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I AM really GLAD to inform you all that I have been PARTLY WRONG and PARTLY CORRECT in THULASIs Box-Office Prediction. Very obviously, I am Glad for being PARTLY CORRECT. But also GLAD that I am PARTLY WRONG. The reason being that at least A center Telugu film audiences are showing signs of maturity and rejecting even the STAR movies. The recent examples are CHIRUTHA, ATHIDHI and THULASI. Coming to the Thulasi, it is one of the weakest movies of Venkatesh. I reviewed it so badly that it was in stark contrast with my Box-Office Prediction. But still, I was expecting a Blockbuster. So, did it really make it? The answer is NOOO. But it is a HIT anyway. THULASI is doing AVERAGE business in A centers, ABOVE AVERAGE business in B centers and BLOCKBUSTER business in C centers. So, overall THULASI is a HIT. But many of the A center audiences would perceive it as just an AVERAGE film.

Let me give you an example of an obscure film that many of you might not even remember. It is PUTTINTIKIRA CHELLI of ARJUN. It was one of the biggest hits of the year it got released but none from the A centers even knew about it. Like I always said, every film is not and need not be made for everybody. The same thing can be said about THULASI. But the profit percentages will be lower for THULASI as it had been acquired at a steep price by the buyers when compared to PUTTINTIKIRA CHELLI.

THULASI did really FLOP business in the Overseas. But no one really expected for it to do well in the overseas circuit. I really wonder as to why do these Distributors buy the rights of most of the films with out using some common sense. Anyway, Distributors in USA invested Rs. 1 + 0.12 Crores for it and until now the movie collected only Rs. 0.6 Crores. So, very obviously it won’t make it to the safety zone.

As far as the Andhra pradesh is concerned, as I said earlier, it is doing SAFE and sound business overall. No one is going to suffer loss in A.P. And what really made me ecstatic about is the fact that THULASI team did really reveal the true figures in their success meet (KUDOS TO THEM!!!). THULASI did really GROSSED 12 Crores in 12 days. Those figures are indeed a PERSONAL RECORD for Venkatesh’s movies. But they look paltry in comparison to the CHIRUTHAs and ATHIDHIs FAKE figures. And Thulasi is doing roaring business in some districts such as GUNTUR. Suresh Film Distributors released the figures for GUNTUR as Rs. 1,13,40,276/- in only 20 DAYS in only 15 CENTERS. These figures have been cross checked by my sources and they seem to be true.

So, overall THULASI is a success.

UPDATE: 22/11/2007
THULASI has crossed Rs. 22 Crores mark and is on its way to end up around Rs. 25-26 Crores in its entire run.

VENKATESH is a cricket enthusiast since long… He loves the game so much so that he never misses an opportunity to watch a live game in the stadium if possible. So a cricket oriented film is only logical, isn’t it? So for all the cricket enthusiasts out there… he is now ready to make a film with cricket as the main theme. It seems that Suresh Babu has a script already with him and I hope the film will be made some time soon.

TULASI MOVIE CREDITS:

CAST:
LEAD ACTORS: VENKATESH, ATHULITH (SON)
LEAD ACTRESS: NAYANATARA
OTHERS: SIVAJI, RAMYA KRISHNA, ASHISH VIDYARTHI, JAYA PRAKASH REDDY, RAHUL DEV, RAVI BABU, RIAZ KHAN, TANIKELLA BHARANI, PARUCHURI VENKATESWARA RAO, ALI, RAGHU BABU, JHANSI, VIJAY KUMAR, SHRIYA (ITEM GIRL)
DIALOGUES: PARUCHURI BROTHERS
STUNTS: KANAL KANNAN & RAM LAKSHMAN
STORY: BOYAPATI SRINU & AKULA SIVA
EDITING: MARTHAND K VENKATESH
MUSIC: DEVI SRI PRASAD
SCREENPLAY/DIRECTION: BOYAPATI SRINU
PRODUCER: D SURESH BABU
BANNER: SURESH PRODUCTIONS
RELEASE DATE: 12, OCTOBER, 2007

KALCHAs CRITICAL RATING: 2/10
[Venkatesh=0.5, Nayanatara=0.25, Shriya+Jhansi+Raghu Babu+Sivaji+Jaya Prakash Reddy=0.25, Dialogues=0.25, Screenplay=0.25, Music=0.25, Direction=0.25]

