Gaayam 2 : Movie Reviews Collection

Film: Gaayam-2
Banner: Kartha Creations
Cast: Jagapathi Babu, Kota, Vimala Raman, Tanikella, Kota Prasad, Harshavardhan, Ajay, Tarzan, Nagesh, Ravi Kale, Jeeva, Revathi, Siva Krishna and others
Dialogues: Gandham Nagaraju
Music: Ilayaraja
Camera: Anil Bandari
Editing: Praveen
Director: Praveen Sri
Producer: Dharma Kartha
Release date: 03/09/2010

Story
Ram (Jagapathi Babu) leads a peaceful and happy life in Bangkok with a successful coffee shop business and a loving family in the form of his beautiful wife Vidya (Vimala), doting son and a brainless brother in law (Harshavardhan). His life takes a turn with the arrival of two people from Hyderabad- a lawyer (Tanikella) and Shankar Narayana (Kota Prasad), son of politician Guru Narayana (Kota Srinivasa Rao), an aspiring CM through the crooked way. The trio suspects that Ram is none other than Durga, their age old rival who gave them sleepless nights. Shankar Narayana and his lawyer try several ways to confirm the true identity of Ram. Whether their doubts are true or not and what happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Review by GreatAndhra.com (Rating: 3/5)

Performances
Jagapathi Babu has done it before so he didn’t have to strain much, however, he still maintains that intensity in his eyes and the icy violence in his baritone voice.

Vimala Raman is a screen scorcher, though her role is domestic, she shows her wild side in one song which is enough visual feast. She is a tempting seductress blended with good acting skills.

Kota Srinivasa Rao is the show stealer. Despite so many years, his class as an actor and his typical Telangana style dialogues are excellent.

Tanikella was another impressive performer. His character has got length and he fits into it with perfect caliber and screen presence.

Kota Prasad’s performance was effective, he has carried out his role with ease and the right kind of emotions. It is sad that we have lost a fine actor…

Ajay was brief, Ravi Kale was regular, Jeeva was natural, Tarzan was funny, Harshavardhan was average, Nagesh was a new face who is to be watched out for, he has shown potential, the others were there to fill the screen and contributed in their own way.

Analysis
Any film coming from the house of Ram Gopal Varma comes with certain expectations and usually, the results are extreme- a super hit or massive flop. But this time, the director has managed to bring it a saving grace and he was sharp in carrying the film without much hiccups. The dialogues were good, the background score was neat, songs could have been better as they had a retro effect, cinematography was appealing, editing was crisp, costumes and art department made their presence felt. Here are a few highlights of the film

The first half of the film is a straight lift from the Hollywood movie ‘A History Of Violence’. It is a literal scene to scene lift.

The makers had bravely shown the exact political situation in the state and one can relate Kota’s character to KCR in many ways. Incidentally, there is a lot of truth in the portrayal. The connection between the original and sequel was convincing which is a challenging part.

Scenes from the original ‘Gaayam’ drew whistles and claps from the audience, it was nice to see the raw clippings

On the flip side, since the plot was already known, there was not much variety tried and this brings down the interest. Also, those who have seen the Hollywood movie may not find the first half too appealing since the English flick was awesome. There was an inconsistency in few emotional scenes and the graph fluctuates. Overall, the film runs well due to its racy narration, good continuation and some fine performances. At the box office, this would be an above average grosser but if the makers can push it with aggressive publicity, the film will surely strike the success mark.

Bottom-line: It’s just ok

BharatStudent.com (Rating: 3/5)


Presentation
The director has come up with a continuation to the original and his presentation, narration were decent. The dialogues were good, the script was alright and the screenplay was consistent. Background score was good and songs were average. Cinematography was nice. Editing was crisp. Costumes were apt and the art department was appealing. Jagapathi Babu carries out his role with élan and he was effective. Vimala Raman looks seductive to the core. The real show stealer was Kota, he was excellent. Kota Prasad was good. Ajay was brief. Tanikella was another star performer. Nagesh Salve is another man to watch out for, he resembles Ajay Devgn in few angles. Ravi Kale was regular, the others did their bit as required.

Conclusion
The film happens to be a sequel to the original movie 'Gaayam' which came many years ago. While the first half was a lift from a Hollywood film, the second half was perfect in connection and it syncs well with the audience. Though there were hiccups in the emotional graph and few critical scenes, overall the pace and the narration makes it watchable. At the box office, this should be an above average entertainer and if word of mouth goes correctly then it will be a hit.
Bharatstudent verdict: Worth watching once...

