by Chalam Kalam

For every movie, you have the theme and then the style of presenting this theme. Of late, Krishna vamsi has been choosing themes that are either social or devotional and his presentation borders on extremes in either case. I would first get the bad of the movie out of our way. He uses extreme profanities to hit us with the seriousness of the issue but the repetition just goes on ad nauseum and one feels pained having to hear the same drivel over and over again. If you don’t have anything new to say, dont. simple. He did the same through Sivaji raja's character in Khadgam where cusswords are used to show the anger and the same is done in Rakhi multiple times. The emotion that he conveys through his images is more than enough to get the audience riled. And he should remember that using such words might actually turn people off from the thought he wants to drill into their heads. Also it looks like he is challenging himself to see if his audience gets distracted looking at beautiful females in skimpy clothes while he talks of burning social issues or human devotion to God. This is one aspect that's grating to one's senses and KV needs to stop doing that. If this is his way to balance class and mass, he is anything but wrong.

Besides that, 'Rakhi' manages to make a strong point and raise an issue that is normally slid under the carpet in most of our discussions so much so that even the victims themselves do not speak up. And an issue like this needs a skilful director like Krishna Vamsi who can both imbue it with some sensitivity and also spice it up with aggression. Only he could do that and he does that well. What is though not done well is Suhasini's hyper police officer. Why is she so restless, what is she trying to convey - all is lost in KV's search for a 'dynamic' police officer. He seems to have taken that quite literally. She is like a cat on a hit tin roof jumping around making no sense or adding anything to any of her scenes. In the process, what could have been a really good commercial movie gets watered down in the second half because of a lack of plot. KV simply does not know how to end Rakhi's travails, make it a big state wide issue involving Government like in Tagore or get his hero killed making him a martyr. Instead he chooses the standard route of inventing a villain against whom the hero vents up all his anger and is now ready to stop throwing his flames around. And this is the only time the movie starts looking disjointed. The entire first half drama is built on beautifully and NTR matches his director step to step. There is his usual high decibel shrieking in some scenes but KV's camera distracts us from the sound and makes it palatable. It makes me glad that someone of KV's calibre could find his bearings once again. Several scenes stand out in this film - The string of scenes that build upto Rakhi's sister's death. KV shows his class and NTR his range in all of those scenes.

Right from the time NTR is in his sister's in-laws house waiting to give them their 5 lakhs and later gets drunk with kota's gang complaining of some unease with all that's happening, there's this thumping background sound that builds up the mood and sets the tone for the tragedy that's about to change the proceedings. It's melancholic and only KV could have thought of that.

KV's sensitivity as a director. His usage of symblolism is unparalleled from his Sindhooram days - that movie's opening scene with a bomb exploding in green fields completely showcased what was the cause and the reality of Naxalism in Andhra. And that same symbolism comes to the fore in the most touching way in the hospital burns ward scene. KV simply mutes all the wallowing and crying around and focuses on NTR in absolute silence, the sadness and the 'vairagyam' of the scene are brought out beautifully. NTR's walk back through the ward is interspersed with shots of his walking through a lonely chamber, symbolism to his now derived loneliness in life at his sister's loss. This continues all the way into the graveyard scene where the simple thought of wailing girls in the throes of their deaths is brought forth with some vivid imagery, very in-your-face KV style. That whole string of scenes is in my opinion the strength of the movie. KV clearly shows why he is a master story teller and for a change NTR just plays along with his director and the result is solid drama that tugs at your heart. wonderful.

Another KV gem is the scene where NTR runs alongside the car his sister is leaving in. Hundreds of movies must have shot the same scene umpteen number of times but not one director could think of building the scene in this manner. Again it's a scene where NTR is required to emote while running and the never-forgiving camera catches him all close up. He manages to perform superbly and lends complete support to his director. Another aspect to note is the acting of the girl who was his sister in the movie. She performs very well both in this scene and in the scene where she is thrown out of the house just in time for NTR to arrive and bash up his baava. If a telugu girl, she needs to be groomed as a good character actress. Satya Krishnan of Anand is no where to be seen after that initial bubble. But I digress. If there's any movie, it's this one that shouts from the roof tops of the need that a director and actor need to be in complete sync for our movie pleasure. Pokiri was one movie that achieved that last year and now Rakhi manages to bring the best out of both out-of-form artists.

As a performer all NTR needs are solid story lines and scenes that a good director can visualize. He is still not in a stage of rising above a director's mistakes and he needs to stick to good directors for some more time of his career. Avoiding painful duds like Narasimhudu would do a world of good for his talent, that one not just sucked as a movie but completely destroyed any credibility he had as a performer. Every scene was cliched and preposterous and he just coasted along. Rakhi shows what a good director can do to raw talent. One scene that tells us what he is capable of is his outburst inside the TV studio after the court killings. He starts with quivering hands, the pen moving restlessly in his palm. A nodding head, trembling voice and rage in his eyes all brought together in perfect symphony - only possible for someone who is a born artist. Those are scenes that cannot be done by lesser actors inspite of a hundred rehearsals. It has to be in-built and at 23, he just showcases what can be done when given a good scene and direction. Compare this to either the ending scene in Narasimhudu where he gives out that weird expression imagining his sister's face or the over the top crying scene at that girl's deathbed. A final word about his size. People grow restless about how fat he has become but one needs to understand that it's genetic. One should not expect him to look super slim with a six-pack and infact for his set of facial features, it would be awkward to imagine him as a lean and mean dude. He needs to cut off some of that baby fat from his face and lose some weight around the belly so he can dance effortlessly. Some more fine tuning and we can have a good actor and a mass star rolled into one.

Other articles by Bhrigu:
• Stalin
• Athadu
• Anukokunda Oka Roju