Rana Daggubati in Baahubali
2015 saw the audience leaning towards content-driven cinema. Here’s a recap.
2015 was a year in transition. A year the Telugu film industry went through a churn and realised that the audience favoured content-driven cinema. Beaten-to-death formula couldn’t be flogged any longer for box office success.
The year’s first hit, Gopala Gopala, was a marker of things to come. This remake of Umesh Shukla’s Oh my God! stayed overtly faithful to the original. A debate on religion, superstitious practices and Godmen is like walking on a tightrope and the team pulled it off, helped by the presence of stars Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan. It doesn’t matter if Pawan Kalyan was playing god and almost being deified on screen, it was a win for the crux of Gopala Gopala.
Months later came another film that nearly worshipped its large-hearted protagonist. After the debacle of 1-Nenokkadine and Aagadu, Srimanthudu wasn’t really considered a safe bet in the industry circles. Think about it, who would go to watch a film where a star stresses on doing his bit for society and adopting a village? Director Koratala Siva did a balancing act, packing in crowd-pleasing elements. Along with Mahesh Babu, the film also brought cheers to Shruti Haasan who showed she is maturing as an actress.
Good tidings
Srimanthudu’s success came when the industry was witnessing good tidings after Baahubali. S.S. Rajamouli’s labour of love opened to unprecedented hype and serpentine queues outside cinema halls.
Even the most reluctant moviegoers were curious to see the spectacle. The risk that actor Prabhas took by not signing any film for three years during the making of Baahubali paid off. Mahishmati kingdom also announced the arrival of Rana as a mean beast. Commendable performances from Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishna were the icing on the cake.
The other long-awaited labour of love was Gunasekhar’s Rudhramadevi. The historical re-telling of the story of the warrior queen from Orugallu was a mixed bag. Engaging in parts, the film fell short in visual effects. Allu Arjun as Gona Ganna Reddy walked away with the best lines, almost stealing the thunder from Anushka Shetty.
But Anushka had more in store. As Sweety in Size Zero, she dared to do what no actor had done before, playing an overweight protagonist. Heart-warming for the most part as a family drama, the film swerved off mark when it took on slimming centres.
Films like Asura and Raju Gari Gadhi also made a mark.
A few other films unapologetically brandished the formula, with some element of innovativeness.Pataas, Temper, S/O Sathyamurthy, Subramanyam for Sale, Jil, and Pandaga Chesko got a warm reception. The much smaller Tiger, too, made an impact. But where there was no effort to innovate and a staid pattern was re-churned, the audience looked the other way. Cases in point: Kick 2 and Bruce Lee. The mere presence of comedians didn’t help.
Assured debut
Debut director Nag Ashwin’s Yevade Subramanyam was a rare breed, highlighting the idea of breaking free from the corporate rat race. Peppered with wit, the film urged viewers to introspect on life. Along with Anandi (a sparkling debut by Malavika), Subramanyam (Nani, delivering a nuanced performance), reluctantly treks up to the mystical Dudh Kashi and learns to look at the larger picture of life, shedding his corporate identity one step at a time.
Another Nani starrer, Bhale Bhale Magadivoy, was a pleasant surprise from director Maruthi Dasari who moved away from his brand of risqué content. The clean entertainer with a wafer-thin storyline had plenty of situational humour. The film’s leads, Nani and Lavanya, brought in the required earnestness and charm to their roles.
The biggest risk of the year, though, came from Krish Jagarlamudi. Set against World War II, this heart-warming story of Dhupati Hari Babu (efficiently portrayed by Varun Tej), looked at divisions of cast, creed, race in a small village and between warring nations.
Too near, yet too far: Kranti Madhav’s Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju was a throwback to old world romance and sparkled with the performances of Sharwanand and Nithya Menen. But the slow pace and some of the trite dialogues didn’t cut the ice with a section of the audience.
Was it a smart narrative that turned misogyny on its head or was it a flick masquerading as being women-friendly? The verdict is divided, though skewed towards the former. But Sukumar’s productionKumari 21F reels under the shadow of the French film Lisa Says.
Newsmakers
Team Baahubali
Maheshbabu and Shruti Haasan: Srimanthudu
Nani: Yevade Subramanyam and Bhale Bhale Magadivoy. He also dubbed for Dulquer Salmaan in Mani Ratnam’s Ok Bangaram.
Director Maruthi Dasari and Lavanya Tripathi: Bhale Bhale Magadivoy.
Krish Jagarlamudi and Varun Tej: Kanche
Sai Dharam Tej and Regina Cassandra: Subramanyam for Sale.
Anushka Shetty: Rudhramadevi and Size Zero.
Raj Tarun: Cinema Choopista Maava and Kumari 21F.
Heebah Patel: Kumari 21F.
Dhanush: Raghuvaran B.Tech
Nithya Menen: Ok Bangaram.
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