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Covid fear: Hospitals preparing for mock drills
As the Covid fear grips the world, the government of India has decided to act on it. Related measures are being implemented now.
The government of India has now asked the Covid hospitals across the country to prepare for mock drill on the 27th of this month.
Oxygen cylinders, ventilators, Covid wards, ambulances, and other Covid treatment related functional activities will be tested in this mock drill.
The nation is bracing up for another possible Covid wave, given the current scenario in China. More evasive action will be taken in the due course.
18 Pages Movie Review
The names of Allu Aravind, Sukumar, and Bunny Vaas, and the hit pair Nikhil and Anupama are enough to raise interest about “18 Pages”. In addition, two songs have become popular. So, the film has generated positive pre-release buzz.
Let us see if the film lives up to expectations.
Story:
Siddhu (Nikhil Siddhartha) works as an app developer for a software company. A 2019 diary written by a young woman named Nandini is discovered by him (Anupama Parameswaran).
Siddhu learns from her diary entries that she values face-to-face interaction with others over communication via digital means. Her trip to Hyderabad from her Andhra village was motivated by the need to deliver a cover to Venkatrao, a mutual friend of her grandfather’s.
Siddhu develops feelings for her after reading the journal, and he travels to her hometown to finally meet her. Siddhu finds out from Nandini’s relatives that she was killed in a car accident a few months ago. Astonished by the news, he heads back to Hyderabad.
Has she really passed away?
Artistes’ Performances:
Nikhil Siddharth gives a convincing performance as a young man who falls for a girl he has never seen or met. But he doesn’t have a consistent appearance; rather, he seems to be out of shape in a few key spots.
Anupama Parameswaran shines in the role of the heroine.
Sarayu, in her role as Nikhil’s friend, delivers some humorous lines. Short cameos from Posani and Ajay are fine.
Technical Excellence:
The music by Gopi Sundar is the main attraction. Whether it’s the heartbreak song “Time Ivvu” or the melodious number “Nannaya Raasina” or “Nee Valle Pilla,” all of the songs fit in perfectly with the movie’s overall theme.
Srikanth Vissa has done a fair job with the dialogue. The story that Sukumar has written feels dated.
The film has decent cinematography, but its visual style is inconsistent. Sometimes it just seems so…old.
Highlights:
Pre-interval sequences
Two songs
Anupama Parameswaran
Drawback:
Lack of contemporary feel
Slow pace
Superficial emotions
Analysis
A girl and boy falling in love without ever meeting is an old concept. Ajith’s “Prema Lekha” dealt with the same subject. So, how does a hero falling in love with a girl accidentally by reading her diary become a novel plot line? The bare bones of Sukumar’s story are interesting, but they don’t capture the current times.
The script has some serious problems. If Nikhil Siddharth’s character fell in love with Anupama after reading her diary in one sitting (the whole thing is only 18 pages long, hence the title), we could see that happening. However, in the film, he is shown to get excited after every turn of the page, and to react wildly to every incident narrated in the story as if it were happening at that very moment. It’s hard to imagine how a 2022 computer whiz like him would respond to events in 2019 dairy.
It’s also shown that he reads a page or two a day for a couple of days and then starts doing things like turning off social media apps, etc. that Nandini did in 2019. This doesn’t feel like a natural response on the part of the character, but rather like a screenwriter’s shortcut.
Aside from this and other logical issues, “18 Pages” captures our attention from the start. The initial events, such as Nikhl’s break-up with his girlfriend and his reactions to Anupama’s diary, are interesting. The situations preceding the song “Nannayya Raasina” are also enjoyable. Another interesting episode in the film is the tension that the hero feels when he suspects she has married his neighbour.
However, aside from a few episodes, the sluggish narrative and unconvincing kidnap drama are detrimental to the flow. The second half is structured like a thriller, and when the true mystery is revealed, it is completely unconvincing. The reason given for the importance of a “cover” is ridiculous and illogical. The final moments appear to deviate from the main theme. Many implausible events occur.
Fortunately, the film concludes in a more convincing manner.
Overall, “18 Pages” succeeds only intermittently; the drama is underwhelming, and the love story fails to resonate. There are some good songs, and the first half is pretty good, but overall it just doesn’t feel very modern.
