A view of the Manjeera lake from the Polam farm. It was quite a cloudy day when I visited the place in August.

It’s a lazy Sunday morning. Not very characteristic of your average Sunday morning though, because I woke up in a tent on a farm, not very far from Hyderabad. More on that later!

So let’s talk about music for a bit. I realise that any emotion that relates to music is tough to express and when you start to do so, you tend to get poetic or a tad bit verbose. Then there are others who’ll save themselves and decide how they feel with a simple Google search of “Music quotes”. But that’s a good one, because I tried that and I realized that there are thousand different emotions that people feel about music, and everyone has their own way of viewing it.

Obviously so, since it’s one form of art that has the power to hurt, to heal, to infuriate and likewise, unleash hundreds of emotions in a person. But at the heart of it all, I always believed that music does just what Roy Avers said: “The true beauty of music is that it connects people.”

Arjun and I. It's the best picture we've clicked together!

From there I want to move to introduce you to someone very special – My friend Arjuna (I’ve always called him Arjun though and I’m wondering why. That’s not even his name!). I’ve known him for a very long time now – a little over six years – and he’s probably the most intelligent person I met. I remember him calling me several times out of the blue to discuss these brilliant brainwaves that hit him. For over three years, I’d hear him discuss some brilliant ideas and each time build castles in the air imagining how he’d be riding high and maybe I’d consider joining him at some point. Well, most ideas which never quite saw the light of the day for reasons which are quite complicated to explain but this man never quite stopped ideating. I think it’s the journalist in him! Your job is to ideate whether or not the story eventually gets published.

When he called to first tell me about yet another brilliant plan he had come up with – Tangy Sessions as you all know it today – I yet again built castles in the air, except this time I was skeptical. He was throwing random jargon at me about music, musicians, instruments I’d never even heard of and how he’d been testing the waters and well, asked me to join on one session. I didn’t go. Till date, Arjun makes it a point to call and inform me before every single session. It’s another story that I’ve been to only three sessions. And my skepticism had – evidently – no meaning because he was building a wonderful community of people and managing to garner interest. Well, Roy Avers zindabaad!

I know Deepa only through Arjun and even though she’s a big part of Tangy Sessions, for me as an individual, this is solely his thing. 

Breezy moments at the venue!

And that brings me back to why I am here on this farm today. I experienced a night of music and camping courtesy Tangy Sessions over this fun weekend that saw around 30 people from various walks of life come together just to soak in the peace and quiet of the tranquil location, where the only noises were those of crickets, water drops and the wind. What’s interesting, mostly to me, is that it pushed me to write a blog post after almost two years! As I write this, I am lying on a cot which has been stationed right outside our tent that overlooks the Manjeera lake. I can see Kakoli deep in an air of bliss reading her book on that cozy rocking chair. But I might just move to look at the vegetable patch in a bit just as I watch the cows lazily grazing close to the lake. All this, under the garb of a weekend getaway, if you please.

I made a friend in Kakoli, who I'd heard of several
times before! What a wonderful girl.

I should tell you I almost gave this a miss as I almost prioritised a date with a douchebag (no kidding). I am glad I decided to ditch him and chose to take this short trip with my friends Nikhita and Yeshvant (aka Banda). I am also glad that Kakoli joined in and drove with us to the venue because I really liked her company and we connected so much on various topics of conversation. And that exactly is the point of Tangy Sessions because it isn’t just about music but also about people and networking. These few hours of music provides a platform to meet various new faces, some who give you some insights into things that might really interest you.

And then comes the Polam farm. I have grown up occasionally visiting my ancestral village and the farms around very often but never thought I’d get to see a similar vibe around Hyderabad. I loved the place not just because it was a quintessential farm but also for what it stands for. Adapting to an organic style of living, whatever we did on the farm was close to nature. The food we ate, was produced on the farm. The garden patch, the numerous little creatures, my most favourite being Kaju, the dog.

I’d like to dedicate an entire write-up just for this wonderful canine. Can you believe Kaju helped me increase my followers of Instagram just by being beautiful and carrying a wonderful story along!

With Kaju, a dog as cute as her name :)

Here's a snippet about Kaju, reposted from my Instagram: 

Say hello to Kaju. Dogs, in general, are lovable, but she’s a lot more than that. From the moment we landed at the farm she stays in till the time we left, she gave us quite a lot of moments to cherish. Loyalty is the quality of a dog they say, but this canine met us for the first time and what she gave us was amazing hospitality! Welcoming us just as we reached, following us around wherever we went, never quite intruding or licking her way into our space, Kaju is probably one of the coolest dogs ever. She apparently found her way back to the farm even after being left far away from it. But that’s not it, on our walk to the lake, where there’s a probability of getting lost, she was our guide. In fact, at a point when she realised we weren’t following her because of a gate lock we found on the way, she came back and started whimpering as if complaining that we weren’t coming along. @nikhitagowra and I had a fun time running around with her and every time you affectionately yelled ‘Come here, Kaju’, she came sprinting towards you, making you wonder if she’d known you for ever. 

Photo: Namrata Tripathi

That's me chilling big time!

And now back to the farm! Located at a comfortable distance from the city, around 80kms, Polam is a delightful place. There's so much to do. For instance, who wouldn't love to take a walk to the lake, or sleep in a tent after a beautiful night of music? But then, you can also take a walk around the farm and see the ways of this whole other world! Sitting on a cot, reading a book, or gazing into nothingness from the dining area as you sip into the soothing herbal tea.

Drinking water from earthen pots and eating food that has subtle flavours, light on the stomach. Frankly, I heard someone complaining about the food not being tasty enough but I wonder if they were looking at a five-star experience or wanted a taste of farm life. If it is the latter, this is the shiz, my friends.

