Indie Film Review "Andhela Ravamidhi" The pursuit of dreams, obstacles to overcome, patriarchal mindsets, empowerment, and life’s beauty artistically and compellingly collideIndie Film Review "Andhela Ravamidhi"
What are we willing to walk through to see our dreams come to pass? Our minds might be so wholly alive with the passions we carry and the plans we make to see these things become all we wish them to be, yet life doesn’t always want to come alongside. Instead, obstacles arise, both physical and mental, which attempt to dissuade us or even prevent us from moving forward, stalling or stagnating the momentum to achieve what we desire. The age-old question remains….can we overcome? Or will we BE overcome?
Watch the Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1036145031?fl=pl&fe=vl
What are we willing to walk through to see our dreams come to pass? Our minds might be so wholly alive with the passions we carry and the plans we make to see these things become all we wish them to be, yet life doesn’t always want to come alongside. Instead, obstacles arise, both physical and mental, which attempt to dissuade us or even prevent us from moving forward, stalling or stagnating the momentum to achieve what we desire. The age-old question remains….can we overcome? Or will we BE overcome?
Traditional Indian dance ebbs and flows deeply, energetically, joyfully, and intentionally within a young woman named Pavani (Indrani Davaluri), fostered by her unyielding zeal to learn and master all 5 Classical forms to share with the world and bring better acceptance and recognition of it. Even with the support of her mother Jayamma (Jayalalita), father Vishwanadham (Tanikella Bharani) and new husband Ramesh (Vikram Kolluru), Pavani quickly learns just how harsh reality can be. Can she find the strength to accomplish her goals?
I find myself running out of ways to definitively do true justice in describing the utter uniqueness and affectingly potent cinematic wonder that is South Asian cinema and, what I likewise feel, is its constant ability to put forth cultural and societal perspectives that are not only apropos to that community directly, but universally applicable to ALL of us. The means to express life’s challenges and triumphs in a manner that so deftly immerses us into all we should be willing to address about ourselves and the things that we chase, the difficulties that we face, and the subsequent victory over them is always pertinent and necessary to me. With this new 92-minute independent feature film from director/producer Indrani Davaluri (in her directorial debut!), co-director Sai Ram Palley, writer Ram Mohan Ganta and story/writer Venu Nakshathram, producer Siva Bhattiprolu, executive producer Suresh Utharadi, consulting producer Vijaykumar Mirchandani (who has such a devoted eye and zeal for presenting stories that MATTER and have deeply captivating punch), plus lyricist Raghukul Tilak, all mentioned above is conspicuously present and accounted for with beautifully engaging style.
Through a narrative that follows the path of a young, highly determined, impassioned dancer whose primary goal is to introduce the world at large to Indian Classical Dance having to encounter the harder experiences in getting there that she must now conquer, the foundational underdog story that’s present here really aids in making the film one to watch for me. Seeing the stormy atmosphere this world currently has, with plenty of things occurring that so sadly seem to cause people to be pushed down rather than encouraged to strive forward and succeed, this kind of narrative showcasing human resilience even in the most dire or discouraging of circumstances is something SO overtly needed now, and the way this film addresses this alone is inspirational and motivating. However, this is only scratching the surface of all this film has to offer thematically, and it soon becomes apparent that it IS independent film and its consistent presentation of HUMAN stories that is on display, with the accompanying accessibility of it all that hits your heart, mind, and soul with the messages it portrays.
In this vein, the ever-important topic of female empowerment, and femininity itself, gets depicted with stirring power and emphatic strength through the narrative’s course, which again in itself is excellently delivered and executed. But, what gives this an even bigger magnitude of impact is the intelligently designed utilization of the arts (in this case dance) paired with the conviction, fortitude, and cultural appreciation that shines through in spades to provide the requisite building and cementing of these concepts with palpable emotional force. These are further advanced through a visual approach to the film that contains both brilliant, lush, colorful vibrancy via gorgeous, evocative dance sequences and the more starkly raw feel when negotiating the narrative’s more emotively intense instances that focus on the lead character’s setbacks being endured. What we sacrifice for our goals, standing firm for our beliefs and dreams, the core of expression dance represents, pressing into those who are truly there for us in times of trouble, and rising up TO overcome the hurdles we have are all additional thematic elements found within the story.
