A..Aa Review: Please welcome Samantha the actress
Film: A..Aa Cast: Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithiin, Nadhiya Moidu Director: Trivikram Rating: Three stars |
There are directors and directors. There are those who have creative stories at their disposal but struggle to narrate it to the audience. And then there are those who take the simplest of stories and turn theminto wonderful cinematic experiences. Director Trivikram Srinivas belongs to the second category. In A..Aa, he masterfully elevates a simple story into a romantic comedy.
The film tells the story of Anasuya Ramalingam (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), a rich, spoilt girl, who attempts to commit suicide to get away from her controlling mother Mahalakshmi (Nadhiya Moidu). While her suicide attempt is unsuccessful, her mother does not change and fixes up a marital match for her. Anasuya turns to her father for support, who sends her to a village near Vijayawada for a few days to stay with relatives. Given her fragile mind, he requests Anand Vihari (Nithiin) to travel with Anasuya and show her around. They fall in love but there are difficulties: Anand's wedding has been fixed with Valli (Anupama Parameswaran), while Anasuya too is betrothed to another. How the lovers manage to overcome these challenges and convince their respective families to accept their union forms the crux of the story.
Laced with both comedy and romance, the first half of the film goes through like a breeze. Cinematography by Natarajan Subramaniam makes everything in the film look appealing. There is a gentle flow to the narrative, which keeps the viewers engaged. The film, however, loses its steam a bit in the second half and the screenplay drags. Editing (by K Venkateswara Rao) could've been better and the screenplay definitely a bit tighter. Having said that, the positives are far greater than the negatives.
A..Aa undoubtedly is Samantha’s film. Right from her first frame till the last, she delivers a stellar performance and shows what she can do if given ample screen time. Her emoting and the ease with which she handles a rather complex character is a joy to watch. This film is definitely a big tick for Samantha, the actress.
Nithiin delivers his finest performance too. He fits the role of Anand Vihari to the 't' and goes about it in an understated manner. Nadhiya Moidu is terrific as the controlling mother, while Naresh and Rao Ramesh deliver noteworthy performances.
While the story of lovers put to difficulty is something we have seen before, Trivikram crafts it into a thoroughly enjoyable film. It proves Trivikram is one of the finest storytellers in Tollywood today. Good acting, subtle humour and wonderful narration makes A..Aa an entertaining watch.