Film: Nenu Devudni
Rating: 1/5
Banner: Vasan Visuals
Cast: Arya, Pooja, Umashankar, Kannan, Simgampuli, Thamizhmani, Rajendran, Bharati and others
Music: Ilayaraja
Art: Krishna Murthy
Cinematography: Arthur Wilson
Story, Screenplay, Director: Bala
Producer: K S Srinivasan
Released on: 06/02/2009
Ever since 'Arundhati' became a success, the concept of Aghora Sadhus became a major sensation and with the film 'Nenu Devudni' revolving a lot on the same and also the Naga Sadhus the expectations were high. So how true is this Aghora sadhu equivalent to God, let us go inside and see…
Story:
Set on the banks of river Ganga in north Kasi, the abode of the many Aghora Sadhus lives one who goes by the name of Kaala Bhairavudu (Arya) and his life takes a turn when his father and sister come to seek him after a marathon fourteen years. They manage to speak to the guru of Bhairava and take him to their village but then this Aghora Sadhu is aloof from his family and emotional bonds. In the end, the family members give him up and Bhairava starts staying with a group of local saints and other physically handicapped people near the temple. They have their own story as they are led by a cruel and heartless man Thandav (Thamizhmani) and are forced to beg near the temple in various get ups. One among them is the blind girl (Pooja) who is a good singer but she is also forced to beg. A twist of fate occurs and the blind girl seeks the asylum of Bhairava. Though he is not responsive to her pleas of help, he manages to save her from few bad guys. Thandav decides to take vengeance on Bhairava. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.
Performance:
Arya has come out with complete dedication and though his role was not etched well, his efforts are worth it. Equally competent is Pooja who is in a totally deglamorised state and things get worse for her in the second half, she has come up with commendable efforts.
The others comprised of a group of physically challenged individuals and also few real life Aghora Sadhus who did their bit to suit the scenes.
The director has come out with an absolutely nothing tale and it was expected that the narrative was way below minimum pass mark.
The presentation however needs some mention since the music was decent, the camera captured the locales well.
Editing was totally out of order, the dialogues were tasteless and confusing, script was completely numb, and screenplay was average and had nothing catchy.
The other departments need no mention here.
Directorial Drawbacks:
1. Lead role Arya, being aghora, appears in black-black dress and black shoes in many scenes.
2. Lead role is shown as a drug addict and maniac killer than an aghora
3. Placing subtitles all of a sudden by muting the sound in some scenes is disgusting
Analysis:
The movie is a disgusting treat with nauseate screenplay, nasty make up, rugged characters and on a whole a disgraceful presentation. That would have been stood unique had there is some content in narration. But that's pale, insipid, stupid, purposeless and moreover insane and ghastly. Bala disappointed entire off-beat film lovers and also the film freaks those wish to watch something different. The beginning is promising but the conclusion is highly repulsive.
"Death is a punishment for the bad and the same is a boon even for the good those are in pain"!!! That's the senseless essence of the movie all over.
The lead character, the so-called 'aghora' implements that pseudo law on society by killing both bad and also innocents those are feeling pain. The sub title beneath the title reads 'Aham Brahmasmi'. But the audience after coming out from theatre feels 'Aham Bhasmosmi'. The title 'Musti Lokam' or 'Musti Prapancham' would aptly suit the content shown in this film. 'Nenu Devudni' is wrongly titled. There is no god-concept, no divinity, no supernatural and no line to learn or edify.
Firstly, the director needs to be given the sole blame for making a mess out of the movie, given the fact that it has taken three years one fails to understand what exactly has he been doing all this while. It was neither a feature on the lives of Aghora Sadhus, it did not have a message to the audience, it did not focus on a remedy to the problems faced by all those deformed unfortunate people so what exactly is the point in giving the title that the self is equivalent to god. It was nothing but a fare of showing some of the most shocking faces of human life and the focus was more on the beggars and their daily lives than anything else. Agreed that he was trying to bring the issue to the audience but if just by showing a bunch of crippled people the job can be done then they must realize that by no means was this effective. The ideology of life and death mentioned here is surely sending a wrong message to the audience.
The film deserves the one mark only due to the sheer efforts of the lead pair and their commitment levels and partly due to the technical values. Otherwise, it is absolute trash!! Keep away from this film to keep brains in right condition.
(SiraSri can be reached at [email protected])
