Srihari arrives in style

Srihari is one actor who is very clear as to what he wants from his films -- that is in terms of image building. He has patronised his writers, and stunt directors and even directors to the point that all of them think like him when they make a film with him. So when you watch a film you know it is a typical Srihari film. Which is indeed an achievement. Among the aam janta he still commands a very respectable position. And he has cashed in on it in style. Even the character roles he has done from some films recently, like Dhee, Nuvvostaanante Nenoddantaana? and others, have put him on par with the heroes and garnered him more mileage. Now, after much planning he has acted as a hero, in a film which is suprisingly titled Mahalakshmi. Generally, if you go by his track record, his films are oxymorons: why should I care what is happening in this self-centred world? They are selfish to the point of being arrogant and recklessly foolhardy. And he acts only when one of the characters realises the importance of taking the situation into his/her own hands. And he swoops down with his verbal whiplashing to the point of motivating them to their call of duty. Mahalakshmi too falls into the same category, but with a slight difference. It has been planned well, and executed every better. And the fight sequences by the director-stunt choreographer Vijayan have been choreographed amazingly. It's worth a watch if you are looking for some masala in your lives and bored with the same hero-beats-up-villain kind of stuff.

Will Srikanth manage to hang on?

Srikanth is desperately trying to keep his on-the-verge-of-drowning career afloat in the wake of the onslaught of younger heroes who have been sweeping the Telugu film industry like a tsunami sending tremors in the hearts of the ageing-and-refuse-to-leave-the-industry superstars. From NTR to Prabhas, from Mahesh Babu to Allu Arvind and even Ram and Siddharth have been flying high creating a niche for themselves. The reasons are many. But the most important is their freshness. And, of course, their ability to strike a chord with the younger directors. Coming to Srikanth, he has been clutching on to the straws, literally, and has been desperately trying to make himself noticed with his trademark comedy films with his trademark directors. But the land under his feet is fast slipping away. So he thought he would do something different before he fades away from the industry. Of course, it is just a euphimism for his unemployment. And for that, he has even shaven his head and is now sporting a barely-grown-hair-on-his-head look for his new film 'Operation Duryodhana'. Incidently, the film is directed by Posani Krishna Murali, and looking from the likes of it, it appears as if the theme is written keeping Srihari in mind. We will come to that later. The film has some really hard-hitting political dialogues questioning the system and its deviation from the Constitution, in typical Posani style. But will Srikanth be able to deliver? That is the million dollar question.