Cast: Bindhu Madhavi, Navdeep
Director: Sri Prawin
Writer: Priyadarshini Ram
Cinematographers: Anantnag Kavuri, Vedaraman, and Prasanna
Producer: T.G. Vishwa Prasad
Music: Suresh Bobblli
Plot:
Newsense is the story of a few journalists in the Madanapalle area of Andhra Pradesh during the late 1990s. Shiva (played by Navdeep) is a smart journalist with the power of words. He has the knack for bringing things under his control without making a mess. Neela (played by Bindhu Madhavi) is a journalist for a local TV channel who wants to move to Hyderabad and work for Hyderabad Media. The duo is in love, and Neela admires Shiva’s work like no other. All the journalists, including Shiva and Neela (close to 7 journalists), work from the Madanapalle press club and share their everyday earnings (the covers they get from the biggies) to whitewash news against them. Its core concept is to let the people know what happens if the fourth estate, that is, the media, turns corrupt in the world.
Performances:
This entire movie is set against the backdrop of Madanapalle, a village in Rayalaseema, and all the cast members try the same dialect, a dialect that is very similar to what we heard in the movie Pushpa.
Navdeep plays a reporter for a news channel called Republic, while Bindu Madhavi is a news presenter for a local channel.
One good thing about the characters in this series is that there are no heroic moments just to give hype to any actor.
Navdeep aced the Madanapalle dialect. He is someone who knows how to grab attention. He is a composed man who, although young, is very efficient at handling the toughest of situations with control of words and over people, and he played the part pretty well. He is compiled to do the job, but his aims are bigger, he doesn’t want the cops or the public to fear him when they look at him but to respect him, and that is his main goal in life.
His character was well structured, and after watching this six-episode series, it is safe to say that the actor made a gritting comeback with Newsense.
His performance was convincing, and the actor ensured you would not feel he was going over the top with his performance or his dialogue. They are subtle, yet to the point.
Speaking of Bindhu Madhavi, she adds oomph to the series. She is the only colour we get to see. She didn’t have much of a role in season 1, but we guess she is going to have a meaty role in season 2, as it ends that way. She was witty and natural at her best; however, the dialect felt unnatural whenever we heard Bindhu utter a word. Overall, she was pretty decent in her performance, and the subtle romance between her and Navdeep is worth watching.
The other actors, including Nanda Gopal, Shelly Nabu Kumar, Katta Anthony, Sreedhar Reddy, Mahima Srinivas, and Venkataramana Ayyagari, did complete justice to their roles. The villains in the show were well cast.
Plus:
Story back drop and time frame
Cast
Execution
Cinematography
Minus:
Biased representation of the media
Slow narration
Analysis:
This is an effort to uncover the murky truths that lie at the heart of the media-political axis in small towns.
However, we only get to see the negative side of the media in the series, which is obviously what the producers have touted the series to be all about. The overall give and take that occurs between politicians, the media, and the police was narrated in a believable way. The show does not in any way elevate the media or politicians, which could further harm the audience's perception of journalists in general.
The characters in journalist Priyadarshini Ram's writing are excellent. The environment he constructed will have you thinking, and he demonstrated how the media is coerced into doing certain things for financial gain.
There are a few scenes in the movie, like a farmer dying and a young woman being beaten up by a politician, that just wrench your heart.
The six-episode series has three cinematographers— Anantnag Kavuri, Vedaraman, and Prasanna—and they have done a phenomenal job of taking you through the 1990s and 2000s. The colour effects were appealing.
The director, through his narration, did complete justice to the story by Priyadarshini. The first four episodes were good, and just when you feel the series is going down with the pace, in comes a police officer who intensifies the narration. His character and what he does are predictable, but it’s the way the scenes were shot that will keep you entertained.
The director gets applause for its ending. It actually ends abruptly, but for a reason. The rest of the story is going to be continued in the next season. He ended the first season with many questions unanswered.
The music supports the series very well.
Conclusion:
There are a few misses and hits, but overall this is a potent series that touches upon many important issues regarding the function of the media in our society and what happens if the fourth estate turns corrupt. It’s a well-written and well-executed project.
Vox verdict: Worth your 2 hours and 40 minutes of time.
Rating: 2.5/5
