Spell of magic

Title : Maya
Cast : Harshvardhan Rane, Avantika Mishra, Sushma Raj and Nandini Rai
Music: : Shekar Chandra
Direction : Neelakanta
Rating : ***
Like : Costumes and style quotient
UnLike : Performances of the cast (female)

When did you last see a film that deals with the super natural and does not work on your nerves? When did you last see a movie where heroine is dressed throughout in pleasant sarees and costumes? When did the cast in the collective put in just the right effort and add credibility to the script without going overboard with the acting? Kudos to director Neelakanta who gives you exactly two hours of cinema and ensures that the end product is pleasant on your eyes, good on your ears and surely does not hurt your sensitivity.

The central character Meghana (Avantika Mishra) is gifted with the extra sensory perception most of which is morbid. The first time is when at a construction site she has a premonition that her mother is going to die of an accident. Decades later she sees this happen at an antique shop when she sees a security guard being killed in a shootout. She shares this with her doting dad (Nagababu). At the professional level she is a feature anchor at a TV channel and runs into Siddharth Varma (Harshvardhan Rane) a famous dress designer. The instant chemistry gets the lead pair into romancing and exchanging gifts (both of which reflect that director Neelakanta has an eye for detail and colour). Soon we have Pooja (Sushma Raj), an old lost friend of Meghana who with a lot of fizz and energy re-enters her life and shocks her with the news that she is engaged to marry Siddharth. She now realises that her man is a flirt and seeks to withdraw. However, a premonition of he going about to kill Pooja leads her to investigating the matter. Helping her in psycho analysing the challenge is none other the doctor (Jhansi- gracefully dressed and well balanced ) This introduces the third lady in the life of Siddharth – Vaishali ( Nandini Rai) the lady he was in love with and who also dies in suspicious circumstances. The short script deftly deals with how and why the killings take place and reveal the unsuspected killer. One needs to be prepared to watching films that deal with super natural powers etc. The director, however, does not resort to the usual gimmicks of screeching doors, monsoon nights and loud background scores. In fact, fear is not the key. He sure brings in an alternative sensitivity to the entire story, be the manner of picturing the story, the use of the camera, the function of the music and the unfolding of the characters. He fails to keep you at the seat end, but he does not allow you to go to sleep either. Without too much pretention he tells the story and refuses to exaggerate. His characters are well grounded and the narration logical.

Avantika Mishra is disappointing as an actress though she is good in the looks and dress department. Wonder if it was the filmmaker or her personal dress designer who added the entirely unexpected dimension to the film. Sushma Raj acts for two heroines instead of one. She sure should tone down her over doing scenes. Jhansi and Nagababu add credibility to the script. The film at one level belongs to Harshvardhan. May be he looks a bit lost in the emotional scenes, but he has grace and even his dress sense requires comment and commendation. ‘Maaya’ is a positive illusion from Telugu cinema.