Attarintiki Daaredi

"How is it any different from intense, formulaic stuff that go into any big budget movie making in Telugu now a days?" These are some questions some critics had, though most of the reviews gave it a big entertainer and a success tag! Let us worry about answering those minority at the end. Kosamerupu iddam!

Do you enjoy your work by doing what you like? Do you enjoy your work by doing what you like, while taking care of what is expected of you? 

After All, you are not Goutham Nanda out of this movie, that you can be your own Boss! Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan are 2 people in this industry where expectations out of them are always high. Did this set them into worrying about delivering what audiences wanted? Not really, Trivikram and Pawan Kalyan still did what they respectively like to do, while taking care of delivering what people needed. You will see Trivikram's experiments with words all through (that he enjoys) and Pawan delivering messages be in in the Baba Avatar or cocking a pistol in every other song(that Pawan enjoys)! Also they made sure they are cognizant of delivering what people need. Trivikram, for instance, in Khaleja, just like in AD had the protagonist play the driver that looks chic-beyond-their-status who sports an Armani scraf and a leather jacket! Though he used the cinematic liberties in 2009 and had to it bite the bullet, he did not stop to experiment but just made sure he is more careful. Result is, Pawan in AD is a multi-millionaire that had to "act" as a driver! The point I am trying to make is that both Pawan and Trivikram answered my 2nd question above, and in style! That is called being responsible, taking care of expectations and producers. Mr. Prasad your money is intact, despite of a sad saga that probably gave you a heartache for a week before the release!

This care, while doing what each technician enjoys doing is seen in every other dept. of the movie. Music, cinematography, art, fights etc. only show how as a team they did what they love to do, while being responsible. Since the review comes 3 days late and most of you have watched, I would leave my analysis of story, other actors and departments to you but I can assure you they did their best!

Now coming back to answering some critics' question that I opened my review with. There are genres and there are audiences, that any cinema caters to. Why do you expect them to deliver a "LunchBox" or "Conjuring" when the genre the audiences like a custom-one that is a mix of local humour with lot of slapstick, and some sentiment that is made for Andhra, that people here can relate to! Why do you think Brahmanandam was beaten in every single role he takes(not to forget that even in audience roles he gets beaten up!) during the Ahalya-drama. I have a doubt too. While Pawan looks into Samantha's sunglasses and spots a man wielding a sword behind him, why did Samantha not take notice who had a direct view of the same man? Because, she was looking into Pawan's eyes and in love! I got my answer, so stop being overly critical and enjoy this movie made for YOU{Telugu audience that like masala (this is the custom-one I was talking about above) entertainers}. A clean entertainer and must-watch if you haven't already!

Bava

Genre: Love story? Family Drama? Or What?

Koppireddy’s Tagline: Ammo Bava!

Analysis: Make a Bommarillu and you are working for star kid in the next movie. So are other good directors busy grooming sons of rich actor-daddys of yesteryears. What happens to talented but no background kind of heros? Simple…Bava happens to them. Bava is a run of the mill story which when narrated would have sounded pathetic for the simple reason that it’s a medley of many familiar telugu movies made umpteen number of times in such number of ways that you cant get any new screenplay out of it. But Siddharth who is helplessly waiting for a movie after his Bommarillu had to pick up what came his way without any thoughts...

Do I need to analyze this mundane story again which had no scope ofr any novel screenplay? Please no as I already wasted time and money watching this fit-for-nothing cinema.

Performances: Siddharth wasted an nice opportunity to perform in the second half and makes a mockery of the most important scenes in the climax.

Pranitha was good to watch and she acted well in almost all scenes she was in. Unfortunately it’s her second movie which is as much crap as her first movie ‘Em Pillo, Em Pillado’

Rajendra Prasad is the only saving grace to this movie and Ahuti Prasad is his routine self in this movie based in Godavari districts of AP

Bramhanandam, we all know is a joker but in this movie is a pain to watch as director wanted to sell you some of his presence in the second half and nothing else. Hero’s friends as comedians reduce this pain to some extent.

