gult

This show was probably at its creative best during the first five seasons. The dialog at that time had a welcome freshness to it and the characters were young and giving their best. The sixth season was passable at best. From the seventh season onwards, the show almost became a burden to watch as the characters aged significantly and did not really fit into the show as teenagers. The show itself progressed very slowly (plot wise) in the last six years and the growth of the actors seemed to outpace the writers.

Nevertheless, the first five seasons were filled with brilliant moments. The scripts were witty, taut and heavily embellished with pop culture of the 70's. I consider these five seasons to be the juiciest portion of the show. To those who are put off by the stupor and stale nature of the more recent episodes, I would like to remind that this show has had a much more scintillating past.

The most striking feature of Salaam Bombay is how real it is. Its hard to imagine how Mira Nair got those street children to act. Every scene in the movie, including the railway platforms and streets, is as real as it can get. This movie is in-your-face lower class India. Although the theme is depressing, Nair boldly presented what actually happens on the streets of Bombay. Any difficulties that you may face in life will seem minuscule in comparison to the unsurmountable challenges faced by Bombay's street children. 'Haunting' is the word that best describes this film. The background score adds very much to the its strength. Think of it as India's Schindler's List; only, this happens everyday in Bombay. Watch it on a quiet evening and reflect on it for sometime, for maximum effect.

Its great to come across a really good no-nonsense Telugu movie! Charmee's a charmer and she is super fresh here. She handles her role with great panache. This will be her role of a lifetime. Jagapathi Babu's part suits him very well as a coy cop. This movie is good because it carefully avoids all the excesses that other "mass" Telugu movies mindlessly indulge in. There are no corny dialogues to make you cringe. The director does a fantastic job handling the comedy as well as the dramatic parts. The music is quite soothing and not the regular cacophony that we come across in routine Telugu flicks. All the songs blend smoothly into the plot. The dialogues are very realistic and the kind you and I can relate to. Watching this film reminded me of 'Kshana Kshanam', another masterpiece. The director seems to have been obviously inspired by it.

The plot is airtight overall, although the ending may seem a stretch to some. I wonder how this movie did at the box office though, as it is "class" as opposed to "mass". Its sad to see good movies not being appreciated by the general public. I haven't watched 'Aithe', by this director yet, but I certainly will, now.