Boss(2006)

I had ordered this movie several months ago, along with a couple of other titles, but my package either got lost in transit, or stolen by a disgruntled postal worker who decided to give him/herself an early Christmas gift. In hindsight, I should've taken my missing package as a sign that perhaps Boss wasn't really worth watching, anyway. (Same goes for Manasantha, but I don't regret reordering Preminchu Priya.) It's not that it's a bad film, it just suffers from Nenunnanu-itis in that there are several unnecessary scenes and subplots that make me reluctant to rewatch it more than once or twice.

Boss is the Tollywood version of Two Weeks Notice, but with the requisite comedy, sentiment, tragedy, songs, and fights thrown in. Nagarjuna is the boss, GK, and Nayantara is his lovelorn secretary, Anu. Romantic rivals in the form of Anu's designated replacement Sruthi(Poonam Bajwa) and GK's deceased wife Sanjana(Shriya Saran in a cameo role) complete the love rectangle. If the movie had focused on just the GK-Anu storyline and it's predictable ending(GK finally accepts and returns Anu's love), it would've been a pleasant viewing experience. However, I had to put up with a bunch of extraneous shit that kinda made me regret getting it. I should've heeded the words of the Bhavani reviewers who remarked that "the last 45 minutes goes haywire" and "I can watch the first part over and over again, but not the second".

On the plus side, Nagarjuna had his jolie-laide. I thought he looked quite handsome, and he and Nayantara made a good pair. Nayan looked stunning in her sarees, Shriya was her usual gorgeous self, and Poonam may very well become my next SLO. She has a sexy, glamourous look that sort of reminds me of Raasi/Manthra, and maybe a little Daisy Bopanna. I found myself really liking her and wanting to check out her other films.

Once I stop feeling lazy, I'll come back to this post with some screencaps.

Paragu(2008)

So far, I don't like it. Admittedly, I watched a total of maybe 30 minutes, thanks to my liberal use of the "skip chapter" button, but what little I saw failed to hold my attention. Allu was likeable, and nice to look at, but not even he could keep my eyes glued to the screen. Perhaps if Poonam Bajwa had been the main heroine, I would've made more of an effort to sit through it. While I liked Sheela in her small parts as a child actress in Rettai Jadai Vayasu, Dheena, and--I believe--Dum Dum Dum, the all-growed-up version leaves me cold. She lacks the looks and charisma to be a lead heroine. Maybe I'll feel differently after more viewings, but my gut instinct tells me that my initial impression is right.

I'll give this one a rewatch, and maybe some "ETA"s, when I'm in a better mood.