Story: A Daddy is surprised, when his son against all his wishes, marries his ladylove without the consent of their elders. The Dad is okay with the girl but not with the manner in which he married her as his Dad lead a lonely life away from relatives all his life for doing a similar mistake. It so happens that the girl is also from the same family and hence the title of the movie…Bava! Baboi Bavooi Chaloiiiiiiiiii

Raktha Charitra

Genre: Real Life Drama, Violence

Koppireddy’s Tagline: Bloody Saga! Best Forgettable !!

Analysis: One of the most controversial politician, brutal factionist and a person who misused politics, people’s sympathy, naxalite movement and whatever else was available to him, in the real life, was glorified as a noble person with a passion for violence to overcome violence in the reel life by Ram Gopal Varma. So unfortunate

There are lil or no flaws in Ramu’s story telling but the subject chosen and his glorification of a factionist are most unwelcome elements in this movie. Though the movie was rated an expected ‘A’, it should have been better banned at the censor board.

We would all want to leave the past behind and move forward and more so when the past is full of bloodshed. Agreed it was a common thing in the rayalseema area in the past, but making a movie of a forgettable story and glorification of anti-social elements is a total needless effort. Repeating such stories, albeit for commercial interests is harmful to a democratic society which is begging to repair itself.
As if this is not enough, Ramu has made a sequel to it ready to hit screens on 19th Nov. To hell with his bloody dramas and being expermentitative to be different…Try something creative and also that useful to the society. If you(Ramu) feel making movies for society is a pain, atleast refrain from glorifying violence. For God’s sake, Will you?

Performances: Characters unfold as Ramu’s greed in making money shows behind each of them, while staking society’s interests. So Do not want to discuss any performances

Story: A forgettable bloody story worth not repeating even once!

Mahesh Khaleja

Genre: Comedy Drama

Koppireddy’s Tagline: Common Man to God Man

Analysis: I waited till I have watched the so-called blockbusters this season so that I can write a review of this so called average flick as publicized by media. Yes, Khaleja is not entirely a formulaic movie…if you want one go watch Brindavanam (I shall write that review too soon). Khaleja in my opinion is a masterpiece and Trivikram yet again is the hero!

The power of thoughts, Sankalpam etc. are concepts which have been explored earlier by both writers and cinema makers, but I feel never had these concepts been so well presented as done by Trivikram in this movie with a mix of fun, entertainment and all the other elements a commercial Telugu cinema needs. The concept of God presented in this movie will be appreciated both by believers and atheists alike. Trivikram shows what every guy in his youth does in the first half, till he realizes his goal in life which is covered in the second half. Second half where people felt movie was a headache is actually good if you can appreciate what Trivikram is trying to tell. To sum is in one of scenes Mahesh says “Lets test if I am the God”…The entire sequence is superb and is an case in point to prove that every man is God when he realizes his true potential and works for good.

The major flaw in this movie as it appears is Mahesh’s domination, who was hibernating for 3 full years, takes on screen so much that rest of the cast is rendered useless including my favourite heroine Anushka. As Mahesh mentions in one of the scenes “ikkada comedy chesthey nenee cheyali” is very much what happened in the movie. Not just comedy but he manages to pull through all elements single handedly.
Like for all the Trivikram movies, to appreciate the pucnh you have to watch the movie again and again and again. There is a lot of repeat value in the movie, like in any other Trivikram’s movies.

Performances:Mahesh is everything in the movie on screen and Trivikram behind the scenes. He is absolutely an eye candy and girls just cant have enough of him

Anushka is sexy, just that she was looking elder to very handsome Mahesh. Though Mani’s music is mediocre, Anushka looks hot in all those songs and my particular favourite is when she tries the lady Gaga look. Wow Anushka…

Rao Ramesh does an Aghora and all the comedians play second to our Hero…

Shafi comes out with a killer performance as a God seeker

Prakash Raj is adequate as a villain

Story: An extravagant Taxi is taken to Rajasthan on purpose, who in turn learns that he is being targeted to be killed. While a village team rescues him, he agrees to pay them which leads him to the baddies who eventually happen to be the guys who target him too. Circumstances lead Anushka also to the desert and she just cant get off Seetha Rama Raju. Yes, Mahesh’ name in the movie.

