Midhunam and SVSC

The festive season saw the Telugu film viewing audience watch two films reiterating the value of the family and story lines dealing with the family. The two however are as different as chalk is from cheese. If one had the dynamism and velocity of an Akram Yonus spell, the other had the poetic idyll of a Prasanna- Bedi spin spell. The two films are the much hyped Setama vakitlo Sirimalli chetu and the under stated Midunam. Both films are watchable in their own space and both are true to their genre.
While SVSC is a major multi starrer that is not a very common sight in Tollywood, it is refreshing that you have two major stars share screen space without much ado. The stars- dehorse their talent quotient have a huge fan follow and here we know it is based on a long term commitment rather than a willingness to take a film and the performance therein on merits. The stars bring in their own value to the board. Both carry their stardom and the script does not expect them to strip themselves of it. It exploits it well. The story line has these huge families of uncles and aunts that up North is patented by Sooraj Bharjatiya but here made very second Friday.
Having lost the opportunity to talk on SVSC (my editor thought me not good enough to voice an opinion on such a great happening!!), I must confess that it is a film that works well within its defined premise. The clichés are well placed, the drama is appropriate, the performances do not go overboard. Most importantly the screen chemistry between the brooding Peddodu (Venkatesh) and the street-smart Chinodu (Mahesh) are well engineered. The script steers clear from being over dramatic and this is where the Director scores. He draws the contrast well and lets the script linger rather than scream. This is the strength of the film.
Midhunam is a completely different ball game. Amazing experiment and reasaonably successful at that. It is nice to see the film maker (Thanikela Bharani) venturing a film with just two actors. After all the other film had enough cast for a few films put together. Of course the script gets dramatic (read an over if you care), it also in the short while meanders a while but all along it is stuck on the love affair of the old couple sans the cinematic dramatics of a Baaghbaan. While SPB is not an actor and loiters into the art by proximity, Lakshmi a veteran with the perfect mix of drama and screen craft adds a high degree of credibility. Watch me is the constant scream in subtlety that she brings to the film. Most importantly the two establish that it is sufficient for two stars-nay actors to play with a script so long as the later is true and structured.
To return to the main issue: it is redeeming to see two films deal with relationships- not those that challenge or redefine the normal social code but work in tandem with it. Both are worth watching and needless to mention are aimed at a slightly different audience. Of course all film lovers must make good use of the opportunity and take a stroll around the familiar social unit: the family

L. Ravichander.