In the latter films' case, it is perhaps because we already knew Annamacharya keerthanas and Ramadasu songs even before those films came out, and the music had a familiarity to build on, that the popular songs had it easy. He visits Tirumala, and eventually becomes Hathiram Bhavaji.Īs is the norm, there are songs at every turn, but only a few stand out just like in Annamayya or Ramadasu. When it later dawns upon him, he repents, and is now even more desperate to again meet Him. Rama doesn't recognize Him and shoos Him away. Rama (Nagarjuna) is hell bent on seeing God, and is advised by his guru (Sai Kumar) to do a tapassu (penance). And it robs you of your painful wait for the ultimate redemption. God appears too easy, too soon and too frequently. There is an enchanting chemistry between God and the devotee, but there is no conflict. When Ramadasu finally dares the Lord singing "evadabba sommani kulukuthu tirigevu ramachandra", you marvel at the enigmatic silence of God that doesn't mind his dying devotee. Hathiram Bhavaji's story, despite being heavily fictionalized, doesn't have much dramatic appeal. And Nagarjuna doesn't disappoint this time either.īut there is only so much that a performance can shoulder when the drama is crippled. In all the earlier films (barring Shirdi Sai, in which he plays the saint instead of devotee), his momentary separation from the Almighty and his eventual suffering never simply stood as a show of his prowess but also evoked a deep empathy in the viewers. Nagarjuna's tearful eyes have their own way of portraying boundless adulation and borderline-destructive obsession towards his beloved God. But be it the evergreen Annamayya or the almost equally good Sri Ramadasu, what outshined all this desperate glamourization and blatant exaggeration is how consistently excellently Nagarjuna fleshed out his performances every time. A slightly revisionist take of devotee dramas that are very conscious and cautious of the commercial appeal and narrative tautness needed, to the extent that they never shied away from comedy tracks, cleavages and the timeless fruits-on-the-navel routine. Music and songs by MM Keeravani take us back to that era, especially the song Kaliyuga Vaikuntapuri.The Nagarjuna - Raghavendra Rao devotional films have become a genre unto themselves. The portions between Nagarjuna and Saurabh play out pretty well. In Om Namo Venkatesaya, we have Saurabh Raj essaying Vishnu and it's safe to say that we finally have a replacement to fill in NTR's shoes. Just like each time when someone says "Krishna", we're inevitably reminded of late superstar NT Rama Rao, who will forever be remembered for playing the eponymous character. His portrayal of Rama does justification to the iconic character. Nagarjuna, who has given some memorable performances in films like Ramadasu and Annamayya, returns to his forte. For instance, those who pay a considerable amount to the temple authorities, get their darshan done in a matter of a few minutes, while others wait for hours. The rest of Om Namo Venkatesaya narrates several incidents that made Rama transform into Hathiram Bhavaji, who, we believe, has his own Mutt in Tirumala.ĭespite a generic story, the film hits the bull's eye when it talks about Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's (TTD) hypocrisy that it has continued with for years now. Rama gets the privilege of becoming the administrator of Tirumala, who is also responsible for the induction of the famous Tirumala prasad and Nitya Kalyanam. And that's when Venkatesa (Saurabh Raj Jain) descends on the earth, only to play dice with Rama, his favourite bhakt. Though the duo educates people in their village with short stories of Venkatesa, Rama's quest to meet the lord remains unanswered. In Tirumala, Rama gets acquainted with a fellow devotee, Krishnamma (Anushka Shetty). When Rama gets to know from his preceptor that it was Vishnu himself, he sets on a pilgrimage to Tirumala, to worship Venkatesa. Struck by Rama's spirituality, Lord Vishnu disguises himself as a boy and interrupts his rites. Cut to present, we see a teenage Rama performing rituals in a forest. To boost his belief, the sage cites the famous quote 'matha pitha guru deivam'. At first, we see a young Rama (Nagarjuna) asking his preceptor (played by actor Sai Kumar) about means which can let one see god for real. ALSO READ: SS Rajamouli's Mahabharata to feature Rajinikanth, Mohanlal and Aamir?Īfter what was expected from its teaser, Om Namo Venkatesaya narrates the story of Hathiram Bhavaji, a saint, who became an ardent devotee of Venkatesa.
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