Music Review: Khaleja music is mediocre fare!

Trivikram, Hero Mahesh and even Mani Sharma were probably basking the Athadu glory and in an attempt to bring out something similar, end up brining in a run-of-the-mill fare at music and songs. Pretty mediocre stuff. I am sure however, Trivikram has got much better cinema in place with gripping screenplay and his trademark dialogues. Anticipated much better music for this much-awaited movie from the Tollywood’s best director-actor duo. While I hope these songs get better as we listen more, it’s a matter of fact that Mani Sharma messed it up! Listen songs here...



Pilche Pdevulapaina: Starts with praise to Nandalala, probably all the heros are doing some Krishna fare this winter, and gets slow at times and has feel to suggest that the heroine submits herself to the protagonist in this number.

Sada Siva: Starts like a chant but soon translates in a trance-providing hum, with English lyrics interspersed with occasional high-note drums, the song gets your attention soon.

Boom Shakana: This is an example of how the team could not come of the Athadu glory, trying to make something to similar to those popular numbers, this comes out with a good opening lyrics and the song slows down so much I could not like it despite of listening to it 10 times. Maybe it takes some more time, or is a loser number!

Makathika: Average number and somehow sounds a medley of familiar songs.

Taxi Taxi: This has variety lyrics written around Taxi nuances, and the tune is a mixed rap with mechanical tunes, probably to suggest a taxi on the frames.

Sunday Monday: Another common place assortment of familiar Manisharma songs. Mani, Please give us a break!

Music Review: Brindavanam music simply rocks!

If the cinema itself, and if NTR himself  fails to draw the audience to the theaters when the movie releases, the songs will. For sure will. First-rate songs by Thaman are true to please masses and classes alike…everyone will like every song. With lot of repeat value, the music and sound track is a big asset to this soon to be released movie...Listen Brindavanam songs here...



Chinnadoi Vaipu: With a potential to form the theme song, this mass song rightly has Sukhwinder, Baba Sehgal and Geeta Madhuri sing to a chorus which is loud. The lyrics suggest this to be a song when both the heroines appear on the screen. Hence the hero, I am sure will be willing to rock, and the song is apt for the situation. Geeta Maduri’s tone best suits such songs.

Wanna wanna be with you honey (Nijamena): This is an absolute delight to hear, with class overtures to this song while a constant rendition of Jazzy drums in the background keep up the mood. The music varies as the piano experiments with soft singing to high notes tapering off, and no one else would have been a better choice than Karthik and Suchitra

Evvarevaro (Yuvukula Manasaina, Maghuvula Pogaraina): I guess this to be an introduction to the hero, with college going girls and guys descripbed

Veedu Tuntaroodu: Geeta Madhuri with her husky voice declares the hero to be a Tuntarooduuuu…maybe the Krishna in the brindavanam

Krishnudu Vachadura: The happy song usually found in all the big hero movies announcing how the hero has come and brought festivities to the community. This one absolutely rocks with Kay Kay (my favouroite singer) taking lead along with the others….it has all the ho-ho and ha –ha of the hero’s home coming with rocking music.

Oopiraage: The protagonist is hurt and forlorn and keeps cursing love in this number. You have such songs in all movies now-a-days, with a tune that immediately suggests sadness! No originality here Thaman!!

Nachale(Mojjarey Mojjarey): Baba Sehgal’s nasal rendering of this song with shake-your-leg kind of Punjabi music and some Hindi lyrics is letting me guess this would be in a pub set in a Dhola-re-Dhani kind of setting

Sureede Sureedhe (Eyi Raja): When all the singers are tried out why leave Shankar Mahadevan, and why leave Shreya Ghosal, and why leave a chance to squeeze in another mass number. This time the hero is a blazing Sun whose looks and walk are glorified! Eyi Raja!!

