Brother dear
Pawan Kalyan’s Katamarayudu is a family saga defined by an elder brother’s affection for his siblings, writes Deepa Gauri
It is only a week since Pawan Kalyan, who has been giving sleepless nights to politicians, announced his political agenda – which not surprisingly is less political and more ‘social.’ He has debunked any ambition of political position, and asserts that all he cares now is to leverage his clout – as an actor and politician – to make the lives of the ordinary people better.
While his political ‘big plans’ are thus being shaped in the back-burner, he is definitely ruling the medium that made him: cinema.
His new film Katamarayudu has recorded, what analysts now describe as ‘a non-Baahubali record’ fetching over Rs115 crore in pre-release deals. The film has already minted its money, and it arrived at theatres in India on Friday; the box office will surely erupt, as reports on initial bookings suggest.
Now, what is so exceptional about these figures, you may ask. Isn’t it normal now for South Indian films to reach the Rs100 crore mark with effortless ease? Well, Katamarayudu, for all practical purposes, is a film that the Telugu audiences have already watched – albeit in a dubbed version starring Tamil superstar Ajith. The film is a remake of Ajith’s Veeram that was, of course, a super-duper hit. Its Telugu version had a good run at the box office.
Many Telugu actors dare to do that – but only few get the pre-release crores, and Pawan Kalyan is one such actor. Recently, his brother Chiranjeevi pulled off a similar coup with Khaidi No 150, a remake of the Tamil superhit film Kaththi, starring Vijay.
Dread the big brother’s ire Katamarayudu, directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani, is packaged to woo all audiences – as is evident from its YouTube trailer. Shruti Haasan, who teams up with Pawan again, has said that the film is not a scene-by-scene remake of Veeram and there have been modifications to the script. Audiences can no doubt expect colourful and lavishly mounted dance sequences as well as some gritty fights and punch-lines. Pawan Kalyan can be seen throwing people up in the air and beating to and Pawan Kalyan in pulp goons by the dozen. But action apart, Veeram’s success was in packaging the age-old formula of the ‘good brother’ for families. With film often serving as a medium for subliminal messaging, it would not be a surprise if Pawan will not resist the urge to pack in a few social messages that reflect his own political beliefs.
In Katamarayudu, Pawan plays the big brother who must not only make some noble sacrifices but also ensure that no matter what disloyalties circumstances make his family do to him, he will be there for them – avenging the evilplotters and restoring hope and love for the family, and his community. If you are up for a Telugu film that celebrates all that works in South Indian cinema among the masses, Katamarayudu is your best bet this week, as it plays at theatres in the UAE.