Hanu Raghavapudi transports us to a world of his imagination filled with people who are so real that you begin to question the very foundation of the film. Perhaps, it’s a crime to digress from the conventional style of filmmaking which is designed to make people laugh, clap or cry every 10 minutes. Thanks to the kinds of films made these days, our attention span has reduced drastically and we cannot fathom or rather should I say, we don’t have the patience to sit back and think about a film long after watching it. After all, it’s so easy to tear a film apart if your dose of mental masturbation, or as we sugar coat it and call entertainment, isn’t fulfilled. Isn’t it?

Another silver lining of this film was its music and background score by Radhan. It’s a mighty impressive debut and I am curious to see what he does next. The music score reflects the mood of the film quite clearly and the lyrics are very well written. Among the lead actors, Lavanya (Midhuna) stands out, thanks to a brilliantly written role. It’s so easy to fall in love with what she does in the film. A challenging role to pull off and Lavanya does it with panache. Naveen (Surya) is another impressive find and he does complete justice to his role. Rahul (Gautham) does what’s expected of him and it’s not his fault that his part of the film is so boring. In most films, the conflict is established quite soon which makes it easier for us to see the arc of the narration. However, in Andhala Rakshasi this is far more subtle. It’s like peeling layers of emotions before we find out what actually had happened and by then it’s too late. This is one of the reasons why the first half doesn’t make much sense, despite being thematically fantastic, till we understand the love which Midhuna and Surya had for each other. By then, perhaps it’s too late to keep the audience from losing interest in the film.

We must not forget that almost everyone in the film is a newcomer – right from the director to the actors and technicians. Most ‘entertainers’ go scot-free from criticism because you don’t expect them to tickle your grey cells. When it comes to films like Andhala Rakshasi, sadly it’s this weight of being logical, intellectual and intriguing which is often overwhelming. Maybe, the rules of criticism which apply to several other films need to be altered while writing about such films. I am guilty for setting the bar too high for a film like this and expecting it to surpass my expectations was a tad too much to ask for. I may not have liked the film, but I gotta appreciate Hanu Raghavapudi’s conviction and ingenuity in narrating a story he had envisioned. I don’t know if he thought about whether the audience will like the film or not, but it’s a complex film filled with interesting characters that stripping them of their innocence and making them more contemporary would have killed its soul. Yes, it’s disappointing that the film doesn’t turn out to be what you hoped it might be, but then I can’t really crib about anything because this film is different from what I perceived it to be.

Could this film be any different if the track between Midhuna and Surya was showed first? Maybe. Could this film be any different if it wasn’t so abstract? Maybe. Could this film be any different if it adhered to the standard template of Telugu cinema? Maybe. But then, it wouldn’t have been a film which Hanu would have wanted to make. That wouldn’t have given me a chance to discuss about a film in such detail.

I am still not sure whether I like this film, but I can’t help but think about its structure which leaves a lot of things open for our interpretation. For now, I believe Andhala Rakshasi is a beautifully written poem which gets lost in translation. I am still trying to decode it.

P.S : All this is a figment of my imagination. Probably, none of this matters when you watch the film because unlike most other films, Andhala Rakshasi is an experience in itself and each one of you will walk out with different thoughts in mind.

Written by

Hemanth

 (You can reach me on Twitter @crhemanth )

Everyone’s talking about online piracy these days, thanks to a ‘press meet’ where the team of Eega warned NRIs that they cannot go scotfree, if they are caught pirating films. While I don’t want to take sides on this issue, the important point to note is that Andhra Pradesh Anti Video Piracy Cell (AVPC) has signed a pact with MPA (Motion Picture Association) to fight against online piracy. Apart from extending all possible support to track people who indulge in piracy, this also means that AVPC can seek the help of MPA to track down pirates in the US, if they wish to. Since every Hollywood film carries a ‘FBI Warning’, with respect to copyright protection, this pact between AVPC and MPAA has the potential to be much more powerful than what it may seem to be. However, that’s not what is the main crux of this blog. It’s great that AVPC is doing everything it can to raise awareness about online piracy and the loss incurred by Telugu film industry, the bigger question is will people sympathize with film industry so much that they’ll stop pirating films? My guess is, a big NO.

