Swamy Ra Ra Movie Update Review

Nikhil, who rose to fame with Shekhar Kammula’s Happy days, did not see too much success after that film. This time around he and Swati have teamed up with director Sudheer Varma for the suspense crime thriller Swamy Ra Ra. The trailers and music created a good buzz for the movie. Let us see how it fares.

Story:

The movie starts off with a precious Ganesh idol being stolen from the famous Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The value of the idol is priceless and it starts moving on from one hand to the other. Slowly, big gangsters get involved and try to con each other for the idol. On the other hand, Surya(Nikhil) is a pickpocket artist who along with his group of three, does small time robberies to for his survival.

One day Surya happens to meet Swati(Swati) a journalist and becomes good friends with her. The precious Ganesh idol, after moving through numerous hands, accidentally lands in Swati’s hand bag. Hell breaks out as the evil gangster(Ravi Babu) comes to know about this and comes after Swati and Surya. Rest of the story is about how Surya and Swati manage to face the gangsters and come out of the tricky situations successfully.

Plus Points:

The movie has good and stylish visuals. Nikhil impresses with his new look and completely surrenders to the director. He carries the role of a sophisticated thief well. His body language, dialogue delivery and screen presence have vastly improved with this film. Swati gives an honest performance as always and she is at her bubbliest best.

Ravi Babu is apt for the role of a gangster and does his role effortlessly. The first half of the movie is swiftly narrated and the story builds up nicely. The opening shots of the movie featuring Jogi brothers are nice.

Swamy Ra Ra has a realistic feel to it and never side tracks from what it wants to achieve. Pooja and Jeeva are apt for their roles.

Minus Points:

The flow of the movie gets painfully slow some times, especially in the second half. The movie should have been trimmed a little to speed up things.

Some scenes and chases have been needlessly dragged out and they affect the pace of the movie. The climax is not up to the mark and it could have been handled better.

Cinematic liberties have been taken in the second half as the makers have tried to make the film funny and that is where the film loses it charm.

The movie’s appeal may strictly be limited to A centers and multiplexes. The ‘commercial elements’ which B and C center crowds expect in Telugu movie are missing.

Technical Aspects:

Swamy Rara is technically a very strong film. The film has a fresh look. Cinematography by Richard Prasad is excellent and the slow motion shots look very stylish. Background score is the highlight of the movie. It is fresh, peppy and lends good support to the film. Music is cool and the film has some peppy tracks. The title track is particularly good and has been shot excellently. Music Director Sunny seems promising.

Sudheer Varma does a decent job as a director. He has stuck to his plot and largely succeeds in getting the narration right. With some care in the second half, the film would have been so much better.

Verdict:

On the whole, Swamy Ra Ra is a decent crime thriller which has its highs and lows. Innovative sequences, great visuals and some edgy moments are plus points. On the flip side, a very slow pace and a less than perfect climax go against the film. Swamy Ra Ra is worth a watch.

Movie Rating......3.25/5

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Tower of Abu Dhabi — Capital Gate Building

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Sona Spa Movie Update Review

Makarand Deshpande is a noted theatre and film actor who has given many powerful performances in a lot of movies that have won him accolades. He has also ventured into the directorial arena and unfortunately this journey hasn’t been quite a success. His latest film ‘Sona Spa’ that stars the very talented Naseeruddin Shah along with actors Aahana Kumrah, Shruti Vyas and Pooja Pradhan. The movie releases today, let’s see how it fares…

Story:

The movie starts with Baba Dayanand (Naseeruddin Shah), who is the man behind the concept of Sona Spa, explaining the concept from outer space (quite literally). The interesting thing about Sona Spa is that it sells sleep at the cost of 2500 rupees an hour! This means that the sleep workers sleep on behalf of the client who can stay awake and complete their other chores in parallel. The catch here is that the sleep workers also have the access to the client’s dreams while sleeping for them. The Mumbai branch of Sona Spa is operated by Indu madam (Pooja Pradhan) where Rucha (Shruti Vyas) and Ritu (Ahana Kumrah) work as sleep workers with their own set of troubles with life. While Rucha is a rich brat dealing with her father’s insomnia, Ritu is a well-mannered girl who deals with her traumatized sister and a comatose father. Sona Spa also has a senior employee, Meenakshi (Nivedita Bhattacharya), who is a prostitute turned ‘sleep worker’.

