9 March 2010

My Movie – Ye Maya Chesave

I went to see the movie YMC buoyed by my admiration for Gautam Menon as the director helming this venture. Also contributing to my enthusiasm were AR Rehman's music, Nag Chaitanya's charming looks, enticing visuals and to some extent - Jeevi's 4 rating.

Here is my analysis and why I was impressed but not blown away completely by the movie.

Every Love story works on some basic tenets to qualify as a path breaking movie. And in select cases becomes a classic in due course of time. I believe a love story has to have

• Fresh Faces
• Endearing and charming characters
• Believable conflict
• Some scenes/dialogues which convey the very essence of love
• Irresistible music
• In some cases - novel ways of presentation, breaking some archaic movie cliches
• Underlying everything has to be the mysterious question <what lies beneath a woman's heart >

Fresh Faces
For Love stories to be believable actors making their debut as lead characters lend a lot in terms of credibility and not having any image helps them to be identified as the girl next door or the boy next door. Even for directors it helps them to tell their stories just as they imagined. Coming to YMC, Naga Chaitanya was so easy to relate to as a boy deeply in love and his mannerisms seemed so casual and natural which made Karthik a believable lover boy. And for Samantha, I was floored by her range of expressions and she spoke so eloquently with her eyes. Its as if we knew what was in her mind by just looking into her eyes. The entire first half of the movie rested on her being silent about her true feelings towards Karthik. When she finally does declare her love to Karthik, boy what a moment she chooses, conveyed so sincerely with oodles of compassion in that soothing song – vintunnava. I love this line which conveyed it so perfectly - Mounam tho nee madhi ni bandhincha ...manninchu priya. Both these characters had such pristine freshness and in effect it made Karthik falling head over heels in love with Jessi seem so real and too true to be fiction.

Endearing and charming characters
Most of the love stories typical to Tollywood strut their stories completely on 'love at first sight' notion. Well, it is true that people do fall in love at first sight and yes Love is such an emotion which when organic is entirely in the eyes of the beholder. Just like a beautiful spring flower or a gorgeous sun set it is an emotion driven purely by instinct. No thought goes into it at that very moment or at that first sight. And it only needs a pair of forlorn eyes to see that something that no one else has seen before and instill an unknown and undying passion to behold and take into arms the girl that triggered the hitherto dormant emotion. Thought enters the picture only when the guy wants it all for himself, for all his life and for no real reason. YMC starts with Karthik falling in love with Jessi besotted purely with her looks. And then as luck has it she resides on the top floor of the same building. In fact Karthik is the tenant in Jessi's home but can he make a home in Jessi's heart ? Or will he just be a guest is for the screenplay and characters to decide. Jessi is the prime mover and also the obstacle in Karthik's journey. As any girl in her position Jessi is confused about her emotions and keeps vacillating towards and away from Karthik. As expected the guy is the hunter and the girl keeps denying him his prey but keeps leaving agonizing trails for the guy to chase. For there is no fun in any chase without hope. No surprises here. What makes Jessi more endearing are the occasions/situations she chooses to reject Karthik's advances, and also express her love ...! And then again break away from him just when he least expects it. Whoof..! So much to say and so many ways to say and each time either breaking the heart or taking the breath away or sometimes both in one..! Karthik is the sane and serene presence here and always staying steadfast in his passion and feelings towards Jessi. Though driven to near insanity by Jessi's fluctuating moods he tries to convince her that nothing can stop him from loving her and making her his lifetime companion. All familial, religious and age-related obstacles quoted by Jessi repeatedly are definitely conquerable with true love and are at best mere excuses.

Believable conflict
The conflicts in this case even though on the surface appear to be Religious, age and Language based, on a deeper level they tend to be purely based on Jessi's confusions partly driven by her insecurities and to some extent by her circumstances. Conflict does seem real and starts to influence their relationship adversely as the relations between both the families keep deteriorating in spite of their best efforts. Jessi keeps talking about her Father being very strict and would not accept Karthik primarily because of his profession and religion. She also quotes her sister's example who was also in a similar predicament and finally went with her father's wishes and seems pretty happy. But all through Jessi wants to have Karthik as her friend, which does not seem plausible to Karthik. Aakaasam song accentuates Karthik's logic perfectly as to why a lover cannot turn into a friend overnight – preminchaka sneham ante manasuki padadhe, munduku velle kaalam epuddu venakaku raadhe, e nesthamayee himsinchakilaa...nee premanani oohinchenela.. ..? Once a lover, always a lover..!

Some scenes/dialogues which convey the very essence of love
Jessi chooses the most unexpected way and day to convey her love to Karthik. And what a stunning way to say..! She was telling the whole world about her not accepting her Father's choice for a husband and at the same time telling just that one person how much she loves him and cannot take anyone else in his place. A uniquely unique way of saying 'No' to everyone around her and hidden within that 'No' was a firm and unshakable 'Yes' to Karthik and their love. Which guy wouldn't feel pride in his love with such a powerful statement and would surely make him feel pure ecstasy. Given a choice Karthik would have preferred a more private moment for her to express her love but love does not choose its moments and more so, Jessi! At that very instance Jessi proposes to run away with Karthik and get married. That was the only way Jessi feels they can be together since its a vain effort to get their families convinced about their love. But when Karthik does not agree to that proposal she states clearly that the same moment might not come again. A decisive moment once gone is gone forever. If it does come back it would be only in the form of a haunting memory to remind them of what could have been a choice between life and death. It felt true and in retrospect, did forecast Jessi's fears as correct and prophetic. In the end, Karthik uses this same decisive moment strategy that Jessi quoted but with a different result.

