Round-up for May 2010

Monthly Prakash Raj Movie Total (May 2010): 3

Overall Prakash Raj Movie Total (as of 5/31/10): 25


May was a good month-- only three films with Prakash Raj, but two of them were pretty good movies, with some pretty meaty Prakash Raj performances.

Ashok (Telugu, 2006)
Date watched: 5/1/10

Role Type: Prakash Dad

The story: Mechanic Ashok (Jr. NTR) has a strained relationship with his father (Prakash Raj) because of his violent ways.  When gangster KK (Sonu Sood) decides to pursue Ashok's girlfriend Anjali (Sameera Reddy), more violence follows.

Movie Rating: 4/5  This was a seriously violent movie (from beginning to end).  While this isn't my absolute favorite Tarak role, he did a good job of showing Ashok's sadness at being separated from his family.  Sonu Sood was delightfully evil (and on a totally shallow note, he has never looked better than in this film, even drenched in blood.) Vadivukkarasi was really fantastic as KK's evil mother--I'm going to have to do a post on the best evil ladies of Telugu films.

Prakash Raj Rating: 4/5 Prakash Raj and Tarak have such great chemistry on screen, they are so very believable as father and son. 

 It really was refreshing to see a character in a Telugu film who says "All of this casual violence is unacceptable to me", although he does change his tune at the end.  This character has a nice arc, and Prakash Raj gets some nice interaction with the other characters/actors. 

My favorite scene is one where Ashok's father and girlfriend are watching the recently returned Ashok and his friends being served dinner by his mother and sister. The father tells the girlfriend "if you want what's best for Ashok, you should break up with him."  It's a well-done, dramatic, but not overdone scene.

Jalsa (Telugu, 2008)

Date watched: 5/6/10

Role Type: Prakash Dad/ Prakash Cop

The story: Sanjay Sahu (Pawan Kalyan) is a former Naxalite with a drinking problem, who romances Indu (Kamalinee) and Bhagyamathi (Ileana), the daughters of a Police Inspector (Prakash Raj.) 

Movie Rating: 4/5  When I first started watching this, I wasn't quite sure what was going on.  The hero was drunk, I couldn't quite keep track of which girl was supposed to be the heroine, and the time kept skipping around.  By the interval, I was enjoying the off-kilter characters and plot.  Going back to watch it again, I really, really got into the groove of this movie.  I loved that the main character was so much of an anti-hero, and Pawan Kalyan's physical comedy grew on me the second time around.

Prakash Raj Rating: 4/5 As far as I can tell, this character doesn't have a name, but his scenes are central to the movie, and provide a great comedic foil to Pawan Kalyan's character.  In the repeated scene where Sanjay comes to the country club to ask permission to marry each of Prakash's two daughters, a tennis-suited Prakash delivers some nice verbal smackdowns. 

The extended flashback that reveals the past history of Sanjay (a naxalite) and the father (part of the anti-naxalite police task force) has lots of ridiculous physical comedy and doubletakes.  

My favorite scene is near the climax, the big bad guy (Mukesh Rishi) is forcing Ileana to marry his son, and Prakash is forced to seek Sanjay's help to prevent the wedding.  When a messenger arrives at the wedding to call Mukesh and his crew away, I love the way that Prakash cackles and grabs his daughter to delightedly escape from the forced wedding.

Tagore (Telugu, 2003)
Date watched: 5/26/10

Role Type: Prakash Cop

The story: Tagore (Chiranjeevi) heads up a secret, vigilante anti-corruption force. Suryam (Prakash Raj) is one of the police officers trying to track down the mysterious Tagore.

Movie Rating: 2/5*  *This is a conditional rating, because the library copy of this film didn't have subtitles.  This was the first Chiranjeevi movie I watched. The corruption plot was pretty earnest, there was a pretty high ratio of dialogues to action, and the romantic storyline with Chiru and Shriya weirded me out a little bit. I ended up fast-forwarding through big chunks of this (the good news is that I did watch other, more exciting Chiru movies later on.) 

Prakash Raj Rating: 2/5 Prakash Raj plays a mid-level police officer who is smart enough to unravel Tagore's secret identity (I think, anyway.) He also has some nice scenes where he's trying to convince his superiors of his conclusions, and as he realizes the impact of the corrupt system he's got up in (again, that's what I'm assuming is happening.)