The rest of the movie is about how the two young girls, ‘who btw only sleep for you and not with you (bummer)’, deal with their client’s dreams and at the same time their own problems in life.

Positive Points:

Director Makarand Deshpande has chosen a concept that goes well with today’s fragmented and stressed lives where all a sleep deprived person needs is a few hours of sound sleep. Naseeruddin Shah’s depiction as a baba is good. The two young talents Aahana Kumrah and Shruti Vyas have played their parts well while Nivedita shows off her talent as prostitute in a lucknowi attire and accent.

Negative Points:

We would like to start by asking Naseer Sir, about ‘what was he thinking’ when he signed up for this film? Throughout the film, the very talented actor is shown talking through a TV screen at the spa since he is leading a very comfortable life in Seattle where there are more sleep deprived people! Ahana and Shruti, the two very talented theatre artists, are absolutely wasted in the movie. To top it all, there Pooja Pradhan, who should probably go back to her previous profession of modeling as she was good at that atleast. Here she looks more like a hotel stewardess than an entrepreneur.

Makarand Deshpande has successfully helmed a tale that makes sense only in few parts. The other characters including the police officer, a rich man (with a weird disorder of killing his lovers in dream) and Indu’s mentally charged brother have overplayed their roles.

Technical aspects:

The only one song in the film ‘Neend Ka Bijness’ is played during the interval and does no good for the film. Makarand, as a director, fails to entice the viewers with a confusing script where some of the sequences are left half-way while some of them don’t make sense at all. The filmmaker selects an interesting topic but executes it in a bizarre way.

Cinematography by Rajeev Jain is just about OK thanks to his framing of the spa which is noteworthy. The background score by Shailendra Barve is decent. Editing by Biren Joyti Mohanty is one aspect that could have been totally worked upon.

Verdict:

On a whole, Sona Spa is one movie that despite dealing with a good concept and talented theater artistes, fails to be executed properly. This is one confused saga that can be easily missed without any regrets. However, if you are looking forward for a sound sleep, then do visit a screening of Sona Spa since that will definitely put you to sleep!

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Aatma Movie Latest Review

Supermodel turned actress Bipasha Basu who is known more for her sultry and bold looks has been experimenting with different characters in her last few films. After giving a stunning performance in Raaz 3, Bipasha is back with another supernatural thriller titled ‘Aatma’. The movie also stars the highly talented Nawazuddin Siddique and is directed by Suparn Verma. The movie released today and lets read on to find out more about it .

Story:

The movie starts off with Maya (Bipasha Basu) who is a single mother who has suffered endless abuse from her husband (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). She is quite relieved to be freed of his clutches due to his death. Her peaceful life is soon shattered when she begins to discover that her dead husband has possessed her 6 year old daughter Nia (Doyel Dhawan). Unusual incidents start occurring in Maya’s life and people start getting killed in the course of time. The rest of ‘Aatma’ is about how Maya manages to escape from the grip of her possessive husband and also saves her daughter.

Plus Points:
Bipasha Basu put in very sincere effort in Aatma. She looks good as the traumatized mother and has captured those emotions very well. The child artist who plays Nia also does a wonderful job who not acted well but also carries the whole film on her shoulders. Some of the scenes where the evil Aatma has possessed Nia are shown in a very realistic manner. The first 20 minutes of the second half is quite interesting.

Negative Points:
Though Bipasha Basu has put in a good act, she seems to be getting repetitive in these kind of roles. Overall, her look, body language and the way she has been showcased is quite ordinary. The movie suffers highly due to some weak scripting. A talented actor like Nawazuddin Siddique has been completely wasted in the film. His characterization of the evil Aatma has not been showcased properly. His presence is limited in the in the film and even his particular role does not suit the film.

While we expect some nerve wracking thrills in every super natural film, Aatma has absolutely none of them. All the so called evil moments are quite ordinary and sometimes they go overboard. The first half takes forever to finish and the story only enfolds in the second half. The climax of the film leaves a lot of open questions and many of us would not be able to relate to the ending.