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!

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai

Genre: Gangster flick!

Koppireddy’s Tag Line: The good and the bad Dons!

Koppireddy’s Rating: 3 (Go watch it, given the pathetic variety of bollywood movies we have now a days to watch. Who knows how long later we get another watch-worthy movie)

Analysis: There seems to be no end to big dreams of turning into Dons this monsoon…After Don Seenu, this is another story of a contentious good don (though the oxymoron (don and good or contentious!) I used might piss you off, I cant help!) and an ambitious real baddie (played by Emraan Hashmi). By contentious good don I mean Robinhood type of don played by Ajay Devgan. The dialogues by Ajay Devgan( like ‘jo dosti se kar sakthe hai, tho dushmani kyon’), and punchers (like ‘kal ka wait karronga tho aaj bura maan jayegi’ and ‘haar and haar dono nahi hog, ayinda’) from Emraan Hasmi written by Rajat Araora are the main strength to the film. The plot is weak and some sequences by Milan Luthria are questionable and unconvincing (like the removing of patri to crossover and put them back safe, buying an amrit for 400 rupees, the cop not trying to save Mirza etc.). 70s looks was well worked out and looks effortless so kudos to cinematography and art work. Music is mediocre and borrows inspiration from some of RD Burman classics of that time the plot is set in…

Performances: Ajay Devgan does a Company type of role and I think he is comfortable doing such roles now. It would have been a cakewalk for him. Emraan Hashmi surprised me with his amazing screen presence though I should admit he still excelled in his trademark lovemaking scenes (to Prachi Desai) than in being a don. Kangana who played Ajay Devgan’s love interest, looked comfortable in the 70s look but not so much with Prachi Desai, though both the heroines featured the bouffant look on their hair. One was supposed to be a heroine and the other a shopgirl, so I wondered how both could afford a bouffant look! Randeep Hooda in the cop’s role was adequate.

Story (The Spoiler) Don’t read this part if you don’t like spoilers: The story is right out of biography page of Haji Mastan Mirza from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haji_Mastan) who is the protagonist in the movie called Sultan Mirza (played by Ajay Devgan) except that the film is more dramatized by Shoaib (played by Emraan Hashmi) who also happens to kill the Sultan Mirza’s character. Though Shoaib is promoted as Dawood Ibrahim by the moviemakers, I don’t think there is any real life connection that way…
But Haji Mastan’s connection to bollywood is quickly covered in bits and pieces when Agnel (played by Randeep Hooda as the cop) tries to associate Sultan Mirza to producing the heroine’s films to some extent which he says is all illicit money. Another scene, where Kangana refers to making a movie on the Don’s life, and hire the new guy Amit. She was actually referring to Amitabh Bachan in the 70s who made Deewar inspired from Haji Mastan’s life…

Don Seenu

Genre: Mass entertainer (this is the name I have chosen for telugu cinema which dishes out a drama, comedy, romance and action at the same time!)

Koppireddy’s Tagline: This is South Indian masala (literally, this is a dialogue by Ravi Teja during a crucial thumping session with the German goons…crucial because Shriya falls for Ravi Teja right here)

Analysis: Loud punches, intimidating voice pitch from the hero while delivering dialogues, flying goons (after the hero touching them ofcourse), mass numbers and a reverberating background score when the hero is on the frame or before his onset…these define a mass telugu movie and Don Seenu is one such movie. A little better than Anjaneyulu but no less mass than that. I am sure people like such movies from what we can see- all directors want to make more of such movies.

