Eega

I saw this film at the Imagine (SF/horror/fantasy) film festival 2013 in Amsterdam. A lot of impossible things happen in this film, but the context is clear from the opening scene on, where we hear a persistent daughter asking her father to tell a bedtime story. It sets the tone for what follows: a fairy tale, with good and bad people, the good ones win in the end, the bad ones await what is coming for them, etcetera. The voices of father and daughter re-appear in the ending scene, to remind us that this was indeed a "Once upon a time" story from the start. Maybe the heads up is not really redundant, while all sort of things happen during the 2 hours in between.

Basically, we see a proverbial David and Goliath story: a David-like (Nani) figure is killed by the Goliath-figure (Sudeep), all in the struggle for a woman (Bindu). But Nani reincarnates as a fly and makes it his business to haunt and annoy Sudeep at first, later on followed by real attempts to kill him. It is beautifully visualized, with a lot of animation where a fly is neatly integrated in the picture.

In the first half hour (before the fly makes its/his appearance) I had the impression that the main characters were portrayed a bit over the top. Especially the bad guy (Sudeep), who usually gets any beautiful woman he wants, has to let go of Bindu who has set her eyes on neighbor Nani. Nani follows Bindu everywhere, but she waits 2 years before responding to his courting.

When collecting funds for a school support project, Bindu is received by Sudeep who writes a cheque on first sight in favor of her charity, but also insists she has lunch with him. This is where the trouble starts. Bindu is apparently distracted when seeing Nani nearby during lunch, being an unusual experience for Sudeep. He "solves" this problem by killing Nani in a dark alley. Nani reincarnates as a fly, at which moment the animation kicks in.

That is also the moment that the fairy tale atmosphere starts. Nani is determined to get his revenge. We see many impossible things happen during his actions. I'm not sure about some of them being physically possible for a fly, like carrying a needle many times its own weight. And the ominous writing on Sundeep's windshield looks also improbable. But who cares, since it fits the story line AND we can expect this in a fairy tale where the good win and the bad loose in the end, by whatever means available at the time.

All in all, in spite of the simplistic story that one could have derived from the synopsis, the plot is worked out beautifully. The subsequent attempts of the fly to deal with Sundeep, are various and creative. At first, the fly works alone. Later on he finds a way to communicate with Bindu, and they start working together. But even then, many killing attempts fail. As a result, we get many opportunities to admire how the animation and the "real" characters work together. We also become aware that a fly lives a very dangerous life, feeling very vulnerable and defenseless against people who think flies are a menace to mankind. However, this special fly survives it all, of course inherent to a fairy tale that is designed to let the good ones win. The festival visitors (all 18+) gave this film an 8.07 score for the audience award, demonstrating that this movie is also interesting enough for adults.

First I let all you know that I am from a Hindi state (utter pradesh) where Bollywood rules But to be honest Bollywood is too idea less to be called a creative movie industry.Bollywood live on stealing from others from Hollywood , Pakistan , (almost from every part on earth) and now there is a trend to steal from Tamil and Telugu cinema .And the sad part is most of the people even never get to know that who was the original creator.some movies are gazani,roudy rauthor , bodygaurd , ready , and many more .Most of them are super hit in bollywood. And now Telugu cinema comes with this movie Eega (Makki in Hindi ) its like slapping Bollywood on its face. What Bollywood didn't able to do with its high budget , Superstardum , and wide area of viewership Telugu Cinema did it with limited resources ,budget and limited viewers Any telugu guy can tell you what a great risk was take to decide a movie in which the main character is a FLY. No offense But from past few years most of the telugu movies were also very formulatic in approach as a superman Hero , 1 or 2 heroins (for dance and songs) , a mastermind villain , some fight scenes and thats it .

But this movie is a fresh air , well told story , nice comedy scenes , great special effects and CGIs . I recommend this movie for everyone and salute Rajamouli (director) for his great work ,

I was initially drawn to this movie because of it's similar premise with the H.P. Lovecraft/Hazel Heald story "Winged Death". Eega is not your typical fare, especially as an American unaccustomed to the movies of India. The first quarter of this film feels like you're watching the love child of a car/jewelry advert and music video. That's not to say it's bad it's just atypical and at times distracting.

