Morning Raga

Morning Raga stars Shabana Azmi as an accomplished Carnatic singer who does not sing anymore because she is still stricken by an old bus accident she got involved in on her way to a concert with her violinist and son, both of whom died. Since then she has never left her village and never sung a song. Now, the son of her violinist comes and asks her to sing a few songs with his musical group. That's when the story begins to take shape. I quite liked the story of the film. It was fresh and innovative and the film was made artistically and intelligently. The locations are beautiful, especially the village views shots, and are aided by effective cinematography.

The film entirely belongs to Shabana Azmi, in a fantastic role that gives her scope to display both her dramatic talent and particularly her ability to play a very difficult character. Carnatic music is a serious thing, and Azmi had undergone a great deal of training for this part in order to understand how they sing, and to learn their body language and mannerisms when they sing. She did not sing the songs herself (well she's not a robot you know), but believe it or not, lip-syncing is very difficult in such songs because they are sung in twisted tones at lightening speed. Azmi played the character exceptionally well and was convincing both as a Carnatic singer and as a traumatised woman who is terrified to even think about going out of the village and stepping on the damned bridge on which the accident happened.

I watched the film for Shabana Azmi, and she is the main reason I liked it. The rest of the cast is decent, and the entire concept of modern members of a rock band who want to make something special and collaborate with a Carnatic singer was interesting. The film is about music, the beauty of music, and the music of the film, from the songs to the background score, is outstanding. The first song Shabana sings with them is the best moment of the film. I liked the film for showing how contemporary youngsters appreciate old and traditional music. It is a pleasant and realistic film which beautifully portrays the lifestyle of rural and urban India, and then brings them together by creating an interaction between their people.

I must admit that my liking for pure classical music is limited - however I was awestruck by the music of this film. Songs such as Thaye Yashoda, Maate Malayadhwaja and Mahaganapatim are so good that I remember the lyrics - although I understand very few words of these.

Acting wise, I found only Shabana Azmi and Nasser to be up to the mark. I am sure singing (actually posing as so) such classical marvel is not very easy - esp. when the ragas are so complex. Still the lady has performed in an excellent way. Similarly, Nasser has played the role of a father who might be a father-next-door, concerned and worried.

However, others, esp. Prakash Rao, have to learn a lot. Sometimes, I felt they were reading their dialogs. I think making this film in English and successfully displaying the emotions in the Indian way, might be difficult.

Overall, a nice film to watch, and we have to be generous enough to ignore the acting shortcomings and enjoy the classical-modern music fusion.

It's not awful. But its awfully bland. And barring Azmi, who is brilliant as has come to be expected none of the actors register at all. The male lead is dull, with no discernible acting talent. The female lead was bright and bubbly, and we may well end up buying soft drinks and detergent from her for a few years!! The major resolution is way too pat and easy (she waited twenty years to have her problems fixed like this?), and the ease with which this band gets gigs and the lady learns carnatic music is laughable! If only! The movie is well shot, with the colours and sounds all pleasant enough. Annapoorna will agree with me that while this raga may not miss too many notes, it doesn't really aspire to any great heights in the first place. If you are a Shabana Azmi fan, watch it - otherwise, give it a miss.

I sat down to watch Morning Raga expecting to get up in half an hour and go for a walk. But I didn't. Shabana Azmi is mesmerizing, and I stayed to the end. I agree with other reviewers that the plot is simplistic, and the other actors are bland by comparison, but the music and Azmi make it all worth while.

I know basically nothing about Karnatic music, so I cannot speak from any knowledge, but the passion and virtuosity of the traditional songs were incredibly moving. The plot, outlined by others, could have been better had the three stories been interwoven with more finesse. But the story is only a vehicle for the music, so let's forgive its naivety.

Produced by the well-known Tollywood director Raghavendra Rao, this movie is a refined version of a typical Tollywood movie. He appears to have selected the locale but otherwise seems to have left the direction department well alone.

Shabana stands out with her performance. The roles of Prakash Rao and Perizaad could have been better thought out; the well-known & talented Tollywood comedian Dharmavarapu is wasted in a silly role that is supposed to be funny but hardly brings a smile. Lillette Dubey is very good, but why does the director make her ride a buffalo at the end? I was gratified to note the movie was shot in the beautiful Konaseema. The photography and editing are top class. Shabana should have spoken at least some Telugu - she did in Shyam Benegal's movies. This would have brought greater authenticity to the role.

The Carnatic music pieces are of course beautiful, thankfully unspoilt by the attempt at fusion - I particularly like the renditions of "Mahaganapatim" and "Thaye Yasoda".

Overall worth seeing once.