Oh Sukumari review: A boring rural drama that tests patience

What’s Oh Sukumari about?

Daamini (Aishwarya Rajesh) lives with her father (Anand) in a village in Telangana’s Medak district. The villagers fear her because of a strange condition. Whenever someone touches her, they receive an electric shock. Her father desperately wants to get her married, and things seem to fall into place when Yaadi (Thiruveer), a young man from a neighboring village, agrees to the marriage.

Although Daamini’s father repeatedly tries to reveal her condition before the wedding, Yaadi never pays attention, while the villagers do everything possible to keep it a secret until the marriage is over. It is only on the wedding night that Yaadi discovers the truth. What follows is the couple’s struggle to live with this unusual condition and search for a solution.

Analysis

“Oh Sukumari” is built around a single, unusual idea. Daamini has a rare condition that causes her body to generate powerful electric shocks whenever she is emotionally stressed or her heartbeat rises. This unusual premise is tied to her married life, offering ample scope for situational comedy and emotional drama.

However, a concept this thin demands sharp writing and a director with excellent comic timing. Unfortunately, the film has neither.

The narration is immature and painfully sluggish. The first half, in particular, is stretched out with repetitive scenes that make the film difficult to sit through. Even the interval point fails to generate much excitement. The second half improves slightly but the damage has already been done. Overall, the film remains a tedious and poorly narrated affair.

Thiruveer delivers a familiar performance, portraying the innocent village youngster with ease. Aishwarya Rajesh looks comfortable in her first Telangana-based role, but the character offers little scope to showcase her acting abilities despite being central to the story.

Among the supporting cast, Vishnu Oi, Muralidhar Goud and Jhansi leave a better impression with their performances.

The production values are modest, while the technical departments do little to elevate the film. The weak screenplay and uninspired direction ultimately overshadow whatever novelty the premise initially promises.

Bottom Line: “Oh Sukumari” squanders a neat idea with substandard writing and immature direction. The sluggish narration and lack of engaging moments make it a tiring watch. This is a largely disappointing film that never lives up to its premise. Totally boring.

By: TC Staff

Rating: 1/5