When the beloved is everything

Among other things, ‘Victory’ Venkatesh needs to be acknowledged for two major developments in Telugu cinema. In the ‘90s, he took the honours for having introduced AR Rahman into the local cine industry with his film ‘Super Police’, released in 1994.

Into the new millennium, Venky, (indefatigable like his contemporaries who keep showing up on screen well into their mid-50s), and ever the trend watcher, ushered in the next sensation of Chennai- Harris Jayaraj- with his musical film ‘Vasu’. Released in the same month 14 years ago, this 50th film of the hero featured the homely Bhumika Chawla, shaking it furiously with our head shaking lover boy in a series of songs which made the film an audio hit, never mind its disappointing outing at the BO.

The one song of the film which still peps up the atmosphere and forces a listener to join in the foot-tapping music is “Pataki pranam pallavi aithe, premaki pranam preyasi kaadha…” Unabashedly zippy and direct, this number set to a strong guitar intro a la Michael Jackson’s hit numbers takes off just like that.

A suitably youngish Venkatesh, sporting a trendy undergrowth on his chin, which is still enduring as an image-changer, seamlessly gets into rhythm with the steady, wavy momentum of the song. Jayaraj, having made a strong impression with a few dubbed films by then in the Telugu market matches up by keeping the tempo rocking all through the number.

The Kerala duo, KK and Swarnalatha, complement each other, both during the low and high-pitches, their unique tenor suiting the lead pair. As expected, KK, who had by then earned a name for such hip hop, peppy stuff takes off at a terrific pitch, the guitar strumming supporting him effortlessly. The female chorus voice sets the speed pretty well, as the number moves on.

Of course, the lyrics too highlight the sweeping power of love, as Venky declares: “evaremante naa vinadhu prema”… By then, the western meter to the tune, replete with vocal sounds and the pulsating beat of the percussion has the listener hooked.

Shot indoors, with giant backdrop of the Statue of Liberty and the must have silhouette shots, the sets are just about opulent and flashy, even to the extent of calling them a shade understated, given the kind of song that has been shot within the premises.

Bhumika, riding high on the humongous hit ‘Khushi,’ released just a year ago, was a popular name and appealed well to both the young and family crowd then. The nearly six minute number, showcasing an ensemble of break dance and fox trot moves had all the potential of being a surefire winner, in the process, launching the career of Harris Jayaraj firmly, who went on to give more hits in the years to come.