Rating: 2/5
Cast: Naga Shaurya, Malvika Nair, Megha Choudhury, Srinivas Avasarala,
Director: Srinivas Avarsarala
Produced By: TG Vishwa Prasad, Padmaja Dasari
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Actor/ director Srinivas Avasarala is back with his directorial project Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi. The romantic drama is his third outing with Naga Shaurya after the hugely successful Oohalu Gusagusalade and Jyo Atchutananda. The film is giving off pretty fresh feels and Avasarala, who is known for his mature dramas has claimed that this film will definitely appeal to the family audience as well as youngsters. Let’s check out what he has put in the store.
Story: Set in 2000, Sanjay (Naga Shaurya) and Anupama (Malavika Nair) are college friends in Vizag. Anu is a year senior to Sanjay and the two become close friends and romance blossoms. Time brings friction in the couple’s relationship as the story now movies to London with Sanjay being an emotionally unavailable partner much to Anu’s disappointment. The remainder of the narrative focuses on his absence and how the couple’s romance undergoes a transformation.
Performances: Naga Shaurya and Malvika Nair look great together on screen and their chemistry is commendable. The duo fit into their roles perfectly and performed with great ease showcasing the 10-year relationship transformation. However, apart from the lead cast, none of the characters are convincing and are poorly written which breaks the movie’s flow. Malavika Nair in particular is the highlight of this romantic drama and is great in emotional scenes and has given her career-best performance. The rest of the cast members don’t have much impact on the movie that’s majorly shouldered by the lead.
Analysis: Being realistic and showcasing true human emotions is one of the biggest strengths of Srinivas Avasarala. But in the process of showcasing true emotions and character depth, the writers ignored the movie’s pacing and screenplay which tires the audience. The attempted humour in the movie might bring out a few chuckles but that’s about it. A crispier screenplay with better-written characters would have given this romantic drama more credibility.
Plus Points:
- Malavika Nair
- Lead pair chemistry
- Simplicity
Minus Points:
- Slow narration
- Lack of emotional connect
- Poor screenplay
- Core conflict between lead characters
Verdict:
Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi has a pretty basic premise of a couple’s strained relationship over time. In such situations, it is important to establish characters, their insecurities, and flaws neatly which the film fails at. The simplicity of the film goes out for a toss due to the central conflict which might not appeal to many.
