Movies

Srikanth’s son Roshan Meka makes his acting debut with a sequel to his dad’s blockbuster hit ‘Pelli Sandadi’ (1996). The movie is directed by Gowra Ronanki under the supervision of director K Raghavendra Rao and MM Keeravani has rendered music and background score. The cinematography is handled by Sunil Kumar Nama.

It’s a musical love story

Vashishtha (K Raghavendra Rao) is a champion basketball player and a Dronacharya awardee. He narrates his story to Rajendra Prasad. The film flashes back to reveal the romance of a young Vashishtha (Roshan). At his cousin’s wedding, Vashishtha falls in love with Sahasra (Sree Leela). However, Sahasra’s father (Prakash Raj) opposes their romance and arranges for her to marry her cousin Chintoo (Vennela Kishore). The rest of the story is about how Vashishtha and Sahasra persuade Prakash Raj to fall in love with them.

Roshan Meka and Sree Leela are promising

Roshan, who is making his debut as a lead hero after acting as a school student in ‘Nirmala Convent’, impresses with his assured performance. He has undoubtedly inherited his parents’ acting abilities, and he exudes confidence. K Raghavendra Rao, a veteran filmmaker who has directed over 100 films throughout the course of his four-decade long career, scores well in his acting debut. Sree Leela, a newcomer, is a good find. She’s vivacious and self-assured.

Gowri Ronanki recreates the magic of Raghavendra Rao and MM Keeravani

Gowri Ronanki succeeds in extracting the best performances from the cast, especially the lead pair. While K Raghavendra Rao supervised her direction, it has all the ingredients that one would expect from his movies. MM Keeravani’s score has some fantastic songs of which ‘Madhura Nagarilo’ is the best.

WATCH OR NOT ‘Pelli SandaD’ is a faithful sequel to yesteryear’s classic ‘Pelli Sandadi’. This film takes you back to the late 1990s. If you’re keen on a nostalgia trip, watch the film.

Director: Gowri Ronanki Writer: Sreedhar Seepana Cast: Roshan Meka, Sree Leela, K. Raghavendra Rao, Rajendra Prasad, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Posani Krishna Murali, Vennela Kishore, Tanikella Bharani, Raghu Babu, Jhansi, Fish Venkat, Shakalaka Shankar, Nitinchandra Ravuroopula Language: Telugu

Featuring Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde in lead roles, ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’ is written and directed by Bommarillu Bhaskar. The movie also features Eesha Rebba, Faria Abdullah, Aamani, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Jayaprakash, Pragathi, Amit Tiwari, Posani Krishna Murali, Getup Srinu, Sudigali Sudheer, Abhay and Amith. The music and background score are composed by Gopi Sundar and the cinematography is handled by Pradeesh Varma. ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’ has been bankrolled by Bunny Vasu and Vasu Varma under GA2 Pictures.

A clean family entertainer

Harsha (Akhil Akkineni) is a bachelor from New York City who is financially stable and settled. He travels to India on a 20-day tour to attend several matchmaking events in the hope of finding a bride. He has typical, old-school aspirations for his future life partner, having grown up in a traditional family. He meets Vibha (Pooja Hegde), a stand-up comedian who has new-age ideals when it comes to finding a life partner. He falls in love with her, and the rest of the film is about him trying to win her over.

Akhil and Pooja prove to be a fantastic pair

Akhil acts with ease, and his performance is more mature than his previous outings. As usual, he looks the part of the cute lover boy. The chemistry between Akhil and Pooja is fantastic. The scenes involving Murali Sharma and Pragati provide a lot of laughs and Vennela Kishore is at his wittiest best.

Bommarillu Bhaskar is back with a bang

Exploring the kind of expectations the youth have when it comes to their future life partners is a terrific story point. In the form of Harsha’s ‘Pelli Choopulu’ series of episodes, director Bhaskar is able to create much situational humour. Harsha’s conversations with Vibha, in which he gets advice on how to charm girls, are highly entertaining.

WATCH OR NOT ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’ is a youthful entertainer with a lot of comedy, emotion and romance. It’s the kind of film that movie-goers across ages will enjoy.

