'Manamey' hits the screens today (June 7). Produced by TG Vishwa Prasad of People Media Factory, the film is one of the fewest family entertainers to be released in the post-pandemic period. How is it? What are its plus points and minuses? Let's find out:
Plot:
The idea of coming-of-age parenting is at the crux of the story. Vikram (Sharwanand) comes from an affluent family and lives life king size. If you asked him what he believes in, he would say YOLO (You Only Live Once). He would probably shoo away commitment-driven marital relations.
Such a casual guy is thrust into an unlikely scenario when his best friend (Thrigun aka Adith Arun in a cameo) loses his life, orphaning a child named Kushi (Master Vikram Adittya). Incidentally, Kushi's mother is the best friend of Subhadra (Krithi Shetty). By a quirk of fate, Kushi must be taken care of by the Vikram-Subhadra duo in London for a few months to satisfy some legal formalities. In a span of a few months, Vikram evolves into something else after he lives with Subhadra in the same house.
Performances:
Sharwanand and Krithi Shetty are a good pairing. While the former is a 'Charming Star' (recently christened by the makers of this film), Krithi is helluva cute. While their performances are not intense even in the emotional scenes, the easy-going tone makes up for whatever inadequacy you might feel about them.
Rahul Ravindran plays a negative character but he can't be called an antagonist. Shiva Kandukuri is good as Subhadra's gentle fiance. The character played by Rahu Ramakrishna should have gone to Vennela Kishore. The film fails to hand out solid characters for the different men and women who are secondary and tertiary in the larger scheme of things.
Technical Departments:
Music director Hesham Abdul Wahab and director Sriram Adittya had prepared the informed audience to the sheer number of songs in the film: Sixteen (most of which are bit songs). Since music is ever-present and perpetual in the film, it should have been way more striking. The cinematography lends the film a lavish feel.
Merits
1. The love proposal scene between the lead pair is inventive. It is fashioned entirely on the lead man's character.
2. The immediate post-interval scenes have a quality of fun and frolic.
3. The climax, although predictable, is good because it avoids teary melodrama. Thank goodness!
4. The characters played by Ayesha Khan and Seerat Kapoor don't overstay their welcome. Neither are they used for routine story-telling.
Demerits
1. The film takes the route of a run-of-the-mill story when Vikram and Subhadra go on an accidental vacation.
2. The deliberately jolly behaviour of the male lead feels monotonous after a point.
3. The song with Seerat Kapoor can be edited out.
4. Subhadra is pissed off with Vikram but she never comes across as firm even though she scolds him in every other scene.
Vox Verdict:
'Manamey' is a non-melodramatic family entertainer that also doubles up as a relationship comedy. Visually, it maintains an exuberant mood. Writing wise, though, it falls short of the expectations.