Overall I found the story to be somewhat predictable and it veered from a sickening sweet to the dark and sinister. The acting is pretty good throughout but the actor playing the villain really shines.

The CG effects are sub-par compared to a Hollywood block buster but despite this I found myself forgetting I was watching a very obviously CG fly which I took as a good sign.

I would say if you're in the mood to experience something different, to step outside of the rehashed Hollywood garbage, are open to a movie that teeters from whimsical to sinister, and want to watch a moral dance between what amounts to a mob boss and a CG fly give this gem a shot.

Folks, before I begin let me just say that Telugu Cinemas have become too formulaic in the past decade. To sum it up there is ALWAYS a flashback, hero sets out to make the villain look like a fool, right before the intermission/halfway point through the movie the audience is let in on the secret that the hero only knows, in between there is a love track between the hero and heroine that is established in a wish-washy way. All the while there are 5-6 songs thrown in at the most inopportune moments; with double-entendre lyrics. I for one am fed up with the lack of variety among the modern Tollywood films.

Along comes Rajamouli's "EEGA" (also released in Tamil as "Naan EE") and kicks the routine formula out of the equation, and puts any other movie made in the last decade or so to shame. TELUGU MOVIES do not get any better than this folks. Take a moment to applaud Rajamouli as this film is his magnum opus! The special effects, background score, cinematography, and screenplay rival that of Western world's best films (might be a slight exaggeration on my part). It's safe to say that Rajamouli's streak will continue, and will carry his name to new heights around India. He must be commended for making use of a low key set of actors and actresses to make (in my opinion) the greatest Telugu film ever made.

Sudeep is the real scene stealer here; while Nani, Samantha, and Thagubothu Ramesh do their roles justice. Sudeep plays the villain with such conviction that you forget he is acting. Every scene with our protagonist the "Eega" and Sudeep is sure to be eye candy for every audience member. I assure you that there will be enough comedy in this movie for anyone looking for a few laughs. After the halfway mark/intermission is when the ticket price starts paying for itself (I won't say why ;) ). I have to commend the SFX team for making this one a visual treat. There is not more that I can say without giving away key information about the plot, and story. Go pay the ticket price and enjoy this close to 3 hour visual feast.

GO WATCH THIS ONE WITH THE FAMILY!

Before I begin this review, I would like to take a moment to salute Mr. S.S.Rajamouli for coming up with an entertainer that has pushed the boundaries of our filmmaking. Eega makes us all proud to be a part of the Telugu Film Industry.

'Eega' has released across the world today in a big way and the movie has been directed by S.S.Rajamouli. Music has been scored by Keeravani and the film has Samantha,Nani and Sudeep in lead roles. The movie has some outstanding performances but Sudeep takes the cake. He is terrific as the villainous guy and his screen presence is riveting. Sudeep is a major asset for the movie.

Samantha comes up with a good performance and she looks very cute in the movie. Her interaction sequences with the Eega are heartwarming.

Nani delivers a humorous and spirited performance in the brief role that he has. He has good comedy timing. Srinivasa Reddy and Thagubothu Ramesh bring a few laughs.

S.S. Rajamouli's direction and screenplay deserve special mention. The story moves along at a terrific pace and the buildup to the interval is amazing. Good humor and solid drama keep viewers deeply involved in the film. The special effects are of very high quality and they have never been seen in Telugu Cinema before.

The emotional struggle of the Eega and its cute mannerisms will endear it to kids. Don't be surprised if your kids bug you for an Eega toy after this movie.

The climax block and the way the Eega extracts its revenge on the villain is shown brilliantly. Eega also performs Chiranjeevi's Indra step and Jr NTR's Yamadonga step during the climax title cards. Visual effects and CGI images are of a very high quality and they are worth applauding. Eega's revenge sequences have been well conceived by Rajamouli and the SFX team. As I said before, Eega makes us all proud to be a part of the Telugu Film Industry. It is wildly entertaining, hilarious at times and the Eega really endears itself to viewers. Don't miss out on 'Eega'. These kind of films don't come very often. GO and grab your tickets now folks...