Maaveeran – A Review

At a time when every other tamil movie that’s released seems to be based in a village with a rustic hero and an oily faced heroine, the Maaveeran movie trailer was refreshing, especially because of charming Kajal Agarwal. This is what made me watch the film and I sure wasn’t disappointed. A remake of the telugu super-hit, super-budget film Maghadheera, Maaveeran is an honest attempt to recreate the success in tamil.

The Cast

Chiranjeevi’s son Ram Charan Teja makes his debut in tamil with this grand movie. Others in the cast are Kajal Agarwal, Sri Hari, Sarath Babu, Dev Gill and Sunil. The film has been directed by SS Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind.

The Plot

Ram Charan plays Harsha, the happy-go-lucky bike racer who makes money from bets. He’s happy with life until a chance contact with Indhu (Kajal Agarwal) makes him fall for her. A few love games follow this encounter after which both of them start loving each other. They discover that this love is not just accidental; it has a history that spans over 400 years.

As usual, this is the stage where the villain enters the scene and pushes off with the heroine. As the hero follows them to Rajasthan, the history of the first romance unfolds and takes you back in time. Ram Charan was then Kala Bhairav, the chief protector of the Udhayghad Kingdom while Kajal was the princess. Their love faces opposition from Kajal’s relative who wishes to marry her. Sher Khan, played by Srihari launches an attack against Udhayghad. A struggle follows where all four characters lose their lives while trying to get their goals achieved.

The story line links the past to the present and concludes all the incomplete business of the past in the present.

The Verdict

Excellent performance by Ram Charan Teja, both as the valiant Kala Bhairav as well as the carefree Harsha. This is the kind of role every actor dreams of and he has carried it out perfectly. Kajal is stunning and her costumes are great though they make you wonder where she got designer attire 400 years back. Another character that deserves mention is Srihari in his convincing role.

Dialogues by K.Bhagyaraj make you forget the fact that this is a remake. The grandeur of the sets and neat screenplay are other positives for this movie.

However, if you experience déjà vu when you see Maaveeran, it’s not because you had a previous birth; it’s most likely because you’ve seen Arundhathi and Dasavatharam that have a similar story line.

Watch Maaveeran for its entertainment value without analyzing the logic factor and you’ll not be disappointed.

Upcoming 58th Filmafare Awards and Nomination for Kannada Films
Kannada movies have always been among the top popular ones in the country and some of them have been really outstanding. In recognition of the contribution of Kannada films to the industry, Filmfare awards for Kannada movies exclusively were launched sometimes back.

58th South Indian Filmfare Awards festival will be held on the 2nd day of July 2011 at the Hyderabad International Convention centers. Names of nominees in various categories have already been declared and they are now getting ready for the final showdown at the destined venue for the coveted award.

Nominations for the best in Kannada movies for the year 2010, slotted for the awards in 2011 are as follows.

Best Film – Aitha Rakshaka, Jackie, Kanasembo Kudureyaner, Naanu Nanna Kansu, and Super.

Best Director – Girish Kasaravalli for Kanasembo Kudureyaneri; Prakash Rai for Naanu Nanna Kansu, Shashank for Krishnan Love Story, Suri for Jackie, and Upendra for Super.

Best Actor (Male) – Dignath for Pancharangi, Puneeth Rajkumar for Jackie, Shivarajkumar for Thamassu, Sudeep for Just Maath Maathalli, and Upendra for Super.

Best Actor (Female) – Aindritha Rai for Veera Parampare, Nayantara for Super, Nidhi Subbaiah for Pancharangi, Rdhika Pandith for Krishanan Love Storey, and Ramya for Just Maath Maathali.

Best Supporting Actor (Male) – Achyuth Kumar for Naanu Nanna Kanasu, Ambareesh for Veera Parmapare, Avinash for Aptha Rakhaka, Biradar for Kanasembo Kudureyaneri, and Rangayanaraghu for Modala Sala.

Best Supporting Actor (Female) – Harshika Poonacha for Jackie, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy for Aptha Rakshaka, Ramya Barna for Pancharangi, Tara for Modala Sala, and Umashri for Krishnan Love Story.

Best Music Director – Guru Kiran for Apitha Rakshaka, Joshwa Sridhar for Gaana Bajana, Mano Murthy for Pancharangi, V Harikrishna for Jackie, and V Sridhar for Krishnan Love Story.

Best Lyricist – Jayanth Kaikini for Krishnan Love Storey, Kaviraj for Apitha Rakhaka, K Kalyan for Jugari, V Manohar for Super, and Yograj Bhat for Jackie.

Best Play Back Singer (Male) – Kailash Kher for Jackie, S.P.Balasubramanyam for Apitha Rakshaka, Sonu Nigam for Krishanan Love Story, Tippu for Jackie, and Upendra for Super.

Best Play Back Singer (Female) – Neha for Thamassu, Shreya Ghosal for Just Maath Maathali and for Jackie, and Sunitha Goparaju for Modala Sala and Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu.

Whether he wins or not, Upendra has created history of sort by getting nominated in categories as best actor (male), best director, and best playback singer (male). In the best play back singer (female) category both Shreya Ghosal and Sunitha Goparaju have been nominated for two movies each thereby bringing down the number of contestants to three only in that category.

Mercedes-Benz introduces CGI

In a move that could give a fillip to India’s evolving image as an automobile
player, iconic car maker Mercedes-Benz is looking to India for its auto-
component needs. Mercedes Benz is planning to ramp up its sourcing
from India and make its Indian operations a keystone of its growth story.

Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India shared this
vision, “The company had identified India as a key market for its cars and was
looking to make India a part of the Mercedes-Benz story worldwide.”
He said that the company was benchmarking on quality, best delivery capability,
and best price. India and China are on top the heap. From all signs given out
by the German manufacturer, the Indian shift is not a short term logistical step.

The intent to give India top billing will start off with the R&D centers the company
plans to ramp up in Pune and Bangalore. India is the biggest R&D center outside
of Germany. Mercedes Benz is looking to add more engineers to its rolls as the
two centers begin to scale up from auto-parts development to motor and variant
development. Since 2006, the headcount at Bangalore and Pune has more than
doubled from 200 to 550.
The strategic move from the German passenger carmaker comes at the right
time. The Indian car market has been surging upward. Mercedes is banking
on this growth and the opportunity to piggyback its own exports from India by
placing itself here, where the action is. Wilfried Aulbur says that India could
become another Korea with some time and investment.
The other good news that came out was the expected launch of the smaller A-
Class Merc on the Indian roads. Though, no time frame was specified, the launch
was said to inevitable. India is earning its spurs on the automotive scene. The
three pointed star will add more sheen to it.