123Telugu.com (Rating: 3.25/5)


What is Good: The first half is high on fire. Characters are introduced and established with little effort. Kota Srinivasa Rao and Thanikella Bharani look like they are competing with each other in acting department. Kota Srinivasa Rao’s son Prasad, who passed away recently, acts as Kota’s son. His characterization is inspired from Sonny Corleone in ‘God Father’.

There is one particular scene, when Jagapathi Babu closes his eyes as Ram and opens them like Durga. Even though only for a second, that is one of the best performance in Telugu films, in recent times.

It is good to see Revathi in few scenes. Infact for those who haven’t watched ‘Gayam’, the film is cut short and shown to the audiences. Though the difference between Ram Gopal Varma and the rookie director is evident, the first half rocks!

Seniors’ acting, shot making, cinematography and background music keep you engrossed. However it is in the second half that the film starts to loose its fizz.

What is bad: Conveniences start playing havoc with the screenplay, after Durga returns to Hyderabad. He has an almost loyal gang even before he returns after many years! As we see the crowd scenes, political speeches, media frenzy, the story becomes polluted. The music sounds as if something huge is happening, but the visuals show very little. Infact all dons are planners and they only drive their plans. They never execute it. By showing Durga killing ordinary goons, writers opt for ‘showing’ heroism, than getting his power connected to the audiences (like in ‘Gayam’).

Vimala Raman looks singled out in the midst of all these actors, not knowing when to underplay or be loud. Her dubbing artist too disappoints! Harshavardhan’s character is just unnecessary. The flashback scene got one of the film’s low points.

However it is the climax that is extremely low in content and too convenient for anyone to guess. It is reminiscent of ‘Rann’; but it had someone like Amitabh Bachchan to drive it. But here it seems like Durga does nothing at all! However, we might give the director a benefit of doubt because Kota Prasad passed away in the middle of the film. This might have changed the way the director had planned what he wanted earlier.

Technical Departments: : Director Pravin Sri shows all the skills he must have learnt from his boss. For most part of the film it seems he got his head right on his shoulders! To control actors like Kota and Bharani requires special skills and he never allows any other actor, except Prasad, to go overboard.


Dialogues are exceptional in some situations, and on the whole good. Lyrics are all meaningful and Illayaraja keeps his score in check. Cinematographer must have had fun shooting close ups of some terrific actors, building the emotions out of nothing and also having lots of crowd scenes. Together the cinematographer, editor and art director do a very balanced job.
Final Point: ‘Gayam 2’ is no ‘Gayam’, where one scene after another keeps getting better and better. But it is a worthy sequel. Yes it has problems, but most are forgivable because of the content the film deals with. Go watch it for the way it brings some modern cinematic language to Telugu.

sources:
http://greatandhra.com/ganews/viewnews.php?id=23352&cat=1&scat=12
http://www.bharatstudent.com/cafebharat/view_news-Telugu-News_and_Gossips-2,68495.php
http://www.123telugu.com/reviews/G/Gaayam_2/Gaayam2_review.html

Review: EVARAINA EPUDAINA by greatandhra.com

Film: Evaraina Eppudaina

Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: AVM Productions
Cast: Varun Sandesh, Vimala Raman, Giri Babu, Reshmi, Rahul, Anu Haasan, Ali, Venu Madhav, Rama Prabha, Kota, Surekha Vani, Brahmanandam (guest appearance) etc
Music: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: Venugopalan
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Director: Marthand K Shankar
Producers: M Saravanan, M S Guhan, Aparna Guhan, Aruna Guhan
Release date: 26th June 2009

Love can happen at anytime and any place. How convincingly was this told in this movie, let us see.

Story
Venkat (Varun) is a happy go lucky guy who is not responsible about anything but then his life takes a turn when he sees Madhumita (Vimala) and falls in love with her at first sight. From then on, he starts hatching plans to win her heart and finally he does.

However, in this process, he does a small mistake which leads to a great confusion and problem and Madhu leaves him without giving any chance to explain.

Whether he manages to win her heart and what changes he undergoes in this process forms the rest of the story.

Performances
Hero: Varun Sandesh:
The confidence of bagging two hits with the starting of career is seen in him. He carried the entire movie on his shoulders and shown enough of energy levels. He needs to work on his body quotient. He may look better with some grooming and adding on some muscle. He has improved his dialogue delivery which was thick in his earlier movies.

Heroine: Vimala Raman:
She is like a sheer poetry. Her beauty is marvelous and enthralling. She looked seductive and sensuous and she has performed to her role. She suits best beside big heroes than lean guys like Varun Sandesh. An inch loss in her body would certainly pinch the hearts of youngsters and teenagers as well. Her smile is also captivating and personality is enchanting.

