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Manamantha
Manamantha links :
• Chandra Sekhar Yeleti interview
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Jeevi
rating: 3/5
Punchline: A 'slice of life' film
Genre: Family Drama
Type: Straight
Banner: Vaarahi Chalanachitram
Cast: Mohanlal, Gautami, Vishwanth, Raina Rao, Anisha, Nassar, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, Urvasi, Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao, LB Sriram, Ayyappa Sharma, Vennela Kishore, Brahmaji, Naveen Neni, Dhanraj, Praveen etc
Cinematography: Rahul Shrivatsav
Editor: G.V. Chandra Sekhar
Music: Mahesh Shankar
Art: Ravinder Reddy
Action: Ramu
Choreography: Nixon
Dialogues: Ravi Chandra Teja
Lyrics: Ramajogayya Sastry, Wasistha Sharma
Producers: Sai Korrapati & Rajani Korapati
Story, Screenplay & Direction: Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
Release date: 5 August, 2016
Theater watched: Big Cinemas, screen 3, Ameerpet, Hyderabad
Manamantha links : |
Sairam (Mohanlal) is an assistant manager at a supermarket. He finds his salary not enough to run his household. He aims to become the manager so that his salary gets hiked. Gayatri (Gowthami) is a middle class housewife who walks kilometers to save money on groceries. Abhiram (Vishwant) is a brilliant computer student from a middle class family. He gets infatuated by a rich girl and diverts from his studies. Mahitha (Raina Rao) is a small girl who takes up the mission of joining a tiny slum boy into a school. Rest of the story is all about the journey of these four characters.
Actors: Mohanlal is perfect as the middle class and middle aged man who struggles to make ends meet. His dubbing looks bit odd as he dubbed himself. Gowthami is excellent as housewife who sacrifices for family members. Her dubbing is very authentic. Vishwanth is fine as an youngster who is stuck by love. Raina Rao impresses everybody with her performance as a kind-hearted girl. The little boy is adorable. Ayyappa Sharma is raw and effective as a goon. Urvasi entertains you. It’s nice to see comedy actors like Vennela Kishore and Dhanraj playing serious roles. A comedian like Praveen did a role that didn’t even has a proper close-up. Gollapudi Maruthi Rao plays an important role.
Story - screenplay - direction: Middle class values and middle class emotions form the core of Manamantha film. And there is a thriller element associated with the story. Chandra Sekhar Yeleti who had been shifting genres randomly attempted something which he has not done in his earlier films. An artistic film on middle class values with something to wonder about in the climax. Though the narration is slow, Chandra Sekhar has maintained consistency and clarity throughout the film. Climax of the film is heart-wrenching. Screenplay is written in such a way that you realise it only when the story reaches the climax.
Other departments: Tunes given by Mahesh Shankar go with the flow. Background music makes an impact. Cinematography by Rahul Srivatsav is gritty and realistic. Dialogues are good. Editing by GV Chandra Sekhar is good. Production design by Ravinder helps the movie. Sai Korrapati is definitely one of the very few tasteful producers in current generation of Telugu cinema who doesn’t shy away from picking up rare subjects and promote them aggressively.
Analysis: Manamantha is a slice of life film that deals with middle class values. Director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti gives an authentic narration coupled with a thrill element. Though it has four stories, director has made sure that there is no confusion in narration. Plus points of the film are terrific performances, different orientation and a heart-wrenching climax. On the flip side, narration is pretty slow. On a whole, Manamantha has all the ingredients to walk away with awards!