I have for you here, a glimpse of the farm as a whole! I think this video will surely tempt you into wanting to visit! Check it out:

See this beauty?

Getting entertained in the heart of nature...
Photo: Namrata 

But let's talk about music too because that is why we even gathered there! Arjuna, or Arjuna as you guys like to call, has got an amazing lineup of people. He picks up some amazing talents and brings them to us to give us an amazing time that we'd cherish. He is a singer himself, nevertheless and it just is one of his many talents.

The setup at Polam was way different from any of the sessions I'd been to before. After all, you are sitting on cots in the middle of a farm, draped in shawls to shield yourself from the cool breeze, breathing in fresh air and taking in the beauty of sound put into tune!

I loved the entire setup and was in awe of the lights and the mood of the place. Tangy Sessions is a very personal space where the crowd is very involved with the musicians and take in every moment with extreme enthusiasm and that vibe, I swear, is infectious. After all, it's not every day that you have such a small crowd of people coming into your personal space to give you a night of fun!

P.S. First, I should apologise for posting this so late! But I am glad it's coming out now just in time for their New Years Eve camping event at the same place. I urge you all to give it a try because the experience is going to be unique. What better way would there be than to invite the New Year with music and nature by your side?

Visit Tangy Sessions on Instagram to book a slot for yourselves and your friends! Maybe you'll see me there too...

Cheers!

Happy New Year in advance peeps!

You have a chance to be here!

Rating: **1/2
Cast: Prabhas, Rana, Ramya Krishna, Anushka, Tamannaah, Nasser, Satya Raj
Director: Rajamouli
Music: Keeravani
Plus: Performances, technical values, makeup
Minus: No emotional connect, music, story

They say never count your chickens before they hatch. Well, for all those who were hailing ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ as the next big thing for Indian cinema, the ‘Telugu pride’ and what not, let me tell you one thing straight – You are in for a big fat disappointment!

The hype and euphoria surrounding the film has been exponentially high and my heart goes out to all those who spent astronomical amounts to purchase the tickets (as high as Rs 7,000 in some parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) because this flick is not worth all that money.

I should tell you that folklore and fantasy are my favourite kind of movies. The fact that they transition you, for a brief period, into an ecstatic alternative world is so exciting. I went into the cinema hall hoping for something like that and also in the optimism that Rajamouli had created yet another marvel that would add on to his oh-so-famous success streak.

If creating spell-binding visuals is all that takes to make an effective film, the director would have nailed it. Because this film has no captivating storyline to glue you to your seats and you have to make do with the delightful visuals.  And it is pitiable that in an attempt to make something larger-than-life, director Rajamouli hasn’t managed to give this film the life that it actually needs. The soul goes for a toss in the process.

What’s challenging about films made in a series is the ability to build interest for the next. Being selective about what to give away and what to withhold without making the film feel like a set of loose ends requires a forethought and intensive groundwork. And here’s where the director fails. Neither at any point of the film will you feel excited about the sequel nor will you have the experience of having watched a complete film.

That is because the story doesn’t facilitate the viewer to emotionally connect at any moment. Nothing stirs your sensibilities and you are left looking forward to something exciting at least in the next scene. Glimpses of Anushka’s Devasena and Ramya Krishna’s Sivagami are probably the only exceptions to that.

And then the chemistry between Avanthika (Tamannaah) and Sivudu (Prabhas) seems synthetic. How and why they fell in love is a question we are still asking. And before you try to find your feet in, the duo are dancing it away in what seems like a set inspired by filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao’s films!

Rajamouli is synonymous with action-packed sequences which are exciting to the hilt. Yet again, he fails in the area. The action seen in the trailers felt more exciting than what was in the movie. Sloppy editing is another negative to this flick that moves forward at a slow pace.

When a film doesn’t engage, its music could most definitely be a saviour. But that’s not the case here because Keeravani’s tunes are unexciting and add no value to this film.

The characterisations are exciting, though. Sivagami is one of the strongest female characters to have graced prime space in mainstream cinema in the recent times. Rana as Bhallaladeva doesn’t have much to say but his myriad emotions (anger, jealousy, recklessness, pride and slyness) are for all to see. Satyaraj’s Kattappa would remind one of Bhairava in ‘Magadheera’ and he does a commendable job. Though Tamannaah is impressive, she loses out to a smudgy character sketch. Prabhas has definitely given his all to his roles Sivudu and Baahubali. But sadly, Rajamouli fails to highlight him the way he deserves.

The most exciting portrayals are definitely Prabahakar’s Kalakeya and Anushka. Paired with intense depth to their roles is makeup that gives them an edge over the rest. It would be interesting to see the progress of Devasena in the sequel.

Sabu Cyril’s art design is exceptional. So is cinematography by KK Senthil Kumar.

Having spent such a long time in the making of the film, one would at least expect a decent story to go with it. But so much effort and money seems to have been spent on giving your eyes a treat that in the process nobody seems to have cared about what your heart wants.

Rajamouli had the best of all ingredients – cast, crew, technical team and a story with potential – but he cooked up the recipe wrong.


Update: 'Baahubali - The Beginning' is a wonderful attempt, no doubt. I definitely agree on that. I have many people asking me why I fail to mention the fact in my review. It's just that having waited for so long, I am not really impressed by the huge money that seems to have gone waste. It is a decent, one time watch. But coming from the stable of Rajamouli, one expects a lot more. 

Also, I would like to add that, this film has set the stage for what could be a compelling sequel - 'Baahubali - The Conclusion'. Yes there are inconsistencies. But you could watch this film for Rajamouli and his vision.