CHARMI INTERVIEW CONTI...

     

  People say that you are a fun loving girl and have no airs about you. What's life like after the day's shoot? Do you mix around with the crew?

"When I was a beginner I used to be very trusting and was quite open about matters but now I observe before I say anything".

Has anything happened to you for you to be wary?

"No, but you know how it is, when you are a rank newcomer you tend to take everything on face value but as you gain experience you become careful. I think as an actress I get to interact and study so many different kinds of people. No other walk of life offers you so many opportunities to study people up close"

Your first two films flopped. Bombed would be a more accurate term. How did you cope with early failure?

"I cried myself to sleep every night for a long time. I just could not take it. My heart felt like a lump of steel in my chest. You need a good support system to come out of that".

But you are back in the movies. What did you do?

"Over time I realised that I cannot be held entirely responsible. True I have to take a major share in the blame but then there are so many people involved in the making of a film. There is the script writer, the art director, the costumer and of course the Director himself. No actor or actress can be so arrogant and full of themselves to think that a film is carried entirely on his or her shoulders. Now I try and analyse the probable cause of failure. In hindsight you can see why it flopped" (smiles mirthlessly).

Ok. Let's get away from talking about your early failures. People always want to know how you girls pass time when you are not on the sets. Tell us about your favourite pastimes.

"I am a fitness girl. I am not a fitness freak but I like to look fit and the only way you can look fit is by exercising so I do a lot of workouts in the gym. I also read. I always carry a good book on the sets so time flies. I can cook too. I do pretty good non vegetarian stuff".

Do you have problems moving about in Hyderabad?

No I don't. Actually that is the problem. I don't get mobbed. I wish I were popular enough to be. Once I went to the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada. Not a single person recognized me. My ego was crushed until I decided to roll along the temple parikrama. That's when I got recognized. That felt good too.

Let us know about the men in your life. You have a lot of male fans out there who will want to know that.

 

"I am so sorry to disappoint them. I don't have any special man friend".

You won't be disappointing them. They will be a relieved lot.

She smiles revealing a good set of teeth. She is an attractive girl and it is not for nothing that she has a fan following. Women also find her good looking which says a lot.

"My closest friends are my Dad and Krishna Vamsi. My Dad is wonderful but Krishna Vamsi put me straight. I had put on a lot of weight and it was his straight talking that made me loose weight. He actually told me that I if I stayed fat I would be unfit for cinema. That made me shape up in a hurry".

You said you read so can you tell me the title of a book you read recently?

"It may not be the last book I read but Shiv Khera's books motivate me a lot. I carry it around when I go on a shoot".

She is called for a shot but before she goes away I ask her who she thinks is good for her.
"Krishna Vamsi and Babu. They are the best" and with that she walks away

CHARMI INTERVIEW

   

You have been moving about a fair bit. I mean you did Telugu and then Tamil and now even Malayalam films. Don't you think you should stay put in one language?

"I don't see any reason why. After all even Telugu which was the language of my first film was not in my mother tongue. So checking out all languages is the best option for me besides I do not know where I will taste success. I did a film with Silambarasan in Tamil and now the offers are coming in".

 

So am I to understand that you have yet to decide on any one language?

"Absolutely right. I have not decided yet. It will all depend on which language the offers are coming in for. I will be glad to stick to one if there is a clear indication". But if the offers start to come in thick and fast I guess you will then decide? "Just numbers don't make sense. If these films don't come with an attractive package I may not take them. After all I'm in it for the money and if that doesn't add up it makes no sense to work oneself to the bone".

 

Don't you want to be considered as being No 1? "Generally this stuff about being No 1 is all about the money so if I am being offered good money then it automatically means that I am somewhere at the top otherwise it means I am nowhere.

I must admit that she is right because being the criteria for being called No 1 is all about the actor's fee. All this talk about great acting talent is generally baloney. The public is the final arbiter. If they like a particular actress then they go out to watch her and if she has any brains she will hold out for as much as the market will bear.

How was the experience of working with Krishna Vamsi?

"He is simply amazing. One tends to think that you know a fair bit about acting after your first movie but when you work with someone like Krishna Vamsi you realise acting is a life long
learning experience. The shades within a given situation are so vast and varied that just thinking about the different aspects of an emotion makes your head spin".

