Saturday, September 11, 2010

Komaram Puli

Genre: Action, Social

Koppireddy’s Tag Line: The fearless, socially responsible, duty-minded cop

Rating: 2.5/5 (Dont go if you can't tolerate action, social kind of movies and hate Pawan Kalyan. But then ask yourself...Did you not appreciate academy award winning action movies that had mindless action sequences and you said "Super" just because some hollywood bigshot made it?)

Analysis: If you missed the genre, look back up and read again. Its an action flick, mind you, I repeat its an action movie. And some of social responsibility. Since audience are used to mindless entertainment and masala genre movies, the production team and director probably had to rope in some romance, songs and all that masala, which looks artificial. So putting all that aside, and keeping you expectations normal and with no pre-conceived bullshit in your mind and like you watch a Hollywood action flick and say “Wow, What a movie” when Mat Damon jumps from a sky scrapper or Denzel mindlessly pumps bullets into the opponents, if you can watch this movie too, it’s a good action movie (not a great one though, probably because audience does not give a chance for action movies in telugu, only a Hollywood superstar can do all incredible stunts, is it?). The same people who would keep shut for actions scenes from the departed or the training day here go all ga-ga and criticize the movie from frame 1, unfortunately. I happened to watch it in a foreign location where the same people would watch the same incredible stuff with a wow, when delivered by a hollywood team, were laughing and cribbing even before something happened on screen as though they have watched it a 100 times!

I should say its a bold attempt to make an action movie with powerful action scenes and gripping dialogues on an important social issue. Whereas people talk about doing something for the society and how police should raise above all the corrupt practices, what do they do? At least the producers, directors here made a movie, knowing pretty well that the average telugu movie-goer would not like one like this. The hero took a bold step keeping aside fears of a flop, making a movie for people who want nothing else but same old masala woven around romance and clichéd-beyond-repair comedy by the same mockers all the time!

The artwork, costumes, music, background score, dances, action scenes and dialogues are a plus. Screenplay is shoddy and Editing is below par, which mars the movie. Better story should have been selected for similar genre.

S J Surya failed as a director bigtime, made a real mess of the screenplay and its shows that he is a neophyte at making such movies. Probably it applies to all directors from Tollywood when it comes to action clicks, which are in  nascent stage.

Performances: Pawan Kalyan deserves all credit for his excellent performance, stunts, some cool costumes and most importantly the dialogue delivery. Though you find it a bit swift, it gels with the situation except when he breaks into Telangana accent. Some might find it preachy but then look back at the genre…you will realize it to be apt. But for God’s sake, you don’t have to come to a movie with expectations because the hero did not release a movie in 2 years, or with reviews from a friend who talks only negative things and nothing else. Pawan lived all his fantasies as a cop, holding guns, wearing waist length bullet proof jackets etc... in the movie, which is refreshing to watch for us too!

Nikesha Patel’s freshness lends credibility to her role as a suitor who finally marries the cop, all in a dramatic style. Her budget of 15 lakhs, 40 thousands to flatter the hero as told by her in one scene only goes up, to marry him and to get him into bed, which gave scope to some Ali-comedy too, but it was an attempt to please the hungry audience only. Similarly,  songs were knit around these.

Manoj Bajpai as Salem, the antagonist was good, but could have been better. Maybe, a directorial glitch!

Nasser as the confused police and Charan as the bad police are both good too.

Saranya, as the hero’s mother was a good choice for the role.

Story: A mother raises a son to be a police who in turn forms a team called Puli, to put an end to unheard and neglected complaints from the people, in an attempt to make the police system more effective. He succeeds to some extent when he takes it head-on with Salem, the don with connections in the international mafia. The same don happens to be the killer of hero’s father who happens to be a cop too and the reason for his mother raising him to be a cop. How, he discovers about the history and how he puts and end to Salem, forms the rest of the story.

Puli team’s use of technology leaves you wondering what it is, but I feel its no exaggeration if you read in papers about what Hyderabad police is now a days equipped with.

The best dialogues come pre-climax when he addresses the media in a gun-salute ceremony to the deceased police. He talks about how watching incidents happen everyday have become entertainment for people and money-makers for media, and hence how we all turned insensitive to crime…

If you are in a mood to watch an action flick and ready to hear some patriotic, social lines you should watch it…If you want some masala, its chipped in too…but please keep your expectations low and don’t go around cribbing about what Pawan has done after 2 years break!

2 comments:

  1. I have decided earlier not to watch Puli moive. But After I read your blog now I think I should watch it once to see how close is your analysis.

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  2. Yes Rajesh...I would love to hear back from you on what you felt...My Rating still is 2.5 and I felt screenplay and some other technical departments seriously failed...

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