Irresistible music
Gautham Menon always had an ear for music and all his movies had excellent soulful music but all of them were in combination with Harris Jeyaraj. This was the first time Gatutham was going for the undeniable musical genius Rehman. And their combination did raise the decibel levels of musical expectations to an all time high. And initially when I first heard the songs except for Kundanapu Bomma all the other songs did not ring a bell. But as with all Rehman songs they just took time to pick up and now I like all the songs for conveying the moods so well. Rehman chooses his singers so well and it is really a mystery how he makes non-telugu singers sing telugu songs with perfect diction and with such restrained passion. I liked Vintunnava for the way Shreya Ghosal slowly builds the tempo. First she sings in a tone requesting for forgiveness for making Karthik (the hero..!) wait endlessly and then declares her abiding love that she was born for him. And then Karthik (the singer..!) singing in a high pitch all through, accepts her fervent pleas and considers him lucky to have been fortunate to have heard her true feelings finally. This song rests completely on the singing of these two supremely talented singers with minimal orchestration. Still, as Rehman himself said the songs for this movie are 'quirky' and does need some time to catch up. Well, Rehman is known to experiment relentlessly and hats off to him for having tried something new again and finally did eventually cajole me to fall in love with all the songs. But definitely, not at first sight sorry, I meant first hearing !

In some cases - novel ways of presentation, breaking some archaic movie cliches
This movie has the least number of characters that I ever saw in a movie. What more iconoclastic than being the first Tollywood love story which rests totally on conversations between the Hero and the Heroine. All love stories usually heighten up the external tensions and create that as the sole stumbling block for the characters in question. But here though that is cited as being the reason for Jessi changing her feelings too often, the screenplay quotes her insecurities as being a more defining factor in keeping Karthik at bay. That in some ways breaks some cliches that I know about a movie heroine in love. Sets that make Karthik's and Jessi's home are as real as they come. You feel that house is just around the corner. Jessi was presented in such simple saris, chudidhars and skirts which made her so homely and yes, devoid of any overt makeup. At least, it seemed that way.

Underlying everything has to be the mysterious question <what lies beneath a women's heart>
What women really want ? Well, does anyone really have an answer to that ? Surely all men try to unravel that mystery and very few can say for sure if they ever came close. It is a tough notion and to keep it floating all through the movie is complicated and strewn with landmines. It requires an adept screenplay and some real experience to draw from. Mere fiction will not suffice in this case. In fact all of our fiction based on love is mostly focused on what lies beneath a particular gender's heart and that by itself should make them feel proud and gaiety. If women also were like men what is the fun in chasing and what is left to contemplate and write about !. But I did feel in YMC, the ending left a lot to fate to decide. Yes, surely we all meet by a strange coincidence whether it is an arranged or love marriage or even if you arrange your love marriage ! Call it fate or destiny or what not. But I felt the heroine walked out on the hero and she is remorseful and feels sad about walking out on him and would try to comeback to him after having loved him so deeply. If they did not meet in London are they not going to meet ever ? I know this is Gautham's opinion about how destiny decides whether we meet again or not but that is leaving a lot to forces of nature. Yes we meet by accident but we do not stay together purely by fate. I would like to believe I am in control of my destiny if I want someone I should try hard to make amends if I've done something that needs to be repaired. We fall in love by quirk of destiny but we stay in love or comeback to love by our feelings and actions. I would have preferred the girl to meet just as they would in the movie, making it look like an accident. But when she starts talking to Karthik and finally opens her heart out, she should have told Karthik that she was thinking about coming back to him. In the meantime, she read about his becoming a movie director and he was coming to London for a shooting schedule either through media or his friend – Krishnudu. And then she came there to talk to him and made it all happen. That would make even Karthik feel happy about his love being requited. That makes Jessi responsible for her actions and driving her life by her convictions with a clear heart and mind. Better late than never.

