 Once upon a time in southern India there lived a feisty lower-caste girl named Vanaja, whose hard-drinking father couldn’t properly care for her. She found employment with her village’s wealthy landlady, Rama Devi, who took her under her wing and taught her Kuchipudi dance.
So begins Rajnesh Domalpalli’s debut film, named for its young heroine, which plays like a rags-to-riches fairy tale, at least until Rama Devi’s spoiled-rotten only son, Shekhar (Karan Singh), enters the picture. A beefcake aspiring politician with sadistic tendencies, he quickly jeopardizes Vanaja’s chances for a happy ending.
Mr. Singh’s unconvincing snarls aside, the film features strong performances from a mostly nonprofessional cast, a pleasantly muted look reminiscent of cinema made decades ago and some lovely dance sequences, which, contrary to the style of many Indian films, are built firmly into the narrative.
Alan M. Smith/Emerging Pictures
The lead character in "Vanaja," set in southern India.
During the course of the film, Vanaja grows from 14 to 16. Mamatha Bhukya, who plays the role, looks barely a day over 12 but compensates for it with an inner maturity that manages to shines through.
“Vanaja” is a coming-of-age tale that is engrossing, if slightly overlong, and absolutely timeless, unfolding against an antiquated class system that sadly stands firm in rural areas of India to this day
VANAJA
Opens today in Manhattan.
Written (in Telugu, with English subtitles) and directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli; director of photography, Milton Kam; edited by Robert Q. Lovett and Mr. Domalpalli; music by Indira Amperiani and Bhaskara S. Narayanan; dance director, Srinivas Devarakonda; production designers, Nagulu Busigampala, Babu Rao Murugula, Krishna Bolagani, Brahmam Atigadda, Sati Devi Tacchota and Krishna Garlapati; produced by Latha Rajendra Kumar Domalpalli; released by Emerging Pictures. At the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 111 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Mamatha Bhukya (Vanaja), Urmila Dammannagari (Rama Devi), Ramachandriah Marikanti (Somayya), Krishnamma Gundimalla (Radhamma), Bhavani Renukunta (Lacchi) and Karan Singh (Shekhar).
http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/movies/31vana.html |
