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Release date: 16 December 2011 |
| 123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5 | |
| Director : S Saravananan | |
| Producer : Suresh Kondeti | |
| Music Director : Satyan | |
| Starring: Sharwanand, Ananya, Jai, Anjali and others |
Sharwanand, Ananya, Jai and Anjali are the principal leads in this movie ‘Journey’, which is the Telugu dubbed version of the Tamil film ‘Engeyum Eppothum’. The movie’s Telugu rights have been bought by Suresh Kondeti and the movie has released today across the state. Let us see how the movie stacks up.
Story:
Journey is primarily a story set in two bus journeys. One is an APSRTC bus that leaves from Vijayawada to Hyderabad and the other is a private bus that leaves from Hyderabad to Vijayawada. The movie is about the lives of the people who are fated to travel in those two buses. The principal characters in the movie are Goutham (Sharwanand), Amrutha (Ananya), Krishna (Jai) and Madhumati (Anjali). Goutham comes across Amrutha and is forced to help her as she is a helpless village girl stranded in Hyderabad without a proper address. They develop a mutual affection for each other rather reluctantly, but they do not convey their feelings.
Krishna on the other hand, is a shy and reclusive youngster who has a crush on Madhumathi. He is a very ‘good boy’ who does not smoke or drink. Infact, he drinks just milk! It is upto Madhumati to take control of things and she manages to win the approval of the elders on both sides.
Fate has a cruel twist in store for them. Amrutha gets onto the bus going from Hyderabad to Vijayawada while Goutham, Krishna and Madhumita get onto the bus travelling from Vijayawada to Hyderabad. What is that cruel twist? What ending does fate have in store for them? That is the story.
Plus Points :
Sharwanand breathes life into the character of Goutham. He is perfect in the role of a techie guy working in Hyderabad. Sharwanand’s voice is a major asset and he knows how to use that to best effect. Jai is excellent as the shy and innocent guy.
Ananya is cute and adorable as the naive village girl Amrutha. She shares a good chemistry with Sharwanand. Anjali is perfect as the brash and confident young woman Madhumathi. She is a very good actor.There is subtle comedy and the scenes between Sharwanand & Ananya and Jai & Anjali are humorous.
The accident sequence has been shot terrifically well and is one of the best I have ever seen. There is tremendous realism and attention to detail and it is one of the biggest highlights of the movie. The second half and especially the last 30 minutes will tug at your heart strongly. The emotional connection is very strong and you completely empathize with the sadness felt by the characters.
The makers have taken care to get some of the name boards and other display signs changed to Telugu. This helps somewhat in making the movie feel like a Telugu film. Sharwanand’s presence also helps.
The climax has been handled very well, as the contrasting emotions of despair and joy are shown brilliantly by the director.Full marks to director Saravanan for coming out with such a balanced narration in his debut movie.
Minus Points :
There are some dull moments in the narrative. The focus keeps shifting back and forth between the bus journey and the flashback episodes that show the story of the main characters. The editing of this back and forth sequence is a little jerky and can get a little jarring. A smoother transition would have helped.
Despite the attempts by the makers to get the name boards changed etc, one can’t escape the fact that it is a Tamil movie. There is a heavy Tamil nativity in some areas, especially the actors.
The songs are not too good and will most likely act as opportunities for people to head out for a break.
Technical Aspects :
Cinematography is very good and as said before, the accident sequence has been captured brilliantly. Sathya’s background score is pretty good. Editing, as said before, is very jerky. Production values are good.
Verdict :
Journey is a film that will touch your hearts as it moves towards the climax. Sure, there are some dull moments in the first half and some jerky editing, but the terrific accident sequence and the excellent handling of two very radically different emotions in the climax are worth a watch. Watch Journey without the expectations of a formula film and you will come out either impressed or moved.
Mahesh K.S
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Legend: 5 – Flawless
4 – Must Watch
3 – One Time Watch
2 – Wait for the DVD
1 – Stay Away