Does the director tell a story in a stylish way or does he narrate it in a way that the mass accepts it? To elevate heroism does one need to hike the quotient of villainy in the anti-hero? Is there scope to portray a family drama in an action film? When you write a story such doubts surface and it is normal but to get that perfect balance we need to sacrifice one element for the other otherwise the story hangs in mid air if it doesn’t belong to action or the family drama finally. Mirchi proves that if a story has some stuff in it even if it means it is an old tale, people will accept it. Style, mass, family, entertainment, glamour all put together in a platter is Mirchi. Now lets see how it tastes when you bite it!
Jai (Prabhas) is an architect from Italy and he believes one doesn’t lose anything by loving people. At the most people will fall in love with you in return. He also says we pass through this life but once so we shouldn’t make it complicating for us or the others. Manasa (Richa) likes his philosophy and falls in love with him as she always finds his company soothing . She on one occasion tells him to go away from her as she is getting used to this happiness. She is soon returning to her village where killing, hurting and blood shed is the order of the day; But to her surprise she finds him already stationed in her house winning everyone’s affection.
The dialogue about loving others becomes a backbone for the film, it is around this line the entire story is built. Jai acts as a bridge between two warring faction families and the initial title Varadhi was apt but later on it was changed to Mirchi. Just when the talk of getting Jai married to Manasa arises, Jai reveals the story to Manasa as to why he is not interested in getting married. Who is he and why did he enter her family in the first place? We see a lot of traces from Bindas in the film, if we bring a star hero in Bindas it becomes Mirchi. Though Koratala Siva’s treatment is not new it gives a fresh feel.
There are many areas where you get to see Siva’s talent and potential to direct a mass film. Especially the introduction of Jai is a good example. The fight scene in which he tells the rowdies how it would be like if he hits them brings an applause in the theatre. Sometimes you ought to believe when you see the cut out he says referring to his imposing personality and height. Siva earns brownie points through dialogues which sounds like a fight, he doesn’t use an action scene every where. There is an advantage if a writer becomes a director, Siva could have polished some of the scenes but in majority of the portions he elevated the scenes through dialogues.
Prabhas looks cool in his fights, especially when he wields a sword. He appears very settled in his scenes, he has already proved his worth in Chatrapathi to the masses, Darling endeared him to the family audiences. He has shown through Mirchi that if a mass hero does a film that everyone likes, the range is different. Prabhas is growing as an actor with each film. Anushka gets more marks as a naughty woman and Richa who always disappoints is just about okay. Devi Sri Prasad’s music brings out the energy and the mood especially Mirchi Lanti Kurrode rocked. Brahmanandam tickled the audiences in his own inimitable style. He plays the role of Veera Pratap who gets bugged when addressed as Pratapam. There are loopholes in the story as well. The first half doesn’t move first and then there is a flash back in the second half. By the time it is done, the film is wrapped up. It is definitely a problem with the screenplay.
Anushka is an uneducated girl but she works in Prabhas’ office. The same house is shown in the film and many films, maybe it is a permanent set for faction movies; it doesn’t change with time at all. If you can skip these small flaws, Mirchi makes for an interesting watch. It has the fights of the faction and affections of the family all well knit to make it a spicy drama. A sure shot hit this!
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