Few days ago, Kim DotCom, the founder of Mega Upload, wrote this open letter to the studios in Hollywood where he talks about how they don’t understand the possibilities of internet. He throws light on several interesting points which ironically is not what the Hollywood studios want to listen, at least not right now. If that’s the state of Hollywood studios, one can totally understand how Telugu or other regional film producers react to online piracy. Everything which might have an impact on the box office revenue including negative buzz on social media, blogs and reviews irks them. In the age of internet, where sharing opinions, however mundane and sometimes ridiculous they may sound, it’s simply impossible to clamp down a voice. It’s democracy at its best and an unstoppable force which a lot of people in film industry do not completely understand.

Online piracy of films is indeed a menace and there’s no denying that film industry is losing a lot of money. Every problem has a root cause and before we scream our lungs out about piracy, it’s also important to understand why people download films. Here are some of the responses which I got from some people on Twitter when I asked them the reasons behind why people download films illegaly.

1) Black Tickets

Everytime a big film releases, there’s a dearth of tickets no matter how many shows that film has. Reason? Almost 30-40% of the tickets are sold in black at exorbitant prices (depending on the hype surrounding the film) to people who can’t wait to watch the film. Usually, the prices are double of the actual ticket’s cost; however, sometimes it may even go up to 4-5 times the actual cost. Now, there’s a strong allegation that the theatre owners themselves encourage such activities and producer too get a certain percentage from this share. I don’t know how far that’s true, this is a big problem because people just don’t want to spend too much on watching a film, especially when they go out with their family.

2) Availability of Movies

One of the biggest concern is the availability of movies or the lack of it. In Andhra Pradesh, a big film is released in every small nook and corner of the state; however, Telugu film audience is spread across the world. In countries like USA, UK, Canada and Australia, their number is large enough to release a film and hope to earn some money. However, Telugu films are not screened in every area or region. Besides, most of the times, people in US need to travel to the nearest city where the film is being screened which adds up to the cost. People living in other foreign countries don’t even stand this chance because films just won’t release there simultaneously.

3) Pricing

In Andhra Pradesh, tickets are priced at anything between Rs 10 – Rs 150 (some multiplexes in Hyderabad charge Rs 250 for extra luxurious seats), whereas in US, the average costs range from $12-18. That’s a lot of money considering that tickets for Hollywood films are usually priced at $7-9.

4) Allegations of plagiarism, black money

Recently, someone told me that they won’t support or even watch a film if they come to know that certain scenes or the whole story is plagiarized and also if the producer has invested black money to make the film. The bone of contention is the argument that filmmakers have no right to point fingers at people downloading films illegally when they themselves have been ripping off stories and scenes from other films.

5) Delay in the release of DVD

The only source of watching a film, if one has missed it in theatres, is to wait for the official DVD launch. Unlike Bollywood, which has begun releasing DVDs within 2 months of a film’s release, it takes anywhere between 6-12 months before Telugu film DVDs are officially released in the market. Unless a person has been desperately waiting for a high quality print, there are very less chances that he or she will wait that long to watch that film.

6) Lack of streaming, legal download options

There’s absolutely no option to stream or legally download a Telugu film, because producers here haven’t considered making their films available on iTunes, Netflix, Hulu or Youtube soon after the film’s release. Since people living in areas other than where Telugu films release have no other option, they download films illegaly.

“Some people just want to watch the whole world burn” ~ Alfred, Dark Knight

We love anything that’s free of cost and that’s the bottomline of online piracy. Will people stop downloading films, if you give them more options like streaming, pay per view or legal downloads? Maybe not. But there’s a possibility of a large chunk of people watching films legally. It’s not that people are not aware of the pros and cons of online piracy, sometimes they can’t help being part of the game. I have been told that rival fan groups abet piracy or they themselves are involved in piracy of big starrer films. Can anything be done about it, especially to sensitize them of the issue? No.

