Jill - A Film Review by Vamsee Ramaraju

Jill

A Good Time Pass

A Film Review by Vamsee Ramaraju

Vamsee’s Rating: 3/5

Cast: Gopichand,Rashi Khanna, Posani, Kabir and others

Directed by : Radha Krishna

Produced by : Vamsi Krishna Reddy, Pramod Uppalapati

Banner :UV Creations

Music : Mohamaad Ghibran

Release Date : Mar 27 2015

Telugu films are of 2 types. The formula films and the formula films. I thought there was a third kind too… the original kind or something, I guess…hmm… not sure, I keep forgetting this type… Once in a score of Fridays, I am reminded of this third type…but again, the formulae make me forget it J  Anyway, we better forget it.

Having said that,  this film belongs to the first category (or the first category – typo intended J). So what? It is surely entertaining. And would definitely be a ‘Paisa Vasool’ project for the makers. That’s all that matters, isn’t it? Yeah, yeah, I know, now don’t start the argument (sorry, I was talking to my mind)…

Some points you would want to know about Jill:

·      Gopi Chand looks super cool and he plays a Fire Fighter / Fire Officer.

·      The plot is interesting and grips you till almost the end.

·      The fight sequences had been choreographed very well.

·      The songs are completely western and sometimes have Telugu words in them… The songs are totally hep and have English and Hindi lyrics.

·      The music director showed a skill in composing music that is almost totally western.

·      The songs are difficult to understand, the music is difficult to digest (too much western in soul) and they would just vanish out of memory in a jiffy. Now please, this cultural import will not do good to our music! Just why don’t people understand? Isn’t there enough pollution? Why pollute music too? (ok… I am good, I am cool, in control, baby steps…)

·      Posani Krishna Murali’s comedy gives a reason to watch this film.

·      Rashi Khanna is glamorous and performs well. The audiences in the theatre just seem to love her (I would like to keep my personal opinion on her to myself in this case, your honor).

·      The villain Kabir looked like Rajamouli in beard, in some angles J And he had a powerful persona befitting the strong characterization of the protagonist.

·      The masses were going bonkers and the shouting and hooting were at the peak in some sequences through the film.

·      Songs were shot in chick foreign locales… The are rich and creative.

·      This seemed to be an uncompromised production, budget-wise.

·      Background score is great.

·      Gopi Chand actually dances in this film and his stylizing is done well.

My take:

This nation and as a matter of fact, the world as a whole, is gripped in fear psychosis. Look at the advertisements of the day; they all drive a sort of fear into the viewer, thereby making their sales. And films too are revolving around fear. ‘Bhayam…adi neeku tannulakoddi istaa’ says Pavan Kalyan in Jalsa, remember? Jill also has a plot that has fear as it’s theme. Well, I am no judge…just a watcher, an observer, the Osho kind.

This film, on the whole is a formula film. And yet it entertains. Gopi Chand has a surprisingly, killer mass following. A segment of the public just goes berserk on a glimpse of him. And they are whistling their guts out in the theatres… good for him, after the success of Loukyam. So with decent openings and the entertainment quotient, this film, I guess, will go on to be another hit for the hero and the industry. Cheers J

    Vamsee’s Definition of a Telugu Hero: A super hero with super powers who is simply great beyond limits; nobody should dare to ask, just why?

In Short:

An entertaining formula action flick \ Time Pass.

                                                     Vamsee Ramaraju

Heart Attack - Film Review

Heart Attack is a Puri Jagannath's film, staring Nithin.
This is a quite interesting film with FREE SPIRIT as it's soul... 
a film, that sort of falters and goes a bit flat in the second half. 

Some points that I felt, mattered:

1. Nithin's characterization is absolutely fantastic. Only and only a Puri can chisel such a character for a Hero of Telugu films. Puri has the distinction of knowing the hippy culture, Beloved Master Osho and who is perhaps well read... we find even Paulo Coelho in the film's lines...

2. The film has some fantastic locations and this gives a great feel to the film.

3. The music is almost perfect. Anoop Rubens did a stupendous job. He gave the feel of Remo Fernandez and very interesting orchestration. But Alas ! The block buster factor is missing...

4. Some content in the film, is objectionable for my personal taste... and to many like me, I guess.
Puri crosses the line here, with a song dedicated to smooching.
But the line crosser award would go to "Soopinchande" song, which asks all the young females of the world to "show" and not hide their assets.
And with lines like "vaadiki ichchaava leda?" (- Did you give it to him or not), Puri got a disgusting stare from me. That's somehow very ill-mannered even for the so called "mass" kind of film making.

