Paathasala

Paathshaala
Directed by	Mahi V Raghav
Written by	Mahi V Raghav
Produced by	Rakesh Mahankali Pavan Kumar Reddy
Starring	Sai Ronak Nandu Shashank Sirisha Anu Priya Hammood
Cinematography	Sudheer Surendran
Edited by	Shravan
Music by	Rahul Raj
Production company	Moonwater Pictures
Release date	10 October 2014 (2014-10-10)
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Paathshala (English: Sacred place of learning) is a 2014 Telugu film written and directed by Mahi V Raghav. The original score & soundtrack of the movie are composed by Rahul Raj.

The movie released on 10 October 2014 and met with predominantly positive reviews.

Plot

Five friends: Adi, Raju, Sandhya, Surya, and Salma, who have just completed their engineering are at crossroads about their career choices. Also, they realize that the moment has come to leave each other and move into the big, bad world. So, they decide to take one final road trip to each other’s house.

They hire a swanky van, and start their fun filled journey to these villages. On their route, they discover a lot of things they did not know about each other. They also realize what they want to do with their lives. Rest of the story is as to what happens during their visit, and how the harsh realities change their lives upside down. In short, the film is about how the road trip becomes a Paathasala of sorts and prepares them for the big journey called life.

Cast

• Hamood as Surya
• Anupriya Goenka as Sandhya
• Sirisha as Salma
• Nandu as Raju
• Sai Ronak as Adi
• Shashank as Karthik (Special Appearance)
• Sanjay Reddy as Sandhya's father
• Surya as College Principal
• Krishna Bhagavaan as JC Astrologer
• L. B. Sriram as Fat Boy's father
• Narasimha Raju as Surya's father

Pre-production and Casting Call

Paathshala successfully marks an innovative edge, in the Telugu film industry, in terms of selection procedure wherein the cast and crew would be finalised through the medium of social networking site, 'Facebook'. The contest hosted on Facebook managed to get more than 15,000 followers within seven days of the launch with 10,000 applicants.

Music

All music is composed, arranged and produced by Rahul Raj. The soundtrack CD featuring a total of five songs and twelve background score excerpts released on 28 July 2014.

The songs were received well, but it was the background score that was unanimously praised by all reviewers, as a major plus point, crediting it to have elevated the movie to a different level.

Soundtrack

Untitled

The soundtrack CD of Paathshala features 5 original songs and 12 background scores excerpts composed, arranged and produced by Rahul Raj.
Original songs

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"Friendship Anthem"	Sooraj Santhosh, Elvis Don Raja
2.	"Merise Merise"	Rahul Raj
3.	"Sooryodhayam"	Najim Arshad
4.	"Swecha Varsham (Freedom Song)"	Rahul Raj
5.	"Shoonyamai"	Nikhil Mathew

Original background score

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Length
1.	"The Journey"	Rahul Raj
2.	"Energy of Paathshala"	Rahul Raj
3.	"End of Love"	Rahul Raj feat. Francis (Solo Violin), Josy (Woodwinds)
4.	"Love Letter"	Rahul Raj, Abhirami Suresh, Najim Arshad
5.	"Yela Yela"	Rahul Raj, Shreemani (Lyrics)
6.	"Salma Warangal"	Rahul Raj
7.	"Fatboy Dance"	Rahul Raj, Shreemani (Lyrics)
8.	"Love Blooms"	Rahul Raj
9.	"Aadi in Despair"	Rahul Raj
10.	"Childhood Love"	Rahul Raj
11.	"Route to Godavari"	Rahul Raj
12.	"Temple Violins"	Rahul Raj

Film Release and Reception

The movie released on 10 October 2014 and met with predominantly positive reviews. A review on International Business Times quoted "Audience Call it New-Age Tollywood Movie. Raghav's interesting concept, lead actors' performances, Rahul Raj's music, Sudheer Surendran's cinematography and its exotic locales are the main highlights of the film, according to viewers.". 123telugu.com said "First half of the film is entertaining, and showcases the fun elements in student life. Locations showcased and production values in the film are stunning. One dance episode featuring a poor kid, has been executed quite emotionally. Paathshala is also a brilliant film technically. Camerawork is quite stunning, as each and every visual looks top notch. Music is decent, and goes with the mood of the film. But it is Rahul Raj’s absorbing background score, that takes the film to a decent level. Dialogues are written in a simple way, and will connect to the youth well."

Cinegola.com rated the movie 2.5/5, but dubbed the movie as 'heartwinning', and said "Most of all, it is the camera work by Sudheer and the background music by Rahul Raj that really need to be appreciated.". iluvcinema.in too gave a highly positive rating, comparing the film to classics like Mani Ratnam's Mouna Ragam, Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand and K. Viswanath's Sankarabharanam.