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Ala Ela
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| Ala Ela | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Aneesh R. Krishna |
| Produced by | Ashok Vardhan |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Sai Sriram |
| Music by | Bheems Ceciroleo |
Production company | Ashoka Creations |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Ala Ela (transl. How so?) is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Anish R. Krishna and produced by Ashok Vardhan. The film stars Rahul Ravindran, Hebah Patel, Kushi, Bhanu Sri Mehra, Vennela Kishore, and Shani Salmon.[1] The music was composed by Bheems Ceciroleo with cinematography by Sai Sri Ram. The film was released on 28 November 2014.
Plot
[edit]Karthik (Rahul Ravindran) is forced to fulfill the last wish of his grandfather: marry a village girl named Divya (Kushi). Karthik wants to get introduced to her in anonymity and then fall in love before getting married. He gathers his funky friends - a victim of wife (Vennela Kishore) and a guy (Shani Salmon) who thinks he is creative. After going to the village, Karthik meets Shruti (Hebah Patel) and then Divya. The rest of the story is all about what happens when Karthik realises that he has feelings for Shruti instead of Divya.
Cast
[edit]- Rahul Ravindran as Karthik
- Hebah Patel as Shruti (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi Sripada)
- Kushi as Divya
- Bhanu Sri Mehra
- Vennela Kishore
- Shani Salmon
- Kondavalasa
- Krishna Bhagawan
- Ravi Varma
- C. V. L. Narasimha Rao
Soundtrack
[edit]The soundtrack of the film was composed by Bheems Ceciroleo. The soundtrack album was released on 29 July 2014 at 7 Acres, Annapurna Studios Hyderabad[2] and its consists of six songs. Lyrics for the songs were written by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Vanamali and Bheems Ceciroleo.
| Ala Ela | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 29 July 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 22:34 | |||
| Label | Ashoka Music | |||
| Producer | Bheems Ceciroleo | |||
| Bheems Ceciroleo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No No Mistake" | Ranjith | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Prati Chinukulo" | Pranavi | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Osho" | Harish Raghavendra | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Edutakaladu" | Sooraj | 3:42 |
| 5. | "Dhanak Dhanak" | Neha Kakkar | 2:27 |
| 6. | "Enduke" | Sooraj | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 22:34 | ||
Reception
[edit]Jeevi of Idlebrain rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "Plus points are fresh taking, fun moments and male leads. On the flipside, second half is sluggish. [...] On a whole, Ala Ela is a kind of film which falls short of being a good film, but makes an okay watch!"[3] Hemanth Kumar of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote, "There’s so much to like about the film, especially the sharp writing, bromance, pleasant music. And it makes you question if the film could have been much more than what it aims for, but there’s no denying that it strikes the right chords for most part."[1] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote, "What this film lacks is pace and requires some patience. Watch this film for some laugh aloud moments."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ala Ela Movie Review Archived 7 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Times of India, 30 November 2014
- ^ "Ala Ela Audio Launch". idlebrain. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "Ala Ela jeevi review". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ "Ala Ela: A question of answers". The Hindu. 28 November 2014.
External links
[edit].svg){kind=small} | This article about a Telugu-language film of the 2010s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Ala Ela
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Plot
Summary
Karthik is a young IT professional leading a modern urban life in Hyderabad, surrounded by the fast-paced environment of the city. His world is upended when his grandfather, on his deathbed, extracts a promise from him to marry Divya, a girl from the grandfather's native village whom he has arranged for Karthik since childhood, emphasizing family duty and tradition.[1][3] Determined to win Divya's affection without revealing the arranged marriage setup, Karthik travels to her village with two childhood friends, adopting a fake identity during the road trip filled with comedic mishaps. En route or upon arrival, he encounters Shruti, an independent and spirited young woman whose free-spirited nature captivates him, sparking an unexpected romantic pursuit that contrasts with his plan for Divya.[3][9][4] The narrative unfolds through Karthik's attempts to conceal the truth about the arranged marriage from Divya while navigating his growing affection for Shruti, leading to a series of comedic mishaps and escalating tensions. This draws in his close friends, who provide comic relief, as Divya's involvement and the unexpected twist with Shruti intensify the conflicts between familial expectations and personal desires, culminating in family confrontations and a resolution where Karthik fulfills his grandfather's wish in an unforeseen manner.[3][10]Themes
Ala Ela explores the tension between urban modernity and rural traditions through the contrasting characterizations of Shruti, who embodies independence and contemporary aspirations, and Divya, who represents the expectations of arranged marriage and traditional roles in a village setting.[9][3] This dichotomy highlights the challenges of cultural adaptation when urban individuals encounter rural life, using the protagonists' interactions to illustrate broader societal shifts in contemporary India.[1] The film delves into familial duty versus individual choice, symbolized by the grandfather's deathbed promise that compels the urban protagonist to honor generational expectations through marriage.[3][1] This motif underscores the weight of inheritance and family obligations, portraying how such traditions can both unite and constrain personal freedoms in a romantic comedy framework.[9] Satirizing arranged marriages, Ala Ela critiques deception and communication breakdowns in romantic pursuits, reflecting evolving attitudes toward love in modern Indian society.[3] Comedy serves as a vehicle to address weightier issues like inheritance disputes and the urban-rural divide, lightening the narrative while exposing hypocrisies in traditional practices.[1][9] Subtly commenting on gender roles, the film positions Shruti as a figure of empowerment, navigating relationships with agency, while Divya symbolizes innocence tied to conventional expectations.[3] This portrayal adds depth to the romantic comedy genre, encouraging reflection on women's evolving positions amid cultural transitions.[9]Cast
