Revisiting Anji (2004): Review + Interesting Facts Tollywood Kaburlu

Credits

Banner: MS Arts

Cast: Chiranjeevi, Namrata Sirodkar, MS Narayana, Tinu Anand, Bhupinder Singh, Rami Reddy, PT Raj, Saraswatamma, Baby Keertana, Baby Meghana, Baby Muthya, Master Vamsi, Master Bharat, Master Ajay, Ramya Krishna (SA), Rajya Lakshmi (SA) and Reema Sen (SA)

Music: Mani Sharma (Sri for one song)

Dialogues: Satyanand

Cinematography: Chota K Naidu

Art: Ashok

Lyrics: Sirivennela, Bhuvana Chandra, Chandrabose

Choreography: Lawrence, Raju Sundaram, Raja Sekhar, Robert

Stunts: Kanal Kannan, Peter Heins 

Visual Effects: Firefly Creative Studio

Creatives for visual effects: Bapu

Editing: KV Krishna Reddy

Production: Edu Kondalu 

Story - Screenplay: MS Arts Unit

Direction: Kodi Rama Krishna

Producer: Shyam Prasad Reddy

Release date: 15th January 2004

Writing/Direction

It's perfect example of good concept, bad execution. The story has potential but the screenplay is so bad to be honest. Its so badly written lmao. 

The movie is so clearly a mixture of Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade: In temple of doom, he has to bring back the Shiva Lingam and in last crusade they have to find the Holy Grail which grants immortal powers. Holy Grail is in a temple, here the Shiva Lingam is also in a temple or in some save when you enter it. 

Opening sequence and first 15 minutes is excellent, then the credits roll and everything seems well and good until Anji intro and first song. Ok. Then a random scene with forest people trying to capture an elephant. Then it introduces heroine and tries to bring in conflict point and tie in the story. 

But the villain is very weak, heroine is irritating and MS NArayana character is supposed to be henchman of the villain and it also gives irritation and is not funny. It's so forced and cringeworthy. 

Basically its an adventure movie with commercial elements: action, comedy, romance, emotion, and drama. 

But any adventure movie, the set pieces need stakes. 

Look at Indiana Jones, the opening scene which this is clearly inspired from he takes the thing and then a giant boulder comes and basically the villain gets it. I didnt feel it so much in this movie. For example he goes to get the sessanam, gets it, comes back, it gets burned. Ok. But somehow Naga Babu knows everything lol.

The drama is decent, action is there but forced, comedy is worst, and romance is non existent. Basically movie starts off well but then it tries to go in romantic and comedy track and fails miserably. 

Also interval is illogical and so convenient. He falls off a cliff of such height, he will most likely not be alive and falls where the snake and that knife formed into 72 years ago. 

Also if the tantrik 72 years ago dropped the praying materials into some black hole, how did some random priests in Uruvakona recover it? We are never told. 

Then Bhatia comes and then its like he has motives and then they bring tie in the subplot between elephant trapper and Bhatia who join hands to kill Sivayya. 

And then from there movie just gets unbelievably violent. He dies. And then Anji comes for revenge to kill everyone and then finally they go to climax. And it got very boring and exhausting. 

Climax is illogical because only Anji goes yet somehow if everything was that difficult how come in climax Bhatia comes just like that. In any adventure movie hero and villain always go through final hurdles and location together. Here he just comes somehow. 

And its just athi that he shoots the girl. So violent and over the top for no reason. 

Finally the movie ends and its just like. Ok. Movie ends but you dont feel anything. 

Are the graphics good? I mean maybe but ive seen Star Wars and Indiana Jones but it doesn’t feel anything. Its very clear its not that range. 

Direction by Kodi Ramakrishna is not good. As said before beginning and end are very good with set pieces and excitement but rest of the movie is so badly directed and executed you can’t forgive the rest.