watch Director Kodi Ramakrishna Passes Away
When Balayya Reminded Suresh Babu About Rana
As the Premiere Show of #NTR Mahayakudu took place at AMB Cinemas other day, many celebs have interacted with the media after the completion of the screening. And one of them is ace producer Daggubati Suresh Babu, who is rumored to have taken care of the distribution of the second part.
While talking about the film, Suresh said, “Mahayakudu is a very interesting political film, brilliantly performed by the actors like Balayya Babu and Vidya Balan garu”. And immediately, Balayya cut him off, giving him a prompting, ‘Rana!!!’. While Suresh Babu laughed at this suggestion, Balayya is heard saying, ‘Won’t you tell about Rana?’.
No doubt, Rana has pulled off Chandrababu Naidu’s character aplomb, by getting the diction, mannerism, and expressions pretty right. A proud Suresh Babu wants others to talk about his son, rather himself banging the drums. And that’s what got evident other day.
Suresh Babu, on the other hand, is feeling confident that the film will surprise audiences in theatres, and his predictions come true most of the time. Let’s see what happens.
Lokesh, Who is Corpse? You Or Your Dad?
YSRCP’s general secretary and A-2 Vijay Sai Reddy has made serious comments on Minister Nara Lokesh and CM Chandrababu Naidu. Responding to a tweet of Nara Lokesh in which he had stated that YCP is indulging in ‘Sava Rajakeeyam’ over the death of a farmer, Vijay Sai Reddy had given a sharp counter.
Lokesh had tweeted that YCP is doing politics over farmer’s death and said it is collecting pelalu over corpses. Lokesh had also alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy had tried to do politics over his father late YSR’s corpse. Lokesh alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy and YCP are collecting Pelalu on corpses.
Vijay Sai Reddy shot back saying, “Lokesh…Memu Savam Meeda Pelalu Erukuntunnam Ani Tweet Pettav. Intaki Savam Evaru? Nuvva? Leka Mee Nanna?” This tweet of Vijay Sai Reddy on Lokesh & Chandrababu is drawing severe criticism from TDP fans.
Rakul Out, Nabha Out, And The Newcomer Is
Seems like this particular role has many changes, as the makers are changing heroines like the way these girls change costumes of a song. We are talking about Naga Chaitanya’s Venky Mama movie where he is teaming up with uncle Venkatesh for a comedy entertainer.
Other day, the news has that after Rakul Preet signed Manmadhudu 2, producer Suresh Babu got her replaced with Bangalore girl Nabha Natesh. And this newbie has also given a look test, getting huge appreciation from the makers that they have found the right choice. But this didn’t last long.
Reports are coming that heroine Raashi Khanna, who is desiring to get a big break in Tollywood at any cost, has approached Suresh Babu along with her manager to bag this role. After consultations that went till late night, we hear that now ‘Venky Mama’ has Raashi Khanna on board, replacing Nabha Natesh, who has earlier replaced Rakul Preet.
We have to see if Raashi will last long in the news, or someone will replace her just before the day of the shoot.
Pic Talk: Chay and Sam wrap up ‘Majili’
Hero Naga Chaitanya and his wife Samantha’s ‘Majili’ has wrapped up the shooting. On the final day of the shoot, Chay and Sam were part of it and they took to their official Twitter handle and shared experiences.
Both Chay and Sam wrote that they had best time working with such efficient team and are eagerly looking forward for the release. Chay appeared in costumes as per the latest trend while Samantha is seen in a stereotype outfit.
‘Majili’ is a romantic entertainer being directed by Shiva Nirvana. Hero Chaitanya will be seen in two different roles and the teaser having crossed seven and half million views, received a terrific response.
The post-production works are underway and in the coming days we have expect other song launches and many more which are part of promotions these days.
With Chay and Sam pairing for the fourth time, the expectations are reasonably high on the movie.
‘Majili’ is a musical of Gopi Sundar and production of Shine Screens banner. Release is on April 5th.
Releasing Today: Mahanayakudu… Sweet or Hot?
The second part of much hyped biopic of NTR is releasing today. Titled Mahanayakudu, the film is having very low buzz because of the disastrous performance of part 1 at the box office.
Although NTR Mahanayakudu showcases some important and interesting events from the late legendary leader’s life, not many are keen on watching it as it is not going to show entire life of NTR.
