Watch the movie only in a 70mm theater equipped with DTS or Dolby sound system.

Technical Marvel
A 5-minute Arundhati trailer showed during the movie 'King' caught everyone's attention immediately. The visuals created deep impact and made me wait impatiently for the movie release. The posters further invigorated my desire to watch the movie termed 'magnum opus' by its producer Shyam Prasad Reddy, who is credited to have brought first rate graphics to Telugu film industry through films like Ammoru and Anji (which won the National award for best graphics in 2005). Though Anji won him a National award, the film bombed at the box office and Shyam lost huge money. However, it didn't stop him from producing another hi-fi movie and after 5 years, he's back and back with vengeance.

To put it straight, Arundhati is a visual delight. The excellent and intelligent use of special effects take audience to a whole new world, perhaps never entered by any Indian movie. The audience come to know from the very first scene that they are in for a huge treat and the treat gets bigger and better and by the end of first half, people are sure to wonder like Alice.

Shyam gets brilliant support from Rahul and Senthil. Senthil Kumar's Cinematography is amazing. Visual effects and graphics work by Rahul Nambiar are breathtaking and are on par with Hollywood standards (barring one or two scenes). Koti's background music and re-recording surprise everyone. He has done a superb job. Art director Ashok should be commended for giving grand backdrops that elevated the flashback episodes. Editing is slick. I literally doubt director Kodi Ramakrishna's contribution to the film as Shyam Prasad Reddy takes the credit for screenplay and story. However, he can treat this as his best work till date.

Glam-doll Anushka is brilliant and majestic as Jejamma, the brave princess. No other current generation artist could have rendered such royal feel to the character. May be Shilpa Shetty with her height could have suited, but again the emotions part would come into equation. On the flip side, Anushka isn't convincing while performing the drum dance. But the way she injures Sonu Sood during the dance sequence is good.

Sonu Sood as Aghora is superb. P Ravi Shankar, who dubbed for Sonu Sood, should be commended for the effort. There are many scenes in the movie where only the voice is heard and the modulation by Ravi Shankar is brilliant and sends jitters down the spine. Shiyaji Shinde plays another important role.

Arundhati is different and shows how passionate Shyam is about his film making. Squandering money in the name of grandeur is simple, but making the grandness look grand is something only possible for very few. Directors like Raghavendra Rao and Dasari Narayana Rao, who have made over 100 films and are now making third grade films, can learn the art of making big films by watching Arundhati. This movie should also serve as a lesson to directors like Shankar and production houses like AVM, who had spent about 50 crores for producing a mediocre movie like Sivaji.

For Telugu audience, who have got bored and tired of watching run of the mill stuff, this is a huge relief. A film they can be proud of. Heavy dose of violence might put off a few people but the film cannot be made without violence. The second half seems a bit lengthy but you wouldn't mind watching a couple of minutes more. Dubbing in some scenes is not proper and care should have been taken to avoid this. The last 10 minutes could have been handled more efficiently to give the movie a fitting end.
Top scenes
Anushka entering the deserted palace for the first time. Observe the DI.
Aghora getting freedom.
Aghora in Anushka's house before interval.
Shiyaji Shinde showing Satan in air.
Tormenting of couple at the start. The re-recording is brilliant.

One can imagine the outcome of a movie when one person does all of the following in that movie

1.Story
2.Screenplay
3.Direction
4.Music
5.Dance choreography and
6.a Major role

It takes a lot, especially if the director has only a couple of films to his credit and the protagonist is a very big star.

I am referring to the latest Telugu release, Nagarjuna starrer Don. The movie starts on a promising note and Nagarjuna's entry was one of the best intro scenes in the recent times in the Indian cinema. The immediate scene (comedy) between Nag and the director Raghavendra Lawrence takes us back to 1970s. Then 15 minutes later, the villain's (Kelly Dorji) introduction scene again takes us to another world (a la Hollywood scene). The ensuing sequences where the hero romances the heroine always remind us of some old movies. The interval bang comes out as a big surprise with the two Dons (the hero and villain) challenging each other but in a very cool manner.

The second half is full of chases and three songs (of which two come as barriers to the fast-paced screenplay). The best scene is when Nag goes to Mumbai to meet his counterpart. Thus, the excellent and poor scenes play hide and seek with the viewers. The good thing is that the climax is very different from the routine stuff that Indian movies generate.

Coming out of the theater, one feels that they have seen a movie that would have been better had it been directed by someone more passionate and experienced than the dance director.

All in all, a movie which had the scope to become a huge blockbuster and a trend-setter, turned out an average flick.