Anthology is an unexplored genre in Tollywood. The total number of films made using this concept can be counted on fingers. However, most of them sank without a trace at the box office. Last known Anthology film was ‘Vedam’ (2010), starring Stylish Star Allu Arjun in the lead along with other stalwarts like Anushka and Manchu Manoj. This ‘patriotic’ symbolism went on to be a hit at the box office.

4 years hence, Tollywood has once again experimented with the anthology concept,with 8 different stories incorporated together. Did this attempt deliver what was expected of it? Read on..

‘Chandamam Kathalu’ weaves together the stories of : a widow who reunites with her boyfriend, a rejected lover, a model betrayed by her husband, a street villager, a struggling bachelor , a greedy beggar and a father worried about his daughter’s health.

Plot:

Saradhi (Kishore) is a writer and a widower. His little daughter is suffering from a chronic ailment and he desperately needs 5 lacs. He starts writing a novel with multiple story lines. It has seven stories in it.

Lisa Smith (Lakshmi Manchu) is a super model at the fag end of her career with no money left.
Venkateswara Rao (Krishnudu) is a desperate ‘pellikani prasad’ whose only aim in life is to find a(ny) girl.
Ashraf (Abhijeet) has a small departmental store in old city and wants to marry his sweetheart Haseena (Richa Panai).
Raghu (Chitanya Krishna) studies in a junior college and he lures Renu (Shamili) – daughter of a noted politician in love.
There is a beggar (Krishneswara Rao) whose life time ambition is to buy a small house.
Saritha (Aamani) is a widow who reconnects with her college-time friend Mohan (Naresh) a NRI divorcee who returns to India.
Raghu (Naga Shourya) is a typical village youngster who is busy chasing a girl Gauri (Isha Ranganath).

The rest of the story is all about how Saradhi comes out of the ditch with a divine intervention.

Performances:

Lakshmi Manchu skims through her part, however, she is not as convincing as in her previous works such as ‘Anaganaga O Dheerudu’ and ‘Gundello Godari’.
Krishneswara Rao who essays the role of a beggar in the movie steals the show with his impeccable expressions and amazing dialogue delivery. Though his role is limited, he stands tall among the other performers!
Krishnudu, the desperate bachelor,fails to create any impact on the viewers. Though it must be noted that his story was perhaps the most practical one,which audiences,especially current techies in the twin cities could relate to.
Debutante Shourya impresses with his screen presence. The moment the camera shifts to him, he gets in his element and ensures that the viewers do not look elsewhere. His acting seems very intriguing. A promising newcomer indeed!
This movie is the comeback vehicle of Aamani, who yet again,fails to impress.
Amita Rao is reduced to a mere eye-candy in the movie.
Shamili plays her part in an okay-ish manner. However,no great shakes!

Technical Aspects:

The stories have been written by keeping in mind their Bollywood counterparts. Lakshmi Manchu’s character seems to be drawn heavily from that of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Fashion’. If you’re an avid movie buff with considerable watching experience of Bollywood movies,it is hard for you to miss the scenes, written from some in ‘Life In A Metro’, ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’.
The background score of the movie is perhaps the best part of the film. It only makes the screenplay look tighter and gives an insight into the feelings of the characters portrayed (who have not been acting as naturally as they should be).
Music by Micky J Meyer is very good. The songs are shot in montage format. The title song featuring the common people, is shown with the opening credits of the film. Cinematography by first-timer Suresh Ragutu is alright. Dialogues by Praveen Sattaru are natural. Editing by Dharmendra Kakarala is smooth.

Hawk-Eye Analysis:

The first half of the film is painfully slow. However,the director could not have avoided this as the characters should have been and are well-established.
‘The curse of the second half’ affects this movie as well.. albeit,in a different manner. The director seemed to be in a hurry by giving abrupt endings to most of the stories.
As a result,the audiences may lose the connect that it developed with the movie in the first half.
As with most anthology films, ‘Chandamama Kathalu’ eventually tries to infuse a heavenlier meaning – though not by seaming its stories together under one corporate theme – but rather taking the chintzier option of completing the stories with resorting characters. Some characters seem to be forced into the film to make it look more ‘artistic’.

Final Verdict:

A One-Time Watch. Budding film-makers must watch this one to learn how effortlessly the characters are established!

Admit it.. We love our movies as much as we love our Cricket!

Chitramala.in has comprised a list of following movies which are perhaps the most awaited Tollywood movies for the year 2014!

1) Race Gurram

A typical Telugu family drama starring Stylish Star Allu Arjun and Shruti Hassan, ‘Race Gurram’ is definitely on the top of the list of most awaited Tollywood movies this year. With Surender Reddy directing it and S.Thaman composing the music for the film, Race Gurram looks to be quite a money-spinner!