   

It was praises all the way at a recent meet held by the crew of Mynaa, a film which has created ripples at the box office. The entire cast and crew of the movie were seen enjoying their moment of glory.  Prabu Solomon was the man of the hour as the attendees showered accolades on the director for his work on the film. Speaking on the occasion, the filmmaker said, "My phone has not stopped ringing since the release of the flick. The biggest accolade I received was from Rajinikanth sir himself, who was quite moved after watching the film. He told me 'Mynaa is a classic and I wish I had acted in at least one scene in the film'."  Udayanidhi Stalin who marketed the film, also received accolades from those present.  Read more: Accolades galore for Prabu Solomon - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/news-interviews/Accolades-galore-for-Prabu-Solomon/articleshow/6901387.cms#ixzz16wK4t7QS

At the absurd age of thirteen Charmi started her career in cinema. Thirteen is all right for a lot of things including entering high school, getting stuck into her books or even getting interested in boys. But here was this young girl doing a role in a movie. The movie in question was 'Nee Thodu Kavali'. Actually it is bad enough doing films at that age but she was introduced in the role of a housewife. She is a Mumbai girl residing in distant Vasai which was earlier known as Bassein. It is a place with a lot of history around it but it is unlikely that Charmi was ever into history. Like many of her tribe she was spotted while walking along a road and the rest as they say is history. From a modeling assignment in Mumbai she graduated to her first film. Since her first film she has starred in T. Rajendar's film titled 'Kaadhal Azhivadillai' which was titled 'Kuradochadu in Telugu.

After that original foray into Telugu cinema she wandered off to do more films in Tamil and even one in Malayalam. Then back into Telugu with Neeke Manasichanu opposite Srikanth.

She was in Chennai the other day so I caught up with her on location. Later I spoke to her over the phone to fill in the gaps. The sets were buzzing with the crew hauling props around and we had to hunt around for a quiet place to talk.

16 DAYS MOVIE REVIEW

A local don Yadagiri (Kota) loses his son to his rival Rami Reddy. Yadagiri vows to kill Rami Reddy�s son in 16 days � on the day of his son�s Karmakanda as per their family�s ritual. He hires several professional killers but Rami Reddy eliminates all. On other hand, Yadagiri�s men bring Gutti Murthy (Aravind), a fresh graduate youngster searching for a job, mistaking him for Subramanyam who owes them money.  Murthy impresses Yadagiri and gives him an idea how to kill Rami Reddy�s son. So Yadagiri entrusts the killing job on him. While he is heading to his home, Rami Reddy�s men kidnap him and bury him in an isolated place. But he luckily escapes from it and lands in his apartment where he meets Angel (Charmee), a loner who lives in empty flats while the owners are away. They bond well and eventually marry each other. The rest of the movie is how Murthy escapes from the dons after 16 days. 

Analysis

Basic concept of 16 Days is taken from Hollywood thriller - Lucky Number Slevin. The original Hollywood thriller is a revenge drama but the debutant director Prabhu Solomon has removed the revenge aspect and weaved his own story which is nothing but hotchpotch. While the chacterisation of heroine Charmee�s is copied from Korean movie - 3 Iron. The film is engaging in bits and spurts. But after a few scenes it tends to get monotonous and drags on and on. Although it starts off well, the director loses focus in the mid-way by concentrating on silly aspects of bonding between hero Aravind and heroine Charmee and also the unnecessary sub story of Ramireddy�s son indulging silly games. Such sub plots have distracted the core story. On the whole the movie seems okay in some scenes but it gets boring towards the climax. 

Script is filled with lot of loopholes and logic less scenes. It could have been better if the director focused on main plot line - an innocent guy caught in two mafia dons and come out as winner.

Those who expect the film would be another good thriller or some steamy scenes from Charmee would be in major disappointment. 16 Days is more focused on the film�s hero Aravind than the Charmee. In fact she doesn�t have much role in it.

Performances

Charmee plays the role of a loner who imitates all the heroes in Telugu. Her act of imitating is irritating at most times. Her glam act in two songs is not that sizzling, as it is nothing compared to what she had done in earlier movies. Newcomer Aravind is perfect to the role of an innocent guy. His dialogue delivery (dubbed voice?) is similar to A.M.Ravi Krishna. The film revolves around him and he carries it off well. Senior actor Kota as local mafia leader does his best. Other cast is mostly newcomers or Tamil actors.