“What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone’s as ugly as you? You’re alone!” ~ Batman, Dark Knight

Big wigs in film industry need to understand couple of things – 1) You make films to entertain people and want them to watch everything you make. Since everything you do is for the audience, they cannot be on the other side of the fence when it comes to piracy. You cannot view them as the Joker who’s hell bent on destroying your work. Sometimes people don’t have a choice. Unless something is done about the factors which make people download films, since they have no other option, you cannot expect them to empathize with you and stop piracy. It maybe your hard earned money and life, but for the audience, it’s just 2.30 hours of entertainment. 2) You have to understand how the internet, especially social media works. Instead of cribbing about how soon information, be it bad word of mouth, reviews or even illegal content, spreads, the time has come to have a look at the immense possibilities which internet has opened up to take your film to a wider audience.

Perhaps the time has come to reconsider how films are distributed and the revenue model which the film industry has been following for the past four decades. Traditionally, film producers are dependent on the theatrical collections to recover their investment. Satellite rights and other ancilliary rights form the rest of the revenue sources. Unlike Bollywood, where some of the biggest films in recent times have got offers ranging from Rs 30-75 crores as satellite rights, Telugu films, even those which turned out to be blockbusters, are still sold at Rs 5-10 crores. I have absolutely no idea what percentage of the revenue does the producer get from audio and DVD sales. In the age of internet, where you can get a great quality print within 2-3 weeks of a film’s release, will people still buy the official DVD montha after the film’s release? Think about it.

So what are the options which film producers can consider to convince people to watch films legally? Here’s my wishlist -

1) Allow legal downloading/streaming – This is the biggest favour you can do to people living outside India, especially people who live in areas where Telugu films don’t release. In the past few months, I have come across a large number of Russians and Europeans who watch Telugu films. The point is, you never know who’s eager to watch your film. In US, online streaming has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to the popularity of Netflix and iTunes. I presume that most Telugu films don’t run for more than 2-3 weeks in US, so it’ll be great if you can make your films available on Netflix, a month after the film’s release. Yes, there’ll be a drop in the theatrical collections, but then it’s save you from this horror of cribbing about online piracy all the time.

2) Tie-Up with YouTube, Torrent Sites – No Telugu film producer has considered this option so far. Couple of years ago, Siddharth starrer Striker became the first Indian film to be released on YouTube along with its theatrical release. Today, it has got more than 2.5 million hits and since it has been made possible because of an official tie up, the percentage of revenue which the producer gets is huge. If you are thinking of expansion in foreign markets, this is a great opportunity. Last year, one of the studios in US collaborated with BitTorrent as their official distribution partner. I have no idea about how the revenue is shared between the two, but it’s a kickass idea. Torrent sites have a wider reach and by making them part of the distribution channel, you are just a click away from every home which has a computer and internet.

3) DVD – You simply cannot wait for a film to celebrate its 100 days function or maybe even wait for the biggest festival in the year to release a DVD. These days, most films fade out of theatres within 50 days and there after, revenue generated from the theatres is extremely low. It would be great if the timespan between a film’s release and it’s DVD release is reduced drastically. Also, for those who have already scene the film, there has to be an incentive to buy a DVD. Additional scenes, behind the scenes footage, director’s commentary, interviews can be part of this package.

There’s always a reason behind why people do what they do. And it’s boils down to one simple thing – “CHOICE”. It’s their choice to watch a film in a theatre or download films illegaly. It’s their choice to empathize with the film industry’s fight against piracy or go on a rampage and destroy all the efforts. There’s no way you can stop online piracy. Perhaps the best we can do is hope that people will think twice before downloading films illegaly, if they have more options to watch them legally. It’s a ‘Moral Choice’ which every individual must make. Just like people of Gotham. So, who’s going to be the film industry’s ‘Dark Knight’ to save the day?

Written by,

Hemanth Kumar

You can reach me at @crhemanth