Up-and-coming actor Naga Shaurya and director Srinivas Avasarala have joined hands for their third film, Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi. The film hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.
Story:
Sanjay (Naga Shaurya) is Anupama’s (Malavika Nair) junior at an engineering college in Vizag. They become friends in no time and later move to the UK to do their masters. Love blossoms between them and Sanjay learns something unexpected about Anupam. He later distances himself from her. What is the reason? What will happen to Anupam? Did they get back together? The movie has all the answers.
Plus points:
The story is quite simple and the chemistry between Naga Shaurya and Malavika Nair is quite good. Some of the scenes between the lead pair are enjoyable. Naga Shaurya gives a decent performance and looks so good on screen. His brilliant performance is one of the best things about the film.
Malavika Nair also performed very well. She does so well in emotional scenes and takes good care of her appearance to match her emotional state.
Abhishek Maharshi is also good in his role. Megha Chaudhary and Sri Vidya have done their best. The backgrounds are good and help in creating the perfect mood during the emotional scenes between the lead pair.
Minus points:
Srinivas Avasarala is well known for rom-com films like Oohalu Gusagusalaade and Jyo Atchyuthananda. Rather than a director, he is a brilliant writer who is known for writing witty punchlines, witty dialogues, romantic scenes and more. Unfortunately, PAPA lacks all these aspects.
The film’s problem is the narrative. Director Srinivas Avasarala tries a different kind of script in this film which creates a lot of confusion among the audience. He tells a simple story in a complex way and this is where the film falls down. Also, the different timelines (told in seven chapters) confuse the audience.
Most of the interviews are dry and test the audience’s patience. Moreover, the dialogues create unnecessary lags, thus making the film boring fare. At least the first half is full of comedy scenes, but when it comes to the second half, the movie is so boring and has many bland scenes.
The emotional scenes feel artificial, and the point of conflict between the main pair looks silly, and the climax is abruptly closed. Srinivas Avasarala is trying something new technically as the film is shot using synchronized sound. The sound quality is so bad and some dialogues are inaudible.
Technical aspects:
As a director Srinivas Avasarala is fine but as a writer he fails to live up to the expectations of the audience. For those who admire Srinivas Avasarala’s previous works, PAPA will be a disappointment. The melodious background score by Kalyan Malik is slick. Sunil Kumar’s cinematography is decent. The creators should have paid more attention to the sound quality and DI, which looks so pale. The film still needs to have many cuts in both halves.
Statement:
Overall, Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi is a dull love drama that lacks a proper narrative. Naga Shaurya and Malavika Nair performed well. Except for a few beautiful and comedic scenes, the film has nothing much to offer. Those who love slow love dramas can relate to the story. Otherwise, it’s better to look for alternatives this weekend.