2) Manam

With the demise of Late Akkineni Nageswar Rao, this movie is touted to be his ‘last work’ . And with Yuva Samrat Akkineni Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya playing crucial roles in the movie, this movie has been awaited for quite some time now. With Shriya Saran and Samantha satisfying the glamour appetite, this looks to be a potential blockbuster!

3) Rey

Nephew of Megastar Chiranjeevi, Sai Dharam Tej will be debuting with this flick. In addition to this, Sai Dharam Tej has been in the news for his six-pack abs. And with Chakri being at the helm of this film’s music,it sure has the audience waiting for it. Need we say more!

4) Autonagar Surya

This film will be bringing the power couple of Naga Chaitanya and Samantha back on screen together! Their previous venture together,Ye Maya Chesave, was a roaring success and they would be wanting to repeat the same magic again with this film. Anoop Rubens will be composing the music for this film. The film also stars Rakul Preet Singh and Sai Kumar in pivotal roles.

5) Aagadu

The hit combo of Sreenu Vaitla-Mahesh Babu will be teaming up again for this flick after the roaring success of ‘Dhookudu’. The film will also star Milky beauty Tamannaah in the lead. With music by S. Thaman, this comedy is one of the most awaited movies of this year.

6) Govindudu Andhari Vaadele

With its first look garnering positive reviews for Ram Charan,this Krishna Vamsi-directorial venture has been in the news for quite some time now. This,indirectly has earned the film a place in this list,making it one of the most awaited Tollywood films of 2014.

7) Rabhasa

Jr. NTR’s string of hits looks to continue with this flick as well. Bellamkonda Suresh has donned the producer’s hat for this Samantha-Praneetha starrer. S Thaman has composed the music for this film which is slated to releas on May 9.

8) Power

Mass Raja Ravi Teja will be back on screen with his antics in June! This movie starring Ravi Teja, Hansika Motwani, Regina Cassandra has beein the news due to various reasons. One of them being Ravi Teja’s scenes in the movie where h will be seen imitating top stars for Tollywood. Eagerly waiting for this one!

9) Rudramadevi

This Magnum Opus stars Anushka in the title role. Given the history of Rudramadevi herself, audience is waiting with bated breath for Anushka reprising the ‘Shiva Tandavam’ whic Rudramadevi was famous for!

10) Chandamama Kathalu

With 8 sub-stories revolving around love, this is the most awaited Anthology film of Tollywood. With stalwarts like Lakshmi Manchu, Aamani, Naresh, Krishnudu, Chaitanya Krishna and Vennela Kishore starring in this film,this one is something the entire industry is waiting for. The novel concept of multiple stories in a film hasn’t been explored much in Tollywood as yet. But with this flick,Tollywood is tapping into this unknown territory. And with your very own Chitramala.in being the online partner for this flick, watch out for this space for some exclusive insights into this movie!

It’s official now that lion is ready to roar on 28th march and everyone is excited to watch the feast. But, what they don’t know is that there is a surprise waiting for them at the theaters. In the midst of the fire that legend is set to create, be ready to experience a cool breeze in the form of a theatrical trailer of the film “Chandamama Kathalu”. Makers have confirmed that trailer of “chandamama kathalu” will screen during the intermission of NBK’s film ”Legend”.

Theatrical trailer of CK has already created ripples in the web world with Ace director’s sharing and tweeting about it and also becoming a conversation topic for many. For the next one week, audience from all walks of life will experience a uniquely designed trailer of a uniquely made Telugu film clubbed with magical melodies of Mickey j Meyer.

CK has already been in the news for a long time for its unique publicity and with the theatrical trailer getting screened with Legend, it is sure to reach out to every corner of the Telugu speaking world. Hope the film is equally interesting.

Note: While watching Legend if you do not see the trailer of Chandamama kathalu play during the interval, please do inform us at https://www.facebook.com/AWorkingDream

The movie that is being waited upon in anticipation with the urban masses, Chandamama Kathalu is now postponed from March to April release. Confirming the same, director Praveen Sattaru tweeted on his social networking page – “Since Chandamama Kathalu is a film for everyone between the age groups of 5 and 60, we at the production house have concluded after various brainstorming sessions that the release of the film should be around the second week of April to be able to cater to our targeted audience. We at the production apologize for the inconvenience caused. Please stay tuned for updates on the promotional activities.”

Revolving around 8 uniquely different stories woven into a single film, director Praveen Sattaru promises that the film will not disappoint. The most talked about characters in the film are that of Lakshmi Manchu, Aamani and Naresh, going by the first look and trailers. The film’s music is already a big hit, with songs like ‘Chandamama Kathalu’, ‘Payaname’ and ‘Ee Katha’ trending the charts. Music composer Mickey J Meyer had done a commendable job with the tracks.

