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Home > Telugu Movie Reviews > Pournami This Movie Will Stay For A Couple Of Pournamis APK | April 20, 2006 Rating: *** (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Cast: Prabhas, Trisha, Charmme, Sindhu Tolani, Chandra Mohan, Kota, Dharmavarapu, Rahul Dev, Mukesh Rishi, Tanikella Bharani, Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao, Raja Sridhar, Suneel, AVS, Mallikarjuna Rao, Narra, Harshavardhan, Gundu, Brahmaji, GV, Narsing Yadav, Subbaraju, Sravan, Ajay, Geetha, Manju Bhargavi, Sangeetha, Madhu Sharma, Pavala Shyamala, Padma Jayanthi, Sana, Archana (Special Appearance), Baby Divya, Baby Karman, Baby Chetana, Master Deepak and Others. Action: Peter Hein. Art: Ashok. Choreography: Prabhudeva & Vishnudeva Cinematography: Venkat Prasad. Dialogues: Paruchuri brothers Editing: KV Krishna Reddy. Lyrics: Sirivennela. Executive Producer: V. Suresh Reddy. Music: Devi Sri Prasad. Co-producer: Sumanth Ashwin. Story, Screenplay & Producer: MS Raju. Direction: Prabhudeva. Banner: Sumanth Art Productions. Release Date: 20th April, 2006.  The promos were intriguing, the stills picture-perfect, the lead actors looked ravishing, and before its release Pournami was booked for a week in major theatres. Audiences waited for this movie for the dream team of MS Raju, Prabhu Deva, Parachuri Brothers and Devi Sri Prasad. They made sure that the audiences come back for a second watch. Though it has all the Masala in it, it's not a mishmash, but a tasty and spicy Indian dish. Pournami could be MS Raju's best commercial success yet.Plot: Subramanyam (Chandra Mohan) belongs to a family where, since many generations, the women are required to dance in front of Lord Shiva's Idol at a particular period in time, so as to save the village from drought. He re-tells the story to his reluctant young daughter, Pournami, who since then dances with a religious fervor. But as the time approaches about a decade later, Pournami escapes from the village. In answer to the villagers' agitated queries as to what will happen to the village, Subramanyam refuses to teach his younger daughter, Chandrakala to perform for the ritual. The reason comes out later-the eccentric and villainous Zamindar to whom Pournami was sold to by her evil step mother (Manju Bhargavi). Meanwhile, a stranger by the name Siva Kesava (Prabhas) gets into their household for rent, and inspires Chandrakala to dance. Why he does that and how he manages to save the village is the second half, where we see his flashback in a faction-ridden district and predictably, his relationship with Pournami. Direction And Choreography: It is difficult to decide what Prabhu Deva does better: direction or choreography? There is a tendency for a painter turned director to make every frame of his to look like a painting. Likewise, choreographer Prabhu Deva doesn't merely direct his actors; he makes every scene look like a synchronized dance performance. The expressions that the actors come out with, the finer details in their actions and reactions, their energy and zeal have come out so well only because of his direction. He loses touch somewhere in the second half, as if he wasn't too keen on a faction part in his movie. It is too clichéd and predictable, but Deva gives it his best shot. For his and the writers' credit, he doesn't attempt to glamorize that violence. Prabhu Deva impresses yet again with his second directorial venture, as he is every-willing to entertain the audience. The fight sequence between Siva Kesava and the Zamindar is not a mere fight-it is an extended dance ballet. The climax song, Bharata Vedamuga is powerful, especially as the song reaches its end. The comical fight between Prabhas and Charmme in the beginning is shot well.  Script, Screenplay, Cinematography and Art Direction: The camera work is very good, sided by exceptional art direction. Some of the times the sets are gaudy (like in the song 'Icchi Pucchukunte') but all is forgiven when the audiences are treated to an enigmatic climax song, with beautiful sets, lighting, choreography and passion. The manner in which those scenes with heavy crowds are shot in the temple is second only to Shankar's caliber.MS Raju delivers a screenplay with all elements in it. Though it is a movie based on dance, classical dance at that, it appeals to everyone. The friction between Prabhas and Charmme is comic, Trisha's sacrifice can move you to tears and Prabhas' 'heroism' is kept subtle in the first half, whereas it is given a push and a shove in the second. We get to see many sides of all the characters, and that is where the writers' display their maturity in handling the characters. There are some predictable twists in the script and some characters are irritatingly stereotyped, like the evil step mother, her scavenger brother, a harassed and hen-pecked Subramanyam, and of course, a hero who never gets hurt, not even with a million pieces of glass pricking on him. Those loop-holes not withstanding, the screenplay is above the mundane, and gives the director a firm foundation to bank on. Performances: Prabhas, who showed promise in his debut, returns with a bang after a spate of average movies and some average performances. He seems to have a Chatrapati hangover, as the tune of the title song comes on sometimes, at particularly elevated moments. He is one of the few actors in Telugu cinema who've heard of the word 'Grooming', so he is also one of the few who has a body he takes care of. He looks good, especially in the first half, with his vintage 60's style costumes and comical demeanor. People will suddenly wake up to the fact that this guy can act if he wants to, as he is no longer wooden-faced in this movie, but emotive and expressive. Charmme manages a good performance, she is energetic and the hard work she put in for this role which requires so much dancing, is evident. She stands her own in the climax song, where she is not as powerful as, say, Jyotika in Chandramukhi but she has a long way ahead to go. Trisha has little to do, but she is a camera-friendly actress, and that comes across for the little time she is there. She should take care not to be repetitive, as audiences have little patience with that. Manju Bhargavi fits the role of the step-mother, and Geeta as Prabhas' mother is natural and convincing. Chandra Mohan, Kota Srinivas Rao as a factionist and Sunil do justice to their roles, though nothing much is expected out of them. Rahul Dev as the Zamindar is suited for the role, although he does the same thing in almost every movie now. Veda (Archana) has a dance cameo of about a minute, but leaves a mark. Music: Devi Sri's music is exceptional. Although there is nothing lacking in the picturizations, it is better heard than watched. And the verdict is... The movie is a wholesome entertainer. There are some loop-holes in the script as mentioned before, but hey, who's perfect? The point is that it's three hours of time-pass. The sets are elaborate like in every MS Raju production. With the kind of director-friendly production values he has, after Charminar and Meenakshi Temple, and now Lord Siva's Temple, don't be surprised if he erects a miniature Golconda Fort for his next venture. Prabhu Deva has proven that he is not a one film wonder, and he has an immensely good cinematic sense. Watch this movie for Paisa Vasool, even if classical dance doesn't interest you, there is a little bit of everything in this movie. |