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Story
Sundar is from a traditional Brahmin family. Leela is from a conservative Christian family. Parents are very strict about traditions and religion. It becomes difficult for Leela and Sundar to break the news to their parents due to the same reason. They decide to come up with a lie each to their parents in order to settle their marriage. Rest of the story is all about what happens when their parents discover their lies.
Artists Performance
Nani has done exceptional work as a frustrated Brahmin boy. His dialogue delivery is highly authentic (especially during those frustrated conversations with his father). Entertainment and middle class ambiance has always been a strength to Nani’s film. This film too succeeds in that aspect with Nani giving a perfect performance. Nazriya looks the part as a Christian girl and her effort to dub in Telugu is commendable. VK Naresh is very good as a strict and traditional father. This is one of the best roles for Rohini in the recent past and she does an amazing job as a suppressed wife. There is not much for Nadhiya to do except for looking stern. Azhagam Perumal (Jana Gana Mana & Family Man fame) suited the role. Harsha Vardhan is entertaining as the office manager. For a change, Pruthviraj is given a normal character without his usual punches. He is good. Rahul Ramakrishna is hilarious in a cameo. Anupama Parameswaran did a character role in this film and she is fine. Vinni and Harika are good as a childhood pair. Venkatesh Maha (director of c/o Kancharapalem) played the role of a groom with a sinister mind and he is decent.
Technical departments
Story - screenplay - direction: Basic conflict point of religious clash between parents of lovers is a traditional one. The novelty in this story is about lovers telling lies to parents and then facing further issues. A romantic comedy like this is traditionally narrated in a linear pattern. But, director Vivek Athreya experimented by giving a non-linear spin to the narration. Entire first half is all about establishing strict religious traditions in protagonists’ families, love and introducing the conflict point. In a typical rom com film, the director writes a beautiful love story between the lead pair in such a way that audiences want them to unite when conflict arises. However, the director concentrated more on establishing strict parents/tradition with a non-linear narration in the first half. Hence, audiences get a feeling that the story is not progressing though the director narrates the story right from childhood. The love thread isn’t impactful. Main aspect of the film lies in the 2nd half. The lies chosen by the director for the lead pair offer novelty. While resolving the conflict in the 2nd half, the director has given a nice social treatment to sensitive aspects like pregnancy and impotence. In a contemporary world, the easiest for any love birds who go on their own to the USA is to get physical. But, the director didn’t go that way and kept his main leads pure. It’s also very easy to make a lot of jokes and write vulgar scenes on pregnancy/impotence in order to cater to the masses. But the director rightfully chose not to deviate, which needs to be appreciated. There are 9 important characters in the film. By giving a lot of emphasis on these 9 characters, the director increased the runtime. However, you fully empathize with Nani and Rohini characters. Heroine’s character looks passive as she is dependent on men to take crucial decisions (father in childhood and hero character later). A subject like this should be narrated in a maximum runtime of 2 and half hours. The director has taken 2 hours and 55 minutes. Vivek Athreya’s wacky sense of humor is intact in this film too. Few scenes like Rahul Ramakrishna explaining conceiving process and Nani - Harsha Vardhan’s episodes are hilarious. For me, the most hilarious scene is Garikapati’s TV episode in which he says wearing pants is the cause of impotence (this comment was trolled on the social media a lot). The foundation of the story lies in the Brahmin father character who doesn’t allow his son to go to the USA because the authentic Brahmin tradition prohibits them from crossing overseas. This kind of belief is completely outdated, which makes the whole premise of the film flimsy.
Other departments: Cinematography by Niketh Bommi is good. Background music by Vivek Sagar is decent. However, songs are not worth remembering. It’s very important for songs to go viral before the release of any rom com as music is one of the most important factors for this genre. None of the songs from Ante Sundaraniki clicked prior to the release, which is another drawback. Dialogues are fine. Editing is alright. Production design is good. Production values are grand.
Analysis: Ante Sundaraniki is a rom-com that deals with a non-linear screenplay. Plus points of the film are Nani’s outstanding performance, entertainment and conflict. On the flipside, non-linear narrative is confusing, runtime is excessive and music doesn't help. On the whole, Ante Sundaraniki has an interesting premise, but confusing screenplay and excessive runtime dampen the spirit.
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