Naga Shaurya and director Srinivas Avasarala joined hands for their third film, Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi. The film hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.
Story :
Sanjay (Naga Shaurya) is a junior to Anupama (Malavika Nair) at an engineering college in Vizag. They become friends in no time and later move to the UK to do their Master’s. Love blossoms between them and Sanjay comes to know something unexpected about Anupama. For that reason, he distances himself from her. What is that reason? What happens to Anupama? Did they reunite? The film has all the answers.
Plus Points :
The story is pretty simple and the chemistry between Naga Shaurya and Malavika Nair is pretty good. Some of the scenes between the lead pair are enjoyable. Naga Shaurya delivers a decent performance and he looks so good on screen. His neat performance is one of the best things about the movie.
Malavika Nair also performed very well. She does it so well in the emotional scenes and takes good care of her looks that match her emotional state.
Abhinav Maharshi is also good in his role. Megha Chaudhary and Sri Vidya did their best. Background score is good and it helps in creating the perfect mood during the emotional scenes between the lead pair.
Minus Points :
Srinivas Avasarala is well known for rom-com movies like Oohalu Gusagusalaade and Jyo Atchyuthananda. More than a director, he is a wonderful writer who is known for penning witty punches, funny conversations, romantic scenes and more. Unfortunately, PAPA misses all these aspects.
The problem with the film is the narration. Director Srinivas Avasarala tries a different kind of screenplay in this film, which creates a lot of confusion among the audience. He narrates the simple story in a complex manner and this is where the film falls flat. Also, the different timelines (narrated in seven chapters) puzzle the audience.
Most of the conversations are dry and test the viewers’ patience. Moreover, the conversations create unnecessary lag and thus make the film a boring fare. The first half is at least filled with some comedy scenes but when it comes to the latter half, the film is so boring and has many bland scenes.
The emotional scenes look artificial and the conflict point between the lead pair looks silly and the climax is wrapped up all of a sudden. Srinivas Avasarala tries something new technically, as the movie is shot using sync sound. The sound quality is so poor and some of the dialogues are inaudible.
Technical Aspects :
As a director, Srinivas Avasarala is okay but as a writer, he fails to reach the expectations of the audiences. For those who admire Srinivas Avasarala’s previous works, PAPA will be a disappointing fare. The melodious background score by Kalyan Malik is neat. The cinematography by Sunil Kumar is decent. The makers should have taken more care about the sound quality and DI, which look so pale. The film still needs to have many cuts in both the halves.
Verdict :
On the whole, Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi is a boring love drama that lacks a proper narration. Naga Shaurya and Malavika Nair performed well. Except for very few lovely and comedy scenes, the film has nothing much to offer. Those who love slow-paced love dramas may connect to the story. Otherwise, it’s better to look out for alternatives this weekend.
