Movie Reviews

Leela Vinodham Review: A Plain Rural Romance

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BOTTOM LINE
A Plain Rural Romance

PLATFORM
ETV WIN


What Is the Film About?

Prasad, a happy-go-lucky youngster, has just turned a graduate, spending three college years without gathering the courage to express his love for Leela. After many brief glances, failed attempts to strike up a conversation with Leela, Prasad finally connects with her after over mobile texts. When one of his texts doesn’t earn an immediate response, Prasad gets increasingly anxious.

Performances

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This is one among Shanmukh Jaswanth’s better digital outings in the recent times, where he impressively slips into the role of an anxious village boy. Anagha Ajith has limited screen time but delivers the goods in key situations without trying too hard. RJ Mirchi Saran (Raji) is the pick of the lot among Prasad’s friends, though his timing appears to be slightly influenced by Sunil.

Other actors in the gang – Madhan Majji, Chaitanya Garikina, Shiva Thummala, Shravanthi Anand and others – have decent screen presence as well. Surprisingly, the experienced hands like Aamani, Goparaju Ramana, VS Roopa Lakshmi, don’t add much value to the proceedings.

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Analysis

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Like scores of stories in Telugu cinema and on OTT thriving on nostalgia, Leela Vinodam is a tender, small-town romance told from a male perspective. Set in the late 2000s, during the early days of the mobile phone era where communication took a new digital turn, the film banks on a simple idea, tapping into the insecurities and apprehensions of a good-at-heart, lovestruck youngster Prasad.

Borrowing a leaf out of films like Mail, Raja Vaaru Rani Gaaru, Leela Vinodam’s protagonist Prasad is a timid boy who struggles to convey his love to a college sweetheart Leela. He is surrounded by friends – Raji, Swarna and gang – who push him to do the needful but end up confusing him more. The wafer-thin story has a minimal conflict, focusing on the little joys in villages and one-sided love.

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The director Pavan Sunkara takes his own sweet-time to establish Prasad’s love for Leela in the first 30 minutes through his interactions with a best friend. While it’s evident that Leela is interested in Prasad, the absence of a direct confirmation makes the latter anxious. When he ultimately shares his feelings for Leela over a text and she doesn’t reply, all hell breaks loose.

Leela Vinodam, more than a love story, serves as a time-capsule of a different era (probably aimed at the 90s kid?) before social media, other modes of instant communication took charge of our lives and SMS was the go-to option for conversations. Through Prasad’s confusions, the film captures a brief passage of time in the character’s lives where they could afford to be irresponsible.

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That the film relies on a very basic premise – a boy’s wait for a response from his lover – is its strength and weakness at once. The simplistic idea is an advantage because the conflict is very relatable to its target audience. There’s no scope for confusion in the storytelling and the tale provides an indirect opportunity to explore the rural milieu through the oddball characters, sprinkled with humour.

However, after a point, the screenplay loses its spunk and gets laborious, as the director desperately finds various ways to delay the inevitable and understand Prasad’s confusions from many dimensions through imaginary scenarios, trying to decode what factors could’ve prevented Leela from responding to him. Ultimately, the impressive climax salvages the film, ending it on a feel-good note.

Leela Vinodam is neither good nor very bad. It’s simply an inoffensive time pass fare with a few takeaways – nostalgia, humour and bromance. A more imaginative screenplay could’ve bettered its impact.

Music and Other Departments?

TR Krishna Chetan’s score keeps the playful spirit of the story intact, though the songs are strictly okay. Anush Kumar’s cinematography, replete with a lively colour palette, is an asset to the film, making full use of the pleasant rural backdrop and prominent landmarks in the village. Better work with the editing and the screenplay may have helped its cause.

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Highlights?

Relatable story

Nostalgia factor

Decent performances, cinematography

Drawbacks?

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Tedious screenplay

Writing lacks freshness, novelty

Inconsistent with humour


Did I Enjoy It?

Only in parts

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Will You Recommend It?

If you don’t mind an okayish small-town tale on one-sided love

Leela Vinodham OTT Movie Review by M9

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