July 8, 2006

Here're my main reasons for why I liked Godavari very much and why I think Shekhar Kammulas films different from the rest of Telugu films.

Reasons for liking Godavari:

Script: This is the cornerstone of any good movie and in the case of Godavari, the script was awesome. It is an excellent, coherent, well-contained and wel laid out script - it is due to this, that no scene in the movie seems out of place or unnecessary. No shot seems to be present only to add length to the movie. No dialogue seems to be there just to extend the length of the movie. Every frame oozes of the story and has an importance attached to it that directly comes from the script. Sumanth had said in an interview to 24 Frames that Shekhar had given him a bound script. This shows the planning, preparation and approach of Shekhar to film making. I think I would not be wrong to say that Shekhar is probably the only or one of the extremely small number of directors in present day Telugu film industry (don’t prefer the word Tollywood) who work in this way. Another person who I think works the same way is veteran director Bapu garu. To put in a nutshell, the script is the director's mental creation of the movie that is going to be shot later on. So when you have a great script, half the job is already done. Realistic portrayal, awesome action by lead pair and other actors If script is the concept in the director's mind, then portrayal is how the concept is brought to life by the actors involved.

This is probably Sumanth's best work to date and Kamalinee's as well. Sumanth did not exist in the movie, it was only Sreeram who was seen on the screen, so convincing was his portrayal. There are shades of his Satyam's character in this movie. It is said that nothing speaks louder than silence and it must be so with acting as well - for underplay is such an effective technique in acting. One might however ask, did Sumanth underplay or did Shekhar visualize/conceptualize Sreeram to be like this in the script itself. Either way, the result was awesome. In the scenes involving his 'maradalu', he proves how good an actor he is in the way he shows the turmoil in his mind - knowing on one side that he cannot marry her, but unable to stop yearning for her, unable to let go of his ideals, yet being mature about the whole thing especially when interacting with his 'mavayya' and 'atta'. He has shown all this in such balance that one can easily identify with his character in real life. Sreeram is all about good ideals and simple living. He is greatly loved by his family for his noble aspirations inspite of the fact that it is hard to achieve them in the real world. He is more of a pacifist first and an activist later and Sumanth has very convincingly portrayed this thru his action.

Neetu Chandra too, tho a new comer (as far as I know) performed well in her role, casually so to say, but not carelessly. She showed 'chanuvu' towards her 'bava' in her action quite well, although there were some moments wherein she could have turned up the acting just a notch high.

Kamalinee - what can we say about her performance - other than that she is probably the most adorable character in the movie, a perfect complement or contrast to Sreeram, thanks to her wonderful portrayal. I think after Savithri and Soundarya, Kamalinee is one (and maybe the only) actress who can act (and almost always acts only) with just her eyes. I found it hard to watch her action objectively because her potrayal just keeps drawing the viewer into the movie, into Seeta - there is also another reason for the success of Seeta in my opinion, which I will mention later. Shekhar's movies so far have a strong focus/role for the female lead although I wouldn’t call this a bias. There was better lip sync for her character in Godavari than there was in Anand. Kamalinee effectively shows Seeta as an individual with independent thinking, a strong mind and conviction, yet with a respect for tradition. Her expressions of anger (chips scene), spontaneous admiration for Sreeram (when she comes to know of his honesty) are a visual treat to the viewer. The scene where Sreeram and Seeta defend each other in front of Kamal's character is a great scene in the movie and a turning point as well - by this time it is very clearly established that Seeta and Sreeram admire and respect each other. In this scene, notice Kamalinee's and Sumanth's actions - Seeta defends Sreeram more strongly than Sreeram defends Seeta - a clear reflection of the different feelings they have for each other. Herein too, Sumanth's 'softer' action is in contrast to Kamalinee's more 'vocal' action.

Ammamma's role tho small was nice and important and was well performed. The little boy also performed very well. Kamal's role as an IPS officer was adequate and he defined his character well enough - tho there was some moments of rawness in his action, they had little or no impact on his performance. Tanikella is as usual good as in any role he does. To the keen viewer, it can be seen that the intensity of the gentle tug of war between Sreeram and Seeta remains at the same level throughout the movie. Some may say that the movie is a bit slow - but I would say the movie has the right pace for such a story. Awesome dubbing by Sunitha 50% of the success of Seeta's character should go to Sunitha in my opinion who gave terrific - simply terrific - dubbing for Kamalinee. Personally, I think in this movie, Sunitha's dubbing gelled extremely well with Kamalinee's acting than it had in the past with another actress's performance. Sunitha's voice coupled with Kamalinee's body language and expressions delivered a immensely adorable Seeta for the viewer. It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that Sunitha should be getting a Nandi award for her work in this movie.

