Mister Pellam (1993)

Let me begin this "review" by stating that 90s Rajendra Prasad is a whole MOOD. Apart from the male entitlement, of course, but otherwise, I can't help but relate deeply to him. 

Now, for the true hero of the movie, and the reason why it has stayed fresh even after all these years- Jhansi, played by the lovely and talented Aamani. The scene where she visits her future office for the first time and becomes a marketing queen within minutes is one of the best scenes I have ever seen, no kidding. The best part is that it felt fresh and organic, because the ideas she came up with were so simple yet brilliant?! They also gave the audience a lot to think about, how companies function and about the relationship of consumers to brands and products. As my bestie said, so much can be analyzed from it. Aamani maaaaasssss. 

Apart from the occasional misogyny spouted by the male characters, this movie was overall quite cute and fun to watch. Rajendra garu's antics are always a hoot- seriously, this man proves why Telugu cinema is unparalleled when it comes to good comedy. His chemistry with Aamani garu was also delightful, and I especially loved their scenes with the kids, and with Gundu Sudarshan. I also loved how they incorporated the whole mythological storyline along with the main plot, and how they managed to make it equally funny and non-preachy. 

In conclusion, the makers of Miss India (2020) would have done the right thing by watching Mister Pellam before making their movie, and taking a few notes. Also I was a little upset by the subtitles acting up in the middle of this movie, I hope streaming platforms hire better subtitling teams ASAP.