However, the makers of NTR are hoping that the second part will do better compared to the first part. They believe it has more drama and emotions that will strike a chord with the viewers.
Given the low buzz, Mahanayakudu should open to very good reports from all corners for people to come to the theaters.
Mithai starring young comedians Rahul Ramakrishna and Priyadarshi is also releasing today along with Mahanayakudu.
Mithai is releasing in less number of screens with a hope of generating good buzz so that they could increase the prints and theaters later.
There are couple other small budget films that are releasing today.
Movie Review: NTR Mahanayakudu
NTR Mahanayakudu’s biggest weakness is coming after NTR Kathanayakudu that failed miserably on the commercial front. The successor to a failed film wouldn’t grab the interest of fans let alone filmgoers. It was an uphill task for Mahanayakudu after the first part Kathanayakudu tanked at the box office. There’s no denying that Kathanayakudu is an epic disaster on the commercial front, but that doesn’t make it a bad film. It was a well made film about the rise of the Telugu Cinema’s first super star. Mahanayakudu focuses on the second phase of NTR’s life, politics. Did Krish and his team pull it off?
What is it about?
After announcing his entry into politics and party name, Ramarao (Balakrishna) decides to cover every nook and corner of Andhra Pradesh. Despite the Central Government’s tactics Ramarao sweeps the elections and becomes the Chief Minister. Nadendla Bhaskara Rao (Sachin Khedekar) who has been the backbone of Ramarao in his political strategies looks for an opportunity to dethrone him. Bhaskara Rao stages a political coup against Ramarao and becomes Chief Minister with the help of the then Governor Ramlal. With the help of Chandrababu Naidu and determinant party workers, Ramarao gets back to power again.
Performances:
Balakrishna has lived in the character of Ramarao. He faced a bit of struggle to get the younger version of his father right, due to age factor in the first part, but in Mahanayakudu, the veteran is terrific with the portrayal of Ramarao’s character. He didn’t try to imitate his father and focused only on getting the emotions right. His performance in the climax sequences in Assembly is sensational. He is also good in the scenes with Vidya Balan.
Bollywood actress Vidya Balan gets a meaty role in this part and she sinks her teeth into it. She has lived the character and shows the admiration of Tarakam towards her husband just through expressions. Rana Daggubati is very good as Chandra Babu Naidu. His demeanor, diction and the screen presence make his performance a standout one in Mahanayakudu. He gets more screen time and importance after Balakrishna and he grabs the opportunity with both hands. Sachin Khedekar is a fine actor and he does well as the evil politician. Supriya Vinod who played Indira Gandhi is authentic. Rest of the actors had a very little role to play.
Technicalities:
Krish did a decent job on a whole, but his work in the first part seemed more authentic compared to the second part. He did well in establishing the bond between NTR and his wife, but the key scenes that focus on the political drama aren’t too convincing. Most of the drama looked staged and convenient in the political set up. Also he didn’t had the liberty to show entire life of NTR for obvious reasons. It is hard to keep the narrative engaging when there is restriction on what to show and where to end.
Keeravani’s music is fine, but cannot be ranked among his best works. Cinematography is impressive and the production design is good. Editing is just fine. Production values are commendable and Sai Madhav Burra’s dialogues are good in parts.
Thumbs Up:
Balakrishna’s performance
Rana as CBN
Scenes between Balakrishna and Vidya Balan
Thumbs Down:
Dragged screenplay
Abrupt climax
Convenient storytelling
Analysis:
NTR biopic had a fixed timeline, which means it cannot go beyond 1985. Hence, Krish told the story of NTR in his wife Basava Tarakam’s perspective. That’s a great idea considering the limitations and Krish does well in showcasing the bonding of Ramarao and Tarakam. There are some truly touching and emotionally involving scenes between them. But, NTR’s life story is not something that can be told from someone’s perspective. He was not just a husband or a regular family man to focus upon the bonding with family. He was a celebrated superstar and one of the most legendary political leaders ever.
