BOTTOM LINE
Masala – lacks the spice
CENSOR
U Certified, 2h 40m.
OUR RATING
What is “Masala” about?
Masala tells the story of Rahman (Ram) who wants to get his sister married and be a responsible brother. He runs completely out of luck as he loses both his job and house for an unsuccessful case. Luckily for him he gets a job at Balaram’s (Venkatesh) place. Balaram is a simple heated man with only one weakness he cannot tolerate lies and circumstances force Rahman to lie, a lot. How Rahman wins the loyalty of Balaram after all the comedy of errors is what the film is all about.
How is Venkatesh and Ram?
Venkatesh is as usual in fine form. Although he overdoes at times its alright as he gets the key moments bang on. Ram on the other hand simply tries to replicate the act from the original version and he is just about fine in doing so. When compared to the original Venkatesh is definitely on par with his counterpart but same can’t be said about Ram though.
How is Vijay Bhaskar’s direction?
Director Vijaya Bhaskar remakes the film faithfully without altering anything from the original. He remakes Masala frame by frame from the original and is largely successful. The pace is uneven throughout with a dull moment followed by a hilarious scene. This unevenness is seen because the emotional scenes involving Ram fail to create any impact and appear to drag. Couple of songs, are unnecessary.
What about Anjali,Shazahn Padamsee Ali, and others ?
There are two heroines in the film Anjali and Shazahn Padamsee among the two Anjali is clearly the best and even she is given few nice emotionally appealing scenes as well. Coming to the remaining cast Jayaprakash Reddy towers over everyone else with his comic timing. Ali and MS Narayuana are seen in a full length role and they are alright. Kovai Sarala is good in few scenes but overacts in the remaining. Posani Krishna Murali does his routine act.
How is Music, Songs and Dances and other departments?
Music by Thaman is below average while the background score is just about okay. One wonders if the cinematography of the film is by I Andrews is credited as cinematographer but one wonders if he has indeed done the cinematography looking at the overall quality of the film. Production values are below par considering it stars big names. Editing is jerky most of the times.
How it is compared to the original?
Masala is a carbon copy of the original therefore people who have seen the original might find it boring.
Highlights?
1.Comedy.
2.Venkatesh – Ram chemistry.
Drawbacks?
1.Uneven pace of the film.
2.Songs.
3.Climax.
What about its box office prospects?
Masala is an average entertainer which relies heavily on the comedy and the chemistry between the two lead actors. As there has been not even a decent flick in the recent past Masala could find a bit of acceptance. The downside is this is not a season where the film could pick up slowly, it is a dull season and hence the final box office outcome may not match with what one might expect watching the film.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, because of Venky.
Reviewed by Siddhartha
