Gaalipata - Flying Very High
But I guess Yograj Bhat has not let the success of Mungaaru Male let into his head and delivered with a even better movie in "Gaalipata". Though the movie has no story but the way he has woven the movie, not even a single minute is a waste of time in the movie.
The story line is as follows-
3 friends Ganesh, Diganth and Rajesh Krishnan decide to go Mugilupete to Diganth's grandfather's house to get away from the city hustle bustle. There they meet Ananth Nag, a retired hunter who is paralysed due to an accident during his last expedition and the rest of the family consisting of Padmaja Rao (his wife), Daisy Bopanna(his daughter in law),Neetu and Bhavana (his daughters). Ananth Nag is very repentful that his last mission was failure and he could not kill the wild boar, which instead paralysed him. So Ganesh and his friends help him to hunt it again but their plan flops. But Ganesh's desire to hunt the boar grows. The hunting scene in the movie makes u remember of the English movie "Apocalypto".
Meanwhile in the film, Ganesh falls for the silent and reserved Daisy, Diganth falls for the tomboy Neetu and Rajesh falls for the mischievous and naughty Bhavana. Ganesh helps his friends getting engaged to their respective loves but when his turn comes, Daisy flatly refuses, saying that she is happy living in her husbands' memories. All the efforts by Ganesh's parents also goes in vain. Whether Daisy accepts Ganesh or not forms the climax of the movie.
Ganesh has excelled in his role, and Diganth has proved that he is a good actor as well apart from his model type looks. Daisy Bopanna has potrayed a marvellous character of a reserved and subtle widow. A round of applause has to be made to Rangayana Raghu for his superb potrayal of Ganesh's father.
The photography is awesome and Shivansamudra is shown in the movie as never before. I myself didnt know it was so beautiful having seen it 5-6 times in person. The dialogues are very catchy especially Ganesh's Dialogues. Rathnavelu must be applauded for his breathtaking photography of Kodachadri mountains and Shivanasamudra. The songs are average with 'Aakasha Iste Yaake Idyo' being the lone standout track among the lot.
Though the film comes with its own share of problems. As mentioned before, the story is missing. The wild boar track could have been shortened. The climax is cliched. The songs are a average lot. The talents of Ananth Nag has been wasted in the film. Padmaja Rao just hams her way thoughout the film which could have been avoided. Yograj Bhat has taken the graphics in the film a bit too far and some of the scenes looks very artificial.
Totally, Gaalipata is an entertainer to the core but with some loose ends to it.
My Rating of the movie would be would be 4/5 and definitely must not miss movie for the Kannada movie buffs.
Tata Nano Arrives With A Bang
Finally the world's cheapest car has been unveiled. It was unveiled yesterday at 9th Auto Expo held at Pragathi Maidan in Delhi
It has been named as "TATA Nano" and was introduced to the general Public by Mr Ratan Tata, the Chairman of Tata Group after a fabulous presentation about how the idea of the Tata Nano was implemented.
It will be launched in 3 Variants. One is the Basic model price tagged at 1 Lakh (VAT and Local Taxes extra) and the other two will be Deluxe versions with A/C.
Coming to the specifications of the Car, it is a 624CC petrol engine car generating about 33BHP of Power. It will have a 30 Litre Fuel Tank and a 4-Speed Manual gearshift. Power Steering is absent in the car and contains only a single wiper. It will have front disk brakes and rear drum brakes with basic shock absorbers. The mileage is supposedly at 20Km/Ltr and the top speed being 70Km/Hr.
Nano will sport a basic Dashboard which will contain just a speedometer, a fuel gauge and an oil light. RPM counter is missing. No Reclining seats and no Audio System.
Size wise, it is 8% smaller (bumper to bumper) than Maruti 800 but 21% larger than Maruti 800 in its interiors and can seat upto 4 well built persons.
Coming to Safety Issues, the car has passed full frontal and side impact crash tests. The car will also comply with Euro IV norms and Bharat III emission norms.
Ratan Tata, while unveiling the nano, said: "The car will meet all current safety norms and all emission criteria. The pollution it will cause will be lower than 2-wheelers."
Not since the launch of the Maruti 800 in 1983 has any car gripped the imagination of a nation and indeed car manufacturers the world over so intensely. If the car is commercially successful, the Tata Nano can alter the passenger car market in India, and perhaps the world, beyond imagination.