This is about two people (out of five) from the Telugu film fraternity who happen to be the only folks to have stirred my deepest instincts for cinema. The two in question would be director Trivikram Srinivas and actor Pawan Kalyan. The other three are actors Prakaash Raaj, Mahesh Babu and Brahmanandam. I must mention, there's no particular order in which I list them here, for I marked each of them for their respective talents and subtleties. I'd deliberately timed this post with that of the release of another venture in the partnership of Trivikram and Pawan, "Atharintiki Daaredi", which like much of Pawan's earlier work is garnering a 'confluence of extremities'-'love-hate' response from people who've watched it and bothered to review - they outright choose to be on either of the banks and not in the middle. Reviews, comments and a rigorous critique - I leave out of the scope of this post and would like to conveniently walk down memory lane with the works of Trivikram and Pawan, to mark the occasion per se.
I remember being a 'Star Movies-HBO' kid in high school, consistently hating Indian Cinema for not being Hollywood, and then watching "Athadu". This one movie made me completely banish my fondled hatred for Telugu Cinema, stand up and take notice, of an emerging set of actors, film makers and technicians that could really make a difference. Trivikram's screenplay and dialogue for the flick were terrific, Mahesh's action an absolute coming-of-age act and the movie in totality, a riot to watch. Upon later viewings I began to appreciate the dynamism of Guhan's cinematography, some of the motifs Trivikram has cleverly snuck in, and how Manisharma's music deftly complements the mood in every scene. The scene where Nandu jumps on the train is skillfully ripped off from the English movie, "U.S.Marshals", and yet, the one where Nandu enters a dead Parthu's house and later confesses his love for Puri are absolute scorchers in originality. Repeat viewings meant I was sealed a fan of Trivikram. That meant revisiting some older flicks which he wrote scripts and screenplays for ("Manmadhudu", "Nuvve Nuvve") and enjoying them to the core. I disliked "Jalsa" initially, only to go back and watch it, and appreciate the so many fine details he has explicitly sprinkled all over that script. Then came "Khaleja", a movie I avow is probably, his finest, most heartfelt work and is probably among the few movies that a Telugu film maker and his crew have made with the utmost passion for staying true to spirit, undeterred by hindrances. All of this culminated in me, booking the tickets for the first day's show to "Julayi", and dragging a sick( I mean, ill, actually!) and cursing cousin along to the show. Might I say, I was having goosebumps in the way the movie unfolded right till the moment the blatant "Dark Knight" rip off started! The scene in which Kota Srinivas Rao's character discusses the robbery plan with Sonu Sood's gang marks polished and classy film making. Then the rip offs, flimsy editing and wanton commercialism ditch sensibility and Trivikram's charm for banality and boredom. I was very disappointed. Trivikram has always been a beta version of Mani Ratnam, a filmmaker who stood by traditional Indian Cinema conventionalities (songs, 'commercial' elements that woo audiences, etc) and yet tried his hand in infusing originality with each and every element of the film. With "Julaayi", I was worried that given "Khaleja"s rejection by the audiences, if he has finally bitten the Box-Office bug(?)
For generations of cinema goers, other than what it usually is, cinema also meant one thing. A gateway to a dreamy world of fashion, style, exotic locations, mean machines, colors one has never seen, graphics one has seldom imagined - briefly, production design that wows. I'd say Indian Cinema has fared decently on this front moving from one stage to the other via salient transitional points - actors who gracefully brought in new styles, directors with vision, etc. The primary thing I'd always liked about Pawan Kalyan was that he has been one such salient point, not once, but consistently through his career. Way before the current crop of actors woke up to the glamour of cinema and that needed for it, and before older actors realized the need for extensive makeovers, Pawan was changing the scene, credit probably going to some or the other extent to the plethora of technicians working on his projects. What's notable is how effortlessly he does that. GAP hoodies, custom made trousers and shirts, rap songs and hip hop, college hangouts, Harleys, Ninjas, RD350s and KTMs, funky character names, fashionable home environs, the works. Naturally, the industry and other actors followed suit, but none fit into these moulds as smoothly as he did. He even went ahead and directed a flick, "Johnny", one which I much like and would place among the finest Telugu flicks ever. More on that, plus talk about his other movies to be followed in another post.
For now, I'm just holding mixed emotions - of hope, anxiety, curiosity for "Atharintiki Daredi" and all the future works of these two focal points of the Telugu film industry. Rumour has it, they plan to partner in on a production house that can nurture new talent. Wonder what wonders that can churn out!
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