The movie stars Krishnudu, Lakshmi Manchu, Abhijeet, Naresh, Shamili Aggarwal and others. Stay tuned for all the special promotions and the latest updates from Chitramala, the official online partner for Chandamama Kathalu.

 

 

 

The young and talented director Praveen Sattaru, who made movies with fresh concepts like LBW and Routine Love Story had a chat with Chitramala about his upcoming anthology ‘Chandamama Kathalu’.

The movie’s trailers have been getting a unanimous positive response raising the expectations. Here is the exclusive interview:

Rag Mayur: What was the inception of the idea of this 8-story film?

Praven Sattaru: I would call it 8 sub-plots instead of 8 stories. I wanted to tell a story and later came the sub-plots. How these sub-plots inter cut, and how do they culminate is the key.

Rag Mayur: Tollywood is not so familiar with anthologies. So far the success rate for the very few anthologies that came is not so encouraging. What is the strength of your anthology?

Praveen Sattaru: Good question! Anthology is very popular in World cinema. There are two sides of an anthology. The first forty minutes is the biggest disadvantage for an anthology as it takes that much time to introduce the characters, only after which the movie takes off. However, the advantage is the last forty minutes is full of how each sub-plot concludes. And this last forty minutes is what I am banking on. Also, there is so much detailing in our movie that even a second watch will seem like first time. Every time you watch, you will see a new layer.

Rag Mayur: With 8 threads, there are so many characters. If we look at the casting of Chandamama Kathalu, there are veteran actors, and those who emerged few years back and some debutantes too. What was in your mind when you did the casting?

Praveen Sattaru: Right from my first film, my casting is based on my story and its characters. There are certain characters which I was very sure at the writing stage itself. For example, Lakshmi Manchu was the only person in my mind when I was writing the supermodel role. Firstly, she is the gutsiest woman. Secondly, the audience will believe in that character only when Lakshmi Manchu plays it. She plays an ex-supermodel who hits a rock-bottom in her career as well as in her personal life. Whether she will rise up from the ashes or will she succumb to it is to be watched out for. She has to drink, smoke and use foul language too. No leading female actor would do a character like that. Before I met her, I was mentally prepared that she would suggest many script changes but we haven’t even changed a single dialogue!

Even the role played by Krishnudu was pretty much fixed in my mind. He plays a 29-year old techie who is worried about dying virgin.

Rag Mayur: There are not many movies which had the leading lady as a model. And mostly it was restricted to glamor. For the first time, we would be seeing the emotional turmoil of a model.

Praveen Sattaru: I agree and added to that, this is the first anthology which doesn’t fall in the commercial zone of Telugu films. Lakshmi Manchu will look ultra glamorous in this film. The character she plays is in the cross-roads of her life. She is in a denial mode, and unable to accept that career is over. Everyone goes through this phase, where your glory time comes to an end after a series of successful.

I have always believed that there should be an emotional connect. A movie becomes a hit only when the characters linger in the viewer’s mind after 12 hours of watching the movie. The emotional connect is what I am banking on!

Rag Mayur: We last saw Naresh and Amani in Jamba Lakidi Pamba. Both of them are wonderful performers. So how was it working with them?

Praveen Sattaru: I didn’t know that they haven’t done any movie together after Jamba Lakidi Pamba. They were really excited about the script. Their story is a taboo in our society. I can guarantee that guys will not like it. Audience above the age of 40 will love it. Every woman can connect to this particular story. It’s a story about lost love. I am sure there will be lot of discussions about this story.

Rag Mayur: There is a special song for Krishnudu. Looks like you have completely understood the fears and frustration of the software engineer and translated into the silver screen.

Praveen Sattaru: Yes, it’s a funny song with lyrics penned by Krishna Chinni. The words are very realistic.

Rag Mayur: Your earlier films fall into the multiplex-only category, or in an urban setting. However some plots in Chandamama Kathalu seem to be very non-urban too.

Praveen Sattaru: Exactly and to not get confined to urban stuff, I came up with multiple plots.

Rag Mayur: The title song is very soothing. What instructions have you given to Micey J Meyer when it came to composing music for Chandamama Kathalu?

Praveen Sattaru: Cinematographer, Editor and Music Director are three key people in taking the movie to a next level. If they are in sync with the director, things will automatically fall in place. I was in sync with Mickey since Routine Love Story days. He believes in me. I don’t see any need for him to work with me after having worked on big ticket films like ‘Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’. He wanted to travel with me. I thanked him for having so much confidence in him. Songs of ‘Chandamama Kathalu‘ go hand in hand with the visuals.

Rag Mayur: I will not ask you which of the 8 stories is your most favorite as all of them are your babies, but you can at least tell which of them is closest to your heart.

Praveen Sattaru: (Smiles) Why is everyone asking me this particular question?. All are close to my heart. When you are watching the movie, you won’t even realize that they there 8 different stories in them.

Rag Mayur: And I thought the writer story is your closest?