5. Yet I should say, I got bowled over when the first song started. Super feel, Puri. And was really impressed with the film with the way the unexpected happens in the first half.

6. There are moments that were handled very well, and moments that should have been handled, well...

7. There is a line on the lines of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, in the film. It goes something like 'if you love her and want her from deep down, the whole world will conspire to give her to you'.

8. The female actors in the film are hot.
But, Nithin's dressing, is somehow bad in the film...wonder whatever went wrong !!!

9. The minuses could be the rather flat / shoddy / dull second half, lack of a super hit song, a few sleazy concepts and lines...

10. Overall, a cool film to watch -

the plusses being - Nithin, Adah Sharma (1920 film fame), great locales, good light feel, happy music, interesting screen play for most part, to some extent Ali & Brahmanandam. 

Guru Traffic Maharaj - 1

Traffic every morning and evening in peak times... teaches me new things every day.

Started to go to the office. You choose a way. You have a choice to choose any. Then you enter the way to find there is terrific traffic moving terribly slow. You have no choice now, but to endure it till you cross the spot. Eventually you do end up at office albiet a  little late...

In life, you have Freewill. You have a choice to select which way you might want to take. However, once you set off on a way, you might have no choice or Freewill. You need to be patient and persistent until things are finished, you like it or not.

Freewill Vs Choice, for you.

So, what is Destiny?

You being born in this country and having to go to the office in rush traffic to feed your family.

On what bike, in what outfit, at what time, to which office are however results of your past Freewill choices. 

Don't Travel - Don't Waste Time !

I have been struggling hard to travel around. I felt deep inside, an urge to travel and as if this is going to bring in the much required movement in my life.

In 1970s, the Hippie culture ruled. People were unbelievably mobile. I read about an American who was a Hippie... had long hair, long lost bathing habit, travelling with no money in his pocket. Life is an adventure for him, and after this, he gathered guts to prusue his passion, he became an Hare Rama Hare Krishna devotee dedicating his life to Krishna.

Paulo Coelho, the author of The Alchemist was a Hippie himself, who travelled around with vengence... who later on went on to
become the one who had guts to pursue his passion of becoming an author of books. He is a world renouned auther today.

Remo Fernandez, roamed about 12 countries in 1970s, till 1979. Having no money, he performed on streets and underground tube
stations and used to pass on a hat for money. Just hitch hiking, he had the adventure of a life time. Finally, he had the guts to come back to Goa and pursue his passion, Western Music, in a country like India, where there was almost no market for this kind of music. He is today, an Icon of Fusion in our country.

But now, we travel in our minds. We visit all countries and remotest places sitting on our couches, watching TV. Travel means taking leaves. Travel means effort. Taravel means spending money. The whole world seems to have gotten mobiles and have become very much immobile.

I think there is no harm in not being able to travel... in not being mobile and adventurous... what if we grow big tummies? At-least we are keeping up with the world's trend... of getting narrowed down to restricted, constipated, immobile life style. At-least we are up-to-date, man!

What? Do you differ? Or agree? Let me know... :)

Shut Up... Be Silent !!!

Once, at a petrol bunk, a guy on a bike simply cut the line and went ahead. I shouted. And he shouts back at me angrily.  

In a Cinema's parking lot, a guy parks his bike in the opposite direction to the rest of the bikes at the parking lot. I asked what he was exactly thinking... and HE gets terribly angry.  

A flyover was jammed. A guy can't wait, and so enters the wrong side to zoom ahead, against traffic. I asked him, mister, what is this? And he shows me a palm movement that would could be termed as an Indianized " F*** Off !"...

It keeps happening... that when you raise my voice, people get pissed off at us in the reverse. 
It made me upset and frightened and in such instances, my heart beats hard... I would nurse a depressed feeling for one or two days.

After 2 or 3 years of this, I concluded that Hyderabad has become infested with creeps... negative personalities. Driving and Corporate Jobs gave me the BP problem.  

And one day, mother nature, my Ammavaaru gave me a solution. 

 

Shut Up! 
Yes, shut up and you are a cool guy. Open your mouth and tell people they are wrong and the whole hell breaks loose. 

But alas! The peace is not to last. After a while, this ‘Shutting Up’ became a repression. If I did not shout on people, I was shouting silently inside my head. And this made me an irate person.