Round-up for June 2010

Monthly Prakash Raj Movie Total (6/30/10):  5
Overall Prakash Raj Movie Total (as of 6/30/10): 30

Nuvve Nuvve (Telugu, 2002)

I think I'll need to do a picspam post of
Prakash Raj characters drinking whisky.

Date watched: 6/6/10
Role Type: Prakash Dad

The story: Rich girl Anjali (Shriya) falls in love with poorer boy Rishi (Tarun). Her indulgent father Vishwanath (Prakash Raj) opposes their romance, and tries to bribe Rishi to end things.

Movie Rating: 2/5  I saw this and Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam back-to-back, and they sort of bleed together in my mind. I went back to watch some clips, and it didn't jog my memory a lot.  So not really memorable as either good or bad.

Prakash Raj Rating: 2.5/5 This was another variation on the tycoon father character that Prakash Raj has played in NVND and Premaku Velayara. Dhanush was kind of squirrelly, so I can see why the father didn't think he was the best match for his daughter. In going back to refresh my memory, I found some fun hand gesture-acting:

"Angry"                                              "Distraught"                                      "Irritated"

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam (Tamil, 2006)
Date watched: 6/7/2010

Role Type: Prakash Dad*

The story: Rich girl Priya (Shriya) falls in love with poorer boy Thiru (Dhanush). Her indulgent older brother Guru (Prakash Raj) opposes their romance, and tries to end it.

Movie Rating: 3/5  I liked this one best of the two Shriya-Prakash movies I saw back to back. It seemed to have a little bit more humor in the battles between the Thiru and Guru,  Dhanush was a little more lively than Tarun.

Prakash Raj Rating: 3/5 *Even though he's playing Priya's brother, it's definitely a paternal role. So, it's the tycoon dad type, but more on the humorous side.  The most memorable thing about this film was the brief appearance of a dancer wearing a Prakash Raj mask in the song "Theriyama."  

(Definitely watch the whole song, it's a pretty fun mash-up of Chinese costumes, assassins and random other things.) Also, there's a cute scene where Guru/Prakash Raj is cooking breakfast for the family:

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (Telugu, 2001)

Date watched: 6/19/10
Role Type: Prakash Dad

The story: Venakteswarlu (Venkatesh) comes to the house of his father's friend Murthy (Prakash Raj) to help with the wedding of Murthy's daughter Nandini (Aarti Agarwal.)  Nandu and Venky fight, then fall in love.
Movie Rating: 3.5/5  This is one of the more fun wedding-based movies I've seen--lots of opportunities for songs, and cute drama as everyone is stuck in the same house. Venky's charm goes a long way in this movie,  Aarti is good as the spoiled bride-to-be, and Sunil has some fun comedy scenes as Venky's buddy. OH, and I totally forgot about Suhasini who shows up as Nandini's awesome aunt who knocks some sense into the young lovers and the upset father--yay Suhasini!!!

Prakash Raj Rating: 3/5 Another solid portrayal of a father getting his daughter married to the wrong guy. He has some cute comedic dialogues with Sudha, who plays his wife:

In the last act he gets all Amrish Puri in DDLJ and starts slapping women when he finds out about the romance (blech.) At least that's followed by a nice speech by Suhasini, and a climax at the railway station when he stops a machete-wielding Venky from forcing the greedy groom and his father to go through with the wedding.

"I am sad that this is not Lagavulin."

Pokkiri (Tamil, 2007)
Date watched: 6/21/2010

Role Type: Prakash Bad

The story: The Tamil version of Pokiri. Tamil (Vijay) is a street tough who ends up working for and then against mafia don, Ali Bhai (Prakash Raj.) There's also a romance with Shruti (Asin) and a big twist at the end (unless you've seen Pokiri or Wanted.)

Movie Rating: 4/5  Since I'm a huge fan of Pokiri, I expected not to like the remake so much, but I actually liked this version almost as much as the Telugu original. The songs were slightly better in Pokkiri (except I still like Mumaith Khan's item number in the Telugu version more), Asin was a bit more spunky as the heroine, and Vijay does the best at conveying emotion. Prabhu Deva had some nice whimsical and stylistic touches to this without going as overboard as he did in Wanted.

Prakash Raj Rating: 4/5 Ali Bhai is pretty much the same menacing character as in Pokiri (with slightly better fashion sense.) He gets some great,  evil-comedic dialogues (for me, they detracted from the tension of the final showdown a little bit):

I need to get a better quality dvd with subtitles.