Moreover, how can anybody make a biopic of a three-term CM by showing only parts of one term? NTR may have gone through some tough phases as a politician, but he is also one of the most visionary leaders who brought terrific changes in the governance. Krish hasn’t shown the greatness of NTR, the leader, but just focused on select episodes in his life and weaved family drama around it. The political scenario shown in the film also is not authentic as it is clear that the screenplay and a couple of characters have been written according to ‘directions’.
There’s an agenda here that is clearly evident than hidden, which makes the biopic look less authentic and more doctored. Only Chandrababu Naidu’s character gets a meaty role besides NTR’s wife in this part. The bonding between brothers Ramarao and Trivikrama Rao, which played a vital role in Kathanayakudu is almost non-existent here. The bonding between NTR and his kids is gone missing. Only Harikrishna’s role gets some screen time. And coming to the most important part, the Nadendla’s backstabbing episode didn’t make the desired impact in the narrative. The scenes leading to the dethroning of NTR and the scenes where he comes back to power are not strong enough to engage the viewers.
The political scene abruptly cuts to the family scene towards the end as the director is instructed not to go beyond that point. So, the viewers will be left underwhelmed by the time titles roll on. There is no proper ending to the celebrated actor and leader’s story in the first ever biopic made on him. NTR is decent in terms of making values and performances, but ends on an unsatisfying note that doesn’t really elevate the greatness of the legendary actor-politician. The film that was expected to be a modern classic ends up as a film that only a section of fans could feel happy about.
Verdict: Underwhelming Nayakudu!
Mahesh to Give Final Nod to Anil Ravipudi
It is now almost certain that Anil Ravipudi will be directing Mahesh Babu as his next film from April.
We already broke the news that Anil Ravipudi met Mahesh Babu and gave his story narration recently.
Sukumar asked Mahesh Babu to give him two months of time to prepare final draft of the script, but the superstar has decided to go with Anil Ravipudi’s commercial entertainer that has high chances of hitting the bull’s eye.
Mahesh Babu wants to give more time to Sukumar so that he would come up with better ideas in pressure-free environment. He doesn’t want to hurry him.
The film is likely to be launched in the month of March and it will commence shoot in May or June.
The entertainer is aiming for Sankranthi 2020 release and it will be produced by Anil Sunkara. Dil Raju will present the movie.
There is no one quite like Akshay, Kesari proves it
The trailer of Anurag Singh’s Kesari is every bit that patriotic juggernaut that we expected it to be. It is passionate and bombastic, brimming over with nationalistic indignation as Akshay Kumar, plays a wizened but lionhearted Sardar Ishar Singh who along with 21 Sikh soldiers defeated an Afghan battalion of 10,000 soldiers.
This is a tale of wide-angled valour. And I really can’t see anyone except Akshay carrying it off. There is a certain element of trendy gravitas about his personality which contemporises history (this one is set in 1897) without trivializing it in any way.
And Akshay can nail the jingoistic rhetorics like no one else cab. His bloodcurdling war cry at the end of the trailer is so inspiring it prompted me to mutter ‘Jai Hind’.
Akshay instills a pliable passion into the rhetorics, as his character runs ferociously to annihilate the powerful invaders.
This is a film that wears its heart on the sleeve. Director Anurag Singh has once made a film about a suspected Khalistani terrorist on the run in Punjab 1984. With Kesari he penetrates the big-time with a war cry. And who better to voice it than Akshay Kumar?
The trailer doesn’t have much to give of any other actor. I do hope the the supporting cast which includes a makeup-less Parineeti Chopra trying to look like a Sardarni married to the bravest soldier on that side of 1947, is used properly. What we see in the trailer are CG-induced war sequences. These could have been done better considering the film has four affluent producers, including Akshay Kumar himself and Karan Johar. They were probably cutting down on costs considering Manikarnika got away with such clumsy battle scenes (including shots of Kangana Ranaut as Jhani Ki Rani riding wooden horse).
Kesari looks and feels authentic. Standing at the centre of this sanguinary world Akshay Kumar lords over the proceedings like a wounded lion. March 23 is the release date for this recreation of a chunk of India’s freedom movement that many filmmakers have been trying to put together for years. But none succeeded.
Akshay Kumar was destined to play Havildar Ishar Singh. He told me this is the toughest role of his career. Not only did he carry a heavy turban and thick lengthy beard, he also had to play man who wouldn’t stop at anything to protect his nation.
This is the mood that the country is now experiencing.
