This week’s another new release “Jaganmohini” starring Raja, Namitha and Mira Chopra is the remake of 30 year old film also titled “Jaganmohini”. Directed by Vishwanathan, the film is based on Vittalacharya’s original story encompassing themes like love, sacrifice, wizardry and reincarnation. The film has been in the making for quite sometime and finally released this week after crossing all the legal hurdles. Let’s see how the remake has turned out to be, afterall the visual effects and graphics were said to be the USP of the film!

What is it about : In the kingdom of Matsya Deevi , an announcement is made that the Prince Jagan Prathap (Raja) and another princess Jayanthi (Mira Chopra) will enter a wedlock. However this marriage is stopped when a water demon, Mohini (Namitha) wrecks havoc in the kingdom at the same time. She’s stopped by a tantrik (Kota Srinivas Rao) who has a plan of his own. The rest of the plot unravels the mystery of Mohini and why she wanted to stop the marriage…

What is Good: The whole effort of retelling a mythology, folklore is laudable. This genre of movies had almost become extinct in the past few years. Some of the locations chosen for the film like the forest, beaches and the sets erected for depicting the interiors of the place are good.

What is bad: All the lead actors and actresses in the film have been going through a rough patch in their careers. Although Raja, Namitha and Mira put in an honest effort in their roles, there’s nothing in the film which would boost their careers. The film also suffers from wrong casting and clichéd story and narration. The plot and several scenes are full of loopholes. Despite the seriousness with which the film takes itself, every scene turns out to be embarrassing for the audience. Here are some ridiculous scenes from the film.
Highlights:
1. Tar Roads, Electric lamps and foreigners in suits.
2. The visual effects and graphics are very bad.
3. “Ghosts” in the white dress!
4. Climax

Technical Departments: Musical maestro Illayaraja has composed the music for this film. However, his trademark music is missing in the film. Editing is below average. Dialogues are not convincing. The director of the film, Vishwanathan who also handles the Cinematography does a good job with the camera. The underwater sequences shot in Andaman and other scenes shot in the forest and the beaches are good. However the direction could have been much better. It’s a complete let down, especially for a film like this.

Bottomline: We have already seen films like Arundhati and Magadheera achieve great heights and setting high standards in visual affects. “Jaganmohini” with its substandard visual effects and outdated script, falters completely. It’s definitely not in tune with the expectations of the audience today. Instead of evoking expressions of awe, the film successfully turns out to be a comic entertainer. Two thumbs down for “Jaganmohini”, it’s a film which should have never been remade in the first place. Strictly avoid this film.