Even Phanindra NarsettiвЂ™s Manu,В with its many imperfections, was well-written and masterfully shot. I was dazed right through the film, watching in disbelief the filmвЂ™s utter lack of clichГ©s and stereotypes. It was humanising and intimate in a way only great art can be. Venkatesh MahaвЂ™s C/o KancharapalemВ was that for me. The best surprise for a Telugu-speaking cinephile is being able to watch a film thatвЂ™s perfect a film that we can proudly talk about with our snooty Tamizh peers. It was gratifying to see a talking fish and a sarcastic tree bringing comic relief instead of random regressive commentary. There is a story arc with a magician being trapped in a restroom with a crocodile: it even dips its toe into the world of surrealism. It defied genres and questioned reality by bringing together decent writing and great acting. Prashanth VarmaвЂ™s AweВ paved the way for a kind of cinema that is far from the norm and better for it. Now, itвЂ™s no surprise that Telugu cinemaвЂ™s best content usually comes from small budgeted, independent productions-it has been that way for a while-but this is still an amusing reassurance. Dan So-LoвЂ™s cinematography-some of the greatest frames IвЂ™ve ever seen in Telugu cinema-and impressive production value added technical heft to a film that would otherwise have been an exercise in вЂheroineвЂ™ worship.

Even though it was criticised for its lack of drama and insight, it was still a highly satisfying experience. It recovered double its budget at the box office and it brought great acclaim to everyone involved.

AshwinвЂ™s film wasnвЂ™t commercial per se, but its success most certainly was. After the lull created by Bharat Ane Nenu, and Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India,В it was time for another surprise in the form of Mahanati.

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