Keeping aside the logic and the validity of the plot, excusing it by declaring it to be an entertainer, lets go ahead! The comedy required is extracted from Bramhanandam, Ali and Venu Madhav. Songs are okay in parts but I am sure will appeal full length to masses. Fights are appealing with no over-done elements like in Anjaneyulu. Screenplay was good, especially in the first half. Cinematography is sure good. Dialogues by Kona Venkat are adequate for the movie. (Deenini geeki, danini gokadame is my particular favourite when Ravi Teja referes to the Gold credit card and the heroine respectively, he is provided by the baddies to trap heroine for their cause)

Performances: Ravi Teja’s action is clichéd but will entertain you. His energy levels and ease with which he adapts to the screenplay, and evokes comedy too, at times, mass dances and illuminating wit to outbeat a psychology student heroine (Shriya) all are worth mentioning

The show-stealer however is Shriya in the role of Deepthi. She is looking fresh (maybe because of her long gap in telugu cinema) and adds a lot of glam quotient to the film. 30s is the new 20s, I guess…Shriya looked much more glamorous than many of the 20s heroines. Maybe, ladies want to find out her anti-aging formula! Otherwise, she is a submissive heroine to the hero like in any other mass cinema.

Shyaji Shinde, Mahesh Manjerakar, Srihari all add to the comedy gang as their fierceness as villains is a passe when Ravi Teja himself want to be a don. The second heroine Anjana Sukhani adds to the oomph factor onscreen and others are okay in one of the gangs including Brahmaji, who is now reduced to a member in one of the gangs.

Story: I am sure the idea to produce a mass entertainer came first and then probably the story. Don Seenu (played by Ravi Teja) inspired by Amitabh would always want to be a don. He fools around with the existing dons in Hyderabad, Machineni (played by Shayaji Shinde) and Narsing(played by SriHari). As part of the fooling he is sent to Germany on his first assignment from the Machineni gang to trap Narsing’s sister and that lays the foundation for first half. With 2 heroines Deepthi and Priya (Shriya and Anjana respectively) in Germany and a Seenu’s pretext of being a photographer looking for a traditional Indian girl for his cover, the first half goes through the usual antics of the hero.

A small twist as you enter the theater back with popcorn, and the fooling around of Dons continues…this time you will start feeling the uselessness of the plot. I can see myself begging for something different but nothing happens before the climax suddenly condescends on you with a quick lurk back in to the flash back, where the Dons were friends and somehow the hero is Narsing’s brother-in-law. With only one villan left, Don Seenu pardons him and shoos him off the Dubai, implying he would rule the Indian mafia…Yes, its over

Maryada Ramanna- or should I say Our Hospitality?!!!

Genre: Romance, Family Drama

Koppireddy’s Tag line: When Innocence meets Feudalism!

Koppireddy’s Rating: 3 for its screenplay and cinematography

Analysis It should well be disclosed even before we start that like many other stories this is also a copied story…The Hospitality (1923) from the silent movies generation. See this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Hospitality that said, nothing stops this movie from being a good watch…Read on…

Nice small ideas (albeit copied) have the power to influence when presented well. S S Rajamouli proves this point, very unlike his other ventures where small was never a word for him. Just the idea and probably the cast were small, mind you! Nothing else was compromised. Attention to finer details, engaging screenplay, foot tapping music and excellent cinematography, exactly like in all his other ventures, is anything but small.

If you have to build a brick stack using unlimited array of bricks putting one brick over another slowly and steadily, and you succeed in making a longest one, and when you probably know you cannot continue forever. What do you do? Best thing to do is to convince all the lookers that you will start with another row afresh and not mess up with the existing one. By doing that, you are setting expectations low. That’s exactly what Rajamouli did with this movie. He said its curd rice types movie when compared to his Biryani movies earlier! He admitted well in advance that it’s a small venture and implored his audience to appreciate what he does. And that’s working…
So all that was done low in the movie is probably the cast (making Sunil the hero) and simple storyline(compared earlier double dramas from the same director) as mentioned earlier. However, Rajamouli doing his best, exactly like in all other movies, strengthens the storyline. Untill you know its a copied story, I am sure you will like it...I am sure you will like after that too, if you dont start hating this guy immediately!