Others:
Giri Babu was regular, Rama Prabha and Sakuntala were okay, Reshmi looked good, Rahul was alright, Ali was normal, Venu managed few light moments, Anu Haasan did her bit with standard, the others like Surekha Vani, Rahul were brief.

Technical Crew:
The dialogues were okay, the script was a bit random but the screenplay was suitable to it. Music was a let down and barring one or two songs, nothing much can be said. Cinematography was average, editing was neat, costumes and art department did their bit to prove their presence.

Highlight Scenes:

• The scene at the TV showroom where Varun’s brother gives him money
• Varun’s bold approach to shoulder the entire film
• Varun’s way of making children sleep

Disappointment
The rain song was cut down which proved to be a disappointment for many young audiences

Analysis
The film tried to attempt to be a light hearted romantic entertainer but then the comedy track has been quite weak. Even the plot as such is outdated and it was not long before the viewers could predict what was coming next. The entire first half has been devoted to a stale comedy of the grannies at the hospital and it must be said that the flavor was lost due to it. This is a romantic treat but the touch of romance and its feel was not in sufficient doses.

The second half also was a bit mixed with up with inconsequent scenes and forced songs. However, the technical values and the production values of the film are good and this has elevated the film a bit. Due credit goes to the makers for entrusting the hero with the large responsibility of going through the entire movie. There is no special part for the mass audience and the family audience might like it in parts. The pace of the film has been consistent but unwanted songs during the second half hampered the momentum.

Overall, this is a film that is technically neat and good in few points but the agility in keeping the audiences attached to screen is missing especially in second half that marred the final result.

Bottom Line: Not up to expectations

source: greatandhra.com

Vimala Raman's Biggest Profile

Name: Vimala Raman

Birth Day: 23 january

Sex : Female

Height: 5'6"

Eye: Black

Hair: Black

Birth Place : Australia

Ethnicity : Tamilian

Profession : Actress

Debut Film : Poi (Tamil) in 2006

Other Talents : Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance)

Dance Education : 'Natanalaya Dance Academy' based in Sydney, Australia


Biography:

Being born and brought up in Sydney, Vimala entered her childhood passion of Bharthanatyam at the age of five. In 1991, she joined her current guru, Smt. Jayalukshmi Kandiah O.A.M and the Natanalaya Dance and Music Academy, based in Sydney, Australia, where she further specialised in Bharthanatyam (Kalakshetra style). In the past 18 years, Vimala has been performing in all of Natanalaya’s annual programs, also taking major roles in all dance dramas.


Vimala graduated in Bharthanatyam in the year 2000. Ever since her arangetram, apart from performing with her dance school, other highlighted performances of Vimala’s, naming a few include: The Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics; Chinnmaya Mission, Sai Baba musical program; Refugee Week; Deepavali festival, the Temple functions and many more.


Vimala took part in a production by the renowned dancer C.V Chandrasekhar from India, “KREEDA” performing both in Canberra and Sydney. Vimala also had the honour of being invited to perform at the Ganesh Temple in New York, America, where she gave a full-fledged program to a complete and appreciative audience.


She went as part of a troupe of “Australian Indians” to perform in numerous places in Sri Lanka and also performed in many places in India, including the Music Academy in Chennai, Kalaimamani Awards (Chennai), Mahabalipuram Dance Festival, Chidambaram Shiva Temple and in the National College,Bangalore.


vimala ramanVimala was also offered and gave a program for one of the main T.V channels in Tamil Nadu India, JAYA TV. Her solo program “Salangai Oli”was broadcasted in February 2004 on JAYA TV. This successful program has seen increasing offers and opportunites for her internationally as a Bharthanatyam artiste.


Vimala furthers her learning in Chennai, India from a well-renowned dancer and dancer teacher, Smt. Roja Kannan, who is a disciple of Sri Adyar Lakshmanan (renowned artiste in India).

Vimala has completed her degree in BSc Information Systems from the University of New South Wales. Along with her passion for being a Bharthanatyam Artiste, Vimala’s other hobbies include modelling assignments for many advertisments and promotions. Vimala also won the Miss India Australia 2004 title in October 2004. Having a strong background in classical dance has enabled Vimala the ability to also choreograph and perform fusion numbers. Incorporating both classical with western, Vimala has performed in many shows elucidating a fusion style dancing allowing east to meet the west.


Her passion and love for Bharthanatyam is the ultimate motivation to continually learn this beautiful art form, and to further pursue her dancing career. Vimala’s ultimate ambition is to aspire as a talented Indian classical dancer and as an embassodor for Indian Australians. Innovating and promoting Bharthanatyam in a western way and creating greater awareness in Australia for one of the oldest forms of dance in the world and the rich Indian culture.


