The mark of good movie lies in it's ability to take the viewers through uncharted territory, surprise them, thrill them, leave them pondering about what was and what could have been, and open up new possibilities.
Prasthanam has come close to being one. The complexity of characters, the elaborate story, visually powerful scenes, and substance of dialog made it very exciting. the vagaries of selfishness, survival, leadership, sibling rivalry, and fondness for one's own blood kin were dealt with very well.
If this movie really does start a cycle, this may be a sign of the rejunevation of Telugu cinema. Leaving behind the Master Movie makers of the previous decades who made movies like saptapadi and swatimutyam possible, Telugu Cinema seemed set on a cycle of decadence with a steady loss of boldness in story telling.
Over-reliance on commercial formulae, emphasis on actor focused roles, lack of substance and quality of language used, stereo typed roles, unnecessary violence, and tasteless humor for the most part have sent Telugu movies down the wrong path. I'm not sure any of the current telugu movies of the past decade could be deemed to have substance that can withstand screening in an international film festival. (The movie Vanaja was an exception to the rule in recent times. I still remember the claps that the movie received at the end by a mostly non-indian audience). There is no lack of technical prowess, or directorial ability in the Telugu movie industry. All that's missing is the boldness of expression.
The bigger problem is that a steady dose of these movies may have corrupted the audience itself. Like a tail wagging the dog instead of the other way around, i think people have become accustomed to what was served and seem to want more of it, or atleast the movie makers seem to think they do. The result being that there is no incentive to change the menu anymore.
Movies like Prasthanam offer hope of better times for telugu cinema.
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