‘A1’ review: Santhanam’s comedy film is half-boil only

‘A1’ offers some laughs and exposes people’s hypocrisy; the lack of layers is easily explained – this is a Santhanam film and not lasagna.

Entertainment News: A1 directed by Johnson K has already raised hackles for showing a Brahmin woman attempting to eat a half-boil in the film’s trailer. Minor spoiler: she doesn’t actually eat it in the film. But I doubt that those who objected would be mollified. This is a strange film, and the more I think about it, the more I think a half-boil perfectly describes it – parts of it look well-cooked, but the rest is just runny and messy.

Divya (Tara Alisha Berry) falls in love with Saravanan (Santhanam) after he displays his machismo to save her from a bunch of old men. Rather, she falls in love with the naamam on his forehead, assuming that he’s an Iyengar. She plants a kiss on his lips as if to seal the deal (what, so quickly, you ask? Well, the movie is less than 2 hours and there’s no time to waste on character development and other distractions), only to realise a few scenes later that she was completely mistaken about who he is.

Divya is a modern “maami” – she wears Western clothes but speaks in a distinctly Brahmin dialect, and has no qualms in making casteist declarations. For his part, Saravanan is unapologetic about being “local” (whatever that means) and only seems to care about getting Divya to kiss him. Saravanan and everyone associated with him speak an exaggerated “Madras bashai”, as if to underline that they are not-Brahmin, but their caste location is not defined beyond this. The stereotypes on both sides are pretty cringeworthy, but Santhanam and the actors who serve as his friends and family manage to carry the absurdity on their shoulders quite lightly, eliciting some laughs out of wordplay and slapstick humour. The comic timing of the supporting cast (including MS Bhaskar) means that even the really average jokes land fairly well – the sort of “kadi” comedy that is not funny the second time around and you’re mildly ashamed for laughing at all.

Read My Full Review → A1 Movie Review

‘Dear Comrade’ review: Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika surprise in this romantic drama

Actor Rashmika Mandanna and director Bharat Kamma have brought out the amalgamation of joys, struggles, and fears beautifully in ‘Dear Comrade’.

Tollywood News: When I walked into the theatre for Dear Comrade, I was half-sceptical, half-resigned to the fact that it will be consumed by Vijay Deverakonda, living up to his fans’ expectations. I was pleasantly surprised, the film wasn’t even about him. Vijay is the second protagonist, Bobby, (fans may not agree, but thank god, I’m just a lowly film critic) in a movie where Rashmika Mandanna (Lilly) is the one who steals the show, start to finish.

Lilly meets Bobby, literally the boy next door, during her sister’s wedding – imagine cute frames, bouquets, mood lighting, the female protagonist beautifully decked up and walking in slow motion as the camera pans from the floor to the curls of her hair, the boy stealing glances at her. Lilly surprises Bobby and her male friends, brushing aside their obvious sexism with wit, charm and mischief, by winning them a cricket match. After all she plays for the state and is on the verge of making it to the national team. That sets the tone for the movie even though most of the story seems like Bobby’s redemption drama. Make no mistake, it is not. Bobby walks around, with mostly an Arjun Reddy-hangover; he is shown as an impulsive student leader, but for most part it is just him and his anger, and bashing up people because he won’t step back. His anger rarely comes across as ideological, and while it feels like some of his fights are about protecting others around him, he ends up putting them in danger more often than not.

Lilly, the protagonist of the movie and someone who hates confrontations, tries to unsuccessfully mould Bobby and they part. That takes Bobby through a journey of self-reflection – you guessed it right, to Leh-Ladakh for self-reflection – and he comes back a quieter, nicer person. Meanwhile, something makes Lilly stop playing cricket following a mental health issue. Just when she heals thanks to Bobby’s changed persona, his old persona is back, and it brings back her demons too and the reason she shut cricket out. This time though, he is right, and yet, she is too scared to fight. The title Dear Comrade he wants to make her fight for her right. Bobby’s grandfather explains to Lilly that a comrade is someone who is with you during your journey and fight is a nice touch.

