CineGoer.com - Telugu Movie Reviews

Message Oriented Movie

APK | March 16, 2007

Rating: **.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)

Cast: Ram, Isha, Prakashraj, Pradeep Rawat, Saranya, Satya Prakash, Raghubabu, AS Ravikumar Chowdary and Others.
Art: AS Prakash.
Action: Vijay.
Cinematography: Ratnavelu.
Editing: Sreekar Prasad.
Lyrics: Chandrabose & Sahiti.
Music: Devisri Prasad.
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues & Direction: Sukumar.
Presenter: Smt. Lakshmi.
Producer: Adityababu.
Banner: Aditya Arts.
Release Date: 16th March, 2007.

"Violence is a passion..violence is a fashion!" ran the song, and the movie is all about that-Violence. Jagadam puts together facts like how violence is glorified and how youth find it attractive. Alongside is the philosophy a la William Golding about man's natural savage instincts. This is the story of Srinivas, a young kid, always fascinated by rowdy-ism, getting into the 'vicious circle' of land mafia, gang wars and the power of fear. After a true-blue love story like Aarya, Sukumar is back, this time tackling an all-new subject.

Ram

Plot Srinivas (Ram) grows up idolizing their local goon-Manikyam (Pradeep Rawat). He gets into fights constantly, is thrown out of school and joins a gang. He ends up becoming their leader, and the 20-somethings just love their newly acquired status and the fear and awe they see in others for them. Manikyam patronizes them and they grow in stature. Meanwhile he falls in love with Subbalaxmi (Isha). His friends, his girl friend and his younger brother adore Srinu, and he confidently manages to become almost as feared as Manikyam. A fight for some land puts Srinu and Manikyam against each other, and war ensures-while reality bites for the kids.

Story, Screenplay and Direction The movie starts with interesting titles. That sets the pace for the entire length. The visuals are sleek, and the dialogues are crisp. Extremely believable, some of the conversations about Manikyam (that Srinu's gang indulge in) and about Srinu (that everyone else talk about) are very well-written. Srinu's life is closely documented, and a psychological insight is given to the audience. In fact, the movie starts with a quote by Sigmund Freud. The mentalities of various people, from the boys just out of teenage to the already established mafia leaders are clear. The tone and tempo remain the same from the beginning and the director is precise about what he wants to say.

The love angle in the movie with Srinu and Subbalaxmi is not exactly convincing. But it serves its purpose-with the comic sequences and Subbalaxmi's influence on Srinu's life. All of Srinu's friends are characters immersed in reality. The comedy, the ironical wit and the morbidity of the whole situation is interesting.

Towards the end, it is interesting to see Sukumar's stand. He is not pro-violence, for all the glorification that Srinu gets. His rise and fall are just as meteoric. The drama and the sentiment of the climax, along with the clear message is woven in well.

Srinu's love story is very half-witted and the overall entertainment value is lower than the director's debut. The gang, mafia, wars et al appeal to fewer viewers than say, musical love stories. But end of the day, a good movie is a good movie worth a watch. While the focus remains throughout on one thing in the movie, and the sub-plot are almost absent, the 'fun' factor is lost in this commercial venture. There is little comic relief and the female lead fails to impress.

Isha

Performances Ram has energy and expressions that defy the fact that this is just his second movie. With a successful debut, he faced pressure and expectations this time around, which he fulfills with Jagadam. Isha looks like she is a last minute replacement. The whole gang (Srinu's friends) have all done their characters convincingly. Pradeep Rawat looks the part, and Prakash Raj gives a good guest appearance. The child artiste has done well.

Music and Dance (See Review) The music is definitely an asset, and the picturizations of the songs are good too. Ram gets an opportunity to display some dancing skills and the visuals are sleek throughout. The background score is okay.

Last Word Aarya's treatment was unique, and the love story clicked with all categories of viewers. It had a repeat value, what with the comedy, the romance, the sentiment and the song & dance. It could be called a complete entertainer. Now with Jagadam, the message is clear, and the entertainment value is present too, but the repeat audiences might be difficult to come by with the climax. A story that is told well, Jagadam has more pluses than minuses.