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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Copyrights, Piracy in Tollywood - Vangapandu & Magadheera

I was watching the television commercial and subsequent appeal of Ram Charan Teja, about the efforts that the film-unit has put into this epic of recent times, Magadheera.

The hero appealed to the Telugu audience, not to encourage piracy and honor the copyrights of the creators of the movie.

While I respect his right to protect his rights, I realized the film makers’ double standards when I saw poet Vangapandu Prasada Rao complaining that his song was copied into Magadheera.

The song in question, “Em Pillado, Eldamostava!” is indeed a popular number that created many revolutionary leaders in villages and small towns since ages. Not many would know Vangapandu, but all Telugu audience would have listened to his song sometime.

I think it is unfair on the film unit’s part to use the lyric (even if it is just one line) and that too, use it for shooting filthy romance.

With this, the filmmaker’s request for curbing piracy and upholding copyrights appear to be sham.

Seems, Magadheera’s special effects are not just on the screen. They are off the screen too. Two theaters in the state which were screening this movie have witnessed accidents with reports of loss of life in both the cases.

Quick Gun Murugan – All Hype, No Fire

I haven’t been watching movies for sometime now. But Quick Gun Murugan & its lead actors Rajendra Prasad, Rambha pulled me to the theater.

With all the media coverage and the promo that preceded its release over the past few weeks, I expected it to be great. But, I found QGM full of hype and no fire.

Firstly, it was my fault to expect the QGM to be on par with Rajendra Prasad & Rambha’s Aa Okkati Adakku.

Next, QGM doesn’t have any story that it can bank upon. All that talk on Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian fight was just hype.

Finally, age has caught up with both Rajendra Prasad & Rambha. They neither look funny nor sexy, but just a sorry.

I felt out of place, as the crowd was laughing at non-sense in the name of comedy. Lola kutty’ dialogues, the Tamil accent of English dialogues are passé, I say.

Rajendra Prasad seemed to be with a hangover of his Aa Naluguru kind of roles. He sports a gloomy look throughout the movie.

Mango Dolly Rambha has very little to do in the movie, except for some skin show. There were some news reports that Rajendra Prasad said the same in some interview & that created serious differences between him & mango dolly. She stopped sharing the stage with him since then.

Over all, the director & writer failed in milking a very good theme of Vegetarianism, a great comedian like Rajendra Prasad.

Tollywood & Telangana Lolli

Since the begining of T agitation, Tollywood more or less kept quiet on the T issue, considering their Business interests. Minor aberrations were Chiranjeevi & Mohan Babu's open support to United Andhra.

The only vocal support for T was from small time players like R. Narayana Murthy & Tammareddy Bharadwaja.

Now, a newbie is trying to fish in the troubled waters by stoking T feelings. Saketh (Balu), who is debuting with 'Rosham', is trying to en-cash the T mood by appealing that he be blessed as the first T hero.

Not a bad business idea, to rake in few rupees with such a movie.

Recently an association of T directors was formed, under the leadership of award winning 'Kubusam' movie director. They appealed that there should not be regional feelings in the industry. I didnt understand, why they formed a regional association to suggest that idea ;)

Nominate Your Choice - FilmFare Awards

Filmfare invites audience to nominate their choice for various award categories for the 57th Idea FilmFare Awards.

Audience can nominate their choice in various categories(see below) from the films released in the calendar year 2011.

How To Send Your Entries
Audience can respond through post, or SMS or online.

Send SMS choice to: 55456 (Idea) or 58888 (all others)
FI AWARD

To vote online: http://awards.filmfare.com

Last Date to vote: 07-Jan-2012

Award Categories & Codes:
Best Film (BF)
Best Director (BD)
Best Actor in Leading Role - Male (BAM)
Best Actor in Leading Role - Female (BAF)
Best Actor in Supporting Role - Male (BMS)
Best Actor in Supporting Role - Female (BFS)
Best Music (BMD)
Best Lyric (BL)
Best Playback Singer - Male (BMP)
Best Playback Singer - Female (BFP)

Bapu Bomma

The reference to Bapu’s Sundarakanda in my last entry made me reflect on this legend of Telugu film industry. Bapu is known to capture & display the quintessential Telugu girl in his works. Be it the sketches & paints that he makes or the movies that he made.

For starters, Satti Raju Lakshmi Narayana, known as Bapu, is a famous artist, painter, cartoonist and film maker of Andhra Pradesh. His cartoons are so popular that they are featured in almost all magazines in Andhra Pradesh. His cartoon characters Budugu, Rendu Jella Sita, C Gaana Pesoonaamba are typical Telugu kids. His paintings of mythological characters are brilliant and of distinct style. Of course, talking about Bapu’s movies, we must appreciate Ramana who has been the back bone of the movies & stories with his rib tickling dialogues.

Bapu’s depiction of typical Telugu girl was so famous that, Bapu Bomma (Bapu’s Picture) became synonymous to “Beautiful Telugu Girl”. His films are equally great. Each and every frame of his movies are like a canvas paint and is filled with subtle humor. Starting from Sakshi to the recent Sundarakanda, he has made many great movies that will be remembered by the industry.

All his lady protagonists are brilliant portraits of that day’s woman. I watched many of his movies, countless times. I never get bored watching a helpless lady protagonist Sangeetha in Mutyala Muguu, an equal partner Divya Vani in Pelli Pustakam and a dominant sivangi Amani in Mr. Pellam.

However, when I think about his heroines, I always get surprised that most of them have failed to succeed in the industry.

He took Chandrakala as Sita in Sampoorna Ramayanam. She couldn’t make a big mark in the industry.

Next was Sangitha in Mutyala Muggu. She couldn’t make any big success after that.

Latha was the heroine in Andala Ramudu. No major success for her after that.

Divyavani was so beautiful in Pelli Pustakam, She was not seen around after that.

Amani was superb in Mr Pellam. She quit with in few years after that.

Kasturi/Kaveri was shown in Rambantu. She settled down on TV shows now.

I keep wondering whether this is Bapu’s talent that he can show the Bapu Bomma out of ordinary individuals or is it that his touch is spoiling the luck of the new heroines :)