Mozhi (Tamil, 2007)
Date watched: 6/30/10

Role Type: Prakash Pal

The story: Karthik (Prithviraj) and Viji (Prakash Raj) are playback musicians in the Tamil film industry. Karthik falls in love with Archana (Jyothika) who is deaf, while Viji falls in love with her best friend Sheila (Swarnamalya). Karthik learns to accept Archana as the person she is, not just the person he wants her to be, while Archana struggles to overcome her fears and to embrace the love that Karthik is offering.
Movie Rating: 5/5  I love this film--even if Prakash Raj wasn't in this film, I'd still love it.  I'll do a much longer post to talk about all of the great things in Mozhi. Nearly every character in this film is a fully developed, from the main characters to the supporting and comedic characters. Every scene is used effectively to further the action and to develop the characters. Music is integrated so well as an actual part of the story, and the comedic scenes help to build characterization and move the plot along. Deaf people and deaf culture are portrayed with complexity and nuance. If you haven't seen this film, please, please track it down and watch it right now!!

Prakash Raj Rating: 4.5/5 Although Prithviraj's Karthik was technically the lead male character in this film, Prakash Raj's Viji was a huge part, and is was in nearly as many scenes. He has lots of great straight-up comedic scenes--like this one, when Brahmandaman walks in on Viji who is dancing in a towel:

I especially love how humor and joking around is such a central part of the Viji-Karthik friendship:

Possibly the greatest bromance in all of South Indian film.

Likewise, Viji and Sheila's romantic storyline is sweet and filled with humor.

Adorable moment when Viji realizes he's in love with Sheila.

Round-up for July 2010

Monthly Prakash Raj Movie Total 7/31/10):  5
Overall Prakash Raj Movie Total (as of 7/31/10): 35

It's been fun to go back to things I watched a few months ago, but it's sort of sad how so many things I don't remember about these movies.

Mass (Telugu, 2004)

Date watched: 7/1/2010

Role Type: Prakash Bad*

The story: Orphan Mass (Nagarjuna) lives in an apartment block in Vizag. His neighbor Priya (Charmee) falls in love with him, but it is revealed that he was previously engaged to Anjali (Jyothika), the daughter of Vizag's leading mafia don Satya (Raghuvaran). 

Movie Rating: 3/5  I think this may have been my first Nagarjuna movie, and I found him pretty appealing.  I like Charmee and Jyothika, and I liked each of them as the comedic neighbor and the tough, but romantic gangster's daughter. If I recall, there were some fun dances in this one.

Prakash Raj Rating: 3/5 This was a very small part--Prakash Raj shows up towards the end as the lawyer who the bad guys call in to get advice on how to legally defeat Mass. I think it's just one scene, but he does a great job as the smart but evil legal mind. (Interesting that this sort of role shows up a lot in Hollywood gangster movies/tv shows, but not so much in the SI version of the genre.)

Minsara Kunavu (Tamil, 1997)

Date watched: 7//5/10

Role Type: Prakash Pal*

The story: Priya (Kajol) aspires to be a nun. Thomas (Arvind Swamy), falls in love with her, and seeks help from his barber friend, Deva (Prabhu Deva) to woo her. Along the way, Priya and Deva begin to fall in love. Who/what will Priya pick? Thomas, Deva, or a religious vocation?

Movie Rating: 3.75/5  The was Rajiv Menon's first film; his second (and only other) film was Kandukondai Kandukondain). Both films share a love and generosity for their characters. It was so nice that Priya's narrative arc had an interesting and real emotional conflict beyond "which guy do I love?" The romance between Deva and Priya was just really sweet, and played out in some nice songs that referenced An American in Paris (Prabhu Deva dancing in Gene Kelly's part FTW!!) Nasser has a delightful part as Deva's musician friend.

Prakash Raj Rating: 3/5 Priya's parents aren't too happy about her plans to become a nun, so they try to arrange a marriage for her. The first suitor is a distracted, NRI businessman played by Prakash Raj. It's just one scene, but he's very funny as he takes phone calls about his business, and tries to court Priya by advising her on how to bust the unions in her father's company. *This is a tiny cameo, but we'll put this in "Prakash Pal" category.  When I get around to fleshing out the "Prakash Lover" character type (as has been suggested), I may reclassify it.



