Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50340 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-24
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Review
By Roger Ebert -- [ Top 5 Foreign Films of 2007 ] "Vanaja", a beautiful and heart-touching film from India, represents a miracle of casting. Every role, including the challenging central role of a low-caste 14-year-old girl, is cast perfectly and played flawlessly, so that it is a continuing pleasure to see these faces on the screen. Then we learn their stories. The actors, naturally and effortlessly true, are all nonprofessionals who were cast for their looks and presence, and then trained in an acting workshop set up by the director, Rajnesh Domalpalli. He recalls that his luminous star, Mamatha Bhukya, an eighth-grader, was untrained, and had to learn to act and perform classical Indian dances during a year of lessons set up in his family's basement! But this movie is not wonderful because of where the actors started. It is wonderful because of where they arrived, and who they became. Bhukya is a natural star, her eyes and smile illuminating a face of freshness and delight. And the other characters are equally persuasive, especially Urmila Dammannagari, as the district landlady, who has to negotiate a way between her affection for the girl and her love for her son. But why are you reading this far? An Indian film? Starring Mamatha Bhukya and Urmila Dammannagari? Lesser readers would already have tuned out, but you are curious. And so I can promise you that here is a very special film. It was made by the director as part of his master's thesis in the film department at Columbia University, shot over a period of years ... a great-looking, extraordinary film... In any Indian film, many of the pleasures are tactile. There are the glorious colors of saris and room decorations, the dazzle of dance costumes and the dusty landscape that somehow becomes a watercolor by Edward Lear, with its hills and vistas, its oxen and elephants, its houses that seem part of the land. In this setting, Domalpalli tells his story with tender precision, and never an awkward moment. The plot reminds me of neo-realism crossed with the eccentric characters of Dickens. The poor girl taken into a rich family is also a staple of Victorian fiction. But "Vanaja" lives always in the moment, growing from a simple story into a complex one, providing us with a heroine, yes, but not villains so much as vain, weak people obsessed with their status in society. When the final shot comes, we miss the comfort of a conventional Hollywood ending. But "Vanaja" ends in a very Indian way, trusting to fate and fortune, believing there is a tide in the affairs of men, which -- but you know where it leads. Let's hope it does. --Chicago Sun-Times

Review
"Engrossing...Absolutely Timeless" -- Laura Kern --New York Times

Review
"This is a movie exotic in look but recognizable in truth, the venture of a novice filmmaker very much ready for prime time" -- Sid Smith --LA Times

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Indian drama about class and choices
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.

"Only Goddess Parvati Will Rival You In Dance"
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.

A true work of art and a masterpiece
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.