Coolie Starring Rajnikanth

 He's cool, whether he's a Coolie, or a jailer, or anyone else. Saw his latest yesterday. Fireworks all the way, with a dose of emotion, and a twist or two.

He has an unmatched screen presence, in my view. He does not need a heroine, who looks like an extra in his presence-such is his magic on screen! He does not have one, therefore.. only a daughter-like figure who accompanies him for most of the film.

The smuggling operation is led by a villain, who has a past. Played by Nagarjuna Akkineni, Telugu film star with aplomb. Kattappa of Bahubali fame has a decent role as a friend of the hero, who gets killed by a surprise villain, and the story is a kind of revenge quest. Shruti Hasan is Ok in her role as the daughter-figure. Amir Khan gets to play a guest role, not a bad one.

The story is not new or great, but enough to hang his acting and screen time on, and for Rajni fans, nothing else matters, as I said. If you are a fan, go for it. if not, well, it's up to you. Only bad thing? The music.

Bonus- Ticket price in Kolkata is very reasonable!

Bahubali and More at Ramoji Studios

 A visit to Ramoji studios after a good 15 years, I think. Much water has flown under the bridge, but this time, a Bahubali set was awaiting us, and we had a nice guide too.. Ayushi Deshpande, on our bus. So despite the heat, we enjoyed most of the sights- pics to prove it.

A permanent set of a King's court, above.

A station with a train, below.

European houses, on a single street.

Pic by Ayushi, above.

Directorial stuff.

Cheerful Bahubali, and serious Kattappa 

We had the Eiffel Tower overlooking the Wild West and Magadha empire, among other things.. Talk about juxtaposition!

She was not part of the set, just a co-passenger who was in the frame while I shot something else!

Bahubali-Film Review of the Sequel

Hero-worship is not something I would recommend to anyone. But I am sorely tempted to recommend Devsena to you. And Kattappa. Why the two minor characters, you may ask, instead of the hero, Amarendra/Mahendra (though he fits his role to a T) or the Rajmata Shivagami? I will explain.

If you have to hero-worship, it need not be the guy who has the might, and therefore wins wars. Or the one who runs a kingdom on her whims (sometimes good, mostly bad as in most monarchies). It is those who are up against adverse circumstances, or deep dilemmas, and still come up trumps.

I would, in this edition of Bahubali, vote first for Devsena, who is the epitome of courage. She, more than anyone else, upholds values of a kind that need cherishing. Having the guts (multiple times) to challenge a Queen who at her whim can have her beheaded, requires a rare courage of conviction. Living through her husband being repeatedly humiliated, she still defies the high and mighty openly.

Second, Kattappa is also worthy of emulation. Second to none on the field of war, he is fiercely loyal to the promise his ancestors made, even when tested in the extreme. His role is actually the backbone of both the films, notwithstanding the fact that his killing Bahubali 1 became the talk of the town.

If you have to hero-worship, I would go for one of these two. The others were just doing their job. I am also happy to see an Indian film of the mind-boggling scale that this one has reached. That in itself is an achievement, in my view. Human emotions are also well-handled, an added  plus. No point making a recommendation, but I wouldn't mind a second viewing, just to enjoy the visuals. They are brilliant.