A Family

This film (drama)Also known asManam，is aIndiaProducerwomen sex，At2014Released in year 。The dialogue language isTelugu，Current Douban rating7.1(For reference only)。

◆Character Relationships The three male leads in the film are, coincidentally, a family in real life as well—the three generations of the Akkineni family, a prominent family in the Telugu film industry: The grandfather, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, born in 1923 (a veteran Telugu film star), the father, Akkineni Nagarjuna (a well-known Telugu actor and producer), and the grandson, Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, born in 1986, who has just entered the film industry (reportedly, he is about to co-star with Jr. NTR in a remake of the Malayalam film "Bangalore Days"). Interestingly, in the movie "Manam," due to the reincarnation theme, the roles of the grandfather, father, and grandson are reversed in their identities within the plot: The real-world grandfather, Nageswara Rao, becomes the son of his son, Nagarjuna, in the film. The real-world grandson, Naga Chaitanya, becomes the father of his father, Nagarjuna, in the film. ◆Plot: First Half: In the 1980s, a couple facing marital issues dies in a car accident while driving to finalize their divorce, leaving behind their 6-year-old son. Thirty years later, the son grows up to become a wealthy middle-aged man; he meets a young guy and a girl and believes they are his reincarnated parents—though the latter are unaware of their past life memories. Nevertheless, the now middle-aged son is determined to bring his much younger "dad and mom" together. Second Half: In the 1920s, a happily married couple dies in a car accident while driving home, leaving behind their 6-year-old son. Eighty years later, the son has become a 90-year-old man; he meets a middle-aged man (who is the billionaire from the first story) and a nurse and believes they are his reincarnated parents—though the latter are unaware of their past life memories. Still, the 90-year-old son is determined to bring his much younger "dad and mom" together. The son's effort to connect his parents across time and space evokes thoughts of the classic sci-fi film "Back to the Future" from 1985. In fact, before "Manam" premiered, there were already reports indicating that the film was inspired by "Back to the Future." (Tip: Pay attention to the clock tower that appears every time at the accident scene, which is also a crucial iconic scene in "Back to the Future.") What I find clever is that in the nearly three-hour-long "Manam," the Telugu screenwriter essentially tells two stories about a son connecting his parents through reincarnation, seamlessly blending the two tales together. These two stories have subtle correspondences: The first story, set in the 80s, involves a couple arranged in marriage who constantly argue. In contrast, the couple in the second story is based on love and deeply care for each other. Yet, whether it's the lack of love in the first story or the deep love in the second, both couples die in a fateful car accident. The accidents occur on February 14 (the day after their son's 6th birthday). The accident location is always under a large clock tower. The time coincidentally is always 10:20 AM (note the time on the clock tower). Before the accidents in both stories, the son left at home sees ominous signs— Before the first story's accident, the son sees a goldfish dead in the aquarium and oil stains on the road outside their home (leading to their parents' car brake failure). Before the second story's accident, the son accidentally steps on a broken thermometer dropped by his mother. Then a calendar page flies off the wall, displaying the date of February 14. These ominous details remind one of classic scenes from the thriller "Final Destination." At the end of the film, all the aforementioned ominous details are repeated in a third accident occurring in the present (including the accident's time and location), impressing the audience with the screenwriter's clever construction. The difference is that the third accident ends up avoiding disaster. In the end, the three generations of the family have a joyful reunion. (Note that at the end, when the three generations happily embrace in the middle of the road, an out-of-control truck is speeding towards them— This conclusion is reminiscent of the dark ending in "Final Destination"; if the screenwriter were bolder, ending the film here would have been better. But the Telugu audience probably wouldn't accept such an ending.) It's worth mentioning that "Manam," released in May 2014 and themed around family bonds, reincarnation, love, and eternity, stands out among many "heroic" Telugu films, receiving excellent reviews and unexpectedly becoming a box-office hit. It was screened in 1,500 theaters worldwide, grossing a total of 500 million rupees (50 crores), earning the title of a blockbuster. Unfortunately, the grandfather, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, passed away due to illness in February this year, just three months before the film's release. In the final stages of filming, in critical condition, he even had to lie in a hospital bed, having staff bring recording equipment to finish his final voice work for the film in his hospital room. Just like in the film, life is so unpredictable that sometimes you don't know when it will suddenly end. And sometimes, we don't get the chance to say goodbye to those we love. We are all very aware that, unlike the fantastic plots in films, in this life, whether love or hate, we cannot meet again in the next life. It is just that if there really were opportunities like in the movie "Manam," I hope to still be a family in the next life. (daddycool) A memorable line: after the wealthy man's past-life father (the young guy in this life) finally recognizes his past-life wife (the young girl in this life), he says: "I love you, Krishna. If I had a past life, this would be my last words to you before I die. When I first saw you in this life, this should have been my first words to you... but I didn’t." Additionally, several songs from "Manam" are incredibly beautiful. My favorite is "Chinni Chinni Aasalu," sung by Shreya Ghoshal, which appears shortly after the second half begins. (daddycool)