Cinematography is excellent. Some of the shots composition by debutant director Prabhu Solomon deserve praise. He seems to have talent in �executing the movie in stylish way� but he has poor script sense. Or seems so. Music is good. Two songs especially the first night number is lilting.

A O R AUDIO FUNCTION

        

Just Yellow banner has a unique way of expressing itself. If Gangaraju Gunnam has chosen songs to be the focus of functions of Aithe, he preferred for magic for Anokokunda Oka Roju (AOR). For audio function of Aithe, he made all the guests to sing their favorite songs. For the 100 days function of Aithe, he conducted an atakshari by making 5 teams. 

Audio of AOR was released in a magic show. Baby Kavya (of Little Soldiers fame) released the audio of this film. This function was organized in Music World, Banjara Hills amidst the unit members, press and customers of Music World on the night of 31st May. A group of five lissome lasses - dressed in stark red cloths - performed choreography to the medley of songs from AOR. Suma anchored the event.

Producer Gangaraju Gunnam said that this audio function is a deliberate effort to deviate from the routine style of organizing audio functions. In a humble statement, he asked people to give honest opinions about the audio - be it good or bad.

MM Keeravani, Charmy, Smita, Sashank and Chandra Sekhar Yeleti spoke very little on this occasion as they chose the audio cassette to speak for itself.

Just Yellow holds the copyrights of audio and Aditya music is doing distribution

A O R PRESS MEET

        Just Yellow banner that deliver elite intelligent entertainer like 'Aithe' is producing another film titled Anukokunda Oka Roju in the direction of Chandra Sekhar Yeleti. Charmy and Sashank (Aithe and Sye fame) play main leads. Shooting of this film is almost complete. Producer Gangaraju Gunnam arranged a press meet to share the details and the progress of this film.

 

Synopsis: This film is about a strange unexpected incident occurred to a common girl on one day and the things that lead to and follow that incident. 

Original story - Gangaraju Gunnam
Gangaraju said that shooting of this film was started on 20th of November and the film is almost complete by now but for a 7-day-shoot. This film is an entertaining suspense thriller. The story of the film is refreshingly original. Audio of this film would be released in the month of May and film would be released later.

Natural expressions - Charmy
Charmy is playing the role of a simple girl called Sahasra. She had simple costumes in this film and wore no makeup. She says that she worked in the roles of hyperactive mass heroines in earlier films. But in this film she is playing a sensible role of simple girl next door. Her expressions in this film are going to be minute and natural. The story of this film impressed her so much that she signed this film without even asking about other details of cast and crewmembers.

Thriller with wide reach - Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
Director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti said that this film is a thriller. Unlike Aithe, which has limited appeal to certain section of audience (elite A center crowds) this film has wider reach and would appeal to the lower level classes as well. 

Role of a cabbie - Sashank
Actor Sashank said that he is playing the role of a cab driver called Rajesh who is also a part time MBA pursuer. His character is a positive one. He hopes that his role in this film would open flood gates to him for commercial solo hero roles in Telugu film industry.

Different color schemes and lighting patterns - Sarvesh
Debutant cinematographer Sarvesh said that he completed his degree in Photography in JNTU. He worked as an associate with cinematographers like Rasool and Senthil in the past. This film would be having color scheme and different lighting patterns.

Songs details
MM Keeravani scored 5 songs and one chorus song for this film. All these songs are written from the point of heroine and hence only female playback singers lent their voices. Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan sang two songs each. Pop star Smita sang another song.

A O R MOVIE REVIEW

Sahasra (Charmi) is a chorus singer struggling to make a career in playback singing. One night she goes to a wild party on the insistence of her fast-going girl friend (Pooja Bharati). A few days later she gets chased by unidentified men who try to murder her. The rest of the story is all about unveiling the mysterious happenings that occurred on that night where she went to party.

Charmy: The character of Sahasra is the best role etched for any heroine in the recent years. Charmi acted sans make-up. She fit in her role effortlessly and gave an extremely natural performance. She wore long skirts throughout the film. Sunitha's dubbing adds more strength to her characterization.

