'Anni Manchi Sakunamule' is produced by Priyanka Dutt under Swapna Cinema and Mitra Vinda Movies. The film has been touted to be a distinctive family drama. Does it live up to the description? Will the low buzz surrounding the film give way to a strong 'word of mouth' publicity? Only time will decide the film's commercial depth. In this review, we tell you what to expect from it.
Story:
In Coonoor, two families (the first one is led by Rajendra Prasad and the second one is led by Rao Ramesh) have been at loggerheads for decades. They want to own a legendary coffee estate that their forefathers ran in the British era.
In the present, their children Rishi (Santosh Shoban) and Arya (Malvika Nair), are friends. While Rishi is just a friend to Arya, the former secretly loves the latter. There is a quirk of fate as well - the duo was swapped at birth. While the audience know that they were swapped, neither of them nor their families know about it.
As the story proceeds, the unending legal tangle and the odd fate come together to give some emotional friction.
Performances:
Malvika Nair leads the pack like a pro. Her nuanced performance is worthy of appreciation. Watch her in the second half, especially. She understands every bit of her character and every inch of the script thoroughly. Santosh Sobhan is good, too. The wannabe family hero allows the heroine and supporting artists to steal the show. He allows himself to be put behind by the conversations and events involving elder characters.
Among the seniors, both Rajendra Prasad and Rao Ramesh nail it without attempting melodrama. Gautami is superb as a mother who develops hearing issues. Vasuki is wasted. Vennela Kishore and VK Naresh barely draw laughs; the tragedy is that the latter tries hard. Satya in a cameo is okayish. Urvasi is likeable in the role of a doctor with a drinking problem.
Technical Departments:
The background score by Mickey J Meyer is not immersive enough. A well-made film with rich making values needed a better score. The songs don't hinder the flow. Sunny Kurapati and Richard Prasad crank the camera.
Swapna Cinema, an arm of Vyjayanthi Movies, is slowly importing Bollywoodian making values. For decades, Telugu cinema failed to make the grade on the family film front. Barring big producers like Dil Raju, others seem to believe that family dramas don't need top-grade production values. Telugu cinema needs to step out of such thinking. By locating 'AMS' in a hill station, the banner ensures that the ambience and feel are cool.
Hits:
The storyline.
The legal battle informing the equations between the two families.
The graph of the love story.
Some important character arcs.
Some conversations.
Misses:
Dull pacing.
Some lacklustre stretches.
Lack of clarity in some respects.
The track between the male lead and his father is not thoroughly consistent.
Some tonal inconsistencies.
Vox Verdict:
'AMS' is watchable. It has got no relatable emotions but the staging and warmth are pleasant.
Rating: 2.5 \ 5
