Home Town Movie Review: A coming-of-age story with some humour but little depth
Home Town(2 / 5)
On the surface, Home Town promises to be a slice-of-life series about a small town middle-class family, centering around a complex father-son relationship. The larger conflict of the show revolves around the father’s sacrifices, which does not take into account the son’s ambitions.
However, as each episode unravels, the focus remains on the antic-riddled experiences of Srikanth (Prajwal Yadma) and his two buddies Jaggu (Sai Ram) and Shastri (Anirudh). We barely get a glimpse into the lives of Srikanth’s family, which also comprises of a doting mother (Jhansi) and an obedient sister (Annie). The show feels far removed from reality in terms of how the characters respond to situations. One never fully gathers whether Srikanth’s father (Rajeev Kanakala) is willingly ignorant of his son’s follies, or not smart enough to see through his ploys. Outside of his saccharine ambitions of sending his son to the US for a better life, we never learn anything about him.
Director: Srikanth Reddy Malle
Cast: Prajwal Yadma, Rajeev Kanakala, Annie, Jhansi, Sai Ram, Anirudh
Streamer: AHA
Srikanth Reddy Malle, the writer-director of Home Town, also decides to keep the narrative ‘episodic,’ where each part explores a different theme. This robs the narrative of an emotional progression, and it is evident that the writers didn’t think through the decision. Episode 2 ends Srikanth’s sappy realisation about his father's sacrifices. However, when episode 3 begins, he goes back to berating his father for his worn-out scooter. Consequently, what we get is a surface-level drama where the primary characters remain in a strange limbo, never exploring the interpersonal dynamics of these familial relationships, and how they impact Srikanth’s coming-of-age journey.
The show often gets stagnant in its proceedings. For all its anecdotal plot points, Home Town is devoid of any drama or high stakes. It is established early on that Srikanth’s father has invested in a policy to finance his son’s higher education. Every once in a while, the writer-director reminds us of this in a dry manner, barely attempting to increase the drama. The track around Srikanth’s romantic pursuit with Sameera, a Muslim girl who proudly wears her identity and aspirations, brings some respite as well as hope. However, the writer’s stubborn resolve to keep his protagonist’s challenges ‘chapterish’ spoil the proceedings. The adolescent romance has some sweetness, but provides no insight into the lovers' inner lives. You move on from the segment before you could emotionally invest into it. This criticism holds true for all the five episodes.
There are a few impressive stretches when the show basks in a farcical brand of humour. A series of moments set at a cyber cafe (when was the last time you saw one of these?) where the three leads attempt to navigate ‘Pacebook’ is a delightful sequence. It’s an absurdly hilarious conceit that plays on the naivete of a small-town teenager — Srikanth believing he is actually interacting online with the biggest movie star — and Home Town needed more such moments that underline the innocence of its world.
However, for large chunks, the writer-director confuses his protagonist’s despicability with his flaws. Most of the narrative focuses on Srikanth’s reckless attitude (even for a teenager), without making space for believable redemption. Srikanth’s likeability is not on par with the director’s ambitions for a schmaltzy coming-of-age story. For the first three quarters of the show, all we know about Srikanth is that he is a Chiranjeevi fan. So, when the series suddenly introduces the element of Srikanth’s latent filmmaking ambitions, lying underneath all his tomfoolery and fanboyish tendencies, it comes across as hasty and unearned. Prajwal Yadma puts in a sincere performance, but is unfortunately saddled with a weakly etched character that’s hard to root for. On the other hand, Sai Ram, playing Jaggu, truly understands the essence of this show’s humour, and remains the most enjoyable actor on screen. He is the kind of performer who doesn’t always need witty lines to make the audience laugh.
Annie, who delivered an impressive performance with Nindha last year, unfortunately doesn’t have much to do here. She plays Jyothi, a sincere and obedient young child, who carries hidden ambitions. However, she is constantly undermined by her own parents whose entire focus remains on Srikanth’s future. Even though the series eventually addresses the subject, it does so in a half-hearted fashion towards the climax, in a hurried conversation between Srikanth and his father. It adds nothing to our understanding of the father figure or his realisations about his role as a family head. Just like this conversation, Home Town remains bland and half-hearted even during its most emotionally potent moments.