Vanaja

Netflix really has got to find someone else to write the little descriptions and blurbs for their movies. This is yet another one that did sort of tell me what the film was about, but really sugar coated a major element of it by calling rape, "shame."

The story is an old classic, the young and beautiful girl falls for the older rich young man, but it cant be, or at least for a while. Our main character is Vanaja, and she seems to have gotten a few problems that are setting her back, her Mom's dead, he father is a drunk, and loses the boat he needs for fishing, and she is really smart. Now it might not seem that being smart is a bad thing, but in this case it is, she is smart enough to know she can do a lot better, and deserves it.

She wants to be a dancer, and it just so happens that the woman who basically acts as slum lord over their little area used to be a great dancer. So when her father forces her out of school, she want to go there to work. The landlady (slum lord) Mrs. Devi takes a liking to her and hires her. Vanaja is able to get Devi to agree to teach her music and how to dance. So for a while things are going well, that is until Devi's son returns. After a little flirting and eyes made between them, innocent enough even though Vanaja is only 15, and he is well into his 20's, he rapes her.

The other maid of the house finds out and keeps it hush-hush. That is until Vanaja turns out to be pregnant, and decides to not get an abortion. Devi and her son will take the baby in exchange for 600,000 rupees and the promise no one will ever know that he's a rapist. Ill leave off the story there to not give much more away.

Needless to say there is no happy ending, in fact its down right tragic, but for that it is probably the most realistic Indian movie Ive ever seen, which is saying a lot. I love watching Indian women in movies, they are so beautiful, I cant take my eyes off of them when I see a really beautiful one.

The film is very colorful, and had some really well composed and interesting shots, as well as lighting. Although there were scenes that were lit so artificially it just made me cringe. The camera moved well, and was very fluid, they even used some hand held which I hadn't really seen in an Indian movie before. Like all Indian movies there are several scenes of just singing and dancing, and they are just gorgeous, so graceful, yet forceful, like ballet mixed with fighting. Even though the story was one that I had seen before I wasn't really bothered or bored with it, the rape certainly took me off guard (not graphic, I just didn't know it was going to happen) A fairly strong film overall, but an young directors attempt. 7/10 stars.

Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli

Starring: Mamatha Bhukya, Urmila Dammannagari, Ramachandriah Marikanti, Krishnamma Gundimalla, Karan Singh, Bhavani Renukunta