Director: Bommarillu Bhaskar Writer: Bommarillu Bhaskar Cast: Akhil Akkineni, Pooja Hegde, Eesha Rebba, Faria Abdullah, Aamani, Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Jayaprakash, Pragathi, Amit Tiwari, Posani Krishna Murali, Getup Srinu, Sudigali Sudheer, Abhay, Amith, Chinmayi Sripada Rahul Ravindran Language: Telugu

If you’re looking for a solid Malayalam crime movie, then look no further than this list. We’ve got a round-up of classics and contemporary hits.

‘Rajavinte Makan’ (1986)

How can we forget this cult film and the iconic character Vincent Gomez played by Mohanlal? In the movie, Vincent help the home minister Krishnadas make a lot of money. But their relationship sours when Krishnadas betrays Vincent. Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNxt

‘Irupatham Noottandu’ (1987)

Sagar Alias Jacky – the name is enough to tell you how iconic this film is. Starring Mohanlal, the film revolves around Sagar Alias Jacky a poor man who takes up smuggling in order to sustain himself. The risks and troubles he faces while doing the dirty business is the crux of the film. Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, Eros Now

‘Aryan’ (1988)

‘Aryan’ is the story of a gangster battle through Devanarayanan (Mohanlal), a poor Brahmin boy who becomes a gangster in Bombay. Mohanlal is excellent Priyadarshan’s direction is exemplary. Streaming on: Eros Now

‘Samrajyam’ (1990)

Alexander in ‘Samrajyam’ is one of Megastar Mammootty’s most iconic roles. The film revolves around the rise and fall of Alexander, an underworld don and his rise and fall. Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

‘Big B’ (2007)

When their foster mother is murdered, brothers Bilal, Eddy, Murugan and Bijo, come together to find the murderer and give him what he deserves. Out of the four, Bilal John Kurishingal (Mammootty) is a gangster and his ways are nothing short of terribly cruel. Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5

‘Second Show’ (2012)

The film (pictured above), in which Dulquer Salmaan debuted, silently came to the theatres and attained cult status. Directed by Srinath Rajendran, it revolves around Hari, an illicit sand miner who becomes a smuggling baron. Streaming on: YouTube

‘Maha Samudram’ has Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Roy Hydari. The supporting cast includes Rao Ramesh, Jagapathi Babu, Ramachandra Raju and Saranya Ponvannan. The music and background score are composed by Chaitan Bharadwaj and the cinematography is handled by Raj Thota. It’s bankrolled by Ramabrahmam Sunkara under the AK Entertainments banner.

A tale of two friends

Set in Vizag, the film hinges on the relationship between Vijay (Siddharth) and Arjun (Sharwanand), who are good friends. Vijay aspires to be a police officer but an incident alters his plans. Vijay’s love interest is Maha (Aditi Rao Hydari). Arjun’s life is interrupted by Smitha (Anu Emmanuel). Unexpectedly, the Vizag port’s don Dhanunjay (Garuda Ram) and Vijay get into a fight. Dhanunjay’s brother Gooni Babji (Rao Ramesh) is a powerful man. Vijay is forced to flee the city and vanish into oblivion. Arjun must now confront Gooni Babji. by Chunchu (Jagapathi Babu).

Sharwanand shines and Siddharth makes a great comeback

Sharwa is fantastic as the passionate. Siddharth makes a tremendous comeback and shines in the second half as the villain. Maha, a woman stuck between two friends, is played by Aditi Rao Hydari in the kind of passive manner that is typical of her. Anu Emmanuel is also effective in a minor role that she portrayed. Rao Ramesh delivers a mighty performance.

Director Ajay Bhupathi keeps viewers hooked with his finely drawn characters. It’s an effective build-up to the main plot. The film’s production values are excellent and Raj Thota’s cinematography is outstanding.

WATCH OR NOT ‘Maha Samudram’ has all the right ingredients for a commercial potboiler. Plus the performances and visuals are excellent.

Director: Ajay Bhupathi Writer: Syed, Ajay Bhupathi Cast: Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari, Anu Emmanuel, Jagapathi Babu, Rao Ramesh, Garuda Ram Language: Telugu