So the kind Mother Goddess whispered again in my ear... 

The Mind judges, lives in tomorrow, re-lives the past, gets angry, gets depressed... Watch The Mind! Remember you are not the Mind. 

If you have read this far, please, do this with me now...

Close your eyes and bring your attention to the inside.

Watch your breath, feel your body from inside, feel your heart beat.

Listen to the sounds around.

Turn your attention into your torso; you can listen to the sound of your silence.

Yes, that silence is the real you!

When the mind throws a thought or emotion just acknowledge it and come back to that silence. Be with this silence whenever you remember throughout the day.

Be patient... slowly the mind’s power over you becomes weaker and weaker. 

Trust me, now when I am on the road, I can see that people's behaviour is the same.

Seeing them, the mind passes a judgement.

But I am simply watching them both with the silence inside me.

It feels as if they are happening at some distance.

As if they are happening to somebody else. 

As the silence deepens, LIFE emerges - Quote from the Upanishads.

Krrish 3- Film Review

This is one of the best films of Bollywood that I had watched in a long time. Perhaps, I would rate this one of the best films I had watched. And yes, I had watched a truck load of films in this life.

A film being a Hit or a Flop does not depend on it being good or bad. Some incredibly stupid films are declared hits now-a-days. A film being a Hit somehow depends on "Kismat". And this is my observation after being a film buff for more than 30 years. The timing, the planetary conditions, the collective consciousness, the mass psych vibration at a particular time and as such decide the fate of the film. I just don't know what exactly would be the fate of this film...

But for me, this film stands for a memorable Deepaavali afternoon, well spent.

Why is Krrish3 so good, then?

1. It has a story that fits a blockbuster. A story where a Super Hero arouses deep feelings of heroism, altruism and a sense of "apnapan" for many characters in the film.

2. It is made in such high standards, that it stands out from the rest of the 'graphics ka films' that were made in Bollywood till date.

3. Krrish3 has Hrithik Roshan. He has the looks, the 8 pack, the acting talent, the physique, the mannerisms, the dancing capabilities, incredible screen presence, the most penetrating eyes and international standards about him.

4. The songs and the background score are fantastic. The editing, the entire post production, the art work, the casting all are almost absolutely flawless (except for Vivek's attire in the end... he looks like some kind of a steel plated rag picker).

5. Krrish gives you goose bumps, makes you smile, brings tears of excitement and brings out a deep buried feeling of nostalgia that you feel when you re-live the adventures of Super Heros on silver screen.

6. Krrish3 has Kangna Ranaut, it has Hrithik Roshan playing the father of himself to perfection, it has a story line that keeps your eyes glued to the screen all through.

Krrish3 takes off from where the earlier two films left us. Hrithik Roshan, now married to Priyanka Chopra is busy in changing jobs as Krishna and is busy saving lives as Krrish. Enters the villain Vivek Oberoi, and all hell breaks loose. And how actually, this almost invincible Vivek Oberoi is destroyed by Krrish to save the world is rest of the film. (I am never for revealing the film's story to anybody... I would hate it if someone does that to me. The whole thrill is lost...)

There are many charecters in teh film and many scenes that seem like a lift off from many Hollywood flicks. But, what the duck? Super Hero films are a product of the western mind. No harm. Especially if
these are so well adapted to our setting, it is really thrilling to watch.

Raghupati Raaghav Raaja Ram has some super cool movements by Hrithik Roshan. He is undoubtedly the best dancer in India today. The song when Krrish's statue is unveiled gives the kids a kick. And the stealer is Dil Tu Hi Bata shot on Hrithik and Kangna. This woman looks absolutely stunning.

Overall, Krrish3 is a super film.

I dont think that after working in the corporate for this long, I have any child left inside me. But the film made me a child, wide-eyed with enthusiasm!

I went to the film inspite of listening to adverse comments from friends.
But, I was glad I did go and watch it. The child in me is thrilled.

One cool film that should be a Hit, because, it would spread the concept of Good winning over Evil in a society that really needs this vibration at this time.

God bless Hrithik, Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan and all those who are responsible for this wonderful flick.  

Krrish3 - Music Review

I just happened to listen to the songs of Hritik Roshan's upcoming flick, Krish3.

In the process I came across a few reviews that say that the album is insipid and sounds outdated.

But I thought, I should I beg to differ. I felt this is great music. And the songs are doing well, aren't they? The song Raghupati Raghav Raajaram is already on the lips of children. Dil Tu Hi Bata is on the way to become a national sensation.