Bottom line: Only Few Pages
‘Cirkus’ Movie Review
‘The Bard of Avon’ can never go wrong. The timeless Shakespeare, 400-plus years after he entertained Queen Elizabeth I and her courtiers, continues to resonate in different ways with each generation. And his ‘Comedy of Errors’ has been a favourite of Bollywood filmmakers.
After Kishore Kumar’s ‘Do Dooni Chaar’ and Sanjeev Kumar’s ‘Angoor’ and a few other forgettable adaptations, comes Rohit Shetty’s ‘Cirkus’, featuring Ranveer Singh playing two sets of identical twins who are accidentally separated at birth. Sadly, though, Bollywood is as bad at adapting as it is at conceiving fresh ideas.
So, what does the film have to offer? Old gags, insufferable jokes, bad acting and a plot that just doesn’t take off. Even when writers Farhad Samji, Sanchit Bedre and Vidhi Ghodgaonkar attempt to Indianise the much-amended tale, there’s nothing out there in terms of a creative twist in this over-two-hour-long film.
Twins Roy and Roy (Singh) and Joy and Joy (Sharma) get separated at birth. Coincidentally, the two pairs get adopted by two different sets of parents — one Roy is deliberately paired with another Joy and the other Roy with the other Joy in Ooty and Bengaluru, respectively.
From the basic premise, this should have been a laugh riot as the identical twins who live in different cities come together and mistaken identity causes a host of ludicrous situations. The two sets of twins run into each other several years later, when they are coincidentally in the same town. Needless to add, misunderstandings reign supreme when people mistake one for the other.
One Roy works in a circus and is unaffected by electric currents, causing much awe and laughter among the audience. His act of holding naked electric wires has everyone enthusiastically applauding him for an encore. He earns his living professionally, but whenever his body touches an electric wire, his twin in another city feels the shock as the current flows through his tissues.
Short of getting electrocuted, the twin brother experiences the severity of the shock to such an extent that whoever comes in contact with him, feels it too. Now, that could have led to not one but numerous funny moments.
And though the writers do their best to introduce characters, such as the mothers (Ashwini Kalsikar and Sulabha Arya) and girlfriends Mala and Bindu (Hegde and Fernandes) to add to the mix-ups, chaos and disorder, all we have are pathetic example of poor writing skills and excruciatingly unbearable situations, so much so that even the gifted Ranveer Singh can barely salvage the film. His character repeats himself so often that he probably didn’t have to memorise his lines — nor did he get any opportunity to deliver a dialogue impulsively.
From among the ensemble cast, which is comprised of veterans Tiku Talsania, Vrajesh Hirje, Mukesh Tiwary, Brijender Kala, Sanjay Mishra and Johny Lever, not one of them has a scene that could be described as hilarious, comical or mildly amusing.
Shetty, who has specialised in a certain kind of humour in superhits such as ‘Singham’, ‘Golmaal’ and ‘Chennai Express’, fails miserably in raising laughs. The only thing that works for the film is Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s sudden impromptu jig to ‘Current laga re’.
That’s the only ‘paisa vasool’ part of the film, which must go down as a massive wasted opportunity.
Dhamaka Movie Review
Ravi Teja’s specialty is comedy. With “Dhamaka,” he made a long-awaited return to the genre. Trinadha Rao has a track record of delivering hit comedy entertainers. As a result, their combination attracted a lot of attention. The film was released in theatres today.
Let us look at its high points and low points.
Story:
Chakravarthy (Sachin Khedekar) runs a business empire and is told by doctors that he has a terminal illness and has only two months to live. Therefore, he decides to name a new chief executive officer and distribute some stock to his staff. Eventually, his son Anand (played by Ravi Teja) is expected to take over as CEO.
In contrast, Swamy (Ravi Teja), a lookalike of Anand, lives with his middle-class parents in the same city and has trouble finding work.
Swamy develops romantic feelings for Pranavi (Sreeleela). As Pranavi mulls over his proposal, her father (Rao Ramesh) arrives with a potential suitor. He is none other than Anand. She is perplexed. At about the same time, a ruthless businessman named JP (Jayaram) is on a spree of forcible acquisitions and has his sights set on Chakravarthy’s company.