Dance Performances

2005
• Gave solo program for the Singapore Indian Fine Arts "SIFA" Dance and Music Festival in Singapore

2004
• Dance tour cont , performed in Kalaimamani Awards Chennai vimala raman
• Music/Dance season, at Music Academy, Chennai
• Mahaballipuram Dance Festival
• Chidambaram Shiva Temple
• National College, Bangalore
• India Night Dance Festival
• Valentine’s Day Special program on JAYA TV “SALANGAI OLI”, Chennai
• Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan ‘India’s Independance day Celebrations’ – Sydney
• PSA Surgeon’s Conference – Coffs Harbour, Australia

2003
• FAIA (Federation of Australian Indians Association) ‘Australia Day and Indian Republic Day Celebrations’
• World Conference of Religions for Peace N.S.W
• Launch of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan - Sydney
• Formal Launch of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan – Sydney
• ‘Swami Dayananda Saraswati – An evening of devotional music’
• ‘Ganesh Chudhurthi in Sri Venkateswara Temple’
• Dance tour, performing in Colombo Sri Lanka

2002
• Program given in Ganesh Temple, Queens, America
• Sankara Jayanthi
• ‘Kreeda – Games of India’ in Sydney – Choreographed by Prof.C.V.Chandrasekhar
• ‘Kreeda – Games of India’ in Canberra – Choreographed by Prof.C.V.Chandrasekhar
• Yesodha in ‘Yesodha Krishna – Ananda Narthana’ – with Natanalaya Dance Academy
• ‘Ganesh Chudhurthi in Sri Venkateswara Temple’, Sydney

2001
• Sai Baba musical evening
• Chinnmaya Mission – Fund raising
• Sankara Jayanthi

2000
• Vimala’s Bharthanatyam Arangetram (Graduation Ceremony)
• Kannagi in ‘Silambu’ for the Sri RamaKrishna Orphanages and Durgapuram Mahalir Illam, Colombo, Sri Lanka – with Natanalaya Dance Academy
• Opening Ceremony of Sydney Olympics
• Launching of Tamil Society Library, Sydney
• 52nd Indian Independence Day Celebration

1999
• Rathi in ‘Rathi Manmadhan’ – with Natanalaya Dance Academy

1998
• Meenakshi in ‘Meenakshi Kalyanam’ – with Natanalaya Dance Academy

1997
• Step-mother in ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ for Australian Dance Week – in Classical Bhartha Natyam style dancing with Natanalaya Dance Academy
• Darling Harbour’s 10th Anniversary International Dance Festival

1996
• Navrang Festival

Vimala Raman was adjudged Miss India Australia in an impressive function held at Sir John Clancey Auditorium of the University of New South Wales on Sunday, October 24, 2004. As the winner of Miss India Australia title for the year 2004 Vimala Raman has earned the honour of representing Australia in the Miss India Worldwide 2005 to be held in Mumbai on Jan 9, 2005.


Judges for the pageant, included Indian film star Sanjay Suri and Miss India Worldwide 2003 Purva Merchant, Carmen Cromer, an Australian freelance writer, Peter Menzies Jr., Hollywood cinematographer, and Shalini Patel, well-known bharatanatyam and kathak dancer and teacher.

vimala raman - miss india australia 2004Vimala Raman also won the Miss India Australia Cyber Queen honours for attracting the maximum number of votes on the Internet.


"Vimala is very talented girl - she personifies the best of Indian and Australian cultures; a superb bharatanatyam dancer; very sociable and confident. I think she has a very good chance in the pageant to be held in Mumbai Jan 9 around the Bharatya Pravasi Divas celebrations," said a visibly pleased Raj Suri - the organizer of Miss India Australia.


Film Career:

She is a Tamilian but hails from Sydney. She has acted in Tamil films, but now trying her hands at Tollywood. She is Vimala Raman, the heroine of ‘Poi’ and ‘Raman Thediya Seethai’.

"Language is secondary for me. All that I look for is a good script with ample importance to my character. I am ready to work in any film if these two conditions are fulfilled," she says.


The actress, who started her career with veteran director K Balachandar’s ‘Poi’, earned accolades in Kollywood for her performance in ‘Raman Thediya Seethai’, which has filmmaker Cheran in the lead role. "I hope that I can make a mark in Tollywood too," she says.

On acting in glamorous roles, she says, “there is nothing wrong in doing steamy sequences unless they add value to the story. I am ready for it. But at the same time, I have my limits.”