Technical Aspects:
The production design of the film is quite good. Most of the film is set in the house which has been showcased very well. Cinematography is quite good and this is the only technical aspect of the entire film that is good. Special effects are very ordinary and do not scare or thrill you at any point.

Director Suparn Verma’s story is very ordinary and has nothing to offer. Suparn neither holds your attention with an engaging story nor does he manage some horrifying scenes. Even his scary scenes are over the top and have been seen in many other film earlier. The screenplay of the movie is just OK and only picks up pace in a few sequences.

Verdict:
Overall, Aatma is a film that is unfortunately neither scary nor thrilling. Some over-the-top sequences and an average story go against this film completely. Finally, this Aatma has no life and can be completely ignored even when it is telecast on TV.

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How To Make Sassy Water Flatten Your Belly

How To Make Sassy Water Flatten Your Belly

What is Sassy Water? And, will it really help you lose up to seven pounds and five inches in just four days? According to the four day, flat belly diets published in Prevention Magazine and The Daily Mail, the answer is yes. Lemon water has long been touted as a great way to cleanse your body, and help you lose weight. The addition of few new ingredients apparently boosts that weight loss power. Although, you'll have to look up the diet on your own, the recipe is simple and healthy. Difficulty: Easy Instructions 1. First, you'll need 3 1/2 to 4 quarts of water in a pitcher. Use filtered  water to make sure it is pure. 2. Thoroughly wash one lemon. Slice it very thin, and add it to the water.   You don't need to squeeze the juice out, just drop the slices in. 3. Peel and thinly slice one cucumber, and add to the water. Add 12 fresh, clean mint leaves. 4. Next, you will need one teaspoon of finely grated ginger. Make sure it is fresh ginger, not the dried powder from your spice rack. Add the ginger to the water. Give it a quick stir, cover and place in the refrigerator over night. Drink it chilled throughout the following day. 5. Make a fresh batch every day for four days.

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Sri Hari's Bakara Latest Review

Real Star Srihari’s new film ‘Bakara’ hit the screens today. The movie has newcomers in crucial roles and Srihari will be seen as a Mafia Don. R.Krishnan is making his debut as a director and Rohith R. Kulkarni has composed the music. Koteswara Rao and Sivaramakrishna have jointly produced this movie. Let us see if the film is worth a watch or if it is going to end up making bakras out of viewers.

Story :

Baba Bhai (Sri Hari) is a Don who lives in Mumbai. With the help of Minister Venkoji (Tanikella Bharani), he runs an extortion racket in Hyderabad as well. Some local goons kill Venkoji and Baba Bhai comes down to Hyderabad to avenge his friend’s death. After finishing them off, Baba Bhai decides to pay a visit to Mumtaz Cafe, a place which holds many childhood memories for him.

Baba Bhai is faced with an unexpected situation when he receives a call from an anonymous fellow, warning him about a bomb below his seat in the cafe. The anonymous caller keeps calling Baba on his phone regularly and warns him about getting up.

Baba’s fate is intertwined with that of three youngsters – Raghupathi, Raghava and Rajaram. Raghupathi works in the cafe while Raghava and Rajaram take up other professions. How are they linked to Baba Bhai? Will Baba Bhai come out of the scenario alive?

That is the story of ‘Bakara’.

Plus Points :

Sri Hari has done a good job in the film. His character has negative shades and he has mixed those emotions nicely with good sentiment when required. Tanikella Bharani has a very limited presence in the movie, but he makes an impact with his punch dialogues.

Minus Points :

The director wanted to shoot a suspense thriller but he ended up making a boring drama. Needless comedy sequences, poor writing and bad screenplay kill the film. Except for Tanikella Bharani’s punch dialogues, there is nothing noteworthy in the first half of the movie.

None of the newcomers make a good impression in the movie. A lot of comedians have been used in the film, but none of them make an impact. The comedy scenes are outdated and cliched. Brahmanandam, M.S. Narayana, Duvvasi Mohan, Raghu Babu and Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam are wasted in poor roles.