The Story

It’s a waste of time rewriting the story. It’s ditto on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Hospitality

Inception - Nested Dreams, Vested Interests!

Genre: Science Fiction

Koppireddy’s Tag line: Nested Dreams, Vested Interests

Koppireddy’s Rating: 4 stars (Watch it in a Theater)

Analysis: Inception is a good idea, well executed. If a plot has the capability to lay down a good screenplay, then it’s a movie I would like to watch. And if that screenplay goes strong, then it’s a movie I would like. Inception is a movie both that I would like to watch and I liked!
Excellent direction by Christopher Nolan keeps you on the edge of the seats, throughout! And literally! Though it is straining your resources at times squeezing your relax-at-movie desire, it soon puts all the missing pieces together so you should well be good at the end of the movie. However, you take home a lot of questions like I did. Read my story...

Performances: Ellen Page, Gordon Levit and Marion Cotilard have come up with good performances. Tom Hardy can add to ladies audience involvement in his short but important role. I think Leonardo Di Caprio’s has nothing exciting to impress you but plays with his role, as Nolan wanted him to. Don’t expect him to do a ‘Titanic’ or a ‘catch me if you can’ and then get disappointed. Dileep Rao and Ken Watanabe are adequate in their respective roles

The Story

As the genre suggests, it’s a science fiction based on human capability to enter one another’s dreams. The movie starts with a small demonstration of this capability but quickly sets into the main plot. The main plot is Saitu (played by Ken Watanabe) luring Cob (played by Leonardo Di Caprio) to do the title act-Inception. Cob is expected to implant or incept an idea into the heir of corporate riches of the Fischer family, Robert Fischer (played by an Irish actor Cillian Murphy, heard about him first time in the movie) who would in turn go against the monopoly styled business of his dad, which would help Saitu in turn as he is the business rival for the Fischer family.
Arthur (played by Gordon Levit, the host of popular Saturday night live), Eames (played by Tom Hardy), Yousouf (played by Dileep Rao of Avatar fame), Ariadne (played by Ellen Page of Juno fame) and Saitu team up to do this task. Arthur assists and a friend of Cob the hero, Eames has the capability to project fake identities, Yousouf is a sedatives specialist and Ariadne is a student who likes intellectual challenges and is drawn into this by Cob by throwing both a challenge and a flattery at her. Cob openly admits to Ariadne about what they are doing is illegal but someone manages to drive a point that she is important and only she can take up the challenge of building a dream world.

Robert Fischer, while returning to US from Australia taking his father’s dead body along, is talked into and quickly sedated by the team. Then they all get connected together into the dream world. In this dream, the team kidnaps Robert and his family’s mentor Peter Browning (Tom Berenger of the Sniper series fame). The twist here is Eames takes up the identity of Browning to extract information from him! These 2 are locked up in a room where Eames (in the Browning form) pesters Robert Fisher to say it off so that they both can live.
The team then sleeps in a mini bus and as Yousouf drives the mini bus, all others enter into second level of dream (within a dream) that is set in a hotel and Cob tries to make Fisher believe that Browning kidnaps him and thus try to read Browning’s mind for his plans. For this the entire team sleeps again to enter another dream (this one within the hotel dream, which in turn is within the mini bus dream). This dream is set in some arctic region where snow avalanches are a common occurrence. Remember, all these are being build by Ariadne in the dreams out of her intellectual urge.

Now, I will have to go back a little and introduce Cob’s wife Mal (played by French actress Marion Cotilard). Mal is dead even before the movie begins. But the director keeps narrating to us that Cob and Mal used to dream a lot and got so used to it that they hesitate to come into real world. And even if they do come, they don’t realize if they are in dream or real world. This is shown as the downside of having such a human capability. Ariadne quickly figures out that Cob keeps meeting Mal in the dreams as she hacks into his dreams during the practice sessions before the main plot. Here, dreams actually have projections and anyone can project anyone in one’s own connected dream, which is kind of the underlying theme here! So Ariadne finds out that Cob is guilty that he is responsible for Mal’s death. Cob tries to woo Mal back to real world and finally does to meet their children. But children can also be projected in dreams, right? So they don’t really know if the are in real world or dreaming. This leads a series of self-killing by Mal, first in dreams and then in reality. Cob is thus guilty. Ariadne has to being him out of his guilt and so directors uses this build up in the main plot…so returning to the main plot, we are 3 dreams deeper, remember?