Principal cast
Rahul Ravindran portrays Karthik, the conflicted urban protagonist torn between duty and love.[11] This role marked one of his early leading performances in Telugu cinema, following his debut lead in the 2012 romantic drama Andala Rakshasi, where he transitioned from supporting roles in Tamil films like Moscowin Kavery (2010) to prominent Telugu leads.[12][3] Hebah Patel plays Shruti, the feisty, modern love interest who challenges Karthik's deceptions (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi Sripada).[11] Ala Ela served as her Telugu debut, after appearing in the Kannada film Adyaksha and the Tamil film Thirumanam Enum Nikkah earlier in 2014, establishing her as an emerging multilingual actress.[13][14] Kushi embodies Divya, the innocent village bride representing traditional values.[11] The role marked her debut in Telugu cinema, positioning her alongside established leads in this romantic ensemble.[15]Supporting cast
Vennela Kishore portrays Keerthan, one of Karthik's childhood friends and a henpecked husband whose comedic struggles with his domineering wife provide much of the film's humorous relief, often through witty dialogues and exaggerated reactions that highlight the protagonist's schemes.[1][3][4] Bhanu Sri Mehra plays Keerthan's nagging wife, a familial figure whose overbearing presence influences the group's dynamics during the road trip and underscores themes of marital pressures in contrast to the arranged marriage plot.[3] Shani Salmon appears as Kalyan, another close friend in the trio, contributing to the village scenes with his self-proclaimed creative persona as a pony-tailed ad agency director, adding layers of cultural contrast between urban antics and rural life.[1][4][3] Minor roles include the grandfather, played briefly by an elder actor whose dying wish sets the story in motion before his early demise, along with various villagers and urban acquaintances portrayed by supporting performers like Kondavalasa Lakshmana and Ravi Varma, who flesh out the communal and social backdrop without dominating the narrative.[11][16]Production
Development
Ala Ela marked the directorial debut of Aneesh Krishna, who drew inspiration for the film from his personal observations of relationships, particularly the marital dynamics among his friends, which informed the story's exploration of urban-rural cultural clashes in marriage.[17] Krishna initially conceived an investigative crime comedy but adapted the concept to a romantic comedy to fit a more feasible production scale.[18] The script was developed by Krishna himself, completed in approximately one month after pitching the idea to producer Ashok Vardhan, who was on vacation in the United States at the time.[18] Vardhan established Ashoka Creations specifically as the production banner for this project, marking the company's inaugural venture.[19] Envisioned as a low-budget independent production with an estimated cost of ₹4–5 crore, the film prioritized accessible storytelling over high spectacle.[18] Key creative decisions centered on dialogue-driven humor to drive the narrative, with Krishna penning witty exchanges that highlighted character interactions and comedic tension, avoiding reliance on action sequences.[3] For the lead role of the urban protagonist, Krishna selected Rahul Ravindran based on his performance in the 2012 film Andhala Rakshasi.[17]Filming
Principal photography for Ala Ela began in 2013 and primarily took place over several months in 2014, with the production wrapping up in time for its November release.[15] The cast had significant freedom to improvise, particularly in comic sequences, which contributed to the film's natural humor.[20] Key locations included urban settings in Hyderabad, such as the Cinepolis multiplex in KPHB, for city-based scenes, and rural areas around Palakol in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, where lush green backdrops captured authentic village life and supported the story's urban-rural contrast.[3][20] Coordinating these rural shoots presented logistical hurdles, including adapting to natural environments for sequences like climbing palm trees, while the improvisational approach on set helped overcome creative challenges, such as doubts about certain comedic characters resonating with audiences.[20] Cinematographer Sai Sriram employed vibrant colors to enhance the comedic elements and natural lighting to underscore emotional moments, resulting in slick visuals bolstered by effective digital intermediate color grading.[3] Post-production, including editing, followed promptly after principal photography, ensuring the film was completed by November 2014 for its theatrical debut.[15]Soundtrack
Composition
The soundtrack for Ala Ela was composed by Bheems Ceciroleo, marking one of his early major works in Telugu cinema. Ceciroleo's approach incorporated a mix of folk-infused melodies for sequences evoking rural and village settings, alongside peppy and upbeat rhythms suited to the film's romantic and comedic elements, such as electric guitar riffs in tracks like "No No Mistake" and flute accents in "Swaralenno."[21] Composition for the soundtrack commenced in early 2014, aligning with the film's pre-production phase, and culminated in the audio release on 29 July 2014 at an event in Hyderabad.[22] The album features six songs in total, with lyrics contributed by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Vanamali, and Ceciroleo himself, prioritizing catchy melodies and humorous lyrical content to resonate with the comedy genre's lighthearted tone—for instance, breezy numbers like "Oova Oova" highlight playful romance through strong vocal delivery and engaging hooks.[21][23] The recording took place in 2014, emphasizing authentic instrumentation to support the rural-inspired folk touches in songs such as "Prati Chinukulo" and "Enduke," while upbeat mass tracks like "Dhanak Dhanak" utilized fast-paced beats for energetic impact.[21] Background scores were crafted to amplify emotional transitions in the narrative, integrating seamlessly with the film's comedic pursuits without overpowering the visuals.[3]Track listing
The soundtrack of Ala Ela features six original songs, released under the Ashoka Music label with a total runtime of 22:34.[23]| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No No Mistake | Ranjith | 3:37 | Playful comedy track |
| 2 | Swaralenno | Yazin Nizar | 4:30 | Romantic track with flute accents |
| 3 | Dhanak Dhanak | Neha Khakkara, Bheems Ceciroleo | 3:56 | Upbeat mass track |
| 4 | Osho | Harish Raghavendra | 4:10 | Peppy number |
| 5 | Oova Oova | Revanth | 4:00 | Breezy playful romance |
| 6 | Prati Chinukulo | Pranavi Acharya | 4:38 | Folk-style highlighting rural life |