Gaayam-2 Review

The season of sequels begins in Telugu cinema with `Gaayam 2', a sequel to Ramgopal Varma's sensational movie `Gaayam'. Directed by Praveen Sri, the sequel stars Jagapathi Babu, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Revathy and others from the first part. The second part introduces new characters like Vimala Raman, Kota Prasad, Jeeva and few others.

The Story.

Keep reminding yourself, the movie is a sequel to an action super flick directed by Ramgopal Varma. If you remember the story of `Gaayam', then our job is half done. `Gaayam 2' starts in Bangkok where Ram (Jagapathi Babu) has a coffee shop and his wife (Vimala Raman) has an interior decoration store. They both have a kid (who goes to school). One incident at Ram's coffee shop makes him a hero overnight and news channels covering the story, broadcast the report in India. In Hyderabad, Guru Narayana (Kota Srinivasa Rao), his son Shankar Narayana (Kota Prasad) and their lawyer (Thanikella Bharani) see the footage and get a glimpse of Durga (Jagapathi Babu from Gaayam 1) who is dead as claimed by Guru Narayana who planned the death of Durga.

The terribly short tempered son of Guru Narayana gets angry and furious seeing Jagapathi Babu. He flies to Bangkok along with his lawyer to find out if it's the same Durga. So they come to the restaurant and try to find out if Jagapathy Babu who is Ram, is really Durga?

A few scenes later, it is the obvious answer but Jagapathi Babu (and the audience) goes through ordeals to admit the truth. Hearing all this and shocked to know that her husband has a dark history, Vimala Raman opposes her husband and asks him to stay away. But later on through Jeeva (a cop in Bangkok) she realizes that she needs to support him, instead of abandoning and learns his past.

Everything is not smooth yet, the wicked politician Kota Srinivasa Rao plans to kill Jagapathi Babu and his family, but in the shoot out, only the son is injured. Now Jagapathi Babu is not Ram anymore, he is back to being Durga, the brainy Don in Hyderabad as we all know from Gaayam 1. His son is out of danger, but Durga is boiling hot in taking revenge on the politicians and his men. Does he succeed? What happened to Revathi?

Director's Guts

Appreciate the director Praveen Sri for the guts he has, to choose a subject that too a sequel to a sensational hit by a sensational director. But he doesn't live up to making a justifying sequel. `Gaayam' it self was a clever adaptation of father of all mafia movies- `The Godfather' but making a sequel to it needs a lot of application and an intense screenplay which was missing in `Gaayam 2'.

Comparing both the parts would be rude but as a member of the audience you'd tend to do it. The first half of `Gaayam 2' had nothing in it till the interval block and post interval, only the first quarter or so will keep you engrossed, thanks to the arrival of Jagapathi Babu in India and the background music.

A Revenge Drama

If you've seen `Gaayam' then you realise that the story is all about revenge. The same continues even in `Gaayam 2' leaving the director with less scope to experiment and just include the same revenge drama in the sequel. The movie is all about tit for tat and the hero keeps doing it.

There is no proper or meaningful answer for a question by a TV reporter when he asks Jagapathi Babu, how come he is alive; when the world said he was dead? Editing in the movie was blunt. A few scenes didn't seem to connect with either prior or subsequent scenes.

The best points of the movie.

There are quite a few best points of the movie. You will listen to big applauses whenever the old shots of `Gaayam 1' are shown on screen and the director creatively includes it in the screenplay to inform the people who haven't seen the first part.

Coming to performances, the first actor to figure in this analysis will be Kota Srinivasa Rao. The veteran actor has acted in such politically driven characters plenty of times in his career. His Telangana lingo is flawless and he delivers it perfectly. His facial expressions are amazing and he wins the race, when it comes to the actors.

Jagapathi Babu doesn't really have much to express. All, his director would have said that the first half is a lively Ram and the second half is a serious Durga, so the transition is evidently shown by Jagapathi and his expressions are pretty much the routine though in a few severe scenes you would commend the actor. Vimala Raman has no scope to offer but she has done what her director would have demanded. All the others like Thanikella Bharani, Kota Prasad have done a decent job.

The music by Ilayaraja is a big highlight. The background music is fitting and captures the interest of the audience in the intense scenes however the songs might remind you of old tunes, the maestro had composed.

Anil Bhandari behind the lens also receives applause for picturing the movie with the right colour temperature.

IndiaGlitz Verdict

`Gaayam 2' starts the new cult of sequels. This is a serious revenge drama and it's definitely not the family kind. Watch it, if you missed `Gaayam 1' or wait for `Gaayam 3' if it is made by RGV.

Released on: 3rd Sep, 2010