Movie Review - Oka Laila Kosam (Telugu) - A mediocre mishmash!!

There were love stories that filled the air with romance and pain, and then there are love stories that only bank on the salable factor by forcefully inducing old school clichés and masala tropes in the narration. Oka Laila Kosam struggles to get into the zone of the former, but nestles in the arms of the latter. Director Vijay Kumar Konda won the hearts of many with his first film and tries to recreate the same magic by weaving a similar fabric replete with embellishments. However, this time the gloss stays afloat keeping other elements at the bottom. 

  

Time and again, we are forced upon a happy-go-lucky guy who is self-indulgent to the core. On the day of his convocation at Indian School of Business Studies (nice name though), he professes about 'freedom' and leaves many cushy job offers for it. This spoilt brat falls head over heels for someone with the qualities of a good samaritan. One after the other, few misunderstandings pop up and the gal tries her best to stay away from the guy. But the guy never loses hope and makes it a point to throw many gibes at the gal to the level of intolerance. 

The hero also dabbles with writing and pens his love story with the title Oka Laila Kosam; if that offers some respite, so be it. However, the book gets a mention only during the start and somewhere towards the end, making it another ill-placed prop in the screenplay. After multiple episodes of 'comedy of errors', finally, an untimely twist brings things to a cinematic conclusion paving a way for 'all’s well that ends well'. That's some effort from my end to forcefully fit in Shakespeare in this review and nothing magical of sorts happen in the film. 

Oka Laila Kosam seems like a bag of borrowings – some from recent times and some as old as mountains. All these make it a mediocre mishmash. The visuals and few scenarios offer freshness but the director is hell bent to Telugu-fy the screenplay with mundane treatment. Some sparks which fly in the film’s initial run time are barely visible after interval. Only when Ali appears on screen, you muster all your energy to giggle, otherwise the film stretches like a chewing gum to test your patience. 

The three principal characters (one being a comedian) are not handled with conviction and lot of inconsistencies creep into the narrative. Even some sub-plots protrude as sore thumbs. Adding further woes, the chemistry between the lead pair couldn’t crackle and the jokes, at times, appear as assortments of canned laughter. As the end credits roll, you'd be surprised to see the names of 'Satyam' Rajesh, Dhanraj, Josh Ravi, Vennela Kishore etc., and wonder where they were... err, why they were!

Anup Rubens and Andrew are the real winners with their music and camerawork respectively. The visual panache is finely coupled with few lilting tunes and refreshing background score. Towards the end, the film gets a melodramatic tinge with an over use of emotional tracks, but the performances fail to live up to it. Even the character incoherencies play spoilsport in this film, which stands tall on lackadaisical writing.

Oka Laila Kosam harps on a cliched plot and an age-old storytelling technique. So, it remains as a haphazard effort to paint a coming-of-age love story on a stereotypical canvas. And, if you are looking for some 'love' or some 'story' in this love story, then you may be disappointed!

My Rating: Expectation - 7/10; Reality - 4/10

This review was originally written for Metro India newspaper.

Movie Review - Govindudu Andarivadele (Telugu) - A colorful canvas!!

Picture this… An urbane bloke from the most urbanized surroundings lands up at rural premises to square things off, a family head melts like a slice of butter towards the end, a gal unleashes her vigorous side when with friends but shifts to a different gear when at home, a generous exchange of gibes by the lead pair, a rival family tries to use the village for their selfish goals, a member of the house with a villainous shade, more colors splatter on the frames than those seen in any commercials for a paint brand, chlorophyll soaked landscapes, larger than life sets and a magical ‘yellow’ light. That’s a warm welcome to the world of Krishna Vamsi.

In a time tested formula; Ram Charan plays Abhiram in Govindudu Andarivadale, whose objective is to unite the family. He crosses paths of a Pawan Kalyan from Attarintiki Daredi, a Jr. NTR from Brundavanam, a Venkatesh from Kalisundaam Raa, and not to forget a Meena from Seetharamaiah Gari Manavaralu. Even other films of Krishna Vamsi fall in the line of the character sketches, conflicts and resolutions. However, every aspect of the film gets a proper shaping with KV’s mark style and sensibilities. You may feel such kind of emotions and expressions can’t be churned out in a daily humdrum, but the perceptions take a detour in this entertaining throwback to other films, with its lead performers firing on all cylinders. Though some characters get a miniscule screen time, the casting never goes wrong.

Prakash Raj is not the regular patriarch limping with a stick but holds a prowess of gyrating it to make a hard-hitting statement. Jaya Sudha does lot of talking through her eyes and her climactic breakdown is sheer brilliance. There’s an electrifying chemistry between Ram Charan and Kajal that sets off a fiery romance laden with a sacrifice. Albeit wearing a dark hue, Srikanth adds humor to the proceedings and acts as a key plot driver. Kamalini looks endearing but still tries to breathe in the mould created by Sekhar Kammula. The other bunch of actors just get their act right.

The protagonist’s character needed some pruning to ward off few character incoherencies. He is seen as a Telugu speaking lad in a foreign nation, but all this goes for a toss when he comes to India. He mouths only ‘Dude’ and ‘Bro’ while talking to people. And his pretext of entering the village to learn the nuances of agriculture never sees the light of the day. He is only busy fighting, romancing, emoting (for lack of a better word) and setting things right for all the members of the family. However, the rugby playing skills of the character are used to good effect in crucial fight sequences.

The cameraman Sameer Reddy takes a pat on the back and also the writers for inducing the concept of mood based lighting in the screenplay. The lighting is soft, ambient and makes a hyperbolic pronouncement of the vibrant nature of the family. On the other side, it is dark and surfaces the gloomy side of the villain’s house and also in the climax when Jaya Sudha talks about the consequences that may force a family to become separated. The ‘yellow’ light makes its presence felt in most of the frames. The music also pumps soul into the narrative. Thanks to Yuvan Shankar Raja, we could listen to lot of wind instruments in the background. This comes as a relief when our movies are replete with heavy percussions.   

Govindudu Andarivadale may be an effort to dig deep into the same genre again and again, but this time it gets a master stroke from Krishna Vamsi on a colorful canvas. The wafer-thin storyline is supplemented with an ensemble cast of performers, overcrowded frames and dollops of melodrama to bring a gleam on your faces. 

My Rating: Expectation - 8/10; Reality - 6/10

This review was originally written for Metro India newspaper.