Kiran Abbavaram’s Chennai Love Story has opened to a good response at the box office despite receiving mixed reviews. While many viewers felt the film loses steam in the second half after a breezy first half, it is still on course to become another success for Kiran.
Sri Gouri Priya has emerged as one of the film’s biggest strengths. Kiran Abbavaram also did well.
However, there is another name drawing praise after the film’s release: veteran music director Mani Sharma.
Once the undisputed king of Telugu film music and BGM in the 2000s, Mani Sharma gradually lost his place as audience tastes changed and younger composers took over. While he occasionally reminded everyone of his brilliance with albums like iSmart Shankar, those moments became increasingly rare. Even big opportunities like Acharya failed to revive his career, as the music left little impact.
With Chennai Love Story, though, he seems to have made a mini comeback.
The songs may not have become chartbusters before release, but they work within the film. More importantly, Mani Sharma’s background score has received widespread appreciation for elevating the emotional moments and making the narrative more engaging.
In many places, his music makes the film feel better than what is on the screen. The background score adds warmth, romance, and emotional depth, helping several scenes land more effectively.
Whether Chennai Love Story becomes the beginning of a proper comeback for Mani Sharma remains to be seen. He has clearly shown that he still has potential. What he perhaps needs now are filmmakers who can once again bring out the very best in him.
If this film leads to bigger and more exciting opportunities, Telugu cinema could be witnessing the return of one of its finest composers.
