Rating : 1.5/5
Director : Selva Raghavan
Producer : Prasad V Potluri
Music Director : Harris Jayaraj
Starring : Arya, Anushka
PVP Cinemas and Selvaraghavan have teamed up for the film ‘Varna’. The movie has Anushka and Arya in lead roles and a lot of money was spent on the film’s visual effects. The movie has released simultaneously today in Telugu and Tamil. Can the movie live up to its expectations? Let us check it out.
Story :
There is a parallel universe concept at play here. Arya and Anushka exist on the earth as well as on a strange planet. On the earth, they are known as Madhu Balakrishna and Ramya. In that other strange world, they are Mahendra and Varna.
In this world, they are in love. But in that world also, they are in love (They just don’t know it). In this world, Anushka loves Arya and chases him initially, but in that world, Arya is the one who loves Anushka. But in both the worlds, the common thing is love (Once again, they just don’t know it). In case you are getting confused between this world and that world, that is essentially the aim of the filmmaker of this world. He wants to take you away from this world, into that world.
On a more serious note, Madhu and Ramya are tragically separated on Earth. But Madhu’slove for Ramya is so strong that he is transported/teleported/undefinedtravelmechanism into the other world, where Varna is still alive.
On that other planet, two clans fight over a mystical goddess known as Amma. Meanwhile, a triangular love story develops between Varna, Mahendra and Madhu Balakrishna. Yes, two Aryas are interested in one Anushka.
Isn’t it very exciting? Can you blame poor Anushka for choosing an alien lover over a boring Mahendra. Oh no, but that is not what happens. Who ends up with Anushka aka Varna? Well, you need to watch ‘Varna’ for that.
Plus Points :
PVP Cinema must be appreciated for having the courage to invest in such a project. Some locales of that ‘other world’ look good.
Minus Points :
It is far easier to understand a film like ‘Inception’ when compared to ‘Varna’. The director has come up with an atrocious and farcical script. The parallel universe concept is novel and it could have been used quite well. However, the director made a mess of things. The film is a testament to his ‘paithyam’.
Arya looks quite bad in the film, especially as Mahendra. He just sleepwalks through the role, but you can’t really blame him for that. A tall and gorgeous lady like Anushka has been made to look quite bad in this movie. Anushka’s fans will be hurt. As for her performance in the film, she carries an unhappy and frustrated expression on her face most of the time.
The film’s script has holes that are bigger than the potholes on Hyderabad’s roads. There are too many loose ends and illogical sequences. In another world populated with flying dragons and strange beasts, will people speak Telugu and have names like ‘Mahendhra’?
The VFX sequences look silly and amateurish. Arya’s lion fight sequence drew boos from the crowd. The lady who has performed the role ‘Amma’ is quite irritating. Songs come in at the wrong time and kill whatever pace the narration has.
Technical Aspects :
PVP Cinema’s production values are good and we can see that a lot of money was spent. Sadly, it was wasted by the director. Cinematography of the film is quite decent. Editing is very bad, but no editor can do much when given such utter nonsense. Harris Jayaraj’s music is quite mediocre. Aniruddh’s background score is ok, but it does not match the mood of the scene at times.
Selvaraghavan’s direction and script are the single biggest killers of this film. Atrocious is the word.
Verdict :
A good production house with deep pockets was taken for a ride by the director with a farcical script and atrocious screenplay. Films like ‘Varna’ are a rarity. They fall into the ‘never before,never again’ category. Film school students must be forced to watch this film. Perhaps, Christopher Nolan can also take a look as this film has a lot more ‘depth’ compared to ‘Inception’. |
