Apr 20, 2006 01:34 AM
8753 Views
(Updated Apr 20, 2006 03:16 AM)
Anand, when it released was released without much hype and it turned out to be one of the surprise though deserving hits of last year. The movie is directed by Shekhar Kammula and stars Raja and Kamilini Mukherjee in the lead roles.
The story starts off with the heroine's parents getting killed in a Car accident involving a drunk driver when she is just 8 years old. Then the hero shifts to the present, where the heroine has grown up and is engaged and about to get married to a person who has been in love with her for a long time. The match is strongly disliked by all her friends who think that the guy's mom is too dictatorial. The wedding, expectedly stops literally at the wedding altar due to a tiff between Kamilini and her mother-in-law. Anand, who is our hero, and also coincidentally the son of the drunk driver who casued the above mentioned accident secretly starts admiring the heroine when he sees her and when the marriage gets called off, decides to befriend her and try to see if they are compatible. He does not reveal his true identity to her as he is doubtful whether he would be accepted initially if the truth was told. Will both of them marry? This is what the rest of the story is all about.
The story, though not very novel, has been treated differently by the director. The movie is taken in a very realistic manner, with humour laced all the way through. The parts where Anand tries to woo his lady love, helped along by the heroine's friend, are very nicely taken. The entire ambience of the house, though resembling more of Ooty than Hyderabad is shot very well and is pleasing to the eye. Everyone in the film is given due importance and the movie as a whole has come out very well. The humour is not forced but rather flows with the narrative. Not that there are no sentiments. They are also there, especially in the latter part of the movie, but again they are not just for the sake of melodrama but genuinely move the story forward.
Coming to performances, everyone has given their best and it shows in the movie. Raja as Anand, comes across as a guy who is not someone who would do anything for love as in the normal movies, but someone who would try his best to make the relationship work. His performance is very natural and no faults can be found. Kamilini, the heroine also gives an excellent performance as the woman who is unsure as to whether get in another relationship after one has gone bad recently. A very endearing performance and she looks beautiful too :). The support cast especially Anand's brother, the heroine's friends, and the kids also pitch in with a wonderful performance. All of these actors perform the light moments very well without any trace of artificiality. The greatest success of this movie in my opinion is that the movie succeeds in making the viewers laugh through incidents which occur in everyday life, unlike most movies which have a Comedy track running parallel to the original story. A welcome change this
Technically too, this movie is good. Direction is top notch and the director has succeeded in striking the right balance between fine acting and overacting. The music of the film is also soft, melodious and very good. The songs ''Yamuna Theeram'' and ''Nuvvena Naa Nuvena'' especially are pleasing to hear and they are shot well on the screen too in the sense that they move the story forward and are not forced into the narrative. The BGM is also excellent and suits the theme of the movie.Wonderful work by the Music Director. Editing and screenplay are good, though the movie starts to drag in the last 20 minutes.
Overall, quite a surprise package and definitely worth a watch. Very different from the usual run of the mill stuff offered routinely. If you haven't seen the movie, catch it on DVD and you will not regret it for sure. I did not!!The movies tagline says ''Manchi Coffee Lanti Cinema''. It sure is!!!. The only thing supposedly against it is the absence of any big stars at all. But it sure makes the movie better
