BOTTOM LINE
Poetic Attempt, But Tedious
RATING
2/5
CENSOR
UA16+
What Is the Film About?
8 Vasanthalu is the journey of Shuddhi Ayodhya (Ananthika Sunilkumar) through a period of eight years. The story tracks her journey through various gamuts of emotions, including coming of age, becoming tough, falling in love, experiencing heartbreak, and eventually rediscovering true love.
Performances
Ananthika Sunilkumar is a real discovery. She is talented and looks lovely on screen in a traditional sense. She can be vulnerable and also does action comfortably. It is like a whole package, and the movie explores all these sides in detail,
The action and dramatic side of Ananthika easily shines over other things. The martial arts training has surely helped her when it comes to fight sequences. The single almost mass action sequence in the second half is a testament to that. And coming to the dramatic side, the interval and climax stand out in this regard.
On the whole, it can be said without batting an eyelid that Ananthika has made a solid debut. She has what it takes to make a strong footing in the industry. However, the real test lies in the kind of project she selects and how those perform eventually.
Ravi Theja Duggirala and Hanu Reddy are the two male leads. The former comes into the scene in the second half, whereas the latter is seen through the first. Both are effective in their respective roles and easily convey the necessary emotions. However, none have the next level scenes that etches in the audience’s memory. They are good, but that’s it.
Analysis
Phanindra Narsetti writes and directs 8 Vasanthalu. It is a poetically presented love tale with a female and two male leads. However, it doesn’t come across as a triangular love story in the typical sense.
On the surface, 8 Vasanthalu has a typical commercial storyline. The heroine falls in love, has a heart break and then rediscovers love again. It is a simple tale, but the execution is where things get different. Phanindra Narsetti gives it an arty and poetic twist for the most part. It’s here that the presentation and feel of the movie differs from other ones with similar plots.
What stands out immediately is the writing from the start. It is not all poetic, but there are blocks that come intermittently that surely take one back in time to the eighties and nineties, when a few films were made in a similar style.
Some blocks, in particular, stand out due to the conversation that happens between the pair and the ideas that come out via the writing. Take the case of the introduction of the second book by the female lead named Goddess In You, or the dialogues at the interval mark – they present unique ideas and leave an impact.
However, the actual content that is present is very typical of the terrain. It’s these dialogues that bring about the difference in perspective.
The pace is slow and it tests patience, no doubt, but the dialogues, fun and dramatic moments between the initial pair slowly drag us towards an emotionally charged interval block. It raises expectations for the second half with the fixed parameter.
However, the second half nosedives as soon as it begins. A few dialogues, again, register, but there is hardly anything happening, engaging story-wise. The episodic narrative is fine, but the sudden and drastic change in tone feels very jarring. The unevenness smacks right in the face, and the lag makes one restless. The action sequence is well-choreographed, but it doesn’t feel like an organic part of the narrative.
The cyclic narrative that’s supposed to bring things together, all over again, and shows things in a new perspective, looks and feels repetitive. After a point, one just feels that things should be just done with, sooner, instead of prolonging it for so long.
The final few minutes are good, after a lengthy and lethargic post-intermission sequence. However, they are a little too late to arrive.
In the end, the directors’ attempt to bring a poetic and aesthetically appealing love story feels and comes across as ambitious, but the necessary gripping narrative is missing to reach that level. What we are left with are a few blocks that impress, but the others fail.
Overall, 8 Vasanthalu wants to be like a beautiful novel or the yore that tugs our heart with emotions and drama and leaves us with moist eyes and a smile simultaneously at the end. Unfortunately, barring a few emotional blocks, the movie offers nothing more. It feels lengthy and boring as things derail post-intermission. Try it if you don’t mind the issues and are in purely for the attempt by the makers.
Performances by Others Actors
The supporting cast is good for the world created. Most of the actors are relatively unknown faces, but they all do well with what’s given to them. The mix of Telugu and English in that setup adds to the authentic effect, which benefits some actors who might otherwise have been easily forgotten.
Music and Other Departments?
Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music is excellent (within the given setting), along with the background score. It is the love story’s lifeline. The music accompanied by the visuals and dialogues lends the poetic quality that the movie tries so desperately from the start.
The cinematography is decent in parts. At times, there is a low-budget feel to the visuals and the way they are executed. The editing could have been sharper, especially during the second hour or when the lead pair talk endlessly. The writing, as mentioned earlier, is the movie’s highlight.
Highlights?
Ananthika sanilkumar
Writing
Music And BGM
Drawbacks?
Length
Uneven Tone (Mainly In The Second Half)
Second Half
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, In Parts Where The Writing And Performances Match Up
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But With Huge Reservations, Due To The Approach taken by the director
8 Vasanthalu Movie Review by M9
