Tag Archives: Prabhu Deva

Style

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Style is a story about overcoming adversity and keeping yourself nice no matter what the temptation.  From the opening titles sequence showing disabled kids dancing, the message is there – Dance is joyous and belongs to all. It is a traditional aspirational tale of a boy from the disadvantaged side of society achieving his dream, of a man who overcomes tragedy to find triumph and the power of love in all its forms.  Written and directed by Lawrence, who also stars and choreographs, Style is a dance extravaganza with something for everyone’s tastes.

Prabhu Deva is Ganesh, a star of the dance competition circuit. He has won high profile dance competitions and his future seems assured. We will tell you now – we love Prabhu Deva. He is a lanky, unlikely looking hero who is transformed when he dances.

His main rival in these competitions is Anthony, and we first see Ganesh beating Anthony to a place in the regional finals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj2nJYR20oA

Anthony (he is evil – we know this because he has a spiral perm and sneers a lot so we will call him Evil Anthony from now on) and his crazy brother (with terrible cornrow braids) put paid to their rival’s dancing days in a rigged accident which causes Ganesh to lose both his legs. Anthony will be recognisable as that backing dancer with the long permed hair from many Hindi films.


Of course Ganesh’s sponsors desert him as he can no longer dance, and to add insult to injury, Evil Anthony becomes the new regional champion by default.

Meanwhile, Lawrence plays Raghava;  a young man with big dreams but without the means to make them reality. He is in search of his long lost mother, and passes his days working as a cleaner in a local dance school. There is a somewhat troubling bit of back story to Ragahava’s character but it doesn’t crop up until late in the film and seemed quite unnecessary. He is of course a phenomenally talented dancer but due to his lowly status, is never given a chance to fulfil the promise he made to his mother that he would become  famous. He lives with his friends, all of whom have menial jobs and share the dream of dancing professionally and running a dance school. Despite a few breaks, nothing is helping them make the leap and indeed there are many setbacks. We enjoyed this song for many reasons, not least because it was very educational as to place names and foods. And they look a bit like The Wiggles:

Raghava, rather endearingly and totally understandably, is obsessed with Chiranjeevi. The presence of Megastar Chiru, real or imagined, sparks some of the best and funniest scenes in the film, including a fight sequence worthy of Jackie Chan.

Lawrence has a likeable screen presence and is certainly suited to the physicality of the role. We believe that the best dancers also excel in the fight scenes as they draw on their  gymnastic abilities and timing rather than just relying on muscle. And he is such an amazing dancer that some of the more incredible plot points don’t matter so much.

Ganesh is depressed and frightened of what his life will be without dance and of being dependant on his younger sister for support.   Raghava is oppressed by lack of opportunity but determined to keep trying to fulfil his dreams of a mother and a career.  After a pep talk by his sister, Ganesh determines that he will find new dancers to take on Evil Anthony and his nasty looking backing dancers. After some depressing but very funny auditions (think Agadoo), Ganesh finds Raghava and crew performing a tribute to his last dance routine on a TV dance show. Destiny has got its act together at last!

There is also some romance in the air. Shruthi, played by Charmi, is a student at the Western Dance School where Raghava cleans. He should have known she was the wrong girl after seeing her audition to Britney’s “Oops I Did It Again” complete with wardrobe malfunction. Raghava went to her rescue and was instantly smitten. We see his heart break as Charmi reveals she has been using him to make her college friend Raja jealous enough to express his feelings. Oblivious to the damage she has done to Raghava, she offers him the first wedding card for her upcoming marriage.

Raghava and the boys move in with their guru, and undertake an exhausting training montage. Ganesh’s sister Priya, played by the lovely Kamalini Mukherjee, develops feelings for Raghava as she sees how he treats her beloved brother, and his amazing dance style. Raghava remains oblivious to Priya, who is a classical dancer, for much of the film despite her well-mannered flirting and her romantic daydreams.

Hitting the big time means big money, and to compete the guys need sponsors – the sponsors that had deserted Ganesh.  A quick trip to the local discotheque with a dance off to show their Style, and they manage to gain the support they need. Success is beckoning and spirits are high!

But this is a film and things cannot run so smoothly for our clean living heroes. Tragedy strikes, and darkness looms in the guise of spiral-permed Evil Anthony who is determined to win at any cost.

Again.

Before the big competition Raghava’s friends are kidnapped by Evil Anthony’s even more evil brother.  The only person more evil than these two guys is their hairdresser.

