Movie: Fidaa ( ఫిదా )
Producer(s): Dil Raju
Cast: Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi
Direction: Shekar Kammula
Music: Shakthikanth Karthick
Fidaa is the latest offering by Shekar kammula and Varun Tej from Dil Raju's banner. This movie is heard for quite some time, and the teaser brought everything together. After Duvvada Jagannadham and before that Shatamanam Bhavati, Dil Raju is flying high, contrast to Varun and Shekar. Both of them are struggling and wanting a huge hit. Time will resolve whether both will get success or not. Shekar's earlier movies Anamika and Life is Beautiful didnt work at box office. Even though Leader was critically acclaimed, I guess it too didnt work at box office. Similarly Varun Tej is looking for decent hit as his earlier film loafer sunk without a trace at box office. In this context getting to work with Golden Hand producer Dil Raju is for sure a blessing in disguise for them to hope they will get some too from him.
Shekar's movies always had good music be it Godavari, or Anand or happy days. He had a great luck to be working with Radhakrishna, Veturi garu for offering really good songs. Now he has to work with different lyricists and a debutant Shakthikanth Karthick. Shekar's movies music offered good mesmerizing lyrics like "Raama chakkani seetaki" and good songs like Godavari, where SPB gave some good songs. Even in Leader he used "Maa Telugu Talliki" very effectively. However without those technicians, can he offer what he offered before is a question that this album will answer. Lets see how he did.
This album has 6 songs, 2 written by Vanamali, One by Sirivennela, One by Suddala Ashok Teja, and the rest by Chaitanya Pingali. One song wonder Madhupriya sings a song. Hemachandra gets to sing 2 songs. Rest are relatively new voices. Lets start the album
1. Vachinde
Lyrics: Suddala Ashok Teja
Singer(s): Madhu Priya, Ramky
Suddala Ashok Teja wears a different cap writing this song. This song is noisy and loud, doesn't sound pleasant at many places. A simple song would have clicked. On top MadhruPriya was not singing in her comfortable zone so she doesn't sound right. Singing wise she has to mature a lot. At few places she was good, but there are many places like Venna poosa, magavallu, dinner annade, date annade, needs lot of improvement in singing. Did Lead artists selection was based on this song or Teja garu wrote the lyrics looking at the lead pair wrote "Tana mundu nichena esi ekkite andade". This song is good intermittently and gets lost in between lacking consistency. Chorus was not clear at all in saying words., contrast to Shekar Kammula's songs where he gives important to words how they are heard. Overall this song leaves listeners confused to like or not. People can get connect probably in the movie. Singing could have been definitely better.
2. Edo Jaruguthondi
Lyrics: Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry
Singer(s): Aravind Srinivas, Renuka
Elevated pitch songs always doesn't work. This song reminds earlier songs of Shekar Kammula. Not sure whether he asked for it or the scene in the movie inspired? The lyrics are contrast to the tune. Some dis-connectivity between the mood of the lyrics and tune of the song. I guess too much add-ons have complicated the song and will confuse the listener. Aravind Srinivas doesn't do proper justice to the song as he falls flat on many gamakas and extensions. eda not Edha, edara, not edhara types of mistakes are common these days. Sirivennela garu typical phrases like vintunnaava naa mounaanni,, will enthrall as usual. Tempo should have been slower for this song so that the right mood might have been carried. The song is unnecessarily loud and the lyrics are lost too. Some how couldnt enjoy this song. This song for sure defies to be part of Shekar Kammula's album.
3. Hey Pillagaada
Lyrics: Vanamali
Singer(s): Sindhuri & Sinov Raj
Song starts with yesteryear song tune and the interludes continue with the same song. But there after this song goes in a different route. This might be driven by Shekar. Probably this will be better made song so far in the album and reason obviously is the yesteryear touch. Vanamali who have been having issues with Dubbing movies, have done decent in the song. Sinov Raj could have done better compared to Sindhuri who was ok. The expressions by Sindhuri for Pillagaada, , gunde kaada, Monagaada are nice. Her voice is different and gels with the song well. Sinov Raj helps Sindhuri, so looks fine. A mix of folk and yesteryear song with classical touch, makes this song stand different from other songs.
4. Oosupodu
Lyrics: Chaithanya Pingali
Singer(s): Hemachandra
Reminds of Hindi Song here and there but thats just probably an inspiration. Again not all songs should have to be at higher notes. Only few songs will work at that level. This song should have been pleasant but doesn't sound like that. Did I forget Hemachandra's voice? He sounds all different in this song. He adopts to the modern singing very well, where its all high pitch, extending words, stressing at wrong places.. But this effected the sounding in the song, where he looks stressful. Thus lot of things are taken away from this song. Lately many lyricists are coming with different phrases usage. Some are good, some are falling flat basically proving the imagination of these young generations cannot go beyond a certain limit. Shakthikanth Karthick should have left Hemachandra sing in his own way. This is the key thing for composers that they should get the best of good singers not less.
5. Hey Mister
Lyrics: Vanamali
Rap lyrics: MC Chetan
Singer(s): Deepak
Once again Vanamali, Deepak probably is a wrong choice for this song. He has many basic issues with singing. The backdrop for the song is USA, so the address rhymes to USAee.. A routine song with rap obvious for a song in USA backdrop. Ye, Aha, Uh,Uh, are not really required for every rap. Thats some misunderstanding obviously. Why these singers struggle at higher notes is a big question. Nothing specific to the song that stands out. One situational song nothing to have fun hearing it.
6. Fidaa
Lyrics: Chaithanya Pingali
Singer(s): Hemachandra, Malavika
What happened to Hemachandra?? Why his singing changed? Is he asked to sing like that or the song demanded to make him sing like that or his singing style changed due to lack of opportunities/touch? Enta dooramo ilaa, Enni Daarulo, Pade Pade oka maate, Many places like that were not at his best. Hemachandra is good singer, and he doesn't sound like that in this song. He sounds like a fresher. Its a total disappointment from him and the composer. Again this song would have been better if enough care was taken by makers. Malavika also was not comfortable to be heard in this song.
Pick(s) of the album: Hey Pillagaada, Oosupodu,
Shekar Kammula disappoints with this album given the standards he set in his earlier movies. This movie is no where close to any of those albums. His movies like Anand, Godavari were rich in musical content,lyrical content and singing. Here we miss all of them. Singing is weak, music is not up-to the standards he set before. Lyrics were not that good compared to earlier albums. This is very unfortunate. Here is where we miss Veturi garu. Its clearly visible on lyrical front. Probably singers like SPB garu too for a song or two. Once again, we understand what we were missing on Songs front.
Probably this album would remain as the lowest of Shekar's albums so far. If this is just to music its fine, but if this is same as movie making, then tough days ahead for Shekar. Hope thats not right and he continues to make sensible movies.
On a side note, Shekar along with many others film makers these days, took the appeasement route to add in a region based content which he earlier limited to dialogs now extended to lyrics. When any Mandalikam/words that are used in particular area/region comes natural it is always good and it clicks, but forcefully injecting and faking in saying of it always back-fires. Hope movie makers take a note of it.