Kesari echoes the public sentiment. Don’t stop at anything to crush the enemy. In one sequence an Afghan enemy threatens to subjugate India and its people.
Akshay stares at the big-talking enemy and says, “Chal joothe”, as though someone had just told him that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is not only beautiful, she can also act. A little bit of humour never hurt the national pride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=JFP24D15_XM
Will Pawan Ally With Naidu or Not?
It is more or less certain that Jana Sena Party headed by power star Pawan Kalyan is moving in the direction of entering into an understanding with Telugu Desam Party headed by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the ensuring general elections.
But, it appears both Pawan and Naidu are yet to make up their minds in forging an alliance and contesting the elections together.
According to sources, Naidu would enter into an electoral understanding with Pawan and strike a seat sharing deal.
The TDP is expected to leave around 10-12 MLA seats and two MP seats to Jana Sena. The figures might slightly change during the final negotiations.
“Both the parties decided long ago to fight the elections together. However, for the sake of public consumption, Naidu and Pawan traded charges against each other initially but have gone silent now. As the election schedule is announced, they will come out in the open and forge an alliance,” sources said.
However, there is also a talk that the TDP and Jana Sena might not have an alliance at all and contest independently.
In the constituencies where YSR Congress party is strong, Jana Sena will field stronger candidates with money power, so that it would split anti-establishment votes. And in the TDP strongholds, Pawan will field lesser mortals.
Similarly, in a few constituencies where Pawan has strength and TDP is weak, Naidu will field weak candidates as part of friendly contests to ensure that Jagan does not win the seats.
And in the post-poll scenario, Pawan would extend support to the TDP!
Kavitha is new ‘power centre’, heats up ‘family feud’!
Looks like a new ‘power centre’ has emerged in TRS party and TRS government in Telangana after the recent cabinet expansion, which is expected to take ‘family feud’ in TRS to next level in the coming days.
The new power centre in TRS has emerged in the form of Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the daughter of TRS chief and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is also Lok Sabha member from Nizamabad.
TRS, which is already facing trouble due to family feud and power struggle between KCR’s family and Harish, may end up in more troubles due to emergence of Kavitha as new power centre.
After the recent cabinet expansion, the ministers who secured berths in KCR’s cabinet, are queuing up before the residence of Kavitha in Hyderabad and seeking her ‘blessings’.
Strangely, the new ministers are meeting Kavitha along with their family members, felicitating her with shawls, sarees and other gifts and thanking her for helping them to become ministers.
This shows they are owing their ministerial berths to Kavitha.
Surprisingly, few of the new ministers did not meet party working president and Kavitha’s elder brother K T Rama Rao so far, while the few others, who had visited KTR are the ones who preferred to meet Kavitha first.
This trend was not seen earlier in the first term of TRS government, where Kavitha confined only to national politics as MP.
But in the second term, she is seen more active in state politics. Looks like, Kavitha is trying to jump into state politics and be part of TRS cabinet in the coming days by becoming a minister.
With reports of KCR planning to shift Harish Rao to national politics, there are speculations that Kavitha may enter Assembly from Siddipet seat to be vacated by Harish later after Lok Sabha polls.
Which is the safe seat for Lokesh?
It is more or less confirmed that Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is going to contest from Kuppam once again in the coming assembly elections.
The leaked first list of TDP candidates comprises Naidu’s name from Kuppam.
Now, the question is where his son and IT minister Nara Lokesh contest would from.
All these days, there had been a talk that Naidu would move to another Kamma-dominated constituency in Krishna or Guntur district and field Lokesh from Kuppam, because it is the safest seat for him to get elected.
But, going by the latest reports, Naidu himself wants to choose Kuppam, the safest seat for him. So, he is looking for another safer constituency for Lokesh.
According to sources, Naidu has a few constituencies in mind in Guntur and Krishna districts in Andhra and also Anantapur in Rayalaseema.
Constituencies like Mangalagiri and Pedakurapadu in Guntur district or any TDP stronghold in Krishna district or in Anantapur are being considered.
“If Lokesh has to contest in any of these seats, the sitting MLA of that constituency has to sacrifice it. And Naidu has to take care of his interests. In case, there is no chance of Lokesh winning the seat, he would be continued as an MLC,” a party leader said.
