Chinna Cinema (2013)

Chinna Cinema (2013),

Chinna Cinema (2013)

Cast: Arjun Kalyan, Sumona Chanda, Siddhant etc.
Music: Praveen Lakkaraju
Producers: Sekhar, Jyothi
Direction: A.K. Kambhampati
Censor Certificate: U/A
Date of Theatrical Release: April 19
Rating: 2.75/5



 



Summary:

An engaging and entertaining film that is told as that of an NRI film producer who wants to make a film within a 2-crore budget.

What's it all about?

Ramu (Arjun Kalyan) lands in the USA with the dreams of making lots of money with little effort. He stays with his friends and works at a local Indian grocery store owned by B. Jay (Mahesh Sriram) and operated by B. Jay's brother-in-law S. Jay (Karthik Srinivas). He takes an instant liking towards Janaki (Sumona Chanda) when he sees her the first time. Ramu is motivated to earn and send more money to his father Narayana (Surya) for building a new home. The new home is actually for an orphanage ("Raamaalayam") that is run by an old man, Bapiraju (Dr. M. Balayya). What is the connection between Ramu or Narayana and the Raamaalayam? How does Janaki fit into the whole story? And how are the title and tagline justified?

Performances:

Arjun Kalyan makes a decent debut with this film as the male lead. His performance and diction are natural, and he portrays the right feel in emotional (pre-climactic) scenes and comedic scenes too. He seems at home with dances too, and thus promises that he can handle bigger and better opportunities.  Sumona Chanda, who is also a debutant, looks good and smiles well for most part but has not much of a performance-oriented role. She does her role okay.

Veteran artiste Dr. M. Balayya has given a touching performance in the short role he played along with senior actor L.B. Sriram. Of particular mention are the antagonists, Mahesh Sriram, Karthik Srinivas, and Raghunadh (as a young politician Viswanath). All these artistes are debutants but act with ease. (Mahesh's expressions are impeccable but his dubbing is a bit artificial. However, given the character's setting in the USA, it does not appear like a glaring mistake.) Siddhanth and Srini Kolla as protagonist's friends show ease of performance and promise good comic timing but their roles seemed to be chopped off. Ravi Varma, who is known for serious roles, switches to comedy this time and appears as Detective Cowboy Krishna. The dubbing voice used for him is very suitable, and his performance is commendable and entertaining in the short role assisted by Nagaraju. Senior artistes Gowtham Raju and Pradeep Shakti appear in short, comedy-oriented roles as hero's friends. Surya is good as the protagonist's blind father who does not forget his roots. Vennela Kishore and RJ Ghajini play short roles and generate some laughter, while Komal Jha is seen as a dancer in a flashback episode along with Thagubothu Ramesh.

Technical Departments:
The story is a strong point for the film. At a time when small-time movies constantly revolve around love or college environment, this film takes quite a bold step in choosing the central point around the concept that charity is beyond all selfish motives and that a donor cannot "bargain" for benefits in return for his help/support. Screenplay follows a non-linear narrative that switches between the story of the film, its "packaging" as a story that's being narrated to a film reviewer, and flashback episodes. While the screenplay is involving, there're certain choppy jerks in the screenplay that make one feel that a long story is cut a bit too short at places. Given that the "film" that we see is what is being narrated (by a film director to a reviewer), it may be perceived that any loopholes in the narrative are due to the narrator there and not the director of Chinna Cinema. (This may be a subtle way that the director also intended to convey as an undercurrent by showing that the reviewer in the film mentions some shortcomings but that the director did not care about them.) There are inconsistencies in the flow of the scenes, as the film's director is a debutant, but such inconsistencies are minimal and do not affect the feel/impact that the scenes create. The story is packaged in quite a different style that ensures that the audience are involved in the film as much as they must - the jerks in screenplay are thus felt lesser. The flashback episode involving Komal Jha could have been better. Though the title suggests that the film would take digs at the ways the Telugu Film Industry treats small-time films, there are only a few very subtle, thought-provoking, and entertaining episodes and comments about various aspects of small-budget film-making and the points of view of film-makers, reviewers, and audiences.

Dialogues are a strong point of the film, with several thought-provoking ones coming our way, particularly through the role of Surya and Sudarshanam, and with considerable funny lines too. The dialogues do their part in keeping the entertainment quotient significant, particularly through the roles of Karthik Srinivas, Ravi Varma, Siddhanth, Kathy, and Vennela Kishore. Background score is commendable, particularly in emotional scenes and comedy scenes, and the songs catch on well too. After Gulabi, this film shows a whole song on a motorbike and that's shot well. Song choreography is just okay in general. Lyrics are catchy for most part and help carry the story too. Cinematography does not make it seem like a mere small-budget film. Both Hyder and Vinda do their part in bringing authenticity to the film with good visuals. However, lighting in picturization of songs such as alai vacchi... and puttaDibomma... could have been better. Editing seems inconsistent and could have been crispier. Makeup and costumes are natural and suitable. The production team must be commended for its taste and support to a story that's not a mere run-of-the-mill film. True to its tagline, the producers seem to have spent money without compromising on quality, though this is a chinna cinema.

Bottom Line:

Chinna Cinema is a decent package for a film by (nearly) all debutants. It stands true to the impact it has created with its attractive trailer and poster designs. On contrary to some of the film's posters, it is such a clean entertainer that a U/A certificate by the Censor Board seems surprising! Good story, dialogues, performances, music, and cinematography in the film keep the audiences involved in the proceedings of the film despite avoidable inconsistencies in screenplay and editing. If you are okay with watching decently made films with not many known names/faces or if you want to see a story that can create an impact, Chinna Cinema could appeal to you

Rating: 2.75/5