TELUGU CINEMASS

Apr 4, 2010

IPL is unpredictable: Shilpa Shetty INTERVIEW

Shilpa Shetty tells that as long as people enjoy the game, stars don’t mind being pitted against each other.

Four wins in a row... What’s the feeling like?
IPL is an unpredictable game. The format is such that one doesn’t know what to expect next. Many thought that the first win was a fluke. Now, it makes me proud to receive the congratulatory messages.

Was it frustrating having to deal with the losses?
We are proud owners and not easily flummoxed by losses. But what became a cause of concern more than the losses was when the injuries of the players started setting in. Thankfully, Shane (Warne) juggled a few players and things started falling into place. Shane has a vision and we just followed his sensibilities. Our players might not be big names, but they are talented.

So, what do you think is working for your team — a strategy or your marriage to Raj Kundra?
My marriage has nothing to do with it. It’s the prayers and hard work of the players that’s yielding such results. I certainly can’t take credit for the hard work of the players. In fact, after the initial losses, many had lost faith in Team Jaipur. But with the team’s current performance, examples are being cited as to how a comeback can be made.

Andrew Symonds has started a fresh controversy with Yusuf Pathan accusing him of indulging in sledging. Why do you think Indians are made such soft targets?
Sledging has always been a part of cricket. I don’t think this incident was racist or out of the ordinary. But one certainly has to know where to draw the line. In fact, after seeing Yusuf’s fitting reply through his performance, I have told him that I am going to ask people to sledge you all the more (laughs).

While more on Yusuf, you had tweeted how Yusuf’s family had treated you guys to mutton biryani... We are one big family and come together whenever we have time. Talking about this incident, we had won the match and had another game the next day. Yusuf asked for biryani from his family and to our surprise, it was one big handi that was sent to us. I joked with Yusuf, ‘now I know the secret of your sixes’.

So, how did you guys celebrate the successive wins?
The team is kept under strict control with a disciplinarian like Shane. We hope the team continues to keep up this consistence in performance. What’s more, even Shane Watson will soon be joining us.

Are you expecting to make it to the finals?
Under the present circumstances, we are expecting to reach the semis.

How do you boost the team’s morale?
I tell them: ‘make yourself so valuable that people clamour to buy you during the next season ’.

With so many Bollywood celebs involved in IPL, does winning or losing become a prestige issue?
This has never been the case with me. Such things are great for the media to talk about. Whenever Team Jaipur is playing against any team, I want my team to win. Honestly speaking, as long as people enjoy the game, we don’t mind being pitted against each other (laughs).

Varudu Movie Review

Film: VARUDU
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Universal Media
Cast: Allu Arjun, Bhanusree Mehra, Arya, Ashish Vidyarthi, Suhasini, Naresh, Vinaya, Nasser, Rao Ramesh, Sayaji Shinde, Ahuti Prasad, Brahmanandam, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Anita Chowdary and othersMusic: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: R D Rajasekhar
Direction: Gunasekhar
Producer: D V V Danayya
Release date: March 30, 2010
Story:A stale tale, the story begins with Sandy/ Sandeep (Arjun) who is all set to go to America as he gets a job there. Though he lives a modern lifestyle, he is an idealist at heart and believes in arranged marriage. He also wants to have the marriage in the old age style for five days and waits until ‘Jeelakarra Bellam’ to see the face of the bride. He gets his dream girl in the form of Deepthi (bhanu) and on the wedding day, an incident occurs and Deepthi gets kidnapped. Sandeep figures out that the person responsible for this is Diwakar (arya). Who is this Diwakar? Why did he take Deepthi away? What does Sandeep do to solve this problem? All this forms the rest of the story.
Presentation:The director has come up with a flimsy storyline and both his presentation and narrative were a letdown. The dialogues were weak, the script was pathetic and the screenplay was annoying. Background score was good at places but two songs were worth humming. Cinematography scored only during songs but otherwise it was average. Editing was raw, costumes were impressive and the art department worked hard to get laudable appreciations. Coming to the cast, this will be a surprise for Allu Arjun fans, he is rather meek and not much fire is seen in him. Bhanu Mehra was just okay and is not worth the hype. Arya was effective but his role was not. Ashish Vidyarthi, Suhasini, Naresh, Vinaya, Anita, Nasser, Rao Ramesh had very brief roles. Brahmi was not required. Ahuti Prasad was wasted, the others didn’t have much to offer.
Conclusion:The film created a lot of hype regarding its proper Telugu wedding and the heroine factor but both of them have turned out to be a damp squib. The film takes off on a wrong footing and there is no voltage in it. The second half gets further complicated and the final nail on the head is hit with the bizarre climax. Barring few places where the technical values are good, the film has nothing at all and the blame is completely the director’s. Despite having lavish budget and efficient cast, he has not been able to deliver a proper product. The film will not survive for more than two weeks.
Verdict : Disappointing!!!.