Backdrop/Nativity, Shekhar has captured/shown Telugu nativity extremely well without going overboard in this movie - be it dialect, mannerisms, way of life, interactions between the characters etc. A small but beautiful example is Ammamma asking 'Meeru brahmallaa' - this is so typical of elders we see in those regions. The movie gives new meaning to the phrase, 'using Godavari as a backdrop to the story' - if the movie Godavari is a painting, the river Godavari and its environs simply provide the canvas for the characters (colors) to play themselves and create this beautiful painting, with the painter being Shekhar. The river Godavari is very much present throughout the movie - its theme runs very consistently throughout the movie - but only as a subtle undercurrent without dominating the main story. Shekhar achieved a beautiful, yet delicate and difficult balance between the story and the backdrop. In doing this, the movie is elevated to a whole new level of entertainment and adds more punch to the lead characters and their interactions. We hear a lot of movies advertised as 'Seema backdrop, but all you see is so much violence and gore that the movie could have just been shot anywhere and the result would have been the same. Not in this case, seeing the lead characters interact in those scenic locations, amplifies the moods and sentiments shown and really takes the viewer thru a whole new experience. A good analogy to this is would be a beautiful song in which the orchestra does not dominate the singer but elevates the singer's rendition of the song.

Direction: The director is the captain of the ship and Shekhar is a great captain. I watched this movie the second time it came and all shows were full the second time as well. Everyone watched the movie glued to their seats. This is proof enough of the sucess of the direction department. Hallmark of Shekhar's movies is realism, realism, realism. No over-dramatization, no larger than life potrayals, simple, convincing, realistic, cinema that also meets its primary purpose - to entertain the audience. Again, one may notice the logical continuity in the movie from scene to scene, frame to frame. No scene is awkwardly placed. Another example of excellence in direction: A keen viewer may notice in the
movie that the shots comprising the Ramachakkani Seetaki song change as per the lyrics of the song.

Music/Lyrics: Good music may help a movie get good collections, but good music doesnt necessarily imply a good movie. Radhakrishnan's music for this movie, as it was for Anand too, is awesome. Lilting and pleasant, it is a treat to the ears and eyes when watched on the screen. A wonderful blend of Carnatic and Western systems, it appeals to both the layman and the audiophile. Manasaa Vaachaa evokes feelings of yearnings, Manasaa Gelupu evokes feelings of determination, encouragement, positivity, hope most of all and strength, Tippulu Tappalu evokes the laughter and mischeavousness of youth, Uppongele Godavari evokes feelings of gradeour, awe for Godavari and the life it supports, Andamgaleena evokes love and Ramachakkani Seetaki evokes compassion very eloquently. Veturi's lyrics gell beautifully with Radhakrishnan's music and the combination elevates the movie's mood to a whole new level.

It is only after I saw the movie that I realized there was no 'comedy department' separately in the movie. Shekhar's dubbing for the dog did well for the comedy element in the movie. It sure is a novel idea that was boldly attempted by Shekhar. Shekhar's movies contrasted with the present day average Telugu film As I mentioned above, a hallmark of Shekhar's movies is realism. Realism is probably the one word that best describes his movies. Drama is what I would say describe other Telugu movies when compared with Shekhar's movies - for there is very little realism in them. His movies are basically a simple story that is well told without resorting to things such as, foreign locales, larger-than-life characters or actions or fights, huge expensive sets, 'punch dialogues' etc. Yet without resorting to all these and more formulaic elements of movie making, his movies are very captivating and are a treat to watch - this is by no means a small achievement. This is also the hallmark of great directors like K. Vishwanath garu, Bapu garu and many others. Action in Shekhar's movies has a great emphasis with no melodrama, over dramatization and unrealism in it. Violence is kept to a minimum (as in K.Vishwanath's movies too). Perhaps this is a reflection of Shekhar as a person who shuns violence. There is a total absence of gore in his movies compared to which the average Telugu movie has loads and loads of it. Songs in Shekhar's movie is also a key element - the songs are there not just for entertainment, but to move along or elevate the story. They dont break the narration of the main story. Contrast this with other Telugu movies where the songs break the narration of the main story - hero bashes the goons, bam, hero and heroine dance OR hero shows sentiment to sister or mother, bam, heroine goes off to a dream song with the hero. Many long-time producers and directors have said in interviews that the intent in having a song is to actually break the narration so that viewer, who has undergone the strain of watching the movie, is given some sort of a relaxation by the song. Shekhar's movies on the other hand dont need to do this, because, they are not a strain to the viewer. Locales is another area where his movies differ from other Telugu movies - Shekhar's movies have minimal to absolutely no foreign locales - he is one director who makes great use of India :). Contrast w/ a run-of-the-mill Telugu movie that must have a few foreign locales, be it the Alps, Rockies, Pyramids, deserts etc. All music in Shekhar's movie is very melodious, be it background or songs - very pleasant to the ear. Some may say it is class-oriented and that the 'mass' person cannot appreciate it - I simply say that his music caters to one section of the society or segment of the audience. The average Telugu film on the other hand may have only one or two good songs w/ the rest being passable or discardable and the BGM also being jarring. Lastly, one can say that Shekhar's movies are very clearly story/script oriented (meaning the other elements in the film are dictated by the needs of the story/script), whereas the average Telugu film is formula oriented (meaning the story is fit/compressed/squeezed into the mould of a formula, say 5 songs, 5 fights, 2 heroines - 1 mass song, 1 class number, 3 dance numbers, 2 chase fights, 1 sword fight, 1 bare-fists fight).

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