Chennai Love Story review: A twisty romance that begins well, ends ordnarily

What’s “Chennai Love Story” about?

Just a day before her wedding, Niveditha (Sri Gouri Priya) is dumped by her boyfriend, leaving her heartbroken and addicted to alcohol. She is from Nellore, works at an IT company in Chennai, and lives in an apartment with her friends.

Steven Shankar (Kiran Abbavaram), a wannabe film writer who is also from Nellore and a guy with no family and friends of his own, comes to Chennai to make it big in the Tamil film industry. He accidentally meets Niveditha and her roommates at the beach and eventually becomes their flatmate. Slowly, he helps her overcome her heartbreak and brings positivity into her life. After a few months, she falls in love with him, and the two decide to get married.

But life never goes as planned. Their wedding too gets called off, pushing Niveditha back into distress. What really happened this time? Will Steven Shankar realize his dream? Will Niveditha finally find happiness?

Analysis

“Chennai Love Story”, as the title suggests, is entirely set in Chennai. Writer Sai Rajesh appears to have infused some of his own life experiences and strong opinions about love and cinema into the story, and that is precisely why the film feels so fresh, particularly in its first two acts.

Interestingly, Sai Rajesh used the name Steven Shankar in the credits of his directorial debut Hrudaya Kaleyam (2014). A die-hard admirer of filmmakers Shankar and Mani Ratnam, and music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, he now names the protagonist of “Chennai Love Story” Steven Shankar, explaining that the character is a fan of Steven Spielberg and director Shankar and therefore adopts that screen name. It also reminds us of Ram Gopal Varma’s Rangeela, where the aspiring filmmaker renames himself Steven Kapoor, inspired by Steven Spielberg and Shekhar Kapur.

Sai Rajesh doesn’t stop with just the name. He fills the protagonist’s world with his cinematic passions. Steven carries a radio bearing Ilaiyaraaja’s photograph, Mani Ratnam’s posters decorate his surroundings, and the writing reflects the filmmaker’s long-held views on breaking stereotypes. Instead of the hero turning into an alcoholic after a breakup, it is the heroine who spirals into self-destruction, while the hero is portrayed as an innocent, positive young man who helps her heal. It is a complete reversal of the conventions of Telugu cinema, something Sai Rajesh has often spoken about on social media. These elements give the first half a refreshing identity.

We have seen many love stories set against the backdrop of the film industry, from Rangeela to Ye Maaya Chesave, but “Chennai Love Story” feels different. Through its male protagonist, it pays homage to cinema while telling a love story that largely stays away from the glamour of the film world.

Several little moments work beautifully. Kiran Abbavaram asking Sri Gouri Priya, “Matter Ainda?” and “Muddu Pettukunnara?” brings genuine chuckles. Likewise, the recurring comparison of the heroine to a “Devatha” and the eventual reveal of his real name as “Devudu” are smartly woven into the film’s central theme and the interval twist. From the moment the “First Love Thopu Kaadu” track begins until the interval bang, the film flows in a breezy and thoroughly engaging manner.

However, when a film ends its first half on such an emotional twist, there is always the danger of the second half slipping into sentiment and predictability. “Chennai Love Story” unfortunately doesn’t escape that trap. Echoing the premise of a Hollywood film from the 1990s, the latter half becomes fairly predictable. Although it introduces a couple of fresh ideas, they don’t land with the same impact because the narrative leans too heavily on sentiment.

The film rests almost entirely on the shoulders of its two leads, and both deliver. Kiran Abbavaram pleasantly surprises with one of his most restrained performances. Usually known for playing to the gallery with his mass antics, he keeps things subtle here, and it works wonderfully. This is one of his better performances.

Sri Gouri Priya goes slightly overboard in a few drunken scenes early on, but she settles into the role impressively and gradually becomes the emotional anchor of the film.

The supporting cast performs neatly. Mani Sharma’s music is another major asset. The veteran composer lets melody take centre stage, and the songs blend naturally into the narrative. Two of them work particularly well on screen.

Bottom-line: “Chennai Love Story” has gender reversals, breezy romance, and engaging first half. It presents a familiar love story with a fresh perspective and benefits immensely from the performances of Kiran Abbavaram and Sri Gouri Priya as well as Mani Sharma’s music. But the film loses its edge after the interval, settling for a predictable and emotionally overplayed second half.

Rating: 2.75/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli