"1-Nenokkadine" - A Cut Above the Rest!

 I am on my way after watching "1-Nenokkaidne" for the third time and the reverence is getting bigger every time. I cannot term it as "one of the best" but it is the Best movie I have watched in Telugu after EEGA and coming from the Industry's leading star is such a welcome sign.  When I watched it the first time, I reached the theater with the expectation of watching a commercial film but was taken by surprise after watching the first fight. I knew I was going to witness a gem of a movie which eventually happened. Hats off to Sukumar for a Psychological Thriller, a first of its kind for a Telugu film breaking all commercial barriers.

Rathnavelu's Cinematography is the biggest asset to the movie which captures and adds a lot to the mood of the film and elevates it to the next level. The bike chase in London and the fight in the car parking make you wonder if you are watching a Hollywood movie.  Devi Sri Prasad's music and especially the background score is another pillar which makes "1" stand stiff. Be it the suspense sequences or the emotional ones, Devi gives his Career best music. The bit song which is taught by Gautam's mother to him and the BGM in the climax sequences will make your heart wrench.

Sukumar is the one who deserves most of the credit for daring to attempt a movie like “1” with the Industry’s leading star. Right from the title credits (which are beautifully correlated in the climax) to the last frame of the film, he never deviates from the theme and ensures one scene leads to the other. It’s one of the best writings in Telugu of late. Especially the ten minutes of the movie after the last fight is the best and is very beautifully shot. He banked on the story and not on star power, Kudos to his conviction.

There are several scenes in the film which displays the mastery and perfection of Sukumar and every minute detail he has worked on to make the movie perfect  like:

Water splashes only for the bike and not the car in the first fight.

The bottle used to kill Kelly in the first fight will not have any blood stains.

A glimpse of Pradeep Rawat’s son is shown in the "Who are you" song.

The pattern in Rubik's cube.

The video camera clippings which Kriti records at the orphanage and with the police officer (to prove Mahesh doesn’t have a past) display different time though played in order.

"1" is Mahesh's movie after three successful blockbusters and one needs absolute guts and the zest to explore something new for accepting this script. Its Mahesh's best performance till date and the effort he has put is evident in every single frame. The character Gautam has multilayered dimensions and Mahesh comes out of his comfort Zone and gives his best to make the character sink in you. He underplays when required and emotes with utmost intensity every time he thinks about his parents. The intermission scene where he portrays all contradicting emotions in one single scene and the climax scene where Mahesh with his quivering fingers looks at the album reiterates the fact that he is one of the finest actors TFI has ever produced.

“1” is such a novel attempt which would have been embraced by the viewers’ right from its first show had it been made in any other language. Sadly 'mixed response' was the word here. It was disheartening as a true movie buff to listen to comments like "Em Cinema ra Brahmanandan kuda lekunda"..." Manalni maname marchipothamemo cinema tharuvaatha"..."Emi artham kaakunda theesaru " when there was so much effort and research put in the Script and the making.

Dear fellow viewer,

When I took my 65 yr old Grandmother to the movie and she understood every bit of it, I am not sure which part of the movie was hard to understand.

What is the need for a comedian in a Psychological Thriller and in what sense is it a requisite?

Why do you always lament that the Industry doesn’t produce quality movies when you can’t appreciate and accept a new attempt?

If what all you look for in a movie is 6 Songs (including an intro number on hero and a pre climax mass song), Five fights, an unexpected horrible intermission twist followed by 45 mins of Brahmanandam/M.S Narayana getting fooled or bashed up, you don’t have the right to comment on the so called Flaws in the movie which are microscopic.

Thanks to Face book and Twitter, which are the only forums spreading positive views about the movie right from the first day. There was a sigh of relief when I went for the third time I heard the guys adjacent to me in conversation speaking:

" Baagundhi kadha cinema...Ee cinema ni enduku Baaledhu Annaru"!

Hoping this positive word of mouth to spread across and make this movie successful which will pave the way for many more new attempts in future and change the course of our formula driven Industry.

                                                                                                  - An avid movie lover,

                                                                                                       Venkat Raghav