I give it three puppies and a golden star. Aata (2007)

Aata didn't look like a good movie. Actually, let me correct that – Aata didn't look like a good Siddharth movie. See, it has to be said that Siddharth Narayan is just one of those actors who need a scale of their own when it comes to movies. His short filmography (the man only debuted in 2003!) is filled with absolute gems of film making, just all around excellent picks that shows he knows a thing or two about what makes a good script.

So, going into Aata I expected an okay Siddharth movie – the kind of Chukkallo Chandrudu, perhaps even closer to Boys (his first movie is only really worth one watch in my opinion). Nothing of the innovativeness of Bommarillu or the overall brilliantness of Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana. And in a way, what I got was certainly closer to CC than NVNN, but I still friggin' adored Aata.

Siddharth plays Srikrishna, who quite literally grows up on movies. He's illiterate but has learned every hero mannerism, every movie song and line perfectly as his dad's job is a projectioner at a film theatre. The title of the film means 'game', which Srikrishna is more than fond of, and these form the core of the plot – oh, and the love story of him and Sathya (Ileana), a girl he randomly bumps into and in true film hero manner, decides to save as, in true film manner, she is chased by the villain's (Munna) henchmen.

It's a true Siddharth show, not much for those in the audience who do not love, oh I don't know, absolutely everything about him. That's not to say the plot isn't good, but for non-fans the character he plays might be annoying, and overall, well, it might not be worth much seeing as how he's in nearly every frame. The movie is also decidedly ridiculous – if you buy into it, you're in for a great ride, but if you try to get a Bommarillu out of it, it's just not going to work. Some of the ridiculousness feels like a gentle spoof of film conventions, but some is probably just there for the crowd-pleasing masala aspects (gratuitous Ileana skin, gratuitous wet anything scenes – though as a fangirl I am of the opinion that wet Siddharth is always necessary).

The songs are wildly entertaining – and another nod to Siddharth for singing in one of them, and actually doing a good job. The ending, despite the film's otherwise conventional plot structure, is positively surprising. Aata has become my movie du jour, which basically means I have rewatching to do, screencapping to do, and more gushing to participate in once more people see this movie. If you've already joined Church of Siddharth, run to get this one. If not, then make the effort to see Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana. Go!

(At some later point I will ramble about Siddharth in length in this blog. I feel like he deserves a post or 87.)