Raghava tells Ganesh they have gone to the temple as he has been told to keep their whereabouts a secret if he wants to ever see them again.  The competition has started, the boys are needed to dance, Ganesh and the sponsors are frantic. Time for one of the big guns – Nagarjuna! Somehow (we never know how) within minutes Nagarjuna finds the factory where the boys are being held hostage, rescues our heroes and gets them to the dance competition in time to compete. There is a minor detail of star performer Raghava having gunshot wounds to his legs, but that cannot stop him. It was a very nice touch by the makeup team to make the bloodstains on his costume get bigger the more he danced, and also to provide a small pool of blood at his feet as the competition progressed!  They are not out of peril yet. A further attempt to remove them from the competition is thwarted by CHIRU!

The time for the final dance-off is nigh and of course it comes down to the good guys of team Ganesh versus the black pleather clad Anthony. We were quite concerned by the flimsy dancefloor that seemed to buckle under the impact of Lawrence and his flying feet but after surviving heartbreak, thugs and guns we knew it would take more than that to stop him. Who will win? Do you need to ask? Dance is the winner!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I6A9WrhMBc

Heather says: I love the idea behind this film; that you can overcome all of your difficulties if you can face them with courage.  The dancing children at the beginning were such a testament to the power of music to inspire everyone to dance no matter who you are or your situation in life.  And as this has always been our philosophy that dance will cure a myriad of ills, it really is a favourite film.  This is everything a movie about dance should be.  It focuses on the love of dance and how this can touch on every aspect of life.  Ganesh and Raghava both live to dance, and it shows in the joyous nature of their performances.  Every dance style is there, from classical to hip hop, and everything in between!  High points of this film for me are a hero who worships Chiranjeevi, a song dedicated to Chiranjeevi and a guest appearance by the man himself! And of course the number and quality of the songs.

The dancing in this film is almost a character by itself and the double of Prabhu Deva and Lawrence makes for some great performances.  The other dancers do really well to keep up, and the children are just great.  Although I love the dancing in this film and think the performances are fantastic, I am deducting points for the slightly silly plot.  4 stars from me.

Temple says: Style is such a fun film to watch. It has great songs and dancing, and a real sense of joy about dance. It’s a cliched story, but it works, and has me cheering for the good guys every time. There are many little tributes throughout the film – Michael Jackson’s influence is apparent, but there are nods to MC Hammer, Fred Astaire and of course South Indian film heroes.  I love watching Prabhu Deva. He is a genius and his joy in dancing is contagious and uplifting. I am a big Fred Astaire fan, having grown up watching his films with my grandparents, and there is a similarity in that both men are plain and unprepossessing until they dance – and then they transform into charismatic, amazing, radiant stars. I was curious to see if Lawrence could carry a film. It’s a big leap from being a featured dancer or choreographer to holding an audiences attention as a hero, and I think he tailored this film to really show his strengths. The supporting cast is good, and the humour is well embedded into the plot so there isn’t a clunky comedy track to bog the film down. I will never object to a film that wants to feature Chiranjeevi, especially when his appearance is an affectionate and humorous send-up of his own legend.  Style is a simple story, told fairly well, and boosted by some fantastic performers. I give it 4 stars.

Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari

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It’s Chiranjeevi’s birthday on August 22, and Bollystalgia has been leading a celebration of all things Sri Devi this week in Sridevipalooza. Then our copy of JVAS turned up in the mail. We haven’t seen the planets aligned in such a pleasing formation since we last watched Magadheera! It seems fitting to look at two of our favourites in one of their most enduring films.

A disclaimer before we begin – The only copy of this classic film we could find was a VCD with no subtitles. So we might have made up some of what follows. The picture quality was not the best so we apologise for the dodgy looking screencaps.

JVAS is a socio-fantasy starring two of our favourites, Sri Devi and Chiranjeevi. Chiru plays Raju, a  guide to the local caves, who has four orphans in his care. Sri Devi is Indraja, the daughter of Lord Indra,  who pops down to earth for a visit and to go frolicking in the snow. The two cross paths when Raju is skiing, hiking and climbing the mountains in search of a rare plant that will cure the medical condition of one of his foster children. Indraja sees Raju and accidentally drops a magical ring as she flees. Her return to earth to retrieve the ring (she can’t get back into Heaven without it) sets in motion a train of events and sparks a sweet romance with Raju and his makeshift family. The mix of characters includes the aforementioned orphans, a younger than we are used to Brahmi, a suitably villainous Amrish Puri, plus an assortment of comedians and villains.

Chiranjeevi’s Raju is the tough guy with a heart of gold. He loves his children, he protects his people, and he worships god and defends the faith. He dances, he romances and he dishooms with the very best.  He is funny, endearing, dramatic, heroic and always compelling. From his appearance dressed as Hanuman to his prancing in a silver cape and all the varied wardrobe choices in between, he dominates the screen.