KALCHAs COMMERCIAL RATING: 6.5/10
[Venkatesh=1, Nayanatara=0.5, Athulith=0.5, Shriya+Jhansi+Raghu Babu+Sivaji+Jaya Prakash Reddy=0.5, Costumes=0.25, Dialogues=0.5, Choreography=0.25, Stunts=0.5, Cinematography=0.25, Story=0.5, Screenplay=0.25, Editing=0.25, Music=0.75, Direction=0.75]

VERDICT: “Critically, Very Hollow And Still A Blockbuster…”

ACTING WISE

For Venkatesh, portraying Tulasi is a cake walk… But the character is so cliche ridden that his effort doesn’t fetch him much accolades… But still, it is the best performance of Tualsi. He certainly looks the handsomest among the senior heroes… In fact Venkatesh overtook Nagarjuna in this department since Gharshana… Since Super, Nagarjuna isn’t looking his best and with long hair and a whitish beard he looks pathetic and is fast losing his fan base… whereas, Venkatesh is always clean shaved, sporting cool denims most of the times and with the best muscles among the seniors…

Nayanatara’s character had ample scope to perform but unfortunately the screenplay ruined the party for her… She just had to stare at Venkatesh intently so as to show her anger… And I don’t think it is that hard enough for a talented actress like Nayanatara. As for the glamour part, she is used more for her body skills than her acting skills…

As for Athulith, the kid might be cute but was not at all expressive… He just stands looking cute and the dialogues pour out of the speaker boxes… I know you might feel I am going hard on the kid… But just rent a DVD of ANJALI and have the pleasure of watching Baby Shamili to know how expressive kids could be at a much younger age… And I didn’t even mention Hollywood and its amazing kids… Of course musch lies in the hands of the directors when it comes to Kids…

As always, Jhansi, Jaya Prakash Reddy and Raghu Babu were at their hilarious best… But I am still hoping that someone would write a character challenging enough for Raghu Babu… “Coz he is way better an actor to just remain in the corner post of a villain’s den… If I may say so… He belongs to the league of great actor Kota Srinivasa Rao.

Sivaji doesn’t disappoint and this might be his best performance after Missamma.
There are too many waste characters in the movie… like Tanikella Bharani and Ravi Babu… They were just not needed for Tulasi.

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

DIALOGUES:
Generally, I don’t like Paruchuri Brothers with their cliched dialogue writing in Seema movies… But dialogues in Tulasi were surprisingly toned down and at times refreshing for a Seema movie…
STUNTS:
If I could, I would have given negative rating just for the vehicles flying in an action episode completely out of sync with the point of contact with the hitting vehicle… It is like watching Chinese movies in Telugu with horrible dubbing.
STORY:
Here too… I would have given negative rating if I could. The story at the core is just a plain copy of ANTHAHPURAM. But it is woven with too many cliched characters and so diluting the genius of the story of Anthahpuram. And then it is completely formula ridden with a Cute Kid, Father and Son sentiment, Thali sentiment, Comedy, Songs including one item song, Barrage of villains, Seema faction, Powerful dialogues, Foreign locales, Variety of weapons, Flying vehicles, Bullets traveling at the speed of the hero… (Just before interval, in an action scene, hero looks at the villain as he fires… and then looks at the target (His Son)… and then runs… and then dives in the air… and at last the bullet hits the hero instead of the target… I am just sick of all this…
EDITING:
Editing is not as bad as the story itself… And in fact if not for the editing… the movie could’ve been like 3-4 individual movies in a sequence…
MUSIC:
As usual, commercially good but critically pathetic effort… by Devi Sri Prasad. I believe he has just 3-5 tunes in his repertoire… and mixes, remixes, repeats, tones up and tones down and also copies to make many hits over these years. For instance, beautifully composed NEE KALLATHOTI is a rehashed, re-orchestrated, repeat of Sontham’s TELUSUNA…
SCREENPLAY:
An okay screenplay is what saves this movie… Very cliched largely but with some interesting experiments worth appreciating. I liked the transition of the scene where the audience are involved in the party of Sivaji and his buddy and suddenly Sivaji gets up seeing the villain and slowly goes up to him and bangs a liquor bottle on his head… I believe no one in the theater expects the turn of events in that scene… That is the best scene of the film. In one more scene the audience starts to believe that Rahul Dev is gonna shoot Venkatesh and suddenly the bullet fires but not from his gun… The bullet hits Rahul Dev in the forehead and the audience would be really surprised in that scene…
DIRECTION:
Boyapati Srinu fails in opening this Tollywood commercial potboiler with a bang… I liked the theme of a fashion show with the titles… but it was not presented with the richness in cinematography. I liked the profession that the director and the story writers assigned for Nayanatara… a fashion designer. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been convincing to us when she exposes herself in the movie as much as she did (In Bhayya, Priyamni being a studious innocent girl, whose life is education… suddenly takes off her clothes in the songs for us…). Boyapati Srinu has the nack of making blockbusters out of nothing like V V Vinayak and Puri Jagannath. He picks up a beaten story and stuffs it with enough juice to entice the general movie buffs… He is the next sensation at the Box-Office… Watch out…!!!

