Swagatam
Encyclopedia
Swagatam also spelled Swagatham, is a 2008 Telugu
film. Shot in New York
, Rajahmundry
and Hampi
, it features a romantic triangle
. Directed by Dasaradh, the film casts Jagapati Babu
as the male romantic lead playing opposite Anushka Shetty
and Bhumika Chawla
. Several weeks after the big-budget film's release, The Times of India
declared the movie a box office "let down".
, trying to care for her mother and young nephew and manage her bills. KK (Jagapati Babu), who with his young daughter opens a shop across the street from hers, helps her find a new perspective on her life. Shailu falls in love with KK, but when she declares her feelings for him learns that he already has a wife, Vidya (Bhumika Chawla). In flashback, the film relates the romance of KK and Vidya. In the past, KK was himself an abrasive businessman when he sought a mate at Jalaja Rao Marriage Bureau. Instead, he winds up courting and marrying Vidya, an employee. KK's dilemma is simplified by the fact that one of the women in his life is dying from chronic leukemia
.
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
film. Shot in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
and Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
, it features a romantic triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
. Directed by Dasaradh, the film casts Jagapati Babu
Jagapati Babu
Jagapathi Babu is an Indian top actor in the Telugu film industry. He is the son of veteran producer-director V.B. Rajendra Prasad.He is named as manly star in telugu film circuit and is one among top stars of likes like chiranjeevi,bala krishna,nagarjuna,venkatesh.-Career:Jagapathi Babu made...
as the male romantic lead playing opposite Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty
Anushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
and Bhumika Chawla
Bhumika Chawla
Bhumika Chawla is an Indian actress. She made her film debut in the Telugu film Yuvakudu and has since then worked in various Indian film industries and appeared in over thirty films in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Malayalam...
. Several weeks after the big-budget film's release, The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
declared the movie a box office "let down".
Plot
Shailu (Anushka Shettyl) is a harried, ill-tempered businesswoman living in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, trying to care for her mother and young nephew and manage her bills. KK (Jagapati Babu), who with his young daughter opens a shop across the street from hers, helps her find a new perspective on her life. Shailu falls in love with KK, but when she declares her feelings for him learns that he already has a wife, Vidya (Bhumika Chawla). In flashback, the film relates the romance of KK and Vidya. In the past, KK was himself an abrasive businessman when he sought a mate at Jalaja Rao Marriage Bureau. Instead, he winds up courting and marrying Vidya, an employee. KK's dilemma is simplified by the fact that one of the women in his life is dying from chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia
Chronic leukemia is an increase of abnormal white blood cells. It differs from acute leukemia, and is categorized as myelogenous or lymphocytic.Chronic leukemia may refer to:* Chronic myelogenous leukemia* Chronic lymphocytic leukemia* Hairy cell leukemia...
.
Similarities with Kal Ho Na Ho
The film has got quite some similarities with the Hindi Movie, Kal Ho Na Ho. starring Shah Rukh Khan & Preity Zinta. A hard working, depressed girl settled in New York, supporting her mother and a child independently. A business that's not doing well. Hero coming to her rescue. A life devouring disease, etc.; There are some scenes which are exactly the same too.Cast
- Jagapati BabuJagapati BabuJagapathi Babu is an Indian top actor in the Telugu film industry. He is the son of veteran producer-director V.B. Rajendra Prasad.He is named as manly star in telugu film circuit and is one among top stars of likes like chiranjeevi,bala krishna,nagarjuna,venkatesh.-Career:Jagapathi Babu made...
.... K.K - Anushka ShettyAnushka ShettyAnushka Shetty is an Indian film actress who works mainly in the Telugu and Tamil film industries. She debuted in the 2005 Telugu film Super and rose to fame following her performance in Vikramarkudu...
.... Shailu - Bhumika ChawlaBhumika ChawlaBhumika Chawla is an Indian actress. She made her film debut in the Telugu film Yuvakudu and has since then worked in various Indian film industries and appeared in over thirty films in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Malayalam...
.... Vidya - Arjun SarjaArjun SarjaArjun Sarja is an Indian film actor and director. Son of Kannada film star Shakti Prasad, he has primarily acted in Tamil films, and also appeared in Kannada and Telugu films. The title "Action King" has been given to Arjun by fans, for the numerous roles he has portrayed in action films. He is...
.... Srikanth
Crew
- Dasaradh .... DirectorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
- Dasaradh .... StoryNarrativeA narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
, dialogueDialogueDialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people.... - GopimohanGopimohanGopimohan is an Indian screenplay writer and story writer who works in the Telugu film industry. His full name isPinnamaneni Gopi Mohan. He is associated with successful directors such as Dasaradh and Srinu Vytla....
.... screenplayScreenplayA screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated... - RameshRameshRamesh is a common name in India and Nepal as well as other parts of the world where Hindu are living.The Sanskrit meaning of words Ramesh is Ruler of Rama....
...... cameraCameraA camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images... - Kurra Ranga rao...co Director
Reception
Critically, the film met lukewarm reception. In its generally positive review, IndiaGlitz described the film as a "sincere effort" that "may or may not appeal to everyone as it becomes a bit trite as it progresses". While noting that "we cannot say it is something that we haven’t watched before", the reviewers also commented that the film "starts off in a novel way as far as a Telugu film is concerned". Addressing the high expectations of the big budget film, they conclude, "To be fair to Dasarath, he does not disappoint. In the sense that it is what one would typically go to watch in a Jagapati Babu movie". AndhraCafe praised the performances specifically of Bumika, "at her very best", and found the chemistry between Babu and Bumika "a treat to watch". While they also felt the director exhibited moments of brilliance in the second half of the film, they panned the climax and particularly the opening, stating that "[t]he first half of a film couldn’t be more boring than this". They concluded that "[o]n a whole the film is below average fare with the weak first half, dragged climax and poor music". In its review, Rediff notes that Swagatam takes the "safe, oft-trodden path" but praises the acting, describing specifically the first half of the film as "laced with entertainment". They predict that the film "will go down well with those liking mushy stuff".External links
- www.telugupedia.com Swagatam
- telugufilms.org Swagatham
- review at andhracafe.com