Krishna Ghattam Movie Review
'Krishna Ghattam', which won the Moody Crab Film Festival's Best Feature Film Award, has finally hit the screens in the Telugu States. The film, acclaimed in the festival circuit, was also a semi-finalist at the Sindhudurg Film Festival. Written and directed by Suresh Palla, it is produced by Wild Virtue Creations.
Plot: The story is set in a village where a passionate, middle-aged theatre artist named Prasad (Venkat Govada) runs into a crisis when a disorder afflicts his vocal cords. Rajesh (Chaitanya Krishna) is the son of a greedy woman and is a womanizer to boot. Sarath (Vinay Nallakadi), his best friend, believes that nothing can make him take the wrong path in life. An economically backward woman named Rama (Maya Nelluri) is in love with Rajesh, while a commercial sex worker named Latha (Sasha Singh) is fielded by Rajesh for a task. The tale of morality and reform takes a poetic turn as the different threads converge into a moving climax.
Performances: Dr. Venkat Govada is superb in the role of a thoughtful theatre artist who is the village's metaphorical Lord Krishna. Chaitanya Krishna is subtle and his act in the climax is very good. Maya Nelluri shows talent in the role of a meek woman with secret motives. Sasha Singh is good. Duvvasi Mohan, Vinay Nallakadi, and Viswanath GR are apt.
Analysis: The film is not your regular commercial entertainer. It is a drama whose incidents unfold at a leisurely pace. The dialogues turn philosophical and insightful at times. At the outset, a 'Parvam' involving Lord Krishna and others in the Mabharatham is narrated in brief. The audience is invited to soak into the profound aspects of the story and the deep nature exhibited by the many characters. Land disputes and themes like self-control, the power of destiny, the place of egos in life, and other themes have been explored without exposition. The music by PR and the cinematography by Surya Vinay are apt.
The BGM is especially contemporary in some places.
Plus Points: The storyline.
The writing, especially the neat dialogue.
The influence of the filmmaking style of stalwarts like K Viswanath.
The mature handling of a serious subject.
Minus Points:
Sarath's character doesn't come with a proper study
It takes time for the viewer to buy into his lengthy track in the second half.
Verdict: 'Krishna Ghattam' is philosophical and well-written. This art-house film engages the audience without resorting to cheap commercial gimmicks.