Read My Full Review → Dear Comrade Movie Review

Former Union Minister Jaipal Reddy passes away in Hyderabad

Jaipal Reddy had been admitted to hospital a week ago and was being treated in the ICU.

Telangana News: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy passed away on Sunday at the age of 77 in Hyderabad. He was a four-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and five-time Member of Parliament (MP). He was also a two-time Rajya Sabha MP and was a union minister in three governments.

He was admitted to the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Gachibowli a week ago and was being treated for high fever in the ICU. He passed away at 1.28 am on Sunday and his mortal remains have been kept at his Jubilee Hills residence.

The Congress leader started his political career as a student leader from Osmania University and became a Congress MLA from Kalwakurthy in Andhra Pradesh between 1969 and 1984.

He briefly quit the Congress party as a protest against the emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and joined the Janata Party in 1977. He would rejoin the Congress only in 1999 after winning from Miryalaguda Lok Sabha seat. He was also the MP from Chevella constituency in 2009.

Jaipal Reddy served as the Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the IK Gujral government in 1997-98 and also under the Manmohan Singh led-United Progressive Alliance (UPA-1) from 2004. He also served as Minister for Urban Development and Petroleum and Natural Gas for the UPA 1 and 2. (Read Full Story)

Changing lives with a camera: Meet the Dalit women farmer-reporters of Telangana

The women farmers document all that’s relevant to their lives on film, educating fellow farmers with videos that serve as learning resources.

Telangana News: As the sun sets over Appapur Penta, a tiny Chenchu tribal village in the heart of the Nallamala forests, and the shadows lengthen, two women in their mid-50s are busy with a video camera. They are shooting their colleague who is explaining agricultural practices and seed banking to farmers.

The three women, who are keenly involved in their work, are from the Community Media Trust of Pastapur, Sangareddy, which is based in the Deccan Development Society (DDS). The DDS has been working for the autonomy of women farmers from Dalit and other marginalised sections for the past 30 years.

Laxmamma B from Humnapoor, Mollamma of Ippalapally and Chandramma Manigari of Jharasangam of Sangareddy, are Dalit women farmers. There are around 20 women from the Dalit community who are currently part of the community media station, of whom at least half are actively working to document happenings in the fields and report about the crops that are under cultivation.

Laxmamma, who is handling the camera expertly, says, “We are here to distribute seeds of millet, red-gram and beans and educate our fellow farmers about healthy and self-reliant methods of farming.”

When asked the purpose behind making such videos, she says,”Farmers with less or no education will easily be able to learn through watching the videos. So, we thought that recording the process from sowing seeds to harvesting the yield would be a great learning resource.” (Read Full Story)

75% of jobs for locals in Andhra as state passes Bill in Assembly

While the draft Bill defines ‘Locals’ as candidates who are domiciled in the state of Andhra Pradesh, it does not elaborate on the requirements for ‘domicile’ status.

Andhra Pradesh News: The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday passed a Bill in the Legislative Assembly, aimed at providing 75 percent reservation for locals in industries and factories in the state.

Once passed in the Legislative Council on Thursday, the Andhra Pradesh Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries/Factories Act, 2019, seeks to reserve 75 percent of jobs for locals in all industries, including units, factories, joint ventures and projects set up under the public-private partnership model in Andhra Pradesh.

While the draft Bill defines ‘Locals’ as candidates who are domiciled in the state of Andhra Pradesh, it does not elaborate on the requirements for ‘domicile’ status.

The Bill will reportedly apply to all existing industries and factories, as well as those that are established after the Bill is approved. According to media reports, the Bill, if passed, will make Andhra Pradesh the first state in the country to have reservations for locals in private industries. In a press note, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said that this would be a ‘boon to unemployed youth in the state’.

Five more Bills with various provisions for the welfare of SC, ST, BC and minority communities as well as women were also introduced on Monday and passed in the Assembly on Wednesday. (Read Full Story)

How Heera Gold scammed over 1.75 lakh people using faith and a web of deception

Whistleblowers are calling for a CBI probe saying the number of victims of Nowhera Shaikh’s Heera Gold could be much higher.

