Ashta Chamma Review

There have been some terrific movies adapted from novels. Classics in English like Gone with the Wind and the Lord of the Rings series demonstrated how an excellent novel can be adapted into equally smashing movies. Hindi novels like Suraj ka Satwaan Ghoda and Shakesperean plays MacBeth and Othello have been successfully translated into the big screen. Movies adapted from classical Telugu literature like Kanyasulkam also proved equally adept at the translation from literature to the big screen. However, my personal favourite is Ashta Chamma. Directed by Krishna Mohan Indraganti, this movie is a faithful adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play "The Importance of being Earnest".

Although the movie follows the plot of the Oscar Wilde play to the "T", it also updates the props and the context of the play to modern times. Where the movie adaptation scores is in introducing the various characters and providing the background to the plot. "Colours" Swati plays the role of Lavanya a young girl madly in love with Mahesh Babu. The director was spot on in the characterization of Lavanya. The one scene of young Lavanya in school providing the inspiration for Puri Jagannth punch dialogues in Pokiri is brilliant. Similarly, the insistence of Lavanya to marry a person whose name is Mahesh is perfectly understandable to an ardent fan of Mahesh Babu. I could completely empathize with the character. In fact, the movie has inspired me to insist on this condition in my personal life as well. My life partner will have to change his name to Mahesh if he already has another name.

With this background, the rest of the twists and turns that the movie takes following the plot of the Oscar Wilde play faithfully are understandable and do not seem out of place or ridiculous. In fact the satire on Telugu film industry's "faction" inspired movies to set the background for the double-life of the hero is outstanding. The attention paid to the details especially support characters sets this movie apart from other regular Telugu movies. The chronology of Mahesh Babu movies however does not seem correct and the movie seems to have conveniently forgotten Mahesh Babu duds like Sainikudu. The songs especially the title song is beautiful to listen to. The cinematography could be better. The editing is good except in one of the songs where it is extremely jumpy - quite needlessly so. The supporting cast of Srinivasa Avasarla and the late Bhargavi is very good, with Srinivasa Avasarla standing out heads above the rest of the cast both in terms of height and acting skills.

This movie also continues the tradition of movies like "Guddi" in highlighting the impact that movies and especially popular romantic heroes can have on the lives of young women. The point where this movie differs substantially is in not trying to recommend a cure or sitting judgment on the women's choices but empathize with the character. This ends up as a feminist movie without being preachy or boring.

The Zoya Factor

This year has been unusually kind to me. For the first time in ages I have time and an internet connection at hand. I have been able to experience the magic of blogs for the first time. The reading rather than the writing that is. I think I should thank the IPL season 2 for this than anything else. The earlier matches were slow and watching them was a tedium that only the “fakeiplplayer” could alleviate. One thing led to the other and here I am posting my first blog.

Well with my blog's name it is only fair that I start with a review of the novel "The Zoya Factor". I had read the review of this novel in Indian Express a year back but never managed to read it. Recently my friend Somya recommended this novel again and I felt I had to read this novel. The premise of the novel is very simple. It is the love story of an advertising exec and the India cricket captain. The twist in the tale is that due to the heroine "Zoya" being born precisely at the moment that India won the 1983 World Cup, she is extremely lucky for any cricket team that has breakfast with her on match day which the India captain "Khoda" does not believe in. After all the usual M&B twists in the story and the misunderstandings, the hero and heroine live happily ever after.

The novel by Anuja Chauhan has an authentic flavor due to the author herself coming from an advertising background. The novel gives an insider's peek to the relationship between cricketers, agents, marketing companies, brands and advertising agencies. Although, the novel sometimes reads like a massive product placement, there is enough humor and "cute moments" to make the novel a page turner. I liked the fact that the protagonist had no illusions about her looks, had unruly curly hair and was extremely impulsive. If she had been chubby, my cup of happiness must have runneth over, but then the success of the novel would have been short-lived.

The novel would have been even better if some obvious bloomers had been taken care of. In the final over of the World Cup, newcomer "Vikram Solanki" comes in with 3 balls to spare. He hits a six off the 3 rd ball. With 2 balls to go, suddenly "Khoda" is on strike without the two batsmen going for a run or change in over. Wish this were true each time Munaf Patel came to bat. Again Zoya goes to the India dressing room during the semifinals match without meeting a single member of the ubiquitous ICC security staff. Gigantic achievement! All the betting agents would be gunning for that kind of access.

Another major issue I have with the novel is the "luck" factor. Many people I see around me are superstitious despite being highly educated and having a science background. I have also seen a spate of Telugu movies recently that emphasized on "luck", horoscope and other such factors. Although one cannot and should not discount the luck factor, emphasizing it over other aspects of the game would undermine the person's skills. I was hence uncomfortable reading about these aspects in a novel although the author tried to balance it with the political party thread (which again looked like a points scoring session). However, the description of the interactions with the political leaders, agents, and the board president were entirely hilarious and often bubbling enough to be close to reality.

All in all a good page turner and recommended for any Sunday afternoon with time on hand.