When I came out of the movie, I liked it but I felt that the movie was still missing something. I was trying to discuss the same with my friends and I was at a loss to clearly state whether I liked it or not. For a moment, I felt like I was in a predicament just like Jessi. So much for lack for clarity. Jessi lacked clarity in deciding about her love but me lacking the same about a movie, I can live with that ! Jokes apart, I was trying to pinpoint what exactly was that missing ingredient. When I started jotting them down in my mind, Krishnudu's dialogue delivery and body language did not sound right to me – he was just reading out his lines and his friendship with Karthik stuck out as sore thumb. Picturization of the songs seemed to be the same all around with four foreign dancers in the background and looked as if they were choreographed in a hurry. But all these can be lived with. So this made me to write a review for the first time and in thinking about it all through since it has been a week since I saw it, I was being haunted by Jessi's looks, Karthik serenading on his bike with Jessi in tow, the white house in that street nearby, the lush backwaters of Allepey and what might be going on in their married lives now for life has taken so many twists in their passionate love story. In-fact I was feeling their characters. And frankly I can say now after having lived with them for a week now, I like it. Yes there are some misgivings but it takes guts to make this movie. I can say confidently that I liked this movie more as I lived with the characters but not as much at first sight. This movie at first viewing I believe you would either love it or do not like it but you cannot ignore it. Gautam needs to be commended for he has not bowed to the market demands as there are so many compromises he could have made just to make it accessible to the lowest common denominator. But he did not budge. Just like Karthik he was unwavering in his resolve, trusted his characters and his dream. And maybe like Jessi, fortune and box office might turn around and hug him. As I commented above in case of Jessi about the all-conquering fate, is box office acceptance a fate-driven event or can we orchestrate it with a clear vision and strategy ? Remember, we are talking of emotions here. So make a wild guess or take a calculated risk..!

In conclusion, I would say this movie has been created thoughtfully, beautifully. Made to last and to fall in love, at first sight..hmm..?!:)

anurag reddy
anuragtalks at gmail dot com

More My Movie experiences:
YMC by Ramskott
YMC by Dellcom
YMC by Ashok
YMC by Ramya
YMC by Sudheer
YMC by Laya
YMC by Survi
YMC by Rajeev
YMC by Pavan
YMC by Rohit
Inkosaari by Avanthi
Inkosaari by Sneha
YMC by Praveen
YMC by Rajani
YMC by Sujith
Inkosaari by Ganesh
Leader by Sreekanth D
Maya Bazar by Gopal
Mahatma by Kishore
Baanam by Stanley
Josh by Nathan
Magadheera by Ashok
Magadheera by Wannabe Director
Magadheera by Shanti
Magadheera by Anitha
Magadheera by SS
Oy by Prathna
99 by Bala Thirumalasetty
Veedokkade by Srinivas
Delhi 6 by Vamsi
KIKK by Sweta
Luck by Chance by Srini
KIKK by Lalitha Spoorthi
Arundhati by Naveen
Arundhati by Srini
Arundhati by Bharat
Sasirekha Parinayam by Santhi Venkat
Sasirekha Parinayam by Vamshi Muthapu
Sasirekha Parinayam by Niharika Reddy
Nachavule by Vamsi Krishna
Neninthe by movie lover
Avakai Biryani by Vamsi Krishna
Kotha Bangaru Lokam by Vamsi Krishna
Kotha Bangaru Lokam by S
Ashta Chemma by Deepthi
Ashta Chemma by Lalitha Spoorthi
Sarkar Raj by Pradeep
Jalsa by Lalitha Spoorthi
Gamyam by Sridhar
Gamyam by Sreekanth D
Gamyam by Sanjay
Halla Bol by Purnesh
Taare Zameen Par by Ashok Varma
Taare Zameen Par by Raja Simha
Happy Days by Krishna Sastry
Chirutha by Phani Kumar
Chak De India by Ravi
Yamadonga by Lalitha
Chak De India by Shyam
AMAV by Darsakudu
5 in March by Sashidhar
Okkadunnadu by Anand
Black Friday by Ratnakar
Desamuduru by Krishna Prasad
Guru by It's opinion
Dhoom 2 by Lalitha Spoorthi
Dhoom 2 by ASK
Don - Syam
Boss - Anand
Boss - Hrithik
Stalin - Bala
Bommarillu - Nandini
Bommarillu - Darsakudu
Bommarillu - Vasu
Bommarillu - Harsha Prakash
Bommarillu - Lalitha Spoorthi
LRMB - Shravan
Bommarillu - Anirudh
LRMB - Srinivas
LRMB - Darsakudu
LRMB - S Sridhar
Bommarillu - Shridevi
Bommarillu - Vasudev
Bommarillu - Roopa
Sriram - Godavari
Sarath - Bangaram
Bala - Pokiri
Srinadh - Allari Pidugu
Sudheer Allari Pidugu
Anu - Athadu
Shyam Krishna - Iqbal
Purnesh - Grahanam
Sudhindra - Super
Vijay - Aparichitudu
Madhav - Aparichitudu
Hazaraon Kwaishein Aisi
Swades
Shyam - Black
Sai - Anand
Rohit - Anand & Veer Zaara
Jaya Prakash - 7GBC
Raj - Anand
Purnesh - Anand
Purnesh - The Village
Sriram - Gudumba Shankar
Purnesh - Gharshana
Purnesh - Lakshya
Purnesh - Yuva
Leenesh - Yuva
Kis - Lakshmi Narasimha
Indian Pride - Tagore
Raj - Boys
Phani - Gangotri
Phani - Khadgam
Vikram - CKR
BKR - Indra (Singapore)
Ram - Indra (Dubai)
Ranjeet - Idiot
Rahul - Indra
King Koduri - Indra
Srilakshmi Katragadda - Mitr: My Friend