
BOTTOM LINE
Sorry, Can’t Dare
RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 16m
What Is the Film About?
Arjun (Ashish) falls in love with a ghost and wants to unravel the mystery surrounding her. In the process, he will have to deal with a few other women who died and determine if they are connected to his love interest or if there is any other relation. What he eventually discovers is a very high-level summary plot of Love Me If You Dare.
Performances
Ashish plays Arjun, who appears moody and serious most of the time, and he performs his role without complaints. His styling looks simple and good, whether it’s his hair or fair skin tone. He mostly wears black, which suits the setting and the slightly dark tone of the cinematography. There aren’t any heavy emotional scenes, but for his second film, Ashish does not make us feel uncomfortable at any point. More ease in body language and diction will come naturally with more experience and more films.
Vaishnavi Chaitanya gets a pretty good role and does well. In a few scenes, we feel her screen presence has also improved, but she may not receive much appreciation this time. This is more due to the way her role is written and presented, not her fault.
Analysis
Love Me If You Dare is directed by Arun Bhimavarapu, who seems to have some novel ideas on paper, such as his hero falling in love with a ghost who terrorizes the entire village. His goal seems to be bringing a narrative with several twists and turns to thrill the audience.
The movie delves into the core plot by opening with a flashback, reaching the point where the hero falls in love with a female ghost. However, the reasons presented and the writing lack conviction regarding why a man would fall for a ghost. This initial step is crucial to clarify and convince the audience, but unfortunately, it falls flat.
Even the initial hero character presentation lacks clarity. Crucial moments like Ashish meeting the ghost for the first time should have been impactful, but the direction department falls flat.
Nevertheless, what works at this point is the quality visuals, setting and a few background music bytes, which create curiosity around the ghost factor. The idea used to transition into the interval also raises hopes for an improved second half, even though the first half strictly falls into the “watchable” zone.
In the second half, instead of generating thrills, what we get is the most confusing and unconvincing narrative. Whether it’s Simran Choudhary’s role and her extraordinary skills, or the investigative thread that progresses from one step to another, it’s either ultra confusing or unconvincing.
By the time the key character Vaishnavi Chaitanya starts to open up and reveal more, one begins to feel like scratching their head due to the complexity and execution.
As if that’s not enough, the weak songs that play in the background, even as situational songs, test patience.
Overall, Love Me If You Dare has some fascinating ideas, but they never translate onto the screen, or they are as confusing on paper, but the makers felt excited thinking they were out of the box.
Performances by Others Actors
Love Me has a limited supporting cast, and they deliver what they have been tasked to deliver. Ravi Krishna, as a friend, does his job. Rajeev Kanakala appears in a single scene. There isn’t much to say about Simran Choudhary.
Music and Other Departments?
Love Me If You Dare is backed by top key technicians. Although M.M. Keeravaani’s background scores initially impress, the songs increase the boredom. They are outright unimpressive; surprisingly, even the situational songs that play in the background add to the already existing uneasiness.
PC Sreeram’s slightly dark-toned cinematography sets the perfect mood for the film. The artwork, combined with his camera work, makes the film visually appealing. At no point does the film feel low-budget, which shows how successful these two departments are.
The editing could have been much sharper and identified the confusion that’s harming the film. The second half feels extremely lengthy and seems never-ending.
Production values by Dil Raju Productions are pretty good, and as we said, the film looks visually rich and sufficient.
Highlights?
Cinematography
Art work
Drawbacks?
Confusing plot and narrative
Unconvincing ideas
Weak songs
Confusion in character development
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Love Me Movie Review by M9
Final Report:
Love Me is a case of novel ideas that do not translate on screen and remain on paper, suffering from confusion. Though it looks visually interesting, the film lacks conviction in character development and a convincing plot. Ashish looks good on screen as Arjun and carries his role with a subtle tone.
First Half Report:
First half of “Love Me” maintains some suspense around the female ghost, even though the love angle isn’t convincingly conceived. MMK’s score and PC Sreeram’s camera work make the film visually appealing. We have to see how the second half convincingly progresses towards the end.
“Love Me” (If You Dare) rolls into the ghost realm right away with a flashback episode. Stay tuned for the report.
“Love Me” movie with the tagline “If you dare,” is presenting itself as a novel concept, hitting screens as the first release post-election mania in the Telugu states. The movie is backed by the brand Dil Raju and has top technicians on board. Let’s see if the film will deliver and impress the critics and audiences who are craving entertainment in theaters.
Cast: Ashish, Ravi Krishna, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, Simran Choudhary
Director: Arun Bhimavarapu
Music: M M Keeravaani
DOP: PC Sreeram
Art Director: Avinash Kolla
Production House: Dil Raju Productions
Presented By: Shirish
Producers: Harshith Reddy, Hanshitha Reddy, Naga Mallidi
U.S. Distributor: Prathyangira Cinemas
Love Me Movie Review by M9