A smile often holds more intensity than a good laugh; it invokes a hidden element of happiness on the face, unlike laughter which is freewheeling, less profound in comparison. With Smile Please, debutant director Raghu Samarth tries an honest take on exploring the subtle expression and the more ’extrovert’ physical reaction, but the outcome is an average romantic comedy which could have been made better had the script been more mature.
The story revolves around the happy-go-lucky guy, Manu (Gurunandan) who intends to bring a change in the lives of the family of his maternal uncle, who holds an authoritarian role. While he succeeds and also wins the heart of the youngest daughter (Kavya Shetty) of his uncle, Manu, who goes out to bring in happiness all around sacrifices his love, which is the crucial part of Smile Please.
With a familiar story, grace points knock on the director’s door only because he keeps the storyline relevant to today’s times. Though morality is delved with casually while delivering the message as intended, sustaining the suspense dramatically fails right at the interval. Even though there was scope to lift the fallen narrative, the director sticks to crawling, which is evident towards the end.
There are some double meaning dialogues to engage the frontbenchers while the casting director should be applauded for his choices.
Gurunandan looks extremely at ease with his character and his strength lies in the way he keeps the audience glued with his conversation. Kavya Shetty gets mature with her role, and the performance of the supporting cast including Neha Patil, Rangayana Raghu. Girish Shivanna among others is noteworthy.
Cinematographer JS Wali did not have strenuous job to do as the green belt adds to the picturisation. A couple of songs by Anoop Seelin are melodious and meaningful.
Smile Please is a family entertainer, no doubt, but it could have been better had the director taken more time to understand the undertones of emotions and the integral aspects of family bonds.
| Film | Smile Please |
Genre | Romance |
| Cast | Gurunandan, Kavya Shetty, Rangayana Raghu, Neha Patil |
| Director | Raghu Samarth |
| Rating | 2.5/5 |