Opinion: 'What Should I Say About Mogudu?'

I am a big fan of Krishna Vamsi. After watching his ‘Gulabi’ I fell in love with his art of film making and his grip over narration. There is a special intensity in every film of his.

The fact that he has given films like ‘Khadgam’ ‘Murari’ ‘Antahpuram’ ‘Sindhuram’ goes to show how Tollywood is proud to have a movie maker like him. So, it was natural that I had great expectations when Krishna Vamsi announced his project ‘Mogudu’.

Without wasting time, I ensured that I got to see the first day first show and by the time the interval bang came, I felt like a thunderbolt bang struck me. I asked myself “Is this really Krishna Vamsi’s film? Was his name being used for brand value and someone else has done it? And then came my worst nightmare question “Has he lost his magical touch?”. As much as I hate to admit it, I can say one thing ‘Mogudu’ left me speechless and shell shocked.

The first disappointment came with the long list of Boothula Puranam… I think this is the first Telugu film where I had a variety of foul words like BITCH, bastard, SEX. From what I remember, this was meant to be a cinema filled with family values. The rugged hero Gopichand also testifies the same in his dialogue, isn’t it?? He says “Oka sari pudatham, okasaari chasthaam, okasare pelli..kalisi unna lekapoyina…”.

While that is truly a touching line, somehow the very image of a family hero doesn’t suit Gopi. He is more lovable when he flashes fire in his eyes and pumps adrenalin with his dialogues while bashing the goons. And what is the idea behind having a scene with a heroine who is not hesitant to drink? How will it even fit the ideology of the tradition and culture expressed in the film? I have no qualms in saying that I could not see a single shot or sequence where I could feel the signature style of KV. On the whole, ‘Mogudu’ has been a miserable experience for me.

Mallikarjun, Hyderabad