Suryakantham (Niharika Konidela) is a loud and unpredictable girl who has commitment/abandonment issues. Abhishek (Rahul Vijay) is head over heels for this woman. They eventually fall in love over joy and sorrow. But Suryakantham disappears for a year, leaving Abhi devastated until he finally gets over her when he meets Pooja (Perlene Bhesania), his childhood friend and falls for her. Suryakantham returns and brings with her all her quirkiness. An elaborate second half riddled with will-he-won’t-he leads to the end of the film.
This movie is too long for its plot. Every emotion we are expected to feel is stretched out so long that it loses it’s impact.
At 139 minutes, the film gets tiring and haphazard as it progresses. With a strong first half, it is a shame that Pranith couldn’t keep up the expectations in the second half aside from a couple of high moments. The effort to keep the film relatable is evident and hence loses purpose.
Sometimes, the film too obviously tries to be funny, killing the fun in it. Characters in this film are given way too much of a backstory and detail with no payback.
None of them behave how we think they would, having known them through two hours. I would have liked to know a little more about Pooja though, considering the complicated situations she is put in. The film is all about Suryakantham and nothing else; Suryakantham is aptly titled. Speaking of which, Niharika was in her element! She was comfortable on camera, visibly having fun and acting at ease.
While the quirky side of Kantham seemed like just a slice of Niharika’s own life, she did a convincing job where she had to be emotional. Having said that, she falls a little short when it comes to expressing any more than joy or sorrow. Her dialogue delivery too lacks gravity. Even so, Niharika is the one who holds the spotlight overshadowing the other characters and the script itself. Rahul Vijay and Perlene both have a long way to go.
A simple plot which would have worked if it stayed honest to the characters and screenplay was just running around in circles in the struggle to introduce “sequences”, songs and sometimes even forge high emotional moments. Suryakantham otherwise is a love letter to Niharika. Fans of hers will adore her a little more everytime she appears on screen. Besides that, there isn’t much to hold on to.
— Srividya Palaparthi
srividya.palaparthi
@newindianexpress.com
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