Will Anand, Chakravarthy’s son, rescue the family business from JP on his own or turn to Swamy, his double?
Artistes’ Performances:
Ravi Teja, known for his energetic performances, is once again in his element. If you’re looking for some light fun, Ravi Teja’s Swamy delivers. He is very dapper in his CEO persona. However, he fares better in the humorous bits.
There’s no denying Sreeleela’s glitzy vibe. Her part is, predictably, rather empty. In terms of dance moves, she matches to Ravi Teja’s energy.
Jayaram as a villain and Sachin Khedekar as business magnet are perfect. Even though he plays a stock character, Rao Ramesh manages to elicit a smile or two. Hyper Aadhi routinely pulls the same Jabardasth punches.
Technical Excellence:
The film is shot lavishly in a vibrant setting, but Bheems stands out among the technicians for providing upbeat mass numbers. Prasanna Kumar’s dialogues are good, but his story and screenplay are overly formulaic. The cinematography, production values, and art work are all fine.
Highlights:
Ravi Teja’s entertaining show
Comedy portions
Sreeleela’s glamour
Two songs
Drawback:
Story and screenplay
Formulaic packaging
The routine final episode
Analysis
We get a sense of “Ala Vaikunthapurramloo” after a few minutes. The story and screenplay by Prasanna Kumar Bezawada are predictable, and it takes a long time for us to shake the feeling of “Ala Vaikunthapurramloo” (AVPL). Fortunately, the film has a twist that takes it out of the AVPL zone.
Director Trinadha Rao Nakkina understands Ravi Teja’s strengths and has played the same game in the first half of the film, focusing on Ravi Teja’s star power and comic timing. And Ravi Teja seizes the opportunity to provide entertainment by putting on an extravagant show.
Ravi Teja and Sreeleela’s romantic track contains vintage fun elements. There is also a conversation in which Sreeleela says he looks muduru (old), implying the off-screen age difference between them. Scenes like these are entertaining.
These scenes aside, the story as a whole is a problem. The plot is clichéd. Despite an attempt to give a contemporary look, the screenplay retains a formulaic feel to the end. Songs, Sreeleela’s glitz, and Ravi Teja’s initial portions make the film watchable but the second half becomes a total routine act, and the climax is utterly boring. The fight sequences are another irritating factor.
The corporate games in the second half are tedious and ridiculous. Even if we keep our expectations low and prepare for the routine narrative, “Dhamaka” falls short. Dhamaka means a blast, but where is the implosion?
Overall, “Dhamaka” suffers from formulaic treatment as well as a weak story and screenplay. Only to a certain extent do the early comedy segments and the presence of the lovely Sreeleela work.
Bottom line: Mild Blast
New Age Love Story Streaming On Netflix!
Producer Dil Raju introduced Love Story, a runaway hit in Kollywood to Telugu audiences by dubbing it. His decision was proved right by the big success the film saw in Telugu states. The entertaining film is loved by Telugu audiences and they made it a hit with good collections.
The successful film is now streaming on OTT and those who have missed it in theatres can watch it now. American OTT platform Netflix bagged the rights of Love Story for the Telugu language. The Telugu version took some time to have an OTT release though the Tamil film was released long back.
Tamil romantic comedy-drama film Love Today was written and directed by Pradeep Ranganathan. He also acted in the film and played the lead role. Young actress Aleena Shaji aka Ivana played the leading lady. The couple shared a sizzling chemistry which is loved by movie lovers.
Love Today emerged as one of the big hits this year with big collections of around Rs 100 crores. Not just in Tamil, the love story saw good collections in Telugu as well. This is the second project of Pradeep Ranganathan as the director.
The actor-director made an impressive debut as a director with the critically acclaimed film Comali. The comedy-drama has an ensemble cast of Jayam Ravi, Kajal Aggarwal, Yogi Babu, Samyuktha Hegde, and K. S. Ravikumar. The film also saw good collections.
For his second project, Pradeep selected the new-age love story Love Today. The film hilariously shows what happens when lovers swap their phones with each other and how the relations get affected if there is no transparency between the couple.
