: Monday, May 17, 2021, 7:00 AM IST
Cinema Bandi review: Praveen Kandaregula delivers a slice-of-life film with an underlying thought that everyone is a filmmaker at heart
Very gracefully draped in the ribbons of innocence, Cinema Bandi can be regarded as a good, heartfelt movie that makes you laugh, frown, reflect and smile at different instances
Cinema to India is like vada pav to Mumbai â omnipresent, affordable and loved by all. Be it the urban class rich or the rural class not-so rich, everyone is massively influenced by cinema. So much so that every Indian must have at least once dreamt of being a part of this glamourous industry. With this basic premise, Praveen Kandaregula delivers a slice-of-life film âCinema Bandiâ with an underlying thought that everyone is a filmmaker at heart.
Movie Review: Cinema Bandi
3/5
Cast - Sandeep Varanasi, Vikas Vasistha, Rag Mayur, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy , Sirivennela Yanamandhala, and others
Director - Praveen Kandregula
Banner - D2R INDIE
Music - Satyavolu Sirish
Telugu Cinema is still not out of the commercial spectrum despite changing times and the taste of the audience. There is still hope for commercial cinema to click at the box office, though. Ravi Teja’s Krack was a resounding blockbuster on every platform it was released. However, Telugu filmmakers are definitely trying to offer something new now and then. Films like Care of Kancharapalem, Mallesam and Middle Class Melodies have kept the hopes alive for indie filmmakers.
‘Cinema Bandi’ review: A rollicking and rambling ode to the magic of the movies
Praveen Kandregula’s Telugu comedy is out on Netflix. Cinema Bandi (2021) | D2R/Netflix
Autorickshaw driver Veera is nothing if not an optimist. When his passengers complain about power cuts and scanty water supply, Veera (Vikas Vasistha) says just you wait, it will get better, even as his vehicle clatters over a non-existent road.
A positive state of mind helps Veera dream of earning enough money to pay off his debts and benefit his village. His reckless side makes him decide to become a filmmaker after he finds a movie camera in his auto. After all, anybody can make films, right?
A scene from ‘Cinema Bandi’
Telugu film ‘Cinema Bandi’ is a charming narrative that explores how a high-end camera fuels dreams in a hamlet
‘Everyone is a filmmaker’, the makers of
Cinema Bandi emphasise. Why not? Director Praveen Kandregula and writers Vasanth Maringanti and Krishna Pratyusha present an endearing story of a motley group of villagers who know nothing of the intricacies of filmmaking but give it their all to make a film.
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The indie-spirited capture of the filmmaking process with the bare minimum facilities in the village is a nod to Faiza Ahmad Khan’s documentary