Noble intentions alone don’t make an entertaining film and that becomes crystal clear while watching Megha Akash’s Friday release Dear Megha. The film, a remake of Kannada romantic drama Dia (2020), is arguably the heartwarming story of all her previous films because it has a solid premise and touches deeply upon the theme of heartbreak.
Despite its promising premise, Dear Megha fails to realise its potential because the screenplay is contrived and convenient, and at times hopelessly sluggish and indulgent. The original was told in a rather convincing way without songs, but here, director A Sushanth Reddy has incorporated songs that fail to deliver the desired impact.
Megha Swaroop (Megha Akash), a third-year biotech student, falls head over heels in love with her senior Arjun (Arjun Somayajula), but couldn’t express her feelings for him. Cupid strikes them only after three years and when they fall in love, destiny had other plans for them. A shattered Megha struggles to come to terms with life and the circumstances lead her to Adhi (Arun Adith), a happy-go-lucky guy, who believes that life is full of happiness. Adhi helps Megha to get over her devastating past and she gets a second chance at life.
The film moves at a steady pace in the first half, which has quite a few sweet and quirky moments. If you are willing to suspend disbelief, it’s likely you will find yourself amused at least until the film breaks for intermission. The second hour has some fun moments and is a pretty smooth ride. The drama only soars higher and the complex love story gets interesting as the conflict between the characters comes to the fore. The so-called suspense, when revealed, doesn’t pack a punch that you wish they hadn’t digressed from the heartwarming tale at all. This is a film one wants to like because it has got its heart in the right place, but how you wish it didn’t go about its job in such a perfunctory manner. The film’s crushingly slow pace plays the spoilsport here.
On the upside, Dear Megha is not the usual triangle love story, with two men competing to win the love of the same woman. The two love stories – of Megha with Arjun, and of Adhi with Megha - are different from each other. You cannot compare these with any of the love stories in the past.
Of the film’s cast, Megha Akash breathes life into her character and her presence in the emotional scenes brightens up the screen. Arun Adith’s laboured performance as Adhi, who turns up just in time to lend a supportive shoulder to Megha, lends weight to the story. Together, the duo ensured class on the screen. Debutant Arjun Somayajula is as expressive as a block of wood and Pavithra Lokesh, who reprises her role as that of a doctor from the original, delivers a competent performance. The director extracts an impressive contribution from almost all the characters. The commendable aspect is that he didn’t allow any of these characters to drift from the narration.
Music composer Gowra Hari lent a couple of lilting tunes where Sid Sriram’s Bagundhi Ee Kaalame stood out for the melody. In many ways, Dear Megha resonates with a heart-touching tale that you read in a novel or a newspaper, but what it lacks is intensity. The film requires enormous patience, despite the exaggerated show of emotions. The performances of the lead actors may make it worth your time for the weekend.
Dear Megha
Cast:Megha Akash, Arun Adith, Arjun Somayajula
Director: A Sushanth Reddy