Just a couple of points before the review...

This so called modern music, has been, kind of, forced on the Indians. It is too much of a task to be able to, even hum a modern song. Who, if I may ask, is actually asking for so much of a complication in music, in this already complicated life?

The masses are still simple. Simple mass numbers are all hits today and that proves this point. I mean the kinds that Mika sings... I feel most of the modern stuff goes over the heads of masses, frankly.

The old has been forced out, but the new is still coming because it is coming from various foreign lands... it is a confusion, that composers are in, for at least 18-20 years now!

A song should have mystery about it, and yet it has to be hummable. The BGMs and pattern music pieces should be hummable by the masses, should be easy to hold on to and remember. Only this way, music can penetrate masses who are the real heart of a country.
Music that stays with people is that which is mysterious, hummable and is one that touches some deep recesses of their hearts.

Rajesh Roshan belongs to the older generation of music directors. Can we forget his Julie? But for years now, he has been employed only by
his brother Rakesh Roshan...

Rajesh Roshan retains the olden days' style of tunes, and has given the orchestration, seemingly, to the new age arrangers. Yet, he must have supervised the rhythms and melody parts so that they are never complex or overloaded. The sound of the album is good, we could listen to all the instruments quite clearly.

In Krrish3, Rajesh Roshan attempts to merge the old style of tunes that touch the soul, with the new age heavy kick and base guitar patterns... as he did for Kaho Naa Pyar Hai & Krrish earlier...

Coming to the album,

Raghupati Raghav Rajaram, somehow, has a soul that would connect to people. Hritik's dance movements shown for the song in trailers have already caught on with youth.

You Are My Love is a song that seems to have been composed on the lines of the advert "you are my honey bunny". It has a Goan feel, an interesting "teen maar" rhythm. And this number has a potential to remain with people because you could listen to it repeatedly, the orchestration is simple and does not give you fatigue. You could listen to Alisha Chinai and Mohit Chauhan in this number.

God Allah Aur Bhagvan is again an old style tune. Yes, you could say it is slow in the modern sense, but we need to understand that speed has given us nothing except blood pressure and sugar.
In the antra, you could listen to lyrics like "sab mein vo chupaa hai use pehchaanle... vo dostonka hai dost, yaaron ka hai yaar". Good old familiar lyrics by Sameer. "Pyar ka savera leke aayenge hum" says Sameer in the song... What a relief! I don't need to rush to open Google and search for the meaning of words... as I keep doing when I listen to the new numbers.

The album is modern where is needs to be. The rhythm patterns for Raghupati Raaghav Raja Ram are actually groovy... the club stuff, you could say... with a tune that has the flavour and soul of yesteryears sensibilities.

Theme of Krrish is passable. Perhaps it would sound good as background music when Hritik Roshan casts his magic with his impeccable screen presence in Krrish3.

The best song of the album is Dil Tu Hi Bata. I feel this tune will remain with me for the years to come. Hats off to Rajesh Roshan for this tune. The rhythm pattern is fantastic. The selection of instruments lends a mysterious feel. Chorus taken from the keyboards, a trait of Rajesh Roshan, somehow deepen the feel of the song. The base guitar if perfect.

Kyon aaj suni teri dhadkan pehli baar - this line is the best part... Alisha Chinai's vocals push you into an abyss of nostalgia. Aa dilne mere sunlee tere dil ki pukaar, says Zubeen Garg, and this line, tuned in a high note, treated to with an echo effect, gives a haunting feel to the listener.
The antra has an excellent tune with lyrics like Duniya jhooti lagti hai... it will make the listener fall in love with the song... and with love itself...
Ok... I could keep keying a lot of things about this song... but I leave the rest to you to feel. I already listened to the song for 8 or 10 times... and plan to keep going all day today :)
Hey, I almost forgot, the piano piece is something I really loved, you will love it too if you happen to observe it.

Thanks to Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan. These tunes will keep the Indian music alive... in a

way it should be living...

Krish3 is not a classic. No. But it is something good to have happened to Indian music scene, I feel. Remember? When Sajid Wajid's Tere Mast Mast Do Nain became a hit, Bollywood Music underwent a positive change!

Even this day, you could listen to Kahona Pyar Hai and feel good. How many of today's songs would remain with you in 2023? Yes, same with Krrish3.

While we wait fondly for the best people of Hindi Film Music (who are taking rest now), to return and thrill us once again, let us live on with this music for now :)