BOTTOM LINE
Rom Com That Never Interests or Excites
RATING
1.75/5
Director: Vijay Adireddy
Story, Screenplay: Vijay Adireddy, Ram Jagadeesh
Cast: Surya Vashistta, Deepshikha Chandran, Chaitu Jonnalagadda
Music Director: Sooraj S Kurup
DOP: Aravind Thirukovela
Editor: Raviteja Girijala
Producer: Vijay Adireddy
Presented By: Kites Creatives
Production Company: Kites Creatives
U.S. Distributor: Prathyangira Cinemas
What Is the Film About?
Sanjana (Deepshika Chandran) is a blind but highly active and confident girl, working as a singer and an RJ. Raj (Surya Vashistta), a promising cricketer, is paralysed and can’t walk after an unfortunate accident.
How did Sanjana and Raj meet and subsequently fall in love? The movie’s basic story is about the love story of these two people with unique challenges, and what happens to them in the end.
Performances
Deepshika Chandran plays the central character of the movie, on whom the entire story revolves. She is given a challenging role of a blind girl, and she is okay in the blind act. It’s the confidence and fun associated with the characterisation that she scores. The RJ portions and romantic track are well done by her.
Surya Vashistta starts off slowly, but gets in the groove post intermission. As the narrative progresses, much like the character, he grows in confidence and leaves a positive impression by the end.
Analysis
Vijay Adireddy writes and directs Ramani Kalyanam. It is a love story where the aim is to have fun throughout and suddenly switch to buckets of tears by the end. It’s the bread-and-butter kind of mushy romances seen usually among the K Dramas.
The movie opens on a tragic note, and if one has seen enough films or series in this space, one can instantly guess how it might eventually connect. But, more on that later.
The story then reveals the heroine, Sanjana, who is blind as a result of the accident. But she is a confident young girl who doesn’t want or seek sympathy for her predicament. Instead, she goes about her business, staying independent and taking care of four other kids along the way.
As expected, the connection happens between Raj and Sanjana due to the latter’s infectious energy and character. These segments, despite being predictable, are executed neatly. There is a sincerity and honesty that shines in these parts. The RJ sequence, for example, where Raj is the first caller.
A montage song and a few moments later, we are already at the interval. There is a twist around the same time, which further adds to all the predictability.
The second half starts where it left off with more feel-good romance in the air. However, this time, it’s punctuated by the sentiment moments related to the twist around the interval.
We know from the start where the movie is headed, and the interval further adds to the predictability. What is then the need of the hour is a string of strong moments that stay with us. The music that provides the magic and the writing that brings depth. However, despite all the poetic attempts, the writing never goes beyond the surface level.
It’s the undoing of these key departments, which hampers the connectivity with the story of Sanjana and Raj. The lead pair do their best, but the moments don’t stay with us; they pass one after the other and are forgotten as soon as the movie ends.
The climax is predictably heavy on drama. The out-of-character ‘moment’ here sticks like a sore thumb. But that’s a minor quibble for a film where the biggest problem lies elsewhere in the form of routineness. As mentioned earlier, we know how things are going to connect storywise. It makes even the short runtime feel a little lengthy.
Overall, Ramani Kalyanam is a formulaically executed utterly predictable emotional romantic tale. The actors do well, and some moments work because of them. There is an attempt at proper feel-good vibe, but nothing stays with us, even with zero expectations. A forgettable emotional drama.
Performances by Other Actors
Srinivas Reddy plays the major supporting role of a friend here. He is adequate and delivers the necessary without overdoing anything. Chaitu Jonnalagadda is underutilised in a small part. The actor playing Sudheer is alright with what he’s given. The rest of the cast, which includes 4 young kids and an old lady, is okay.
Music and Other Departments?
The songs and BGM are crucial for love stories like these that rest on a thin line, and in moments. The proceedings are elevated with the music, which must be memorable. Unfortunately, it is not the case here, as barring a couple which sound alright, nothing stands out. The cinematography is decent, although parts of the close-up do enter the artificial zone. The editing gives a patchy vibe at times. There is a disconnect between scenes in a few places. The writing, as mentioned earlier, is weak, particularly for a film like this.
Highlights?
Lead Pair Casting
Runtime
Few Rom-Com Moments
Drawbacks?
Utterly Predictable Story
Writing
Surface Level Emotions
Forced Drama
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Ramani Kalyanam Reviewed by Kalyan, M9 News