His on screen relationship with the kids is sweet – he is comfortable with them, and they seem to love being around him.  As we watched without subtitles, the facial expressions and body language were really important in working out what was going on.  Chiranjeevi totally embodied the character and  his motivations and emotions were evident without being hammy or over the top. His swagger and confidence in the fight scenes made them really entertaining.  The chemistry between Raju and Indraja was very compelling.  When Indraja says “Raju is a good boy” the cut to Chiru’s eyes is all you need to see to know that Raju has ideas of being a bad boy!

Sri Devi is just beautiful, and perfect for this role. While the separate comedy track wasn’t particularly funny or comprehensible, her facial expressions and comic timing were excellent, and we can forgive anything when she dances.  She does struggle with some unfortunate 80s fashions in her “modern earth girl” avatar, but when she goes mythological, she is breathtaking.

Indraja is not the most substantial character Sri Devi has played, but she invests her with a warmth and cheekiness that is endearing.  She even manages a psychic connection with the family dog that cements her place in the household! Her machinations to try and recover her ring from Raju are amusing and her growing fondness for him seems natural and not forced. Her fear and vulnerability are played well, and she shows some steely resolve in later scenes.

The Illaiyaraja soundtrack is lovely and melodic. Andalalo is a wonderful opening to the film, and the picturisation has a pretty Disney cartoon fairytale quality that works so well in this genre. It’s not even trying to be real, just a beautiful fantasy.  Both leads are great dancers and it is a delight to see them matched together.

The chemistry between them is particularly evident in the dances, and both are given choreography by Prabhu Deva that highlights their compatibility. We don’t know why it is that Chiru, who is a stocky and not particularly tall man, can carry off some of these moves, and in lycra. We do know that he just lights up when the music begins and we can’t resist.

While the first half of the film is mostly fluffy romance, the second half is much darker as Amrish Puri plays a guru who wants to kill Indraja so he can obtain immortality. Or something (we guessed). From his sweeping entrance down a grand staircase flanked by glowing eyed skulls, to his creative use of a huge pearl on a string as a hypnotic yoyo, the presence of Amrish Puri signifies Bad Things will happen.

Events culminate in Chiru and the orphans rescuing Sri Devi and crushing the evil plot. But once things settle down, and Indraja has her key to the front door of Heaven (her ring), what will become of this little family? Raju and the kids know who she is and they accept that they will lose “their” Indraja.  Since knowing them has changed Indraja on many levels,  will she be able to leave them and return to her previous carefree existence in heaven?  You will just have to watch the film to find out.

Temple says: I had heard so much about this film, and tried for so long to get a copy that I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn’t – if anything this exceeded my hopes for great entertainment. Chiranjeevi is just awesome as Raju. He has such charisma on screen, his acting and comedy are superb and he throws himself into the dances with such enthusiasm. His chemistry with Sri Devi is perfect and adds depth to the story as their relationship progresses and his character moves from amused tolerance of crazy Indraja to a deep attachment. Despite being light in tone overall, his expression of anguish and loss when he believes he has lost Indraja is heartbreaking and makes it all feel so real. Sri Devi is , of course, perfect in a role that is tailor made for her. She switches from comedy to slapstick to elegance and back and never misses a beat. I keep reading about the possibility of Charan being involved in a remake of JVAS. Much as I am a fan of Charan, I am not sure any modern version of this could add anything to improve on the original. It really is that good.

The overall visual style is lovely, the music is perfectly matched to the film, the actors are at their peak; there is dancing, action and a fine effort by the wardrobe team. It just has everything! I can see why so many people recall this film with huge affection. It is full of heart and the good kind of sweet sentimentality. A resounding 5 stars from me!

Heather says: This is a delightful film.  There is so much to look at, with some beautiful costumes, great set design and of course Sridevi and Chiru.  Both leads are their charismatic best in this film and together create a magical feel to the story.  Sridevi is luminous as Indraja and even in her Earth avatar she creates an aura around her character.  Her comedic timing is as flawless as ever, and she portrays innocence and compassion with total ease.  The children are amazing, great performances from such a young cast – and not just token orphans either, they each did have important roles to play in the story.  And of course this film has Chiru in top form – who can resist him when he is saving the day, (and the heroine plus orphans of course) with such panache and flair.  Certainly not me!  The looks exchanged between Sridevi and Chiru as they fall in love are just sizzling and the empathy between the two when dancing put this pairing right up there with the greats for me.  Totally enjoyable film even without subtitles.  I give this film 5 stars!