Cob just cant help projecting Mal and he projects her in this Snow land dream setting who in turn kills Robert Fisher as he approaches the treasury which is the ultimate objective of this whole inception
Some directorial fundas before we proceed: When someone dies in level-one dream, they wakeup in real world. If this death happens in any of the nested dreams, they enter a limbo state and hang in there indefinitely. This point is also made clear to audience as the warm up and story build up takes place. Also, the time inside a dream is amplified as you go deeper into levels. So if you dream for 5 minutes, its like 10 hours in a dream, and that in a next level dream is like 10 days and so on…Kick is a shudder-like thrust which can wake people up from dreams. One possible way to come out on voluntary basis

So now Robert Fischer dies in dream 3 and hence enters limbo state. In the mean time, Dream 1 that has Yousouf driving the mini bus, had to start a kick earlier than the plan as the mini bus plunges into a river from a bridge. This kick has a cumulative effective into the dreams and the Dream 2 at the hotel is forced into a kick. Arthur is left behind in Dream 2 and he has to task of doing the kick in this level, which he plans to by blowing down the roof of a hotel room above, which the dreamers were operating. Now since Robert Fischer dies in a limbo state, the team starts giving up until the young heroine Ariadne suggests they get into one more level. I know, I know, you are asking me to stop now but this is the last level of dream thankfully!

Now Robert Fischer, Ariadne and Cob go into another dream (level 4 dream). This they do knowing that the mini bus is falling off the bridge. But because of the theory that you have more time in each subsequent dream magnified by so many times, the few seconds of fall from the bridge into river in dream 1 gains, like 60 minutes in level 4. Hence the hero, young heroine can now get the job done. In this level, Cob’s projection of his wife Mal tries to avenge Cob due to planting the idea in her (all dreamed up by young Ariadne remember?). So this gives Ariadne the opportunity to kill Mal, albeit in the dream thus clearing Cob’s projection, which in turn returns the Fischer champion to life. But they have less time (remember the Van in level 1 is falling) so they have only a few minutes left. He opens the treasury and learns that his Dad wanted him to be man of his own. The inception mission accomplished, Yahooooooooooo

Now Eames quickly works on the kick for Dream level 3 and they come back to 2 and with explosives in Dream 2, which thrust the elevator to the ceiling to make the kick happen, Arthur orchestras this (as against the originally planned kick by blowing the roof down). Now all of them just manage to get in Dream 1 and find themselves in water from the minibus fall.

Then the scene transports to the opening shot of the film where Cob and Saitu are old and plan to go back to real world. As this happens everything returns to reality. And what is reality? If you forgot they are all in the airplane back to America

Mission accomplished in reality too as the idea is now planted. INCEPTED, you see. Cob returns to America and meets his children. It was shown that Cob is charged of crime for killing his wife, which is all cleared now by the corporate giant Saitu as promised. I wonder how he does that?

Throughout the movie, there are totems used, this is one of the directorial fundas too. It helps the dreamer to decide whether he is in real world or still dreaming. Cob uses a spin and Ariadne, the fast learner, uses the Bishop’s chess piece. No one allows others to touch their totem as to let them really decide whether they are dreaming or living real. So Cob when he is finally home spins his spin but is called by his children. We donot get to see the spin fail or turn, hence leaving us wonder if he is still dreaming…

Am I dreaming or did I just write a review of this movie? Kick me...Oops it looks like its real, My Kick hurt me and my totem is my revolving chair which is not spinning!!! Ha ha ha