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Palasa 1978
Palasa links:
• Trailers
• Pre release function
• Press meet 2
• Press meet 1
• First look launch
• Photos
Jeevi
rating: NA
Punchline: Genuine Attempt
Genre: Period/Action
Type: Straight
Banner: Sudhas Media
Runtime: 144 minutes
Censor Certificate: A
Release date: 6 March, 2020
Theater watched: screen 2, Prasads multiplex, Hyderabad
Cast: Rakshith, Nakshatra, Raghu Kunche, Tiruveer, Janardhan, Lakshman Meesala, Shruthi, Jagadish, Mirchi Madhavi, Pravin Yandamuri, Shanmukesh, Sammeta Gandhi, Subba Rao, Vijay Ram, Uma Maheswararao .etc
Music: Raghu Kunche
Cinematographer: Arul Vincent
Lyrics: Suddala Ashok Teja, Bhaskarabhatla & Lakshmi Bhupala
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswarara
Story, Sreenplay & Direction: Karuna Kumar
Producer: Dhyan Atluri
Palasa links: |
The story is set in the backdrop of the 70’s in Palasa town of Uttarandhra. It’s divided by caste. Showkars rule the towns as downtrodden people work for them (mostly in cashew nuts factory). Mohana Rao (Rakshit) and Ranga Rao (Thiruveer) are brothers who give stage shows with their singing and musical talent. This town is ruled by two showcar brothers (Janardhan & Raghu Kunche). They convert artists Mohana Rao and Ranga Rao into goons so that they can help the showkars to grow in politics. Rest of the story is all about how the Mohan Rao brothers who belong to the suppressed caste take their revenge.
Actors: This film boasts of natural casting. Rakshit looks raw and is believable as the protagonist Mohana Rao. Nakshatra is neat in an unglamorous role. Janardhan is perfectly cast in the role of elder showcar who has a witty tongue and sharp mind. Raghu Kunche who was seen in films like Baachi around 20 years back comes back to do a challenging role that goes through physical transformation over a period of 30 years. He is pretty good. Laxman Meesala who has done good characters in films like RX 100 and George Reddy does another important character in this film. He is very good. Uma Maheswara Rao who played a rowdy role in ℅ Kancharapalem does another similar character in this film. Thiruveer is good as the brother of the hero.Vijay Ram gets a crucial role of a police officer and he justifies the character. Subba Rao who did the role of Raju in ℅ Kancharapalem plays the role of a constable in this film. Mirchi Madhavi has a significant role and she is good. Sammeta Gandhi, Shanmukesh and Pravin Yandamuri have also done well in their respective roles.
Story - screenplay - direction: Two brothers, village politics, caste divide, period backdrop and revenge - all these aspects do remind us of 2018 blockbuster Rangasthalam. Palasa1978 too has a similar backdrop. However, this film is more realistic and more honest in exploring the caste divide. Director Karuna Kumar comes up with a raw story about lower caste exploitation and presents us with a realistic picture. He has made sure that all characters speak the local dialect. Most of the actors are new. Hence we get a feel like watching characters, but not actors. I liked the characterization of the elder showcar and how he schemes to stay on top by exploiting the lower caste people. Another character that hits you hard is the character of Sebastian and his ideology. With one episode in the climax in which Sebastian character explains the need to follow Ambedkar justifies the entire objective of the film. Though made in a realistic set-up with natural characters and dialect, the director falls short of giving us engaging narration in the second half. The hero elevation scenes (especially the hero lifting the stone and subsequent fight) are not effective. Screenplay should have been better. There are quite a few drawbacks in the movie. However, the honesty with which this film is made should be appreciated.
Other departments: Cinematography by Arul Vincent is realistic with not much light in night scenes. Music composed by Raghu Kunche is alright with Bavochadu O Lappa being good. Dialogues in the movie need a special mention. Highly realistic and thought-provoking. Art direction is genuine. Editing should have been crisp. Action sequences are okay. Producers should be commended for backing up such a realistic project.
Analysis: Palasa 1978 is a realistic film that deals with the caste divide in the 80's in the backward region of Uttarandhra. The debutant director Karuna Kumar has tried to narrate it with utmost genuinity by adding some commercial touch. Plus points are realistic backdrop, characterizations, dialogues, dialect and the subject. On the flipside, the screenplay of the film is not good. Narration should have been more interesting towards the latter part of the film. Despite a few shortcomings, Palasa 1978 stands out as a genuine attempt by the director Karuna Kumar.