'Music Shop Murthy', produced by Harsha Garapati and Ranga Rao Garapati, has been released in theatres. In this section, we are going to review the latest film.
Story:
Murthy (Ajay Ghosh) is a 50-year-old man who is at the crossroads of his life. On the one hand, he wants to pursue his passion of a DJ. On the other hand, he is unsettled by his financial and social circumstances. His new-found guru, Anjana (Chandini Chowdary), is battling her own crisis, thanks to her narrow-minded dad. Is Murthy's destiny tied to that of Anjana? If yes, how does the duo rise in life? Or, are they destined to settle for mediocrity?
Analysis:
There is a commonality between the unlikely friends, Murthy and Anjana. The latter is thwarted by an abusive dad, while the former is emotionally blackmailed by his impatient wife. They both are sentimental about their passion and want to derive the best level of satisfaction from what they do. Their similar interests also lead to identical outcomes with their family members. The film tries to examine the uniqueness of their friendship, which is driven by the unconventional paths chosen by the duo. However, the screenplay in the second half becomes so basic (in the first hour, it is at least at the primary school level) that it feels like TV serial ideas have been regurgitated for the silver screen.
The 'passion vs financial constraints' theme can give rise to a slice-of-life narration. In Telugu cinema, though, it more often than not gives rise to a simplistic story where the protagonist attains the apogee of success in no time. These protagonists are just a TV interview away from redeeming their broken relationships. Their monologues are miracles that can melt hearts in five minutes. Their emotional outbursts can bring instant change in the most rigid of minds.
Murthy and Anjana are supposed to be dreamy people with lives beyond their passion. We never know what they do when they are not engaged in exploring their DJ interests. What do they talk about? We are told Murthy has a unique music style but what exactly is that? It is never conveyed properly. He becomes an overnight specialist (well, almost).
Murthy and his wife (played by Amani) show no emotional exhaustion whatsoever. The wife believes in wifey things like constant cribbing. But she could actually be pretending to be angry, going by the expression on her face. The introduction of a tantrum-throwing enfant terrible in the second hour puts the film in the zone of Raghava Lawrence's 'Style' (2006), threateningly so. The intricacies and nuts and bolts of DJing are unknown to the film and its music director (Pavan).
Closing Remarks:
'Music Shop Murthy' is a superficial drama that is oblivious to the profoundness it could have achieved.
