Vishwak Sen, who played one of the leads in Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi has turned director with Falaknuma Das, the Telugu remake of Malayalam film Angamaly Diaries. Set in old city backdrop, the film revolves around a fearless and short-tempered Das (Vishwak Sen) and his cronies, who as school goers idolise local goon, Shankar Bhai. Das grows up to become a leader and forms Falaknuma gang with an idea to take up any challenge under the sun. They pick up furious fights for petty issues, relish food, booze and are keen to run mutton business. Things take an unexpected turn when Shankar Bhai is killed by his own people and the rest of the story is all about how Das fights all odds to pursue his passion.
Vishwak has chosen a perfect film, which has a sensitive, interesting and genuinely regional in flavour for his directorial debut. He has localised the original story by replacing the business of pork with mutton and used the Telangana dialect to perfection. But what surprises me is that there are no traces of the lucrative mutton business escalating violence between gangs in the city.
A remake rarely manages to do justice to its original as most directors don’t find the purpose to improve upon the original. Angamaly Diaries touched all the right chords because it was executed convincingly. Its premise was relevant and one felt some familiarity with its characters. The least one expects of a remake whose plot and narrative you are familiar with is crispness. However, Falaknuma Das doesn’t work because it lacks the soul. It’s a sloppy ride where everything from characters to dialogues seems inconsistent and is lacking in nail-biting tension.
The narration – doesn’t make your interest in the drama alive, doesn’t bring visual flair to the storytelling and comes with so many glaring flaws. Especially, the second half gets too boring and gives the feeling of having flavourless and aromaless mutton biryani.
Vishwak Sen, who looked promising in Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi and Vellipomakey didn’t live up to the expectations, as an actor and a director. Tharun Bhascker, who made his acting debut with Mahanati, impresses as a cop.
Uttej springs a surprise and his performance is an asset to this otherwise insipid film. While Vivek Sagar’s music and background score go in line with the narrative, it was Vidya Sagar’s camera work that stays true to the film’s premise. His magnificent use of lighting and colour which breathtakingly captures the old city’s gorgeous topography in all its splendour.Overall, Falaknuma Das fails to touch your heart and doesn’t offer anything new. Watch it if you are a sucker of lazy narratives.
Movie: Falaknuma Das
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Saloni Mishra, Harshita Gaur
Director: Vishwak Sen