‘Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju’ is not a run-of-the-mill film, yes. Kranthi Madhav of ‘Onamalu’ fame has matured as a filmmaker for sure. From dishing out Government ads-like film that was too bland and whose scenes seemed like awareness documentaries in service of Union Govt programmes/schemes, he has grown up to make a proper mainstream film that has traces of high-brow entertainment. He is aided by his talented dialogue writer; thankfully, this writer’s pen cures itself of a saccharine-emitting disease after the interval.
It’s been a while since a Telugu filmmaker attempted an old-world romance. A romance where time nearly stands still; a beautifully mounted canvas with music that’s soothing enough to allow both the film’s lead characters and viewers to slow down and savour memorable moments.
Written and directed by Kranthi Madhav, Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju is not a new-age rom-com that holds a mirror to relationships that fizzle out at the turn of the season. It brings back the old-fashioned romance that withstands both cynicism and the test of time. The film deals with three love stories in the life of the protagonist Raja Ram (Sharwanand). The narrative captures his bonding with his mother, his passion for competitive running and his romance with Nazira (Nithya Menen).
Raja Ram lives with his mother in a seaside house in Vizag. The mother teaches classical music to make ends meet and the college-going son is determined to make his mark in athletics at the national level. He finds joy in running bare feet on the beaches and resorts to barefoot running at the state level meet because he cannot afford a pair of spiked running shoes. There are moments where he stands on the sidewalks of a sports store, conversing with his dream pair of shoes. In another setting, this would have looked comical, but Kranthi and Sharwanand pull it off, keeping the humour alive without making the protagonist appear insane.
The entire first half goes on and on, delivering unabashedly unwelcome half-baked poetry. Thank god for the second half, the film gets a non-sugary life of its own. For once, lines are genuinely profound and do not seem out-of-place. They are interspersed with the narrative. Finally, the dialogue writer’s lines are bereft of sugar rush moments. Nazira one moment is beauty-conscious, another moment she is nervous, yet another moment she is seen defending her vacillation by saying, “Mata meeda Levu ante, Prema lo unnate.” For a good 50-minute stretch, the film keeps us engaged. We love the philosophical attitudes of Raghuram and Nazira, we love their unwillingness to move on, we love Nazira’s predilections as well as Raghuram’s self-effacing, depressing talk of “I am a runner.”
Perhaps, the director consciously added (more-than-necessary) heft to the scenes in the first half to help the audience anticipate something like an unusual journey of the love birds. However, he goes over-board and spoils the show a bit. Especially because there is not much happening in the first half in terms of story. The optimistic athlete talks were saccharine. The mom talks saccharine. The girl talks saccharine with her friend. The coach talks saccharine (what is the point in having a line like this? “Ninnu preminche vallee neeku send-off ivvadaniki vastaru, nuvvu gelavali anukune vallu ninnu welcome cheyadaniki vastaru”). All through, we apprehend being bombarded by another sugar rush. At one point, we wonder why the hero doesn’t talk saccharine to the mirror to which the hide-and-seek GF reveals her beautiful face.
As said, the film must be watched for the second half. It has captivating scenes and good lines.
The cinematography is fairly good. What lacks is good music. There comes a nikka song that would have been important for the film. It’s is wasted with old-fashioned music.
Sarwanand shines through the script. He gets to play an author-backed role. So also Nithya Menon, who delivers a mature one as a woman with pathos-filled love life.
Tejaswini of ‘Ice Cream’ fame plays an apt role where she gets to display her spoilt brat side as well as embrace of pure love. In her distorted morality, she presents a contrast to the character of Nazira. Nazira finding herself confronting an anti-thesis is a brilliant idea.
To draw a distant parallel, Raja Ram and Nazriya are similar to Veer and Zaara in their unflinching love. Unlike Yash Chopra’s Veer Zaara where the characters were thrown apart by politics, religion and nationality, Raja Ram and Nazriya have far fewer obstacles but find themselves isolated from their loved one. If you love old-world romances, Malli Malli… is up to your alley. On the flip side, the film’s snail pace gets grating at times and the contrived ending at the airport takes some sheen off the otherwise beautiful film. In a narrative like this, a lot lies on the shoulders of the actors. Sharwanand and Nithya Menen are remarkable, making you forget their star persona and immersing themselves in the world of Raja Ram and Nazriya. The supporting cast does a fine job as well.
