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Home > Telugu Movie Reviews > Shankardada Zindabad A Passable Remake Of A Contemporary Classic APK | July 27, 2007 Predict The Fate Of SDZ At The Box-office Rating: **.75 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) Action: Vijay. Art: Ashok. Cinematography: Chota K. Naidu. Dialogues: Paruchuri Brothers. Editing: Marthand K. Venkatesh. Lyrics: Devisri Prasad, Bhaskarabhatla, Chandrabose, Sahithi & Suddala Ashokteja. Music: Devisri Prasad. Story: Rajkumar Hirani. Director: Prabhudeva. Producer(s): Kiran Prasad, Manohar Prasad & Ravi Shankar Prasad. Banner: Gemini Film Circuit. Release Date: 27th July, 2007.  Shankardada MBBS had mixed reactions, partly because it could not match the original. It did not evoke the emotions of Munnabhai MBBS, despite Chiranjeevi's star status and the hype surrounding it prior to release. Same follows for the second in it's series, Shankardada Zindabad. It's not one, but many different factors which make the original Lage Raho Munnabhai an incomparable movie, and the remake to seem an average copy. Read on.Plot Shankardada works for Lingam, evacuating people from homes and doing other petty jobs for his real estate business. His loyal sidekick is ATM. Shankar is in love with Jahnavi, a Radio Jockey who he meets after he wins a contest about Mahatma Gandhi. He tells her he is a professor, and he is forced to read up on Gandhi's life to deliver a lecture to her grandfather and his friends, who she lives with. Shankar sees the Mahatma, who advices him on various ideals he believed in. Shankar changes for the better, but Lingam grabs hold of Jahnavi's house. How they get back the house following Gandhi's ideals is the rest of the plot. Story, Screenplay and Direction The story is excellent, but the script and dialogue of the original are no match for this remake. The empathy one feels for Munna is lost here, and the dialogue and direction in both the Shankardada movies are to be blamed.  Secondly, the Munna-Circuit relationship really stands out in Lage Raho Munnabhai. But in SDZ, the best scenes of the original are not done that well. Chiru-Srikanth chemistry fizzles out. Vidya Balan, who is a real charmer, kept the audience attention while she lighted up the screen. Here, the female lead is pretty, but blank and expressionless. We see Chiranjeevi, but never really Shankar.Comparisons with the original apart, SDZ has many flaws in itself. All the scenes in which the Mahatma enters are usually preceded by Shankar calling him with a prayer. It's supposed to look solemn, it ends up looking funny. The foot-tapping numbers do make a difference here and there, but all the guest appearances make really no difference. Pawan's appearance could have been better; and here again, the dialogue and direction are not up to the mark. In 'Akaleste', there are two good dancers i.e., Yana and Chiranjeevi, and a good choreographer. But the song does not cast the magic expected of it. The Telugu proverbs translated to English, the same as Shankardada MBBS, humor the audiences a little. All the scenes where Shankar is on radio are done well. The part where the old man goes to receive his pension on Shankar's advice is dubbed from the original and not re-shot. Dialouge of the Day: Chiranjeevi's entry is marked by this well-meaning dialogue 'Anna Chiruta ke ayya.'  Performances Chiranjeevi looks a little tired and the dance and fight sequences which he excelled at are not full of his erstwhile energy anymore. Still, he has a great presence, good comic timing and the old-world charm in him. But the empathy one feels for Munna never really takes off in the SD series.Srikanth is wrongly cast for ATM, although he is a capable artiste, somehow the character does not really suit his persona. Karishma Kotak is totally blank. Shayaji Shinde is repetitive. Sada does well in her guest role. Brahmanandam and Sharathbabu are believable. Suneel, Rohit, Venumadhav and the gang of old men are cast well. Song and Dance A treat for Chiru fans, it is a silver lining. Last Word SDZ cannot be compared to the original LRMB, in the making or any other aspect. Apart from that, it is a good watch for anyone who has not watched the original. For those who've seen LRMB, it will be an average fare. The main theme of the movie, 'Gandhigiri,' is actually not emphasized in this movie. The first half and the beginning of the second half are okay, but the real theme never takes off-it's Shankardada all the way, and Gandhi takes a backseat. |