This is the kind of cinema that Lohithadas-Sibi Malayil combo (in Malayalam) would casually come up with, if it was in the late 80s/early 90s. It's a tragic love story of sorts, but one where the emotional heft overrides all else. We don't get to know the first instance of Manu (Rakshit Shetty) and Priya (Rukmini Vasanth) falling in love, but when we see them, they're already neck deep in it. And it's the performances of the leads that makes us buy into its profundity. We hop aboard their monotonously cute journey of finding a house before they get married, where their hopes and aspirations are also expounded. These scenes carry a subtle softness to them, which is accentuated by Advaitha Gurumurthy's balmy frames. Due to an unforeseen incident, Manu ends up in prison. That's when the couple's love is truly put to the test.
Charan Raj's superb compositions punctuate the proceedings, and while Manu and Priya remain the backbone of the film, we also get introduced to some subplots within the prison setup. While the screenplay and performances handle these portions well for the most part, for me, the finesse with which writer-director Hemanth M Rao tackled the first act was somewhat missing here. At this juncture, it even showed signs of becoming a proper "jail" movie, what with its internal warfare and politics. The climax took a turn that I wasn't fully anticipating, but I also quickly realized it was a prelude to Side B that was already in the works, all set to be unleashed shortly. It teased some of the scenes I wanted to get closure on, and I'm looking forward to it.
P. S - Rukmini Vasanth is FANTASTIC here!
Charan Raj's superb compositions punctuate the proceedings, and while Manu and Priya remain the backbone of the film, we also get introduced to some subplots within the prison setup. While the screenplay and performances handle these portions well for the most part, for me, the finesse with which writer-director Hemanth M Rao tackled the first act was somewhat missing here. At this juncture, it even showed signs of becoming a proper "jail" movie, what with its internal warfare and politics. The climax took a turn that I wasn't fully anticipating, but I also quickly realized it was a prelude to Side B that was already in the works, all set to be unleashed shortly. It teased some of the scenes I wanted to get closure on, and I'm looking forward to it.
P. S - Rukmini Vasanth is FANTASTIC here!