Movie: Erra Bus
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Tarak Prabhu Films
Cast: Dasari Narayana Rao, Vishnu Manchu, Catherine Tresa, Bramhanandam and Others
Music: Chakri
Cinematography: Anji
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswar Rao
Producer, Dilogues, Screenplay, Direction: Dasari Narayana Rao
Release Date: November 14,2014
Darsakaratna Dasari Narayana Rao made 150 films in his illustrious career and created some memorable roles. However, after Paramaveerachakra, there has been a long gap before he decided to remake the Tamil hit 'Manjapai' in Telugu. The film has Dasari and Manchu Vishnu playing the roles of grandfather and grandson. Let’s see how it has shaped up:
Story:
Software engineer Rajesh (Vishnu) dreams of settling in the US. After waiting for a very long time, Rajesh finally gets the break he has been looking for. Since he has three months to leave, he decides to spend some time with his grandfather (Dasari Narayana Rao) who brought him up during his childhood. But his grandfather finds it difficult to get used to the apartment culture and the urban lifestyle. Due to him, Rajesh almost loses his job and his girlfriend Raji (Catherine) distances herself from him.
Artistes’ Performances:
Dasari who had in the past impressed his fans and critics in films such as Mamagaru and Surigaadu, is totally involved in his character. He lives in the role of a grandfather who dotes on his grandson. And he stands out as the main highlight of the film.
Vishnu too fits the role of the grandson perfectly with his natural style of acting. He does total justice to the role of a man stuck between his grandfather and girlfriend. He particularly impresses in the emotional scenes towards the end of the film.
Catherine is okay. Raghu Babu gets a good role as the supporting cast, instead of doing the usual comedy track. The rest of the cast have done their best within the limits set by their characters.
Technical Excellence:
Music is by Chakri and the song Om Namasivaya is trendy. The baby shower song is also good on the ears. All other technical departments have put in decent work, though nothing is outstanding.
However, the film is a bit lengthy and it would have been best if they chopped off at least 20 minutes. The production values are good.
Dasari has once again proved that he is a pro in handling emotional scenes. He has shot the scenes between the grandfather and grandson really well and the climax scenes are really good. But there is a risk that the audiences who are used to fast-paced films might find the film overly melodramatic.
Highlights:
- Dasari
- Vishnu
Drawbacks:
- Brahmanandam’s comedy track
- Slow narration
Analysis:
The film highlights the differences between the urban dwellers who are selfish and the villagers who are straight forward and give priority to family ties and values.
The film is a lesson to city people who seldom bother to look into the problems of others and don’t make any effort to help even their neighbours. However, since Erra Bus's concept is serious, as the film progresses, the melodrama gets heavy. And by the time the film reaches climax, it becomes too heavy and those who are not used to watching heavy-duty emotional dramas might find it difficult to sit through the film.
In fact, some of the opening scenes are dull and outdated. The love track between Vishnu and Catherine and the comedy track between Krishnudu and Melkote make you feel as if you are watching a film which is 30 years old.
The film becomes more interesting after the grandfather’s character comes on to the screen. Though taking a bath in the apartment complex’s fountain and washing clothes there are too extreme, one has to laugh them off in the name of comedy. Barring the scenes between the grandfather and grandson, all other scenes come out as artificial and forced.
Also, an independent girl like Catherine disliking the old man does not go well with her characters’s psyche.
By the time the film reaches second half, the drama thickens and the audience doesn’t get any relief. So, a track with Brahmanandam and crows has been forcibly incorporated and the entire track becomes a huge headache.
Also, the emotional scenes and the scenes showing the greatness of the grandfather are nothing new and you end up having a sense of déjà vu. But the last scene is very good. If the film had more such scenes, it would have attracted people who enjoy heavy drama, emotional films. But since you don’t tend to connect with the lead pair, there is disconnect between the audience and the film.
Erra Bus has surely failed in getting the audience bond with the lead characters. An age-style of story handling and no relief make the film tedious to watch and make the journey uncomfortable on Erra Bus.
Bottomline: Not a smooth journey!
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
