Aatagallu – A Thankful Gem!

Star Cast: Jagapathi Babu, Naara Rohith, Dharshana Banik, Jeeva, Subbaraju, Priya and Tulasi.
Music Composed by Sai Kartheek
Cinematography by Vijaya Kumar C
Edited by Marthand K Venkatesh
Directed by Paruchuri Murali

This is a Thank you letter, not just a review…

There used to be an ad film, “Have a Break … Have a KitKat“. This film made me say, “Give me a Coma … Give me a Gems packet“. Yes, films can make you learn new things and many things, this one made me learn that you can be brought out of coma by using a Gem (yes, chocolate) and then another colored one will put you back in it. Thanks to the director and writer for this trivia.

In a thriller, starting off with an accident or an important crime scene normally increases your interest and you decide to look for clues everywhere, to connect dots. But this one warns us beforehand with a cleverly executed accident scene to get ready for losing your interest in films and filmmaking. It is a sign that the next two hours are going to be an accident in your life from which you can either learn to not make films like this or completely question your existence as a film lover. Well, you can eat a Gem and recover. Thanks to the creative team of the film for such thought-process.

We get an introduction scene to the lead character who looks like Snowman‘s second cousin with stomach and face bulged out and behaves like Father Teresa. Then we get another introduction of a fit middle-aged man, a famous criminal lawyer, who has guts to question a Chief Minister. Well, they both will fight but before they do, you guess that middle-aged man will bring out the truth of Father Teresa. We have to thank the writer for letting us be so intelligent as we could out guess him in 10 minutes, at the same time making us feel dumb for spending money on his film. A Genius Gem.

Now, we are in the courtroom where this lawyer says I don’t need case papers but I need to look into the eyes of the accused to know if he is the criminal. I thought for a second, as in the film, Sri Manjunatha, Lawyer will read the case on his forehead. Rather, he and accused shared glances with close-ups on eyes and someone on the screen shouted, “Are they falling in love?” What a novel thought?! Then, the lawyer started stating all the details and even the police investigator head was perplexed by this. Well, the lawyer might have eaten a Gem before coming to the courtroom. Thanks to the cinematographer for capturing the romance at the moment where tension should prevail.

As the cupid bestowed him with powers of love, Lawyer could find the love of the accused of his dead wife from the wife’s one side imaginative love story narrated by her mother. The power of romance can never be underestimated like the power of a Common Man. It can make a clever criminal lawyer who is actually a Public Prosecutor, to not resign to his duty but re-investigate the case in favor of the accused which actually defense lawyers do. Thanks to Sai Kartheek‘s loud BGM for not letting me sleep here. You deserve a Gem, bro.

After watching some twists and turns that are far away from conventional logic and wisdom, I remembered a scene from early in the film, where all 90’s Hollywood stars who are not even actively involved in action films are cast in Mahabharata. Can you ever imagine Nicholas Cage as Nakuludu and Demi Moore as Draupadi while Denzel, the only current star in the cast, as Dharma Raju. I will pause a second here … Imagine them and if you don’t know them, please Google and imagine. What an Imagination ??… Thanks to the Internet for giving this film director’s imagination such wings. A comic Gem that will make us laugh at the director for thinking it is a good joke and great satire on Hollywood studios.

Finally, the movie comes to an end with the dead wife walking as a memorable ghost in front of the husband who killed her in first place asking him to come with her lovingly while he commits suicide to avoid watching his image trashed by media and his fellow Industry members. Ohh… Oh… Did I not mention that Father Teresa is a director with no flops? (A satire on certain no flop director? Who knows .. I am not saying anything). The ridiculousness ends with loud BGM but missed one thing, had any character had a gem in their pocket for one minute they could have made lead say a dialogue and then die. Thanks to the producers for allowing such a film to be made to make me realize that I can also think in ridiculous ways.

On the whole, I should thank the entire team for coming up with such a Gem of a Film, that we would have been happy to watch as a Swadhan India or Crime Patrol or Neralu Ghoralu episode. But those makers are showing more intent to tell a story than just make such Gem-ful film of Sham. Amen!