Suryakantham Review
Suryakantham Review

Suryakantham Review: A romance that essentially becomes a one-woman show

Niharika Konidela is the one who holds this film together, overshadowing the other characters, actors, and the script itself
Rating:(2 / 5)

Suryakantham (Niharika Konidela) is a loud and unpredictable girl who has commitment and abandonment issues. Abhishek (Rahul Vijay) is head over heels in love with her, and eventually it is reciprocated. But Suryakantham suddenly disappears for a year, leaving Abhi devastated until he finally gets over her when he meets Pooja (Perlene Bhesania), his childhood friend and falls for her. As expected, Suryