Sing Geetham – A Golden Musical That Restores Faith in Storytelling

Some films entertain. Some make you think. And once in a while, a film comes along that quietly touches your heart. Sing geetham is one such rare gem.

The biggest reason I walked into the theatre was, of course, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao garu himself. At the incredible age of 94, he continues to dream, create and surprise us. This is the filmmaker who gave us timeless classics like Aditya 369, one of India's earliest science-fiction films, the unforgettable silent masterpiece Pushpaka Vimanam, Bhairava Dweepam, Brundavanam, and several other unique Telugu and Kamal Haasan classics. His storytelling has always been refreshingly different.

The second reason was Ayaan. I had first seen him perform as the lead vocalist with Band Capricio a few years ago and was completely mesmerized by his singing. I was curious to see whether he could carry the same magic onto the screen and he absolutely did. His acting feels as effortless and sincere as his singing.

I walked into the theatre with very few expectations, but walked out with a heart full of admiration.

A Story Wrapped in Fantasy

The story is set in a mystical mining village called Kuberapuram with gold beneath its soil, and some unknown power leading to unexpected repercussions - that makes people mysteriously sing instead of speaking. It is whimsical, magical and unlike anything we usually saw in Telugu cinema. I will try to express my love towards the movie without revealing any spoilers...

Like any other human on this earth, every one in that village has their ulterior motives to earn riches by hook or by crook, except some pure souls like Gauri - who is fighting for well being of the village and for the one single tree that is like mother figure to her... Pratap Mannem ( Ayaan ) enters the village and what happens between him , Renu, Renu's father and the business deal that leads to all the whimsical happenings... What has happened in the past that may have cast an unwanted and unwarranted curse on the village? What is the solution and how can one stop it - all these be better watched on large screens!

As the film unfolded, its message gradually found its way into my heart. By the time it ended, I realized I wasn't just watching a fantasy but was reflecting on our own world and the values we often overlook. Here are a few things I truly loved about the film, along with some of the key takeaways that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.

What Stayed With Me...

• A meaningful message hidden beneath a fantasy

Beyond gold and greed, the film beautifully touches upon caste discrimination, social inequality, exploitation of nature, and how wealth often widens the gap between the rich and the poor. These themes are never preachy - they emerge naturally through the narrative.

• Refreshingly natural characters

One of my favourite aspects was how authentically everyone looked. Especially the women, who appeared with little or no makeup, allowing their emotions to shine through naturally. It was beautiful to watch characters who felt so real, as real as the mother nature...

• Music that becomes the language of the film 

Creating a musical where conversations seamlessly become songs is no easy feat. Huge credit to Singeetam garu for writing and directing such a challenging concept. Every song moves the story forward.

My personal favourite is the beautiful sequence between Gauri and Pratap - "Ee Kotha Feeling Ne Emantaro." It carries an innocence that reminds me of melodies from another era.

• Children give the film its soul

The presence of children in the movie added an emotional heart beat to it. Children who are pure souls may also get misdirected - well not revealing any spoilers but watch the tale to know more

• A refreshing break from formula cinema

 During the time of massive 100 crore movie budgets, commercial formulas and big pan India banners with a forced glamour of a vulgar item song infused in it,  this movie feels like a respite from all that . It reminds us that good storytelling never goes out of style

• A film that restored my faith in Telugu cinema

 It is not an exaggeration if I say that Sing geetham revived the hope in me , that good stories and enjoyable experiences can be brought back to Tollywood. As a person who was not watching Telugu movies much, this movie restored my faith and redeemed tollywood for me!

• Like Stepping in to a Chandamama Storybook

The entire film feels like reading one of those magical children's fables we grew up with. At times, it even reminded me of the timeless tale of King Midas - but with its own unique soul.

A Truly Golden Ending

The ending literally felt "Golden" and the final song and the concluding moments gave me goosebumps. To know more you surely must watch and know for yourself. What made the experience even more special was watching it with my daughter. She was deeply moved by the ending, and was almost in tears. Throughout the film, we found ourselves humming the songs - even during the interval, and continued talking about them long after we left the theatre.

That's perhaps the biggest compliment I can give to the film.

It gently reminds both children and adults to value kindness, humanity, nature and Mother Earth...

Back to School

The alarm screamed at dawn, not a sound, but an explosion -

the official announcement that summer had ended.

Day One.

In a single night, we transform from sleepy sloths to hurried roosters, racing against the school-O-clock that shows no mercy.

Two hands, I realize, are never enough for school mornings.

Lunch boxes. Water bottles. Uniforms. Shoes. Last-minute searches for things that were exactly where they were left.

For weeks, we waited for this day.

Counted down to it.

Dreamed of routines returning, of sending our tiny tots back to their second home.

And yet...

The moment she walks out, the house exhales into an unsettling silence.

The cooker still hisses. The washing machine still whirs. A bike still honks in the lane. The maid still chats loudly on her phone.

But somehow, everything sounds muted.

As though the house itself is missing its favorite noise.

Even the colors seem quieter.

Bright pinks become pale pinks. Sunshine yellows soften into mellow hues.

The loud shrieks of excitement that filled every corner give way to polite greetings, office calls, and routine conversations.

Yes, I finally get my rest.

My long-awaited "me time."

Her routine is back on track.

Mine too.

But this silly heart -

why does it ache for the very chaos it was longing to escape?

Why does it miss the sunny smiles, the reasonless hugs, the sloppy kisses,

and those tiny interruptions that barged into my serious adult world without apology?

Back to school.

Back to office.

And yet, year after year, as she grows inch by inch,

my yearning grows too -

for more time, more interruptions, more mess, more sloppiness,

and perhaps,

just a few more hugs...

Maa Behen - When women are simply Fed up...

There was a time when women-centric films, or films satirizing patriarchy, were made with a clear intent: to hold up a mirror to society and gently nudge us toward introspection. They served as wake-up calls - not just for men, but also for the women who had unknowingly internalized and perpetuated the same patriarchal norms. The hope was that we might emerge with our perspectives shifted, even if only slightly??

Maa Behan - the title indicates a playful twist on a blanket term for a variety of vulgar , offensive words that are abusively and insultingly used at some one....also in movie indicates Rekha, Jaya and sushma - the ma and two behens...I appreciate the writers' quirkiness and sense of humor here....yes there is one more surprise element in the opposite house, whose name revealed in the end as a sum total reminds us of our childhood washing powder ad :) The writers deserve applause for the wit embedded not only in the title but throughout the film.

All the roles are so well moulded. Ravi Kishan as Gupta and Geetanjali Kulkarni as Mrs Guptaji, Goldie, Inspector Maheshwari, Tripti as Jaya, Madhuri as Rekha the mother, Dharna as Sushma and all other supporting characters.

The hilarious take on our day to day happenings and hypocrisies is shown in a quirky - cannot be ignored manner - like how we always poke our nose in to other people's matters albeit our life's mess and how we quickly become character assassinators of a woman based on her sleeveless blouse , color of lipstick or loud makeup - would we ever change? 

The movie goes to tell - we may never - yes - we just have to accept it!

Quick look at a few details ( NO SPOILERS) :

Madhuri as a young married woman enters the "adarsh" colony and creates waves with her beauty, confidence, or fashion choices. The backdrop of the famous crime program khalbali to navigate through the lives of all three women just strengthened the satire much more.... Again applause to whoever chose all the names here....:) As always a hot happening confident woman being subjected to society scanner is so so profoundly shown. I LOVED IT.

As the movie progresses, the family drama and all dark secrets crawl out of the cup board one by one - along with that ,the cobwebs of the ancient patriarchy are also exposed.

In an innovative way they are tackled...and rather than dusting or dismantling them, how women in long run have learnt to not give two fucks about them - is I suppose the moral of the movie? Even there is a metaphorical dialogue in movie where I believe jaya or sushma look at a room and wonder , " I don't know why she has just left this room as it is since then ! Sigh!" 

I am not revealing any spoilers here...the movie even if a little rough around the edges deserves your time....

The scenes that stand out for me are:

• Scene 1: Madhuri's final narration even after repeatedly saying what happened when Gupta ji came to her house "us raat ( that night)" - as none believes - not even her daughters - possibly coz of her sexual appeal and her general aura and just because she drinks or unapologetically shows her desires - her character is doubted - sometimes may be even by the women just around her? So the breakthrough scene to me is when Rekha in all her glory in a green satin nighty just EXPLODES explaining what happened holding Guptaji's hands and walking through the house explaining step by step just before the climax....Made me let a deep sigh and rageful :( at the numbness and dumbness of the society. Would it ever change??? 

• Scene number 2 - Jaya chasing her husband out of her maternal home. The dialogues exchange - the expression, the angst , the pain - it's better to be watched rather than explained here.

• Scene number 3: the surprise package of the movie , the last scene - after all who is the one who asked ransom??? :) and all other subtle shades of Dharna/ Sushma - such a promising influencer turned actress! 

Dear women, Go watch this dark comedy thriller just to know that it's never too late to break free and laugh at the absurdities of society and live at your will and pls stop belittling your own clan.

 Dear men - Women are tired and deeply FEDUP - that's all - that is the message to u :)