Rathnavelu's
Cinematography is the biggest asset to the movie which captures and adds a lot
to the mood of the film and elevates it to the next level. The bike chase in
London and the fight in the car parking make you wonder if you are watching a
Hollywood movie. Devi Sri Prasad's music and especially the
background score is another pillar which makes "1" stand stiff. Be it
the suspense sequences or the emotional ones, Devi gives his Career best music.
The bit song which is taught by Gautam's mother to him and the BGM in the climax
sequences will make your heart wrench.
Sukumar
is the one who deserves most of the credit for daring to attempt a movie like “1”
with the Industry’s leading star. Right from the title credits (which are
beautifully correlated in the climax) to the last frame of the film, he never
deviates from the theme and ensures one scene leads to the other. It’s one of
the best writings in Telugu of late. Especially the ten minutes of the movie
after the last fight is the best and is very beautifully shot. He banked on the
story and not on star power, Kudos to his conviction.
There are
several scenes in the film which displays the mastery and perfection of Sukumar
and every minute detail he has worked on to make the movie perfect like:
Water
splashes only for the bike and not the car in the first fight.
The
bottle used to kill Kelly in the first fight will not have any blood stains.
A glimpse
of Pradeep Rawat’s son is shown in the "Who are you" song.
The pattern in Rubik's cube.
The video
camera clippings which Kriti records at the orphanage and with the police
officer (to prove Mahesh doesn’t have a past) display different time though
played in order.
"1"
is Mahesh's movie after three successful blockbusters and one needs absolute
guts and the zest to explore something new for accepting this script. Its
Mahesh's best performance till date and the effort he has put is evident in
every single frame. The character Gautam has multilayered dimensions and Mahesh
comes out of his comfort Zone and gives his best to make the character sink in
you. He underplays when required and emotes with utmost intensity every time he
thinks about his parents. The intermission scene where he portrays all
contradicting emotions in one single scene and the climax scene where Mahesh
with his quivering fingers looks at the album reiterates the fact that he is
one of the finest actors TFI has ever produced.
“1” is
such a novel attempt which would have been embraced by the viewers’ right from
its first show had it been made in any other language. Sadly 'mixed response' was
the word here. It was disheartening as a true movie buff to listen to comments
like "Em Cinema ra Brahmanandan kuda lekunda"..." Manalni maname
marchipothamemo cinema tharuvaatha"..."Emi artham kaakunda theesaru "
when there was so much effort and research put in the Script and the making.
Dear
fellow viewer,
When I
took my 65 yr old Grandmother to the movie and she understood every bit of it, I am not sure which part of the movie was hard to understand.
What is
the need for a comedian in a Psychological Thriller and in what sense is it a
requisite?
Why do
you always lament that the Industry doesn’t produce quality movies when you
can’t appreciate and accept a new attempt?
If what
all you look for in a movie is 6 Songs (including an intro number on hero and a
pre climax
Thanks to
Face book and Twitter, which are the only forums spreading positive views about
the movie right from the first day. There was a sigh of relief when I went for
the third time I heard the guys adjacent to me in conversation speaking:
"
Baagundhi kadha cinema...Ee cinema ni enduku Baaledhu Annaru"!
Hoping
this positive word of mouth to spread across and make this movie successful
which will pave the way for many more new attempts in future and change the
course of our formula driven Industry.
- An avid movie lover,
Venkat Raghav
