Vanaja

Mamatha Bhukya is the main attraction of this movie. Her acting is exceptional in this movie. Overall this movie is totally believable, mostly on the funny side but ultimately it portrays the sad side of things of how certain powerful landlords of upper class society in many states in India can take advantage of another lower caste hard working individuals, even if it is in the guise of patronizing benevolence. This is the only one movie that Mamatha Bhukya has played roles in but her acting, her expressions, her role in the movie is outstanding.I did like the movie worthy of four stars!

Note: Hindi with English subtitles.To be honest, I have to admit to having mixed feelings about `Vanaya', the award winning Indian film from '07. Immediately enthralled at the beginning by the exotic and beautifully captured visuals of rural India, the mesmerizing Kuchipudi music and dancing and the innocent, genuine charm of its young star Mamatha Bhukya I couldn't wait for the story to unfold.Unfortunately midway through the film the storyline abruptly changes course with the arrival of Shekhar (Karan Singh) a potential love interest and eventual male antagonist. This addition delegated the music and dance aspect of the film to a minor subplot substituting class struggle, caste system concerns and gender issues in its place. In my opinion in doing so they ultimately neglect the most appealing aspect of the story.Please don't mistake this slight personal disappointment of mine to mean that this isn't an excellent film because it definitely is. I just feel it would have been more effective as an exploration of the cultural and spiritual roots of the dance rather than the social commentary it evolved into. Nevertheless 'Vanaja' is a quality film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience. Recommended viewing.

I did not get this movie at all. It was filled with superficial acting and really weird constant passive aggressiveness. I didn’t know where or when to take the story seriously. Very weird movie. I don’t know how I feel after watching it however I felt it wasted my time. The ending was the worse. But I didn’t want to leave a bad rating because it’s not my culture, maybe people in their culture would understand better.

The production value of the movie is truly impressive and the acting is masterful. I am giving 4 stars as the movie was apparently made dirt cheap, with $2K. That is truly hard to believe as the entire movie is filmed so beautifully and acted so well. The actors were all non-professionals, with this being their first film. The writer, producer and director (all being the same person) really did a grand job. The movie itself drags on too long. Some of the scenes could have been shortened. Note that the movie does not give us a happy ending but leaves us hanging.

The movie is in Telugu with English subtitles and not in Hindi as a another reviewer suggests.I was fortunate to attend a private screening of this movie, in NYC, by the director Domalpalli. This movie is a true work of art reminiscent of early Satyajit Ray. Knowledge of the Telugu language enhances the experience that this movie conveys, even with excellent subtitles.Using amateur actors Domalpalli has captured the strains of the caste and class system which are real in rural India. There are many poignant scenes in this movie where the aspirations of a young girl are pitted against the shackles of class and caste. Each character in this film adds to the rich dimensionality of emotions that are conveyed by this film This film has made very good use of color and sound in order to enhance the visual as well as auditory experience..Unlike "bollywood" movies where there are characters that are only good or bad, each character in this movie exhibits both qualities, to a greater or lesser extent, and the depiction of these is a tribute to the Director's artistry.I would have expected this film to be more popular especially, in India, where it has not been released. The lack of financial resources seems to have handicapped the producer and director in giving this film the much wider audience that it richly deserves. I also suspect that this movie is too close for comfort to some who would rather sweep issues, such as caste and class, under the rug.

I loved the dancing and music. So different from the Bollywoood type films. I don't know if life like that is real or not but some of the horrible events that the young girl went thru is very similar in our community. But overall I enjoyed the film :)

The way the atrocities of Zamindari System is captured is truly exceptional. But many a places I felt that the lead actress (the 15 year old girl) was exploited beyond her age. I don't know what psychological impact this movie had on her life later. Because I feel that it is not right to make kids act in such roles , that too in a very adolescent age !Hope the cast of the movie (especially the lead girl) were given adequate psychological counselling post production.

What I liked: Very traditional India and Hindu cultural beliefs. A true representation of an Indian village. The young girl's dancing. The reality of the higher class community abusive of the lower class community.What I disliked: A young girl in traditional India could not possibly expose herself to young boys/men. Shyness is a characteristic of young girls in India. Girls know that they would be stained for life without a chance for marriage.