READERs RATING ON TULASI:

DO NOT MISS KALCHAs TUALSI BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION

TULASI is by far the hardest one I ever predicted… I am writing this prediction on the second day of TULASIs release… and I already read a lot of negative reviews in the media on the first day itself… As I said earlier, this negative talk and negative publicity in the media makes this prediction very harder… But I believe in my own theories… And remember, I may also go WRONG… in which case this would become another case study for me…Always remember that my predictions are based on general movie market economics that I am aware of… through extensive study of various film industries and their business over the years… like Hollywood, Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood etc., I also assume a lot of things just based on my GUT feeling. Movie buffs should know the fact that many a time… Great movies topple at the Box-Office and Bad movies make Crores of bucks… My predictions are not at all biased and do not favor or disregard any particular STAR. If you don’t believe in me then just don’t read any further… My effort is to educate Tollywood movie buffs about the way the movie market works and how… MANY GULLIBLE PRODUCERS are losing crores of bucks through ignorance and believing blindly that STARS make money for them which is largely untrue… The recent example being the stupendous success of an all new star cast and low budget HAPPY DAYS at the same time when a huge Banner movie toppled at the Box-Office… You can read my earlier posts to verify any doubts…

IN A NUTSHELL: Thulasi will open huge due to the number of prints being 290 (Highest for Venkatesh). And then would take over the Box-Office like a Tsunami… Thulasi would gross the highest collection in VENKATESHs career… I predict the gross collection would be a Minimum of Rs. 28 Crores and may go even up to Rs. 45 Crores IF AND ONLY IF… Mahesh Babu’s Athidhi topples at the Box-Office…

REASONS:
1. Venkatesh has always been the most consistent performer at the Box-Office… Though we do not see huge frenzy for his movies as with many other leading stars… his movies have relatively been the safest bets for the producers so far… Venkatesh mostly hits the right formula to make a success out of a movie… Same is the case with Tulasi… Though critically it is a let down… it is laden with the right formula to make a blockbuster out of nothing…
2. A cute kid always appeals to all… irrespective of A, B and C classes.
3. Clean comedy always appeals to all strata of the society. (Venkatesh has one of the best comic timings…)
4. Though in overdose, Sentiment in Venkatesh’s movies always appeal to women and especially B and C centers.
5. Currently, there is not a single MASS (B and C) appealing movie since Yamadonga.
6. Venkatesh has a C-A market whereas Mahesh Babu has A-C market… So Athidhi’s release won’t effect Thulasi negatively. But might affect positively if Athidhi flops… (If you don’t understand what I mean you are always welcome to ask…) —KALCHA

DO NOT MISS KALCHAs TULASI MOVIE REVIEW

THULASI is all set to dazzle on Telugu screens on 12th of October. Thulasi is a much awaited all action drama from Venkatesh who has been doling out hits very consistently but through much softer and more realistic roles than out and out out commercial characterizations which penetrates the mass markets. So, Thulasi would be like a spring board for him to reach the masses…

DTS final mixing is in progress for Thulasi directed by Boyapati Sreenu and produced by D Sureshbabu in the banner of Suresh Productions with Venkatesh and Nayanatara in the lead. Boyapati Sreenu had delivered a hit in his first outing in the form of BHADRA. Thulasi is said to be an action punch with faction backdrop.

