100 Days of Love – Movie Review

Story:

Rao Gopal Rao (Dulquer Salman) is a creative brat taken to be a spoilt one by friends, etc. Minutes into the film, RGR (as he calls himself in a scene, only to be mocked by his ragging senior) goes on a hunt for Savitri (Nithya Menen), whom he met on a rainy night. Set in Bengaluru, the film presents the urbane background and culture right from the word go.

The hunt is told in a video game language (Level 1, Level 2, Game Over, etc) as is fit when the friend is a game-maniac named Gummadi (Sekhar Menon). The hunt never yields the result until a road accident brings the two souls together. Savitri develops a soft corner for Gopal, but when the latter is told about their rivalry as school-goers, he is pissed off. After a funny reluctance to befriend her, Gopal again goes after Savitri, fulfilling her little wishes.  However, there is a spanner in the wheel in the form of one Rahul, the usual would-be who would be dumped in cinematic style by our heroine.  

Highlights:

In a film whose story is largely predictable and that comes with an avoidable pretence, the performances of the lead pair stand out.  Dulquer Salman comes with a nuanced act, as was seen in Mani Ratnam’s ‘OK Bangaram’.  In the role of a features writer whose creative urges (he wants his comic strip on Obama to be published in the newspaper he works for) don’t get fulfilled, and as a salaried person who is belittled by a mean colleague (played by Aju Varghese) and Savitri’s fiance, Dulquer is very convincing.

Next in line comes Nithya, whose heightened performance is definitely not this, but whose presence lights up the proceedings to an extent.  Their combination has an obvious flip side – it induces a sense of deja vu.  The screenplay takes its sweet time to re-introduce Nithya and one feels there is less of her.  By the time there is enough of her, the film has become a predictable affair.

Pradheesh Varma’s cinematography cackles up the screen.  The lighting and the camera angles are beautiful.  Bijipal’s BGM, modish as it is, is not without its flaws.  There are moments where the BGM is too big for a scene.  For example, in the ragging scene where nothing heroic is done by Gopal’s character, the BGM hints at a stylish action episode in the offing.  

Analysis:

‘100 Days Of Love’ is style over substance. Some of the scenes which are plain are sought to be perked up through technical inputs. Take the scene where Gopal and Gummadi go searching near the old-style theatres. Audiences used to watching Tollywood-style comedy would naturally find it much ado about nothing.  Also, where was the necessity to have Gopal’s brother played by Dulquer himself?  Much as Dulquer’s performance in the scene is outstanding, it ends up fooling more than entertaining.  For those of you waiting for a high (don’t expect a story with twists in movies of this genre), this one delivers a damp squib.

Making random references to an RK Laxman or an Obama is pretentious.  Is it a trend in Mollywood, especially given that Nivin Pauly makes reference to a lesser-known genius in ‘Neram’?  

The conflict between the thinking of Gopal and Savitri is a been-there-done-that.  Savitri’s love-comes-with-its-ugly-side is difficult to be sold to an audience who have seen enough of such on-screen personalities.  When a film has been dubbed from Malayalam, a film that features unfamiliar actors mostly, there has to be something more and not just a heroine who predictably falls in love after stock scenes (like the hero making her happy by finding an antique piece she has been looking for, the hero making her happy by preparing a heart-touching photo album for her parents’ wedding anniversary, etc).

Bottomline:

Filled with stock elements, ‘100 Days Love’ is predictable love story with slow narration. The performances of the lead pair and their screen presence stand out.