In the third and final episode of season three, Kushal and Anek discuss David Fincher's critically acclaimed The Social Network. They praise Aaron Sorkin's rhythmic dialogue and explore the film's underlying ideas, dissecting why it stands out in Fincher's filmography.
With Anand Karanam's second independent feature premiering this week, he joins us on the final regular episode of the season to talk about his journey as a filmmaker and writer, while also primarily discussing the importance of film criticism and the impact of film reviews in today's world.
Released at the end of 2019, Mathu Vadalara made waves in the industry with its dark comedy and striking direction. Now, five years later, the sequel is on the horizon. In this episode, listen to Kushal and Naren share their first impressions of the film, discuss why they think it worked so well, and explore what made it stand out among other films that year.
In this week's episode, Pranav sits down with the director and producer-editor of the short film Anjigaadu, set to release on Chai Bisket's YouTube channel on September 8th. They discuss the unique challenges filmmakers face both creatively and logistically, why some films remain unreleased, and the crucial role demo films play for aspiring storytellers today.
It feels like it was just yesterday that Geetha Govindam was released and captured the hearts of audiences across both Telugu states, with Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna rising to stardom. However, a few years after its release, the film faced criticism, and it's fair to say that despite our fond memories, it hasn't aged well. In this episode, join Pranav and Tanmayi as they discuss the issues people have raised about the film over the years and explore why it was so successful when it first came out.
Hasee Toh Phasee presents itself as a simple, fun rom-com but delves into deeper themes, including childhood trauma and gender expectations. Though it didn't perform well in theaters when it was released, the film offers rich layers of conflict that make us root for the leads. In this episode, Pranav discusses these conflicts and explores why the characters resonate with viewers.
Though crime comedies are rare in Telugu cinema, the few that exist have been quite successful, from Kshana Kshanam to Brochevarevarura. In 2013, a low-budget film in this genre managed to resonate with the average Telugu audience, eventually being hailed as one of the decade's best Telugu films. In this episode, Pranav and Kushal discuss the reasons behind Swamy Ra Ra's impact, Sudheer Varma's inspirations, and the film's narrative structure.
In 2022, a few of us at Mahindra University spent almost a year making an independent feature film on a zero budget, and the experience was quite honestly, life changing. In this episode, Pranav and Prabhath talk about long schedules, shooting with iphones, logistical challenges they encountered, their story about how they did the dubbing and sound mixing, and a lot of other interesting stories that they feel helped them become better filmmakers. If you're a student and an aspiring filmmaker, this one's for you.
One of Pawan Kalyan's most celebrated films amongst all, Jalsa is remembered for its strong interval sequence, hilarious comedy and the superb soundtrack. In this week's episode, Pranav and Aniruddha talk about the film's plot and the conflict point of the film, while also discussing about how writing comedy today is a more difficult task.
Featuring on The Hindu's 20 Best Films of the last decade(2010-2019), Oohalu Gusagusalade quickly made its way amongst the multiplex audience back when it released and continued to be referred to as a 'comfort' film. In this episode, Kushal and Amarthya try to analyse what makes the film so rewatchable and also discuss their favourite dialogues and one liners that are still fresh in their heads!
When social issues are addressed in Indian films, they are either exaggerated and over the top portrayals or barely scratch the surface of the topic they wish to talk about. However, Laapataa Ladies not only managed to show us problems that are faced on the ground levels of our country, it did so in a very engaging and entertaining manner. In this special episode, listen to Pranav and Vishnu talk about the film's characters, plot and also discuss the crucial part marketing plays amongst films today.
Aarya 2 underperformed at the box office for a variety of reasons, however, years after its release, the film along with its album is heavily celebrated, despite the discourse on a few problematic scenes. In this episode, listen to Kushal and Bhashit talk about their favourite scenes and dialouges from the movie, while trying to break down why it stands out in Sukumar's filmography.
Telugu people's love for cinema is unmatched, and Neninthe was one of the very few films in our language that discussed various issues in tollywood that somehow are still relevant,15 years post the film's release in 2008. In this episode, listen to Pranav and Charan talk about the reason why these issues still continue to exist, the role of an art director and why it probably is Puri Jagannadh's most personal film.
Athadu,despite its cult status amongst Mahesh Babu fans was not a box office crushing film when it released.However,discussions over Trivikram and his team's brilliance have continued for more than a decade after,and Hemal and I try in this episode try and analyse Athadu's seemingly simple structure,the editing that made the film so palatable and further go on to talk about how the actors we grew up with today are not actors anymore but 'stars' only.
We remember the release of Manam like it was yesterday. The hype surrounding the film's release, chartbuster songs, the fact that it was releasing post the demise of ANR gaaru, looking back, for a film of this genre to be considered a modern day classic is truly astonishing. In the debut episode of this season, Kushal and Pranav talk about their experiences with the film, and try to analyse the factors behind its enormous success.