Praveen Sattaru: Ok I will give away something exclusive just for Chitramala viewers. All the other 7 stories are his imagination! J In fact, we gave away all the plot details in the trailer. It’s better to keep the audience prepared. However, you will still find something new while watching it.

Rag Mayur: The theatrical trailer ends with a note – “Entha Goppa Kadha aina puttedi Vaastavam ninche”. So were all the stories were seen or experienced by you?

Praveen Sattaru: Yes. Every story is inspired by whatever I saw in life. For instance, the beggar subplot is inspired by an old man I saw at Khairtabad Traffic signal. He begs only in the night, as he is very careful about the dust and the sun rays in the day. He has a three-storied building in the lane beside.

Rag Mayur: What are your next projects?

Praveen Sattaru: I have ten scripts ready. I am particular excited about one script. Its story begins in Manhattan and ends up in a tiny village.

Rag Mayur: What is your take on small budget films and their future?

Praveen Sattaru: Audience is lazy to come to the theatres unless it has stars. The content should be very interesting in these small budget films to get them to the halls. Also, as long as stars do content-less movies, the small budget films will perish (smiles).

Praveen Sattaru’s message to Chitramala viewers:

“Do watch Chandamama Kathalu. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. It’s a fresh movie. But again, fresh doesn’t necessarily mean you have to encourage it. It has to be encouraged only if it’s good. So if you like it, please do recommend it to others that it’s good. At the same time, if you dislike it don’t hesitate to tell that it’s bad because I don’t want to waste your money.”

Here is the video interview of the same:

Chandamama Kathalu Movie Releasing on March 14, 2014. The story of the movie revolves around 8 different characters and ends with 3 climaxes. This movie is directed by Praveen Sattaru. Mickey J Meyer composed the music.

Earlier we have seen Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna in many roles like an anchor, actress, villain and in the item songs but now she turns an hair dresser for her pet dog “Zeus” in the film “Chandamama Kathalu”. Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna playing an important glamor role in the film and her pet dog “Zeus” is also playing a small role in the movie. Chandamama Kathalu movie is getting ready for release on March 14, 2014 and it is directed by Praveen Sattaru.

 

Watch here for the video songs of a Telugu film Chandamama Kathalu. Chandamama kathalu movie full songs listen here.

Chandamama Kathalu starring Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna, Yesteryear actress Aamani, Richa Pani, Senior Naresh, Kishore, Chaitanya Krishna,Krishnudu in the main lead role films getting ready for release soon. The movie deals with 8 different stories and it is being directed by Praveen Sattaru. Mickey J Meyer scored the music and Chanakya Bhooneti is the producer for this film.

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When Mickey J Meyer composes for a film, we can safely expect the decently guaranteed soul in his compositions, to say the least. Meyer, however, manages to take us to the highest possible levels of some scintillating music, every time he takes up a project filled with real stories. The same can be said about Chandamama Kathalu.

This Praveen Sattaru directorial about eight sub stories had already set expectations to a tasteful movie. Mickey’s music seems to have done complete justice, going by the lyrics and the tunes used in every song.

The album starts off with the title song, Chandamama Kathalu, sung by Kalyani. This song is an overwhelming rendition about the realms of life and stories of various people cut across the sections of society. Lyricist Ananth Sriram used some rich literary words to convey the delightful meaning. This one is easily my personal favorite in the album. Don’t be amazed if you are compelled to play the song in a loop.

 

The second song is a funny situation one, Devuda, sung by Anil. The lyrics by Krishna Chinni are particularly hilarious, talking about the plight of an unmarried man nearing his thirties. The listeners are bound to chuckle to this number which is highly connectable.

Payaname, the third song sung by Vijay Prakash is like a fantasy, taking you into a world of possibilities. The last song, E Kadha, is a touching composition with subtleties of emotions embedded in it. The lyrics by Vanamali are top class, simply bringing back genuine Telugu literature into vogue.

So, 4 songs, 4 delightful melodies. Chandamama Kathalu is a beautiful lyrical sojourn set to transfer us into a trance of nostalgia and feelings.

 

 

Actor Mohan Babu’s daughter Manchu Lakshmi Prasanna is busy with the films now and she acted in a film “Chandamama Kathalu”, which is getting ready for release soon and the movie trailer was launched recently. The trailer gets good response from the cine folks and especially Manchu Lakshmi’s smoking act surprises every one. In the movie trailer Manchu Lakshmi shocked every one by smoking out a cigarette. Most of the Heroines will not ready to smoke a cigarette on silver screen but Lakshmi Prasanna has decided to go realistic to justify the role for the movie.

Chandama Kathalu movie has been directed by Praveen Sattaru and produced by Chanakya Bhooneti. Mickey J meyer has scored the music. See the video for the Lakshmi Prasanna’s smoking act!!

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