Movie: Love Story
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Sai Pallavi, Eswari Rao, Rajeev Kanakala, Uttej, Devyani
Director: Sekhar Kammula
Produced By: Narayandas Narang & P.Ram Mohan Rao under Sree Venkateswara Cinemas
Release Date: 24th September
Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi starrer Love Story has hit the screens worldwide today. From the hype and advance bookings, it is clear that the movie will have record openings for sure. The craze for this Sekhar Kammula film has been growing day by day all across. The chartbuster music and emotional trailer have further added to the expectations. While the buzz is great, does the movie has enough to sustain the hype?
Story: Love Story follows the life and hardships and subsequent romance of the Revanth (Naga Chaitanya) and Mounika( Sai Pallavi). The couple hails from Armoor (Nizamabad) and comes to Hyderabad to make a good living. While Mounika tries for a Software Job, Revanth runs a not-so-successful Zumba centre. Predictably the duo comes across each other and falls in love. What happens next and how societal barriers and the couple’s past comes to haunt them is what Love Story is all about
Performance: Love Story is undoubtedly Naga Chaitanya’s coming-of-age film. Being touted as Chaitu’s finest ever performance, the movie is driven maturely by his boyish charm and intense act towards the movie’s end. Sai Pallavi is dependable as ever and starts from where she left off in Fidaa. Love Story takes up the emotions dose way higher and the actress succeeds with flying colours. Eswari Rao is another smart casting decision that provides strong support to the mature theme of the film. She essays great versatility in her role as a strong woman and a caring mother to Revanth. Rajeev Kanakala, Devyani, Uttej, Sai Chand, all fit into their roles well and are a great strength to the story. Pavan Ch marking his debut with this film has done a terrific job and the songs are truly an asset to the story flow. The editing by senior editor Marthand K Venkatesh could have been shaper to cut down close to 2 hours 40 minutes of storytelling
Analysis: Sekhar Kammula picks up a subject that is quite relevant to the current times and society. The caste barriers and family pressures on the youngsters have a much larger impact on society and its ethos. He sensibly drives the story and touches on some sensitive issues which others might find uncomfortable. One of the biggest strengths of the film is its casting. Each character has been designed to fit perfectly. While the teaser of the film just showcased financial hardships of the couple, the trailer showcased the core conflict of the film i.e. caste prejudices. If the viewers have warmed up to the idea, it might work well in Kammula’s favour however, if one is expecting a mushy ‘Love Story’ as the title suggests, it might backfire. It all depends on how the message is packaged and Kammula tries to warm up the audience with breezy first half which gets much darker towards the end.
Plus Points:
Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi
Strong support cast
Music
Breezy first half
Minus Points:
Movie length
Screenplay lags towards the end
The dark subject might be difficult to digest
Verdict: Love Story is a monumental film in terms of the subject it picked. It is not often that you see a mainstream director and actors go for a realistic portrayal of a caste-based story. It is quite different from the usual feel-good storytelling of Kammula and challenges you in parts. The commercial audience and ones expecting a soft love track might face some sudden shocks and the flashback and the village part might even make you extremely uncomfortable. Overall it’s a good watch especially if you are a fan of Sekhar Kammula or Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya or someone looking for some quality content over the weekend.
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