Srihari is shown as a very powerful Don inititally but when he is threatened by an anonymous caller about a bomb, the reactions given by him and his gang are very silly. Srihari’s introduction song comes up at the very beginning of the film and then he is nowhere to be seen until the interval, where he makes one more entry. Why have an introduction song at the beginning if you don’t want to reveal your character till the interval?

Poorly placed songs just kill the flow of the movie. The item song does not attract the attention of viewers at all.

Technical Aspects :

Vijaya Sri’s cinematography is just about ok. Rohit Kulkarni’s background score and music do not help the film in any way. Director R. Krishnan’s dialogues are ok, but he fails miserably in the direction and narration departments.

Production values are below average.

Verdict :

This movie will definitely make a bakara out of you if you decided to take a chance. Srihari’s performance and Tanikella Bharani’s one liners are the only positive aspects of the film. A terribly slow pace and a poor script make this film a very poor watch.

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Badboy Movie Review - Dam Dragging

Karthi’s ‘Alex Pandian’ has been dubbed into Telugu as ‘Bad Boy’. The movie has Anushka as the heroine and Suraaj is the director. ‘Bad Boy’ has been produced by Studio Green Banner and Gnanavel Raja is the producer. The film is getting a decent release and the makers are promoting the project aggressively. Let us see if this movie is worth a watch.
Story :
Alex Pandu (Karthi) is a thug for hire and he is tasked with kidnapping Anushka, the health minister’s daughter. The assignment is given by Mr. Alvin Martin (Milind Soman), Dr. GMK (Suman) and a Swamyji (Mahadevan). Why are they upset with the health minister? Well, he refuses to approve the local distribution of some tablets manufactured by Mr. Alvin. The tablets are not safe for use and they are on the US FDA’s banned drugs list.
Alex pulls off the kidnapping successfully and gets ready to collect his payment. But he has a change of heart when Anuskha explains everything to him. The man decides to save Anushka and he fights back. He takes the help of Santhanam and his family (Mano Bala, Nikitha, Sanusha).
How Alex fights back and thwarts the plans of the criminals is what ‘Bad Boy’ is all about.
Plus Points :
Karthi looks good and tries to charm his way into the hearts of the viewers. But charm only works when the script has something to offer. Same goes for Anushka. She looks beautiful and she even has a scene that highlights her very beautiful legs, but thats about it. Nikita Thukral looks gorgeous.
Some double meaning dialogues and a few cheap comedy scenes may work for the masses. One or two action sequences are ok.
Minus Points :
This film is a good example of how not to make a masala entertainer. Having a few double meaning dialogues, a hot heroine and tons of fights will not bring Box Office success. Will you get great Chicken Biryani simply because you have the money to buy the best chicken, the best rice and the best spices? No. You should know how to mix them all to perfection. In other words, you should know how to cook. The same principle applies for films as well.
Suman and Milind Soman are wasted in poorly scripted characters. Santhanam’s comedy track is terribly written. The actor who appears as his sidekick is extremely annoying. Screenplay is pathetic. There are way too many unnecessary fights in the film and they will end up making you squirm in your seats.
The plot is as old as the Pyramids of Egypt. Interestingly, the ‘comedy’ scenes and the dialogues belong to the same era.
The pace of the film drops pathetically in the second half and will test your patience.
Love blossoms between Karthi and Anushka towards the climax, but there is absolutely no depth to the writing here. The result? You will find it hard to empathise with the characters.
Technical Aspects :
Saravanan’s cinematography is one of the nicer aspects of this movie. Editing is very poor. Dialogues, atleast the Telugu ones, are very poor. Devi Sri Prasad’s background score is nice but the songs leave a lot to be desired.
Suraj fails to make any impression in the direction and screenplay departments.
Verdict :
A respected Tamil website said this in its review of Alex Pandian “Is this supposed to be a spoof of a 70′s Telugu movie? “. The fact is, Telugu films from the 70′s are way better than this hare-brained flick. Perhaps, it was intended as a spoof of some Tamil flicks from the 80′s. That apart, ‘Bad Boy’ is a forgettable project in Karthi’s career. The man has the charm, but he needs to choose his projects more wisely.

Movie Rating...........2.75/5

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