Sashank: Sashank made his debut as one of the four youngsters in Aithe. Later on he acted as gang leader in Sye. This is his 1st film as solo hero. He played the role of righteous cabbie. His characterization too is very strong. He impresses everybody with faultless portrayal. 

Jagapati Babu: Jagapati's character in this film is going to be a sweet surprise. He did the role of a suspended cop who unveils the mystery by collecting the clues. He also has a softer side where he tries to impress up on heroine. His role in this film would be another unforgettable cameo in his career like that of Anthahpuram character. Jagapati Babu is definitely an asset to 'Anukokunda Oka Roju'. However, Jagapati carrying juice packs with him throughout the film appears more like an advertisement to 'Real' brand.

Others: Narsing Yadav grabbed a memorable role in this film. He did the role of a typical Government employee who tries to pick up roles in stage theater and cinema fields. Harsha Vardhan (of Amrutham fame) is hilarious with the portrayal of a tuition teacher who entertains with his funny English. He has got terrific comedy timing and right expressions that generates subtle humor. Pawan Malhotra has a pivotal role in this film and he is just great. Ravi Prakash is good. Amit, Pingpong and Kaushal are adequate. Pooja Bharati fits the bill as fast going girl. Baby Roopika is impressive.

MANTRA MOVIE STORY

Story:
Mantra (Charmy) is a parentless girl and the owner of her ancestral estate ‘Mantra Nilayam’. She wants to sell that big house at the outskirts of the city. But whoever comes as tenants in that house will be killed in mysterious way. Hence no buyer comes forward to buy that house. Finally a person comes to buy the house on a condition. The condition is that someone should stay there for 3 months and stay alive. Then Mantra herself thinks of living in that bungalow along with her friend. But her friend notices some evil spirit and gets frightened. 

They vacate the place and come back. Meanwhile, Hero (Shivaji), a rowdy who lives on land settlements approaches Mantra. She asks him to stay in ‘Mantra Nilayam’ for 3 months saying about the place and mysterious deaths. Her thinks to take some commission from Mantra after selling that house. Hence he starts staying there along with his three friends. Suddenly on a day, one of his friends in the group gets killed in mysterious way. 

Then the story takes a full horror swing from then. What is Mntra Nilayam? Why there are mysterious deaths? Who is Mantra? Watch on screen to find answers for all these.

MANTRA MOVIE REVIEW

What's it about:

Mantra (Charmee) owns an ancestral property in suburbs. To repay the debts, she wants to sell it off but the residence is branded as haunted house and all the prospective buyers flee as they hear this. Finally, a professor come forward to buy that bungalow on one condition that Mantra should get people to stay in it for three months.

Meanwhile,a henchman of settlement don offers to stay in the house along with his friends. But the story has not ended, soon may twist follow.

Analysis:

Thrillers especially scary movies like this are enjoyable only if they are made in taut manner. Mantra offers enough chills and thrills but it could have been shorter and crisper. Nevertheless, the movie is paisa vasool fare. The new director Tulasiram is should be commanded for making the the movie  is paisa vasool fare. The new director Tulasiram is commanded for making the movie laced with enough  suspense. Especially in the first half, the movie is so scary and in topnotch form.

It peters out in the sescond half and ends up an okey thriller.It is always tough holding viewers interest with a single storyline in thrillers. Tulasiram faults in the later half of the film by dragging storyline. Yet he and his technical team have come up with nice scary movie that can provide enough time pass fare despite many flaws and certain illogical scenes. 

Cinematographer Sailandra's Camara work, re-recording and good plot line deserve a special mention.

Performances:

At the outset, it seems the film belongs to Charmee but actually it is Shivaji who gets maximum screen space. Charmee in her brier role does good job both in acting wise and glamour department. her skin show is good eye feast for men. Kausha another glam girl, gets good attention She is sexy and does neat job to her role Shivaji as the main character has shown his range in comic timing. he makes us sit through the film.

Technically, it is cinematographer Sailendra's work that Catches the eye.He gives slick look to the thriller. Andand's re-recording is good. Director has shown his spark in the first half of the film. He looks promising.

