Film: Nirmala Convent Cast: Roshan Meka, Shriya Sharma Director: G Naga Koteshwara Rao Rating: |
It's always exciting to observe teenage love stories. The way they innocently pursue the people they like, the way they express their fondness for each other, and the way they obsess over tiny little things -- is always intriguing to watch. Unfortunately, Nirmala Convent is a film that is so mediocre that it doesn't even hold the viewer's attention, let alone intrigue them. The innocence is missing, pursuit is non-existent and the love story is a farce. Shoddy narration and amateurish direction makes it a disappointing affair.
The film revolves around two teenagers studying in Nirmala Convent school. Shanti (Shriya) is the daughter of a rich landlord and is the cynosure of all eyes at her school. All the boys run behind her and try to ask her out, except for Samuel (Roshan Meka), who's a genius student and the son of a farmer. Out of the blue, Sam approaches Shanti and says they should invent a new language - the language of love.
Thus begins the bizarrely cheesy love story, where Sam draws 'MU', 'KU', 'LU' (which stands for miss you, kiss you, love you) and calls it the language of love. It's not long before Shanti falls for him too (a song is all they need). The two of them exchange kisses, dance away in front of scenic locations and are bitten by the bug of young love. However, it all comes crashing down when Shanti's father (Aditya Menon) finds out about their love story. The furious landlord puts Shanti under house arrest and gets Sam beaten up.
Funnily enough, instead of convincing Sam to get over the girl (I mean, he's 16), his father goes to the landlord and begs him to allow the two of them to get married. He's even willing to put his entire life's earnings on the line for it. How Sam fights for the love of his life and the self-respect of his own family, makes for the rest of the story.
In his directorial debut, G Naga Koteshwara Rao makes a complete mess of it. At no point do we understand the direction which the story is taking. The storyline is disjointed, the editing seems rushed and the screenplay leaves a lot to be desired. Save for the title and a few scenes where the children study, Nirmala Convent has no significance to the story. In fact, what starts off as a teenage love story turns into a game show (rigged, of course).
The director takes cinematic liberties, and some of it is downright ludicrous. For instance, when a patient requires
O+ve blood urgently, our genius student adds a few coffee beans to B+ve blood and makes it O+ve. According to his logic, adding the coffee beans removes the B molecule in the blood, thus making it O+ve. The film makes a complete mockery of science and could set the wrong example, especially in districts and villages.
In another scene, in the middle of a major power shutdown, a youngster magically brings back power by throwing a stick onto the wires. The love story is equally ridiculous. For instance, 16-year-old address each other as 'Evandi'. I understand that the director wants to show his protagonist as a polite boy, but this takes it a bit too far.
The song 'Kotha Kotha Baasha' is quite catchy and the only thing that's good about this movie. Nagarjuna plays himself and is excellent, but unfortunately finds himself trying to save a film that's beyond saving.
The two young actors Roshan and Shriya put in earnest performances, but are let down by a ridiculous script. Aditya Menon, Ravi Prakash and Satya Menon are adequate in supporting roles, while Thagubothu Ramesh irritates.
If you're a Nagarjuna fan, I'd advice you to watch re-runs of his hit show Meelo Evaro Koteswarulu rather than sitting through Nirmala Convent, which is truly terrible!