Andhra Pradesh News: Shaba Afreen, a media professional, invested Rs 20 lakh in Heera Gold of Companies in 2016. A resident of Tolichowki in Hyderabad, and a single mother of three, Afreen in 2018 found herself on the streets along with her children, when the company stopped paying monthly dividends, and refused to let her withdraw her investment. She had fallen victim to a halal ponzi scheme that has scammed thousands of people across India and the world.

“That Rs 20 lakh was my life’s savings. It’s all gone now,” Afreen says, “I was introduced to Heera Gold by a trusted friend, who had invested Rs 1 lakh and was earning Rs 3,000 a month. I went to the Heera Gold office in Hyderabad. They painted a picture of a multinational company with investors and companies across the world. I enquired with people and they all had only positive things to say about Heera Gold.” Afreen’s, elder brother who resides in UAE invested Rs 24 lakh, and many other relatives also made hefty investments in the halal ponzi scheme.

But the last time that investors got any dividends, for their investments into Heera Gold and 15 other companies that operate under Heera Gold, was in June 2018. The Enforcement Directorate pegs the scam to be worth Rs 3,000 crore, and the number of Heera Gold victims to be around 1.72 lakh. The Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS) pegs the scam to be over Rs 5,460 crore and called the 15 companies floated by the Heera Gold as shell companies. However, those who are fighting the group in court and are offering legal support to the victims say the scam is worth much more, and that the number of victims could be well over a couple of lakhs in India alone. (Heera Gold scam)

In AIADMK, even a farmer can become Chief Minister: Edappadi Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami was campaigning for AC Shanmugam in Vellore, which will go to parliamentary polls on August 5.

Tamil Nadu News: With less than a week left for the Vellore parliamentary polls, the ruling AIADMK and rival DMK have been heating up the campaign trail. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami undertook a two-day tour of the constituency, campaigning for AIADMK alliance candidate AC Shanmugam. Shanmugam, a businessman, is also founder of the Puthiya Needhi Katchi. The Chief Minister lashed out at the DMK for the polls being rescinded in April. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had cancelled the elections in Vellore Parliamentary constituency, making it the first constituency in India where a Lok Sabha election has been cancelled because of cash for votes. The move came after cash had been seized from the properties of DMK leaders.

According to one report in The Hindu, the Chief Minister said, “In our party, even a farmer can become a Chief Minister, whereas the DMK is governed by the family members of (former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister) Karunanidhi. The AIADMK’s Muhammathjohn of Arcot and N. Chandrasekaran, who were recently elected to the Upper House, will raise their voice for the minorities and the oppressed classes in the Rajya Sabha.” Palaniswami is expected to be back for a final round of campaigning on August 2. Polls are to be held on August 5.

Meanwhile, DMK chief and Leader of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly, MK Stalin refuted allegations that his party had been responsible for the polls being cancelled. The leader has been campaigning for the DMK’s Kathir Anand, son of senior DMK leader Durai Murugan. According to one report in The New Indian Express, Stalin promised an industrial town near Vaniyambadi in order to enable employment for local youth in Vellore. “Recently, a report published in a newspaper noted that DMK had won the April Lok Sabha election with the highest voting ratio in the country. This fact clearly suggests that Tamil Nadu people are with DMK,” he said. (Read Full Story)

Young love and the bloodlust of caste: Why 8 families have fled Tamil Nadu

The mother of the man who eloped with a Vanniyar woman is in hospital with serious injuries, after she and 7 others from the family were stripped and assaulted.

Tamil Nadu News: Around half a dozen people are huddled around Rani*, who lies unconscious in a hospital bed in Bengaluru. She has not spoken a single word since Thursday, when she was admitted to the hospital with head and body injuries. “She hasn’t even lifted her head,” says Selvi, Rani’s mother, “There are serious injuries on her head, abdomen and thighs.” Rani, her husband Kalidas, and six others from their family were stripped and tortured by a group of men in Dharmapuri last week for over eight hours. The reason: Rani and Kalidas’s son is believed to have eloped with a woman from their village, and the woman’s family is furious because the couple is inter-caste.

