Tollywood directors have given us all sorts of characters, from politicians to industrialists to dons. But in 30 Rojullo Preminchadam Ela, we have a famous spiritual guru who is compared to Rajamouli by his disciple. This disciple thinks of himself as an assistant director. That's just a sample of the weird ideas writer-director Phani Pradeep has tried to execute in this film.
Days before India attains Independence, Abbayi Gaaru (Pradeep Machiraju) and Ammayi Gaaru (Amritha Aiyer), who are in love, breathe their last. Since the guy was a Kusthi fighter then, he is reborn as Arjun, a wannabe kickboxer, decades later. The girl is reborn as Akshara. And it is hate at first sight for them.
For a long time, the lead pair doesn't remember their past lives and do silly things. After a divine intervention, things turn even more juvenile.
Since the story is a formulaic reincarnation saga, the ideas should at least not have been so generic for the film to work. Just because the male lead happened to die an embittered lover in his previous birth, he takes rebirth as a women-hating guy. In a low-brow college campus song showing girls as parasites, he blames women for exploiting boyfriends to satisfy their financial needs. But the same person exploits Maha Lakshmi, who pines for him sincerely, and uses her as his ATM.
The lead pair is supposed to behave like soulmates preordained by destiny. But they just behave oddly.
The film is jarring on so many levels. A friendship song plays between the lead pair just a few minutes after they stopped quarrelling like incorrigible muppets. Viva Harsha, who is deliberately named Nagarjuna, keeps receiving racist 'jokes'.
This film doesn't work even as a college campus story. The jokes are all very unfunny. TV show host-turned-actor Pradeep makes a damp squib of a debut, with his comic timing testing your patience. Amritha Aiyer has the potential to deliver a good performance, provided the script is good, which this one isn't.
All told, the song Neeli Neeli Aakasam, which comes just a few minutes into the movie, is the film's only bright spot.