Product Details

• Actors: Mamatha Bhukya, Urmila Dammannagari, Ramachandriah Marikanti, Krishnamma Gundimalla, Karan Singh
• Directors: Rajnesh Domalpalli
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen, Dolby, Surround Sound, Subtitled
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Vanaja The Film, LLC
• DVD Release Date: March 24, 2008
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0013K8LC0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,228 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Vanaja" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Indian drama about class and choices, May 2, 2008

By 

Gerard D. Launay (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vanaja (DVD)

Lovers of foreign cinema will not want to miss this simple,yet moving story of a young girl from an inferior class who wants to make something of herself through dance. Music, dance, color all add to the splendor of this film, but what really makes it work is the strong performance of the lead character - a young girl who challenges her position in society by seeking out a great teacher of Indian classical dance. After some difficulty, she persuades the teacher to give her private lessons at no charge.

Problems occur when she disobeys her teacher, and when she attracts the sexual interest of the teacher's son. Everything about this film feels authentic. It is neither a scathing comment on the plight of the poor or the caste system, nor an overly sentimentalized version of a person overcoming her social disabilities. Recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Only Goddess Parvati Will Rival You In Dance", May 18, 2008

By 

Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vanaja (DVD)

Note: Hindi with English subtitles.

To be honest, I have to admit to having mixed feelings about `Vanaya', the award winning Indian film from '07. Immediately enthralled at the beginning by the exotic and beautifully captured visuals of rural India, the mesmerizing Kuchipudi music and dancing and the innocent, genuine charm of its young star Mamatha Bhukya I couldn't wait for the story to unfold.

Unfortunately midway through the film the storyline abruptly changes course with the arrival of Shekhar (Karan Singh) a potential love interest and eventual male antagonist. This addition delegated the music and dance aspect of the film to a minor subplot substituting class struggle, caste system concerns and gender issues in its place. In my opinion in doing so they ultimately neglect the most appealing aspect of the story.

Please don't mistake this slight personal disappointment of mine to mean that this isn't an excellent film because it definitely is. I just feel it would have been more effective as an exploration of the cultural and spiritual roots of the dance rather than the social commentary it evolved into. Nevertheless 'Vanaja' is a quality film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience. Recommended viewing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true work of art and a masterpiece, July 22, 2008

By 

Sreeram Dhurjaty (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vanaja (DVD)

The movie is in Telugu with English subtitles and not in Hindi as a another reviewer suggests.

I was fortunate to attend a private screening of this movie, in NYC, by the director Domalpalli. This movie is a true work of art reminiscent of early Satyajit Ray. Knowledge of the Telugu language enhances the experience that this movie conveys, even with excellent subtitles.

Using amateur actors Domalpalli has captured the strains of the caste and class system which are real in rural India. There are many poignant scenes in this movie where the aspirations of a young girl are pitted against the shackles of class and caste. Each character in this film adds to the rich dimensionality of emotions that are conveyed by this film This film has made very good use of color and sound in order to enhance the visual as well as auditory experience..

Unlike "bollywood" movies where there are characters that are only good or bad, each character in this movie exhibits both qualities, to a greater or lesser extent, and the depiction of these is a tribute to the Director's artistry.

I would have expected this film to be more popular especially, in India, where it has not been released. The lack of financial resources seems to have handicapped the producer and director in giving this film the much wider audience that it richly deserves. I also suspect that this movie is too close for comfort to some who would rather sweep issues, such as caste and class, under the rug.