 |
Cast: Ravi Teja, Charmee, Lakshmi Manchu, Brahmanandam, Prakash Raj, Subbaraju, Supreet, Brahmaji, and Krishna Maya.
Dialogue: Venu
Written by: Nilesh
Music: Amar Mohile
Shot by: EFX School
Art: Krishna Maya
Co-producer : Suman Varma
Produced by: Kiran Kumar Koneru
Directed by: Ram Gopal Varma
Release date: March 18, 2011
CBFC Rating: U
What's it about!
A couple Sudhir (Ravi Teja) and Rani (Charmee) head for a holiday by car. In the midst of a forest, flat tyre of the car brings them to a resort nearby. Three gangsters (Supreet, Subbaraju and Brahmaj) act as manager, receptionist and staff member of the hotel. Sudhir and Rani hear strange sounds from next to their room and the hotel staff informs them presence of a ghost in the room. When Sudhir and Rani try to escape from the hotel, things take twist.
Analysis
Dongala Muthaa is the first film in South India to use the Canon 5D cameras (that are normally used for still photographs) for filming. The movie is also credited of completing the entire film in just five days with the stars as big as Ravi Teja, Charmee, Brahmanandam and Prakash Raj and with minimal crew members sans director of photography. What is more, the stars and the technicians didn't take remunerations, or so they claimed. As part of the film's promotion, Ram Gopal Varma said that the film was made to prove the fact that movies can be produced and made on even small digital cameras without the fancy technical equipment and nor does it require more number of working days to make a movie. If the film's sole purpose is to prove this point, well, the director has succeeded in establishing that films shot on Canon 5D cameras can be screened without any hiccups. But the question is - are movies made to prove a point or to give an experience to audiences?
Dongala Mutha is neither a thriller, nor a comedy. It is made up of some hotchpotch of silly scenes and parade of the actors around a hotel. Most of the scenes are straight out from some B-grade TV series as every actor utters same dialogue in the frame. In one scene, an actor utters a dialogue - 'Ghantalo Vastadu' (in a hour he will come), and the camera moves to each actor in the scene next and each of them say same dialogue - 'Ghantalo'. This act is repeated several times in the movie, proving the fact the movie has no basis of script but shot at the whims of director on the location.
Although the run time is short (about 90 minutes), it gives the feeling of a lengthy movie. Dongala Mutha is yet another disappointment (to use the mild word) from the maverick director Ram Gopal Varma.
Performances
Ravi Teja looks different from his use films, as he has put up spectacles. Charmee's acting is irksome with her irritating dialogue delivery. Lakshmi Manchu in her brief role impresses. Subbaraju, Supreet, Prakash Raj and Brahmanadam are okay. Brahmaji looks like a joker than a villain with his body language. Sunil is seen in a brief role.
There is no director of photography. Five technicians (camera operators, you can say) are used from FX school and their work is neat. Ram Gopal Varma's strange camera angles including constant focus on Charmee's below the belt area is embarrassing to watch. Background musical score by Amar Mohile is okay.
Bottom-line
As a director Ram Gopal Varma has made several classics in his long career but his recent films are giving shock after shock to the audiences. After badly made Appalraju, he comes up with yet another script-less, pointless movie. Only solace is that it doesn't give headache as his Appalraju gave.
No comments:
Post a Comment