TRUE SLIES OF LIFE

25 AUGUST 2013 Filmmaker Indraganti Mohan Krishna is one of those rare breeds who treads the path he believes in and has successfully managed to come out in flying colours so far especially in an industry that breathes commercial cinema. His new film, ‘Anthaku Mundu Aa Tharuvatha’, is a notch above his earlier products, as he successfully tells a drama that reflects the current urban society. Unhappy with his mom’s (Rohini) bride hunt, Anil (Sumanth Ashwin) decides to come to Hyderabad to discover love and support for his business plans.

At a wedding in the city, he falls for Ananya (Eesha), a painter who associates with designing creative greeting cards. While Ananya too shows interest on him, she takes time to reciprocate to his business proposal. Extremely romantic at heart, she is keen on Anil giving a surprise that will eventually make her say the three magic words. And yes he does it in style much to her delight. The romance takes centre stage up to a point when she asks him to marry her. He accepts her proposal, but as things seem to go fine, she tells him about the difference of opinions that her parents (played by Ravi Babu and Madhoo) are going through. He feels that its time that they test their compatibility by opting for a secret live-in relationship. Their motto is simple - let each other live on their own terms.

They rent a flat at the outskirts of the city and embark upon the journey of living together. However, things go from bad to worse, to the point that they feel that they are not made for each other. What next? What makes Indraganti’s film stand apart is the way he carries the story of young couples forward by inf u s i n g sequences that are part and parcel of dad-today today’s youth life. Whether it is giving ‘romance’ the priority in the first half or the ‘differences’ between them in the latter half, he deals them with gusto and never sets his eyes off what he intends to tell-the drama that arises from the characters.

Whether it is Anil taking the help of his friend Avasarala Srinivas for his small queries or one of his office subordinates (Venkata Prasad) taking a dig at the system of marriage, the humour is real and brings the house down on most occasions. Srinivas, who gets the best lines, proves that his talent is yet to be tapped by most makers, except for the director who has given him a break with ‘ A s h t a Chamma’. K r i s h n a ’s s u p p o r t i n g characters too - Ananya’s and Anil’s parents - lend a solid base for the core story to move ahead without boredom, though the preclimax is melodramatic.

Technically, Kalyani (Mallik) Koduri excels with his music. Give him a fine script; he can do wonders like his elder brother Keeravani. Although there are no foot tapping numbers except for ‘Ye inti ammayyive o Aliveni,’ his other songs are lullaby to the ears and propel the story forward. Cinematographer PG Vinda gives it the right urbane look. Among the cast, Sumanth emerges from the boyhood of ‘Tuneega Tuneega’ and comes with a performance that is expected from an experience artiste. It’s for him to make a choice now, whether to become a star or an actor.

Eesha, a rank newcomer, puts up a commanding performance. Together their chemistry is the soul of the movie. The supporting cast of Rao Ramesh, Rohini, Ravi Babu and M a d h o o shine. Newc o m e r Ve n k a t a P r a s a d who plays the frust r a t e d h u s - b a n d a t Anil’s office is first rate. A refreshing drama that offers a slice of life, it’s an Indraganti film from start to end - the way he handled the story, the way he extracted the performances and not to forget his cheesy one-liners, here is a filmmaker who is unperturbed by what is going around him and has the dare to experiment. He has arrived long back but this one is going to establish him among the ranks of Bapu, Viswanath, Krishna Vamsi and Sekhar Kammula.

-Nagaraj Goud

Anthaku Mundu Aa Tharuvatha

Cast : Sumanth Ashwin and Eesha

Music : Kalyani Koduri

Direction : Indraganti Mohan Krishna

Genre : Drama

Rating : ***1/2