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Vanaja Reviews
"Beautiful and heart-touching film from India, represents a miracle of casting... Domalpalli tells his story with tender precision, and never an awkward moment"
[ Top 5 Foreign Films of 2007 ]
- Roger Ebert
Pulitzer Prize Winning Film Critic
Chicago Sun Times
"Absolutely Timeless"
- New York Times
"Auspicous debut.. makes you eager for Domalpalli's next work"
- Newsweek
"A film that touches the heartstrings"
- Variety
"This is a movie exotic in look but recognizable in truth, the venture of a novice filmmaker very much ready for prime time"
- Chicago Tribune / LA Times
"If Domalpalli keeps this up, he might become something new for movies - a discreet combination of Satyajit Ray and Douglas Sirk"
- Boston Globe
"Bhukya... is a marvel in this complex role"
- Boston Herald
"Meet bright-eyed Vanaja... possessed of a spirit as large and a smile as wide as the Indian Ocean"
- Philadelphia Inquirer
"Sublime direction... wonder-filled film"
- San Francisco Chronicle
“Vanaja... is a perfect example of why there are hard core fans of film festivals who put their lives on hold and with sandwiches in hand, line up to see every film they can"
- Hamptons Star
“The cast... manage to give depth to their roles that a seasoned professional would envy"
- The News & Observer
"Vanaja is a timeless story of dignity maintained against all odds"
- Seattle Times
"Vanaja... was one of the most remarkable works presented at Toronto"
- WSWS.org
"Vanaja... is relevant and strong, both socially and politically"
- International Federation of Film Critics
"No lie: This is the wonderful and wondrous antithesis of Bollywood, Hollywood"
- Austin Chronicle
"Bhukya's performance makes 'Vanaja' one helluva student film"
- Tallahassee Democrat
"Adds to the glory of… all cinema"
- Film Journal
"Rajnesh Domalpalli's film… has a perfect young star in Mamatha Bhukya"
- San Diego Union-Tribune
"Domalpalli's real accomplishment is his ability to balance this external, crowd-pleasing stuff... with the internal questions regarding the continued caste struggles of South India"
- Cinematical
"A unique and fascinating film with the soul of an artist"
- Courant.com
"A wondrous piece of filmmaking... gently pushes at its audience's sensibilities, offering what for many will seem like an outrageous situation but shading it with emotions both complex and utterly realistic"
- Baltimore Sun
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