Twenty-four-year-old Vijay* and 22-year-old Priya* have been in a relationship for eight years, and went missing on the same day, June 21, from Pikkampatti village in Pennagaram Taluk, Dharmapuri. Soon, there were rumours that the two of them had eloped – Vijay and his family belong to the Navithar caste, and Priya and her family to the Vanniyar caste. While both Navithar and Vanniyar are categorised as Most Backward Class (MBC) in Tamil Nadu, Navithar are more marginalised because their traditional caste occupation is cutting hair. Vanniyar are also numerically dominant in Dharmapuri.

Hours after news spread that the couple had eloped, eight Navithar families in the village including Vijay’s parents Rani and Kalidas packed up their lives and moved to other cities to hide, fearing for their lives. “We were just eight Navithar families living in that area,” Kalidas says, “Vanniyars are numerically dominant there. So, we knew that all of them will side with the woman’s family and might blame us, or even attack us for her disappearance.” (Read Full Story)

Census data shows 40% increase in tiger population in Kerala

As per reports, the tiger population in Kerala has increased from 136 in 2014 to 190 in 2018.

Kerala News: In what can be seen as a positive sign as far as the tiger population in Kerala is concerned, the Tiger Census data released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that there has been a 40% increase in the population of the big cat in the jungles of the state in the past four years. As per reports, the tiger population in Kerala increased from 136 in 2014 to 190 in 2018.

According to a report in The New Indian Express (TNIE), the population of tigers in Kerala has been on a steady rise since 2006, when the state was reported to have only 46 tigers. But in 2010, the population rose to 71 and in 2014, the numbers reached 136. As per the report, a survey conducted by the Forest Department under the Tiger Monitoring Programme had concluded that there were 176 tigers in Kerala in 2016.

The tiger population in the state may have found a safe place in the forests of Wayanad wildlife sanctuary, as it has been reported that the sanctuary houses around 80 of the total tiger population in the state at the moment. BN Anjan Kumar, the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) was quoted by TNIE to have said that, “The tiger population in Wayanad has been thriving thanks to our conservation efforts. Apart from anti poaching drive, we have introduced a habitat management initiative, where invasive plant species are weeded out.

He also added that they have taken steps for the voluntary relocation of the people living in the forest area. Anjan Kumar said that the Forest department had to relocate four tigers in the last two years for straying into human settlements. (Read Full Story)

No traffic light, few policemen: The unmanned busy junctions of Thiruvananthapuram

Quite a few busy junctions in Thiruvananthapuram city are devoid of the much needed traffic lights or traffic police.

Kerala News: The Sri Mulam Club junction in Thiruvananthapuram has three roads joining it – from Vazhuthacaud, from Vellayambalam, and from Cotton Hill. The last said is a school – one of the oldest in the city. Mornings and evenings, when the school starts for the day and ends, girls in green and white uniform are everywhere on the road, or in the vehicles picking up or dropping them. And Vazhuthacaud being a busy centre of sorts, there are all kinds of commuters at all times. The only problem is, the traffic light at this junction has been defunct for a long time.

“It’s been off for some time,” says Renjith Kumar, CI (North) of Thiruvananthapuram Traffic Police, vaguely. He can’t give the exact reason, but there is a traffic policeman deployed at that point, at all times, he says. “He is supposed to be there from 8 am to 8 pm,” Renjith says.

However, the chaos at this junction is not unique.

There are certain traffic points identified by the police for deploying traffic personnel. Renjith provides a list of these points, but it doesn’t include the Tennis Club junction in Kowdiar, which is crowded through the day, with three roads joining it – from Vellayambalam, from Kowdiar, and from Devaswom Board.

“We haven’t got reports of any traffic blocks in that junction, neither of accidents. The accidents that happen in the Vellayambalam-Kowdiar stretch are mostly due to rash driving, young people racing their cars and bikes because the road is good,” Renjith says. The stretch is notorious for over-speeding and several infamous accidents – including the one that killed Adarsh, the 24-year-old son of the SP Grand Days hotel owner. (Read Full Story)