Manam

My review: Manam

Vikram Kumar known for his intelligent scripting though he has ventured into various genres already in his brief career is at it again with his latest release, "Manam". A heart-warming story that cut across three generations, Vikram has not taken it easy so as to make a feel-good family entertainer but has a backing of a story that is quiet unusual to the Indian cinema. Though we have seen numerous movies that touch upon reincarnation, the interplay of two main plots and few other subplots made with conviction without confusing the viewers is what makes this endeavor an above-par one. 

A story-line that has an inherent danger of seemingly confusing at the outset has got simplified by the intelligent scriptwriter in Vikram Kumar. It is almost impossible for anyone to make this story as simple as they have made it to be. Also the beautiful interplay between the humor and the sentiment make it readily enjoyable for the families. Each of the subplots have their own time period, completion and conviction.    

As the makers proclaim, it is indeed a worthy tribute to the veteran of Telugu cinema, Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya perform credibly well. The duo perform exceedingly well in their period avatars better than the contemporary ones. Same goes for the lead ladies, Samantha and Shriya. Especially Samantha in the contemporary role acts retarded in most of the scenes. 

Anoop Rubens melodious numbers are in keeping with the overall mood of the movie while P.S.Vinod's cinematography has a lot of rich visuals, a treat for your eyes.

Overall, "Manam" is an intelligently made feel good movie, that touches both your heart and brain. 

Bottomline: Quiet a few laughs, smiles and tears. 

3.5/5