Film:Toss
Banner: Dev Films
Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Upendra, Raja, Priyamani, Kamna, Ramya, Suman, Venu Madhav, Ali, Krishna Bhagwan, Abhinayasree, Jeeva etc
Music: Mani Sharma
Producers: Dev Amar, KK Radhamohan
Direction: Priyadarshini Ram
Release Date:14th July 2007
Story:
Neelakanta (Upendra) is the elder brother of Naina (Priyamani). Naina is a blind girl who receives great love for her brother. But Neelakanta is a nightmare for police and other goondas. Neelakanta’s profession itself is unlawful. He remains no evidence after committing crime. So there will be no witness to put him behind bars.
Parasu Ram (Raja) is a young guy who aims at becoming a police officer. But his dreams will not be fulfilled. Nisha (Kamna) is the girl who aspires to become a film heroine and is a close friend of Parasu Ram. She has no big role to play than to entertain. He becomes an alternative police man without uniform and catches the criminals and suppresses crime. Commissioner of Police Nayak (Suman) supports Parasu Ram to carry his mission. He asks him to close the chapter of Neelakanta and promises him of offering a job in Police Department. Parasu Ram starts his mission.
Will Parasu Ram achieves his goal? Who is Parasu Ram? Who is Neelakanta and who is Nayak? What is the relation among all these? The narration takes us to climax.
Performances:
Raja changed his look. He is like a macho man with strong biceps and heavily built chest. His role is totally a mass one.
Upendra’s role is typical brother who cares for his sister. He is given a wild appeal and more graphics are used on him to bring depth.
Priyamani is sensuous with saris in a song but in rest of the film she is with her blindness.
Kamna has shown enough of her curvy assets and tried to imitate Urmila in Rangeela.
Ramya’s rough-lady role with sexposure is for glamour quotient.
Comedy track is very dull. Only Venu Madhav’s performance as NTR brings a few laughs. Krishna Bhagwan is not used properly by the director. He would have given more output if right track was given.
Fights are incredible. It’s again technical faculty that boosted up the adrenaline of audiences. Choreography is normal and music is below average.
Priyadarsini Ram’s direction and screenplay is in its confused state. More focus is kept on graphics but not on the purpose of the film and point of conviction. There are many mistakes in narrations.
‘Head’less and ‘Tail’less Aspects of this ‘Toss’:
1. Raja appears as lawyer in one of the scenes and supports prostitution and alcoholism with reasoning. The purpose of the scene is not understood. The total court scene itself is confused.
2. The fight between Raja and a heavily built goonda recalls the Bheema-Bakasura yudhdham in old Mahabharatha films. It has no conviction at all.
3. Upendra’s childhood artiste quenching the thirst of his sister with blood is wild and crude. It does nauseate as well.
4. Upendra’s ball dance with sister is also far from local tradition.
Winning Aspects in ‘Toss’:
1. Graphics
2. Background Score
3. Glamour Quotient
4. Venu Madhav’s imitation like Mayasabha Duryodhana
Analysis:
The first half and second half runs with same tempo with the blend of action and cooked up comedy. Interval twist is also not so great.
It appears as if we are watching a Kannada film. The concept of Self Employment Tax is a new idea generated with this film.
On a whole, while vulgarity in dialogues and tidbits of comedy are mass appealing there is no big element that allures the class audiences. The fate of this film depends on the patronage of mass audiences.
This is the film made by Priyadarsini Ram of ‘Manodu’ fame. He attempted a high dose mass masala flick with action part in domination. Will he get fruits with this? That’s doubtful.
(SiraSri can be reached at [email protected])
