Title: Love Story
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Sai Pallavi and others
Director: Sekhar Kammula
Rating: 3/5
We get the impression that director Teja, who made rebellious love stories like 'Nuvvu Nenu' and 'Jayam' in the early 2000s, may have temporarily possessed Sekhar Kammula's body when 'Love Story' begins with a voice saying that love achieves glory after struggling through a stream of conflicts and ordeals. By and by, we're relieved to see Kammula sticking to the heart of his filmmaking approach. Despite the fact that the story has a very un-Kammula-esque element in which Revanth (Naga Chaitanya) and Mounica (Sai Pallavi) stage a subversion that feels both inevitable and courageous.
Revanth is a struggling Zumba instructor in Hyderabad who is fortunate enough to have Mounica, a natural dancer, as a neighbour. They take their time collaborating on their fitness business, but once they get started, they're off to a fast start. The blossoming of love. Gender and caste concerns, on the other hand, come up in unexpected ways.
Mounica says in a seemingly unimportant episode that girls nowadays don't care about the caste of the man they admire. She goes on to say that all that counts is that he is pleasant to be around and has a decent career. The line encapsulates the film's spirit, especially given that the Mounica-Revanth combo is also risking their careers in their perilous journey.
Revanth and his friends are going through an existential crisis, and his mother is terrified of bringing up the albatross of caste that follows them around everywhere. Mounica reveals a heartbreaking truth. These sensibilities enrich 'Love Story,' which, in the hands of a lesser director, would have been a clichéd take on casteism and abuse. We've just lately seen 'Sridevi Soda Center' muck it up with cliched characters and old-school scenarios. The difficulties in 'Love Story' are presented after the audience has been given the luxury of comprehending the lead couple's goals and harsh reality.
With 'Nee Chitram Chusi' and 'Ay Pilla,' debut composer Pawan Ch receives full marks. The placement of 'Saranga Dariya,' one of the year's best songs, is gutsy. As a job seeker, Sai Pallavi is amazing, and she goes on to become a pillar of strength in Revanth's life. Her chemistry with Naga Chaitanya is the film's most valuable asset. The cinematography by Vijay C Kumar is excellent, and Uttej has the charm of yesteryear's character actors.
With a running time of more than 150 minutes, the picture suffers from significant pacing difficulties. Rajeev Kanakala, who portrays Mounica's babai, is given a stereotyped character. The way the protagonist couple's fitness centre abruptly takes a corner is escapist filmmaking at its finest.