Now the third film is currently on in which she is said to be appearing in a bikini. This Tarun and Vimala Raman starrer is being directed by VN Aditya and produced by Raju Harwani and Gogineni Srinivas under the banner of Supreme Movies. The film supposedly deals with the problems that youth face in the software field .Already one schedule was completed in Bangkok for the movie.


It is rare occurrences for a heroine in Malluwood to become part of five films, even before the release of her debut film. But Vimala Raman who is debuting into Malayalam with Suresh Gopi starrer Time is going
for such a busy start. After completing Time, she is appearing in Pranayakam, a love story, this is also planned to start this month.

She has signed one more film in Malayalam, Suryan directed by VM Vinu. In the film Jayaram will be the hero of Vimala.


Now the latest grapevine says that she may replace Gopika for the Mohanlal starrer Alibhai, planned to start within months.

Vimala will be luckier if she is selected to become Mammootty’s heroine in the next Joshy directed film. Scriptwriter Renjith who is writing for thefilm has already asked to get her dates for the film.The Mallu actress Vimala Raman is truly a possesor of amazing talents and is a veratile actress.


Other Facts:

Vimala Raman is a well known Bharatanatyam dancer as well as actress in Kollywood and Malayalam Film Industry

She was born & brought up in Sydney. She started practicing Bharatanatyam at the age of five. In 2004 she won Miss India Australia title as well as Miss India Australia cyberqueen title.


Her first Malayalam movie was Time with Suresh Gopi. Her first movie was Poi in Tamil.

She was the pair of Ajmal Ameer in Pranayakalam. She also acted with Mammooty in Nasrani & Dileep in Romeo.


Vimala's latest release is Calcutta News with dileep. She last appeared in College Kumaran with Mohanlal.

Vimala raman is known to have attended natanalaya Dance Academy based in Sydney, Australia. She was taught dance under the strict tutelage of Smt, Jajalukshmy Kandiah and Vanamadi Pundamon


Filmography:

Movie: Aptha Rakshaka (2009)
Language: Kannada
Director: P Vasu
Producer: Krishnakumar
Co - Stars: Vishnuvardhan

Movie: Chukkalanti Ammayi Chakkanaina Abbayi (2009)
Language: Telugu
Director: V N Aditya
Producer: Raju Hurwani and Gogineni Srinivas
Co - Stars: Tarun


Movie: Kadhal Thozhi (2009)
Language: Malayalam
Director: Nitin Ramakrishnan
Producer: N V Prasad
Co - Stars: Satheesh

Movie: Evaraina Eppudaina (2009)
Language: Telugu
Director: Marthand K Shankar
Producer: A V M productions
Co - Stars: Varun Sandesh

Movie : Apoorva (2008)
Language : Tamil
Director : Jagan
Producer: Moserbaer Productions
Starring: Cheran, Vimala

Movie:Time (2006)
Language : Malayalam
Director:Shaji Kailas
Producer: Bhagayachitra Films
Actor:Suresh Gopi

Movie:Raman Thediya Seethai (2008)
Language : Tamil
Director:Jaganji
Producer: Radha
Actor:Cheran


Movie:Twenty- 20 (2008)
Language : Malayalam
Director: Joshi
Actor:Mohanlal, Mammooty

Movie:Romeo (2007)
Language : Malayalam
Director:Rajasenan
Producer: Rafi Mecartin
Actor: Dileep, Sumvrutha Sunil

Movie:Pranayakalam (2007)
Language : Malayalam
Director:Udhayan
Producer: AVA Films
Actor:Ajmal Ameer


Movie: Poi (Abaddam) (2006)
Language : Tamil
Director: K.Balachander
Producer: Prakash Raj
Actor: Uday Kiran

Movie: Nazareni (2007)
Language : Malayalam
Director: Joshy
Producer: Horizon Entertainment
Actor: Mammooty, Vimala

Movie: Calcutta News (2008)
Language : Malayalam
Director: Blessy
Producer: Kayal Films
Starring: Dhileep, Vimala


Movie: Sooriyan (2007)
Language : Malayalam
Director: V M Vinu
Producer: Sri Chakra Films
Starring: Jayaram, Vimala

Movie: College Kumaran (2008)
Language: Malayalam
Director: Thulaseedas
Producer: Fairy Queen Productions
Starring: Mohanlal, Vimala

IDEA VENKAT - 24 HOURS ROAMING

Happy Days Varun Sandesh as 'Idea Venkat'.

The prestageous production house AVM is making a teenage love story with Happydays hero Varun Sandesh and Vimala Raman in the lead roles. Marthand K Shankar , brother of Marthand K Venkatesh is making his debut as director.Manisharma is composing the music.

Producers have registered the title- Idea Venkat with tag line of 24 hours roaming.