Ninne Pelladatha (1996)

First of all, I watched this movie primarily for two reasons- my all-consuming interest in the trajectory of Tabu's filmography, and also, to investigate the claims of Nagarjuna Akkineni and Tabu having "amazing" and "unforgettable" chemistry.

So this movie is basically a mashup of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), and of course, Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). And if that sounds like a double big eeeeks, it most assuredly is. However, I honestly did not have as big a headache after watching Ninne Pelladatha as I did after watching the Hindi movies, and for context, I was very young and "unwoke" when I watched them. I think the difference can be attributed solely to the female cast of this movie, which carried the movie on its shoulders. Special mention, as always, to Queen T. After watching Barjatya's 1999 "family friendly" Hum Saath-Saath Hain last year, I had a sneaking suspicion that she makes mediocre, or even outright garbage movies seem special, and after watching Ninne Pelladatha, I think I am correct in thinking so. I mean, I am going to watch another Akkineni-Tabu starrer soon, so there must be something there, besides my own derangement, right? RIGHT??

This movie honestly had a lot of potential. Pandu could have come out as a great feminist icon of the Indian film industry, but the '90s culture took care of that. Akkineni's character, as far as I could see, was glorified for no good reason except that he was being played by Akkineni. His philosophy left me stone cold (to be fair, most male philosophy has that effect on me), and his "motivating" speech to Pandu that was actually mean and condescending left me infuriated. I mean, I would have taken him a lot more seriously had he not been a whiny man-child who was dependent on his mother for things like replacing the shampoo bottle. #StopBaavaPropaganda

("Baava propaganda" is a term coined by a dear friend who introduced me to this movie. It refers to Tollywood's prevalent aesthetic of marrying off female characters to their "baavas", or the sons of their maternal uncles. Yes, Akkineni is Tabu's baava in the movie, and yes, it is a very crucial plot point that lends itself to the Baava propaganda machinery.)

Is it even a 90s movie if you don't feel like it could have been waaayyy shorter? This dragged a bit, and I had to take a break to renew my commitment to finishing it. Speaking of which, there is no way in hell, heaven, or purgatory that I could have finished it without Queen T's superior acting skills. I mean, they weren't even "superior" here. That's how good the gal is at her game. Akkineni, meanwhile, should not have been allowed to become an actor. Don't know much about ANR, but he should have seriously considered sitting his son down and encouraging him to take up a new profession. Still, I am no one to throw mud at Akkineni, especially now when I am minutes away from watching another movie of his, even though I am only watching it for Tabu. Also, if Akkineni is half as annoying as his character (who was written specifically with Akkineni in mind), then I am glad he and Tabu aren't endgame.

Personal update- I learnt some new Telugu words through this movie, so #win. However, "Greek Veerudu" is now stuck in my head with absolutely no intention of leaving. #notawin

In conclusion, I only have this to say- #PanduDeservedBetter.


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