Producer Sureshbabu says, “We are making efforts to complete the censor formalities very soon and release the film on October 12. We made the film in an attractive way and it would definitely suit the taste of all classes of audiences as it has all kinds of commercial elements.” Let’s wait and see what is in store for us…

The audience who went to watch the cricket match between India and Australia in Hyderabad were surprised and ecstatic to see many Tollywood stars gracing the venue with their radiating presence…

CHIRANJEEVI SPORTING A RELAXED SMILE ON A SPORTING DAY

GREAT ACTOR CHIRANJEEVI OBLIGING THE AUDIENCE

SHY GUY RAM CHARAN STARTED TO MAKE SOME PUBLIC APPEARANCES

CURRENT RAGE IN TOLLYWOOD… TWO SUPERB DANCERS RAM CHARAN AND ALLU ARJUN… AT ONE PLACE!!! THE AUDIENCE MUST BE LUCKY

RELAXED BALA KRISHNA IN A BEACH SHIRT

VENKATESH IN BLACK DENIMS LOOKS DASHING AND OBLIGES THE CAMERAS

CRICKET’S BIGGEST TOLLYWOOD FAN VENKATESH ECSTATIC DURING THE MATCH

TARUN, WITH AN EVER RADIATING SMILE

RAMAZAN brings up many memories to many people especially Hyderabadis… Living in Hyderabad and not having the Ramzan specials like Kheer and especially Haleem is just non-hyderabadi… of course for non-vegetarians…

Just landing for the shooting of her upcoming movie, actress Mamta Mohandas is feeling extra special as this will be her first Ramzan outside BAHRAIN where shew grew up. “The ambience in Bahrain is totally different. I would observe the fast along with my friends and it used to be very special. I’m glad to be in Hyderabad because I am told the ambience here is second to none. I can’t wait to lay my hands on the hameem and biryani,” says Mamta Mohandas.

As for actress Archana, Ramzan experience is about catching up with friends and digging into biryani and the yummy kheer. “The night before Ramzan, the old city is all decked up, especially the road from Charminar leading up to the Mecca Masjid. The brightly lit roads with a sea of people clad in traditional outfits is a sight to behold and for me it is an opportunity to cherish that enduring memory with my friends,” says Archana.

And many of Tollywood actors too have their palate full of Haleem during the Ramzan season. For a true blue Hyderabadi like actor Venkatesh, the festival is extra special as he celebrates it with so many Muslim friends and well wishers in and outside. “For every Hyderabadi, Ramzan is a special festival that you look forward to celebrate with friends and family irrespective of what religion you belong to, and I am no exception,” says Venky. And he continues, “Haleem, of course, is a big favorite. There’s nothing like eating haleem in the Ramzan season. Every restaurant in the city serves a different variation of the traditional dish and I totally binge on it.”

Angrez actor Mast Ali(Saleem Pheku) is one of such Haleem fans… He says, “Hyderabad is the Motherland of Haleem. Nowhere else in the world you get to taste haleem that’s made better…”

TOLLYWOOD stars dancing to their heart’s content in real life… How many times would we get a chance to watch them dance as if they have become children once again. CHIRANJEEVI, BALA KRISHNA, VENKATESH, RAVI TEJA, SRIKANTH, RAM CHARAN, LAWRENCE, ALI, NAGABABU and others are dancing in this video. I think many of you have already seen this video on YOUTUBE. If so then you can skip this… Otherwise, this video is a must watch for every Telugu movie fan… Actually the reason for me to put this on display here is because on YOUTUBE it has been viewed only 50,000 times. But I think we are 9,00,00,000 (9 Crores) Telugu movie fans out here. So please inform your friends about this video. But the sound & video quality is a bit poor… What the hell, it is a rare video and our heroes are in it… And don’t miss Bala Krishna’s kick on Ali’s butt… WATCH IT…

Aadavari Maatalaku Arthaale Verule is a mixed bag, both in terms of quality and entertainment. The movie is refreshing mostly and cliched partly… The director of the movie Selva Raghavan (Sri Raghava) has done largely good but not a great job with AMAV. AMAV is not as great or as entertaining as 7/G Brindavan Colony was… but he has done his best in crossing the barriers of stardom with AMAV dealing with one of the leading stars of Tollywood, Venkatesh. So how will the movie fare at the box-office…? Read On…

IN A NUTSHELL: AMAV will open huge as it stars one of the leading stars of Tollywood, Venkatesh and a heartthrob of many cinema lovers, Trisha. But the movie itself would get an average talk. But luckily for AMAV, there is no competition at all at the box-office… So, slowly the talk that it is a family movie will gain momentum and the film will be the biggest grosser of Venkatesh of all time (Inflation not adjusted)… I predict the gross collection to be around Rs. 22-28 Cr. by the end of its run…

And remember… in the future 100, 150, 175 days centers would become irrelevant… and as in Hollywood, only a few weeks collections would matter to decide whether a movie is a hit or flop…