Love Today became a big hit in Tamil Nadu and the film caught Dil Raju’s attention. He dubbed the film in Telugu which hit the theatres on the 25th of November. After around one month the film is streaming on OTT. The film is expected to get a good response on OTT as well.
The Hit Film has an ensemble cast of Raveena Rai, Yogi Babu, Raadhika Sarathkumar, Raveena Ravi, and Sathya Raj. Sathya Raj played the heroine’s father role and he brings a big twist to the story and plot in the film.
Video Song: A Vibrant & Energetic ‘Almost Padipoyinde Pilla’!
Young and talented hero Vishwak Sen has generated a lot of buzz in recent times. After delivering a decent film like ‘Ori Devuda’, he is arriving with a complete action entertainer named ‘Das Ka Dhamki’. The trailer of this film got a very good response and the first single ‘Almost Padipoyinde Pilla’ turned out to be an instant hit. Though the movie will be releasing in February, the makers decided to keep the buzz alive. They have released the video song of ‘Almost Padipoyinde Pilla’.
Leon James scored a peppy number with lively beats and his vocals are pleasant too. Adithya RK also crooned the number, while lyrics by Poorna Chari are likable. The visuals in the song are as good as the audio and Vishwak Sen surprises us with his smooth dance moves while Nivetha Pethuraj arrests us with her high dose of glamor in the beachside song. The choreography by Yash master is neat. The sizzling chemistry between the lead pair is amazing to watch and the movie lovers are absolutely enjoying it.
The movie is getting released on 17th February 2023. Directed by Vishwak Sen himself, this movie is produced by Karate Raju under Vanmaye Creations and Vishwaksen Cinemas banners. Prasanna Kumar Bezawada who wrote hit films like ‘Nenu Local’, ‘Hello Guru Prema Kosame’ and upcoming ‘Dhamaka’ has penned the story and dialogues for this project titled ‘Das Ka Dhamki’.
Rao Ramesh, Hyper Aadi, Rohini and Prithviraj are the other prominent cast of the movie. Dinesh K Babu handles the cinematography while Leon James scores the music and Anwar Ali is the editor. The movie will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi languages.
Hindu Outfits Demand No Parties For New Year Eve!
New Year almost became a big festival in India due to globalisation. People here celebrate it in a big way by going to pubs. Be it south or north New Year is celebrated in the country. But we might see some restrictions in a big southern state this year due to objections.
The Hindu outfit Bajrang Dal said that pubs are being used for love jihad and there is a need to ban new year parties. The members of the outfit met the Mangalurui cops with the same request. A letter asking the same was reportedly given to the concerned cops.
Alleging that the new year parties might be used as a platform for love jihad. The members said that hotels and restaurants are the reason behind the rise in love jihad and pubs should not be allowed for the parties.
Having said that, the Bajrang Dal members urged the owners of pubs and other establishments to not let Muslim men enter so that love jihad can be stopped. Speaking to the media, the members said that love jihad is a serious issue and should be stopped.
“Today because of hotels and pubs in Manguluru, there are increasing cases of love jihad and dress jihad. These places motivate them to get involved in malpractices,” Bajrang Dal leader Puneet Attavar said.
BJP is in power in Karnataka and given this, it is interesting to see what decision the Police department might take on this. Moreover, elections are approaching and only time will say what happens next as far as the new year celebrations are concerned.
Religious Lines Sung At School Prayer, Principal Suspended!
The education department swung into action and suspended a principal after a video from a school went viral. The video shows a few school students singing religious prayers. Amid severe criticism, the principal of the concerned school has been suspended as per the media reports.
School students singing religious prayers raised many eyeballs and caught everyone’s attention. This happened in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly. The viral video shows students singing “mere Allah burai se bachaana mujhko”. The lines are from the poem written by Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal.
As this happened in Uttar Pradesh ruled by the BJP, it caught everyone’s attention. The principal and a contract teacher were reportedly suspended and a special committee has been set up to probe the matter and know the exact reason behind the controversy.
The schools in India start with prayers. But the prayers are kept out of religion and Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram are sung usually. But the morning sessions in the school seeing students singing religious lines started a big controversy and became a big issue.
Many objections were raised after the video went viral. The question of why the Principal and other teachers did not stop the students from singing the lines was raised and this made the education department swing into action and suspended the principal and a teacher.
