Saheba: Intense but done with simplicity

When a star’s son makes his debut, expectations are bound to be high. And today’s audience wants more attention paid to action; with romance and story taking the backseat. But with Saheba, Ravichandran’s son, Manoranjan, springs a surprise. His performance is intense without the frills. Director Bharath has rightly identified the actor’s potential. He understands Manoranjan’s skills but lets him realise a style of his own.

This story does not rely on the usual formula of a commercial film. Mano (Manoranjan) finds happiness in simplicity. He comes across Nandini (Shanvi Srivastava), a middle-class, god-fearing girl who believes deeply in astrology. Attracted by her innocence, he strives to help her fulfill her dream of becoming an actress. Will this prove to be a boon or a bane for Mano forms the crux of Saheba.

Bharath’s second film after Kanti has a refreshing take on love and friendship. It runs on the narrative even while the characters are central to it. It is a regular boy-meets-girl story, but the feelings expressed are deep and not the usual candyfloss. There is no big villain in in the story. But since it is a conversation-drive script, it should have been crisper.

You get a glimpse of Ravichandran in Manoranjan, in the way he converses and in his mannerisms. He could have picked a ‘mass-oriented’ script but that he picked a softer-story can be taken as a sign of his maturity, picking script over mass-appeal. There is room for improvement and the young actor seems committed to it.

Shanvi is another revelation. She easily transforms from a regular girl to an actress, and then returning to who she was with an admirable ease. Supporting cast Lakshmi, Pramila Josaiah and Chidananda have done a good job as well.

V Harikrishna’s music goes well with the story, but cinematography by GSV Seetharam could have been better. The edit desk fails to deliver even though there was huge delay in releasing the movie.

Saheba marks the entry of yet another actor into the industry who has all the signs of making a name for himself. Watch the movie for his performance.