Bottom-line:

If you have yen for thrillers and suspense movies, it offers enough chills and scares. Despite some flaws, and nagging pace in the second half the positive points and thrilling moments ouweigh them. Mantra is a decent thriller and good time pass.

Remakes are a tight-rope walk. The original would have been made keeping in my strengths of an actor in that language. So it is imperative on those handling the remake to come up with improvisations to suit the new language and actor.

The makers of Political Rowdy had slipped precisely on this front. They have failed to tap the strengths of Mohan Babu. His forte is heavy dialogues, but both Parchuri Brothers (handling the dialogues) and Adi, the director, seem to have let him down badly.

That is really a pity as the film has the potential for gritty and enjoyable entertainment. It is also a story that will suit the age of the hero. Alas, the chance has gone a begging.

The film is all about the mad capers of an ageing don. Pandu Ranga Vittal (Mohan Babu) is the one whom the entire city dreads and looks up to for settling matters. This bachelor don (he has a thing against marriage), as it happens, falls in love with the cute young thing Kaveri (Charmi).

The man, who split with his brother (Prakash Raj) just because the latter had fallen in love and married, is himself now struck by the arrows of cupid. Pandu brings back his brother and tries too woo and win over Kaveri. The impish girl, however, is already in love (Abbas).

But the little lovable rascal that the don is, he goes head on and tries to get the hand of Kaveri. He makes a compelling case for himself. The climax is about who gets Kaveri.

The story has inherent comedy situations, but the director has failed to tap it fully. The spoof on politics and others are half-hearted and feeble. But there is nothing feeble in the acting of Mohan Babu. He gives a command performance, extracting the best out of the role that suits him to at.

Charmi, the heroine, looks cute in typical dresses. She has given a good account of herself. Prakash Raj is as usual efficient.Brahmanandam and his comedy team sure do bring guffaws on our face.

Sandeep Chowtha's music (the songs) belongs to the top drawer. But somehow on screen, the effect is lost due to poor picturization. For which, one has to blame both the cameraman and the director.

Adi should cop a lot of flak for the inconsistencies. He has let slip a good opportunity.

All in all, what could have been fun all through happens only in fits and starts

Cast: Deepak, Charmi, Rimmi Sen, Anuradha Pradhan, Ramaprabha, Jahnavi, Vizag Prasad, Radhaiah, Deep Singh, Gautham Raju, 'Chitram' Sreenu, Vinay Varma and Baby Hasna
Dialogues: Ramana Salwa
Music: Valisha Baabji & Sandeep
Producer - Story - Screenplay - Direction: Bheemaneni Srinivasa Rao
Theatrical Release Date: 28th March 2002


             Vasu(depak)  an engineer falls in love with Manasa (Charmi) and it changes of his life. As her rich father objects for the marriage because he is poor he earns money very fast and marries her . But after two months of married life, his wife dies in an accident. On the other end the second heroine needs a heart transplant. So manasa heart was donated to sindu(rimmisen),  granddaughter of a restaurant owner (Vizag Prasad). The story concentrates on bringing the widower and the girl together. Sindhu is not aware that the heart she received belongs to the wife of Vasu. An interesting situation is created to let this secret out and both come to know who is who. Why the director makes Sindhu feel sorry and decide to go away to another country, just to stay away from the man she loved, lacks logic. Finally the narration gets back to the excepted route to give a happy end to the film.
The film is taken from a Hollywood flick return to me. It is an exact copy of it scene by scene. Why he made this god know. The film is a flop in all standards. 

Songs :
Bala Mani
Lyrics: Bhasha Sree
Playback: Udit Narayan, SwarnalathaBalamai

Geetam sangeetam

Lyrics: bhasharee

Playback: hariharan, Usha

Janabhido

Playback: sunidhi chauhan

Lyrics: bhasasri

Andala kona

Lyrics: bhasasri

Playback: Valisha balaji

Kalalo kalale kannanu

Lyrics: bhasasri

Playback: Valisha balaji, harini

Pathikella

Lyrics: bhasasri

Playback: ravi verma and lenina

Swasalo swasalle

Lyrics: bhasasri

Playback: valsiha baabji

Neetodu kavali

Lyrics: bhasasri

Playback: sunitha