BOTTOM LINE
Utterly 90s, Painfully Outdated
PLATFORM
ETV Win
RUNTIME
2 hours
What Is the Film About?
An elderly woman, Rangamani, a former teacher, leads a lonely existence while supervising a government school. Two caretakers – Mahi and Shankar – stay by her side while Rangamani’s daughter Sujatha is busy climbing the corporate ladder with an equally workaholic husband Eeshwar. Frustrated by her mom’s frequent calls, Sujatha plans to enrol her in a senior citizens home and leave.
Performances
Last seen in The Family Star, Rohini Hattangidi’s role in Oka Manchi Prema Katha is essentially a cakewalk for her; constantly whining about her career-oriented daughter and the need to adjust to save her marriage. Rohini Molleti for a change gets a full-length, substantial part and makes full use of the opportunity.
Analysis
Veteran filmmaker Akkineni Kutumba Rao is among the few who spearheaded the parallel cinema movement in Telugu in the 1990s, with several award-winning films to his credit. Now, at 79, he returns to the industry through a new medium, OTT, with ETV Win’s web original Oka Manchi Prema Katha, starring Rohini Hattangidi, Samuthirakani and Rohini in key roles.
Oka Manchi Prema Katha brings together several credible names. Written by Volga, it is filmed by ace lensman Madhu Ambat and has music by K. M. Radhakrishnan. The film is cut from the same cloth as the director’s 1997 release Thodu, which explored parental neglect and the yearning for companionship among the elderly, themes later seen in Life in a Metro and Shatamanam Bhavati.
The story feels familiar and, to an extent, simplistic, though it uses that simplicity as a springboard to explore a few interesting ideas. There is a neglected mother, a daughter drowning in her work, a self-absorbed son-in-law, and a granddaughter adrift between them. A crisis offers the daughter a timely opportunity to mend her fractured bond with her mother.
As one of the caretakers remarks in the film, Rangamani’s plight is like any other short story printed in Telugu dailies over the weekends. Sujatha, the daughter, is consistently shamed for her ambition by her husband, daughter, and mother for not being family-oriented enough. When her career suddenly hits a roadblock, Sujatha returns home to care for her ailing mother.
After a sluggish start, where Rangamani battles a health setback and struggles to live alone, the film finds its rhythm once Sujatha returns. While Sujatha initially plans a short visit, a week at most before joining her mother in an old-age home, her stay stretches longer than intended, becoming both a blessing and a burden.
One of the film’s most affecting aspects is its reflection on the cyclical nature of life. It is now the daughter’s turn to parent her mother, to nurture her just as she was once nurtured, and in doing so, to rediscover motherhood all over again. The film also touches on the need for the corporates to consider elder-care leave for employees, alongside maternity and paternity leaves.
The narrative is straightforward: the career-driven daughter reforms, reassessing her priorities as she spends her mother’s final days by her side. The subplot around Sujatha’s turbulent marriage and the commentary on gender expectations add another layer. Yet, good intentions alone do not make a good film. Oka Manchi Prema Katha remains cinematically bland.
Every message the filmmaker wishes to convey arrives like a sermon, reminiscent of Doordarshan-era soaps of the 1980s and 1990s. The moral is hammered home until exhaustion sets in. Although Sujatha’s character carries some nuance, ambitious yet unsatisfied by her career, her arc feels outdated and oversimplified for the modern woman.
Too many films antagonise the younger generation for prioritising career and individuality over traditional family values, and this story adds little that is new to that discourse. Rangamani blames Sujatha for her choices without recognising that ageing is simply another stage of life. Her sentimental reunion with old friends leads to a predictable, uninspired ending.
There is little that truly stands out in Oka Manchi Prema Katha, be it the story, performances, or execution. What promise it shows is undermined by stale treatment, one-dimensional writing, and unnecessary songs. The result is a laboured attempt at an emotional tearjerker, assembled by a team seemingly out of sync with the times.
Performances by Others Actors
Samuthirakani, playing Sujatha’s husband, deserved a better written part than an emasculated caricature. Himanshu Popuri, Sowmya and Ananya Nannapaneni lend formidable support to the leads, while Sivannarayana is barely around to make any substantial impact.
Music and Other Departments?
Though Oka Manchi Prema Katha is by no means K M Radhakrishnan’s best, it is the closest a film has gotten in tapping into his potential to churn warm melodies in the recent years. Madhu Ambat’s cinematography is a tad too basic/generic for his legacy, though it doesn’t hamper the film’s spirit. Volga’s writing is hardly evocative and the uninspiring execution dents its impact further.
Highlights?
Few good ideas
Decent performances
A couple of catchy songs
Drawbacks?
Preachy, outdated treatment
Story as old as the hills
Lacks emotional depth
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you have a taste for
Oka Manchi Prema Katha Movie Review by M9
