What’s it about!
Sanjay (Naga Shaurya) and Anupama (Malvika Nair) first met in their Vishakapatnam engineering college in the year 2000, when he was a fresher and she was her immediate senior. Following graduation, they travel to the United Kingdom for master’s studies, where they eventually become close.
After a while, they begin to live together as lovers. When she is in a major crisis, he does not appear to be nearby. Other events cause her to end her relationship with him. They meet again in 2010. He now owns a restaurant in the United Kingdom.
She desires closure before moving on. What happens when they cross paths again? Will they be able to forget the events of the past? Why wasn’t he there when she needed him the most?
Analysis
“Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi” begins in the manner of typical love stories that we have all seen before, but then it begins to look and feel different, or something new. The plot becomes more interesting once the story moves to the United Kingdom. The use of sync sound (dialogue), abrupt pauses in background music and timeline jumbling have made the proceedings quite engaging.
This is Avasarala Srinivas’ third directorial effort. I got the impression that Srinivas was heading into the territory of an Indie Hollywood film about two former lovers who drift apart. However, this was not the case. Although he showed a lot of promise in the middle section, it is clear that he is unsure how to tell this story. The entire second half of the script should have been saved to a “bin” on the computer. That’s how clumsy it is.
The film’s second half is a bore because of the random scenes, aimless narrative, and kaput climax.
Avasarala Srinivas, the director, also includes a number of indulgent sequences. The scene of a girl inviting the hero and listening to the song “Neeli Megha Malavo” from Madhana Kamaraju Katha, which is a copy of the popular Hindi song “Chaudhavin Ka Chand Ho,” is one such example.
In terms of acting, Naga Shaurya does an excellent job portraying the character of a confounded young man. He also appears credible as a student. Malvika Nair is fantastic. She gets the meaty character, and her performance adds a lot of depth to a film that appears aimless. Srinivasa Avasarala makes a cameo. Singer Harini Rao appears in a scene that is silly and boring. The actor who played Valentine elicits some laughs.
Kalyani Malik’s musical score is excellent. “Neeto Neeto” and “Kanulu Chatu Meghama” look beautiful on the screen. The cinematography is rich and colourful.
Bottom-line: “Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi” has its moments in the first half, but the film goes off the rails after a while with overindulgent moments and a messy second half.
Rating: 2.25/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: Phalana Abbayi Phalana Ammayi
Cast: Naga Shaurya, Malvika Nair, Srinivas Avasarala, Megha Chowdhury, and others
Music: Kalyani Malik, Vivek Sagar
Director of Photography: Sunil Kumar Nama
Editor: Kiran Ganti
Producers: T G Vishwa Prasad and Padmaja Dasari
Co-Producer: Vivek Kuchibhotla
Written and directed by: Srinivas Avasarala
Release Date: March 17, 2023
