Valimai VS Pushpa VS KGF: One is a masala film, done for commercial purposes. The other two are not, and both have been critically acclaimed. With Valimai taking the industry by surprise by doing well commercially and with Pushpa doing well at the box office, questions on what does it take to make a masala film have resurfaced. This article will highlight this point in detail with examples from movies released earlier than Valimai & Pushpa – such as KGF itself.
What makes Valimai a success:
- A tight screenplay clearly defines the need for every scene and sequence and maintains its consistency throughout the movie. Some examples are their conversation in the car with Maima’s father or when she’s trying to make Salam see her point of view.
- Great casting. Mama is the shining star of this movie, and her performance is praiseworthy. Their chemistry is natural and not forced, despite so many romantic scenes.
- The screenplay isn’t altered to accommodate an actor’s star value or age. The story takes its course without being too slow or fast-paced and keeps the interest intact throughout the movie.
- Good VFX work in some places, especially in the pre-climax fight sequence near the end where Salam’s suit catches fire, and he fights with it on fire – not so much that it becomes a distraction from the content but enough to appreciate their effort.
- The surprising twist at the end. Unexpected considering the pace of KGF, but as they say, better late than never.
What could have made Valimai better:
- It shows Some overlapping dialogues, except close ones and in a few scenes where conversations of those two characters are repetitive.
- Though they’re nicely done, the music and the song that plays in the beginning don’t work well with the movie’s tone. The tune is catchy, but it’s apparent that it was chosen to appeal to a broader audience with a different taste than mainstream audiences for movies like Valimai & Pushpa.
What makes Pushpa a success:
- Good screenplay. Characters are well defined, dialogues are crisp and written as if they’ve been there and seen what happened right before them (what you see happening is what you get) – and the same goes for everything in the movie.
- The screenplay isn’t altered to accommodate an actor’s star value or age. The story takes its course without being too slow or fast-paced and keeps the interest intact throughout the movie.
- VFX’s work is at par with that of a Hollywood blockbuster – especially in the climax fight sequence in an underground tunnel/cave where two characters are fighting with swords, which looks natural and stunningly done on screen.
A Brutal Lesson Of ‘Why Every Masala Film Can’t Be A Commercial Potboiler’:
Ajith fans, who have come across my reviews, will know that I am not the most loyal fan of his work. But I admire his dedication, consistency, and pride in his career, and one cannot deny his acting abilities. So I decided to watch KGF in theatres as a tribute to this versatile actor because it was said to be above a masala flick (movie full of popcorn entertainment with no lasting value).
KGF is the first south movie of its kind (a masala film) inspired by Roshomon and Rashomon. It’s a movie that boasts of a story, screenplay, direction, and production values, along with dialogues that the director & crew have taken immense efforts to put together. It’s not just another masala film we see every week in theatres. The only difference is that KGF was made with an elaborate budget, so much so that it was said to be 3 years in making – from pre-production to post-production. An effort worth appreciating, but one also has to understand its content.
Technically (as far as I can understand), it’s an excellent movie – where most of the scenes are clear and crisp because of good lighting and coordination by the director. Some of the locations are impressive, especially near the end. The soundtrack (which was said to be bought for several crores) is good and in sync with the scene. The dialogues are crisp and concise, with very few repetitions and uses of wrong words. The characterization by all characters seems authentic and is not limited by a specific format or format of scenes used in commercial masala films.
But what I realized in the movie is that KGF’s screenplay is so different from that of a commercial masala film because it doesn’t rely solely on an actor’s star value or age to make a movie work out. It has its own story to tell, and if you cut it down to a sugar-coated commercial one – it would lose what the film is about.
Conclusion – Valimai VS Pushpa VS KGF
I admire Ajith for making such a movie, but I will never be one of his fans unless KGF gives him more recognition. I’ve found myself disappointed and upset by what can be called a ‘cop-out’ ending of another masala flick. The other two movies – Pushpa & Valimai, are not masala films and were made for commercial purposes. But their screenplay and motivation behind their making (the story it tells) is straightforward in the movie itself. So you can expect no less than this to watch these two movies as you would protect any other commercial film.
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