Morning Raga

This movie is strictly for people who has an ear for carnatic music and who like simple story telling. Three people are brought together by music in a small village in south India ( East Godavari district i guess ). They later realise they are all fighting the demons of one tragic incident that occurred 20 years ago. They try and help each other through music, and finally overcome their struggles.

Such simple story is shot very beautifully in Konaseema of Andhra Pradesh. The screenplay is fast, editing good, and most importantly the story telling is very simple. There are less/no clichés, emotions are handled without dramatising them. Shabana Azmi and Lillete Dubey are excellent in handling their characters. The youngsters Perizaad Zorabian and Prakash Rao are wonderful with their balanced performances. Perizaad is very beautiful too. And the true hero of the movie is Carnatic Music with beautiful compositions that sounded super cool with fusion music.

The telugudanam is used as a stage to paint the beautiful morning with all its melodious sounds. Balu

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.

The movie is just awesome. Ordinary storyline handled very well by every one. Aren't all story lines ordinary? Great music and good fusion... Carnatic music is so beautiful... So are Perizaad and Shabana...

The storyline isn't far from reality ever...

Javed Akhtar once said that the imagination of a story writer is like the string tied to a stone being swirled. The stone being the story. The longer the string the more you have to work to keep it going, but if it is too long, it falls down or if the stone comes free it lands far away from reality which is the force that is swinging the stone...

The story is a perfect example...

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.

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.