Cast: Chiranjeevi, Srikanth, Karishma Kotak, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Shayaji Shinde, Venumadhav, Brahmanandam, MS Narayana, Sharathbabu, Rohit, Sada, Pawan Kalyan, Nagababu, Raviteja, Allu Arjun and Others
Director:Prabhu Deva
Producer:Kiran Prasad, Manohar Prasad, Ravi Shankar Prasad
Music:Devisri Prasad
Action:Vijay
Art:Ashok
Cinematography:Chota K.Naidu
Dialogues:Paruchuri Brothers
Editing:Marthand K.Venkatesh
Lyrics:Devisri Prasad, Bhaskarabhatla, Chandrabose, Sahithi, Suddala Ashok Teja
Story:Rajkumar Hirani
Banner:Gemini Film Circuit
Release Date:July 27th, 2007
'Shankardada MBBS' had mixed reactions, partly because it could not match the original. It
did not evoke the emotions of 'Munnabhai MBBS', despite Chiranjeevi's star status and the
hype surrounding it prior to release. Same follows for the second in it's series,
'Shankardada Zindabad'. It's not one, but many different factors which make the original
'Lage Raho Munnabhai' an incomparable movie, and the remake to seem an average copy. Read
on.
Plot:
Shankardada works for Lingam, evacuating people from homes and doing other
petty jobs for his real estate business. His loyal sidekick is ATM. Shankar is in love with
Jahnavi, a Radio Jockey who he meets after he wins a contest about Mahatma Gandhi. He tells
her he is a professor, and he is forced to read up on Gandhi's life to deliver a lecture to
her grandfather and his friends, who she lives with. Shankar sees the Mahatma, who advices
him on various ideals he believed in. Shankar changes for the better, but Lingam grabs hold
of Jahnavi's house. How they get back the house following Gandhi's ideals is the rest of the
plot.
Story, Screenplay and Direction:
The story is excellent, but the script and dialogue of the original are no match for this
remake. The empathy one feels for 'Munna' is lost here, and the dialogue and direction in
both the Shankardada movies are to be blamed.
Secondly, the Munna-Circuit relationship really stands out in 'Lage Raho Munnabhai'. But in
'Shankardada Zindabad', the best scenes of the original are not done that well.
Chiru-Srikanth chemistry fizzles out. Vidya Balan, who is a real charmer, kept the audience
attention while she lighted up the screen. Here, the female lead is pretty, but blank and
expressionless. We see Chiranjeevi, but never really Shankar.
Comparisons with the original apart, 'Shankardada Zindabad' has many flaws in itself. All
the scenes in which the Mahatma enters are usually preceded by Shankar calling him with a
prayer. It's supposed to look solemn, it ends up looking funny. The foot-tapping numbers do
make a difference here and there, but all the guest appearances make really no difference.
Pawan's appearance could have been better; and here again, the dialogue and direction are
not up to the mark.
In 'Akaleste', there are two good dancers i.e., Yana and Chiranjeevi, and a good
choreographer. But the song does not cast the magic expected of it. The Telugu proverbs
translated to English, the same as 'Shankardada MBBS', humor the audiences a little. All the
scenes where Shankar is on radio are done well. The part where the old man goes to receive
his pension on Shankar's advice is dubbed from the original and not re-shot.
Dialogue of the Day:
Chiranjeevi's entry is marked by this well-meaning dialogue
'Anna Chiruta ke ayya'.
Performances:
Chiranjeevi looks a little tired and the dance and fight sequences which he excelled at are
not full of his erstwhile energy anymore. Still, he has a great presence, good comic timing
and the old-world charm in him. But the empathy one feels for 'Munna' never really takes off
in the Shankardada series.
Srikanth is wrongly cast for ATM, although he is a capable artiste, somehow the character
does not really suit his persona. Karishma Kotak is totally blank. Shayaji Shinde is
repetitive. Sada does well in her guest role. Brahmanandam and Sharathbabu are believable.
Suneel, Rohit, Venumadhav and the gang of old men are cast well.
Song and Dance:
A treat for Chiru fans, it is a silver lining.
Last Word:
'Shankardada Zindabad' cannot be compared to the original 'Lage Raho
Munna Bhai', in the making or any other aspect. Apart from that, it is a good watch for
anyone who has not watched the original. For those who've seen 'Lage Raho Munna Bhai', it
will be an average fare. The main theme of the movie, 'Gandhigiri,' is actually not
emphasized in this movie. The first half and the beginning of the second half are okay, but
the real theme never takes off-it's Shankardada all the way, and Gandhi takes a backseat. |  |
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