Wanted (Hindi, 2009)

Date watched: 7/12/10

Role Type: Prakash Bad

The story: Hindi remake of Pokiri. Radhe (Salman Khan) is a street tough who ends up working for and then against mafia don, Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj.) There's also a romance with Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia) and a big twist at the end (unless you've seen Pokiri or Pokkiri.)

Thinking evil thoughts.

Movie Rating: 3.5/5  I'd seen the Telugu and Tamil versions before this one, so I didn't have huge expectations. It was mostly faithful in the plot and characterizations, but I did like that Prabhu Deva was able to indulge his penchant for crazy song picturizations and fanciful "dream" sequences, and adding a bit more "big-city" glitz to the bad guys worked well in the Mumbai setting. (Overall, the Telugu version is my favorite--I liked Mahesh's taciturnity and the grittier Hyderabad street scenes.)

Prakash Raj Rating: 4/5 One thing that has improved over the course of the remakes is that each one gives more and more screen time to Prakash Raj's Ali Bhai/Ghani Bhai character.  I don't think he shows up until at least a third of the way through Pokiri, but in Wanted he is introduced fairly quickly, watching a ladies boxing match, and ordering the death of an informant. This film adds more for the character to do in all of the scenes: he's even more decadent in the night club item number, and more threatening in the scenes where he kidnaps the CP's daughter.  By far, the best spot where they expanded his role is in the scenes where Gani Bhai is in police custody.  Prakash Raj does some great physical comedy in this: reacting to the policemen, attempting to phone his henchman, trying to outsmart the police with his Buddha-like calm. His glee at seeing an opportunity to escape, his triumph when he is out of his cell, and his despondency when he realizes he won't be able to escape are telegraphed really well in his face, body language, and voice.

"I am freeeeeeee!!"

"I guess not."

"Fine, I might as well go back inside..."

Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi (Telugu, 2003)

Date watched: 7/16/10

Role Type: Prakash Dad

The story: Chandu (Ravi Teja) is an aspiring kickboxer.  He goes to live with his estranged father, Raghuveer (Prakash Raj) who is a famed kickboxing coach. How Chandu achieves his kickboxing dreams, romances Asin (can't remember the character's name), and reconciles with his father forms the rest of the movie.

Movie Rating: 3/5  I expected a Ravi Teja movie about kickboxing to be sort of cheesy, which it was, but it was also an interesting portrayal of the parent-child relationships.  The early scenes with the teacher/professor mom (Jayasudha) supporting her son's interests, and his love for her, were really sweet. The father-son relationship in the second half was also pretty interesting. Chandu was very prickly to his father, and the father was pretty upfront about having abandoned his first family to pursue his ambitions.  There was some comedy around Asin being Tamil--I wish I understood Telugu and Tamil, so I could get these jokes (which seem to show up a lot.)

Prakash Raj Rating: 3/5 Overall, another solid "stern father who transforms by the end of the movie" role. The flashback scenes with Jayasudha had a nice tension (I like their pairing as film parents a lot.)  He also gets some nice "Mr. Miyagi"-like training scenes in the song "Zum Zum Mare."

"Yes, hitting you with a stick is an approximation of what it will feel like when Subbaraju kicks you.
No, I'm not just doing it because I want to hit you with a stick."

Aathi (Tamil, 2006)

Fun-loving dad and uncle.

Date watched: 7/21/10

Role Type: Prakash Dad/Prakash Cop

The story: Anjali (Trisha) and Aadhi (Vijay) meet at college, cross paths in their quests for justice/revenge, and fall in love.

Justice loving IPS officer.

Movie Rating: 4/5  This was one of the (somewhat rare) SI films, where I got really caught up in the suspense and all of the plot twists and turns. The movie starts out with Trisha stabbing a guy in the gut, and I was immediately hooked. The other plot twists worked well for me, and I liked the performances from Vijay, Trisha, and especially Nasser (as Anjali's uncle) and Manivannan (as Aadhi's adoptive father.) Sai Kumar and all of his henchmen were scary and intimidating. The flashback scenes were done well; all of the happy scenes with the joint family gave me a bigger sense of loss when the tragic events started to unfold.

Prakash Raj Rating: 4/5 Prakash Raj plays an upright police officer and doting father/uncle in the flashback. I didn't realize he was in this, so it was a delightful surprise when his character was introduced. He did a great job of making the character likeable in the home scenes, and you were rooting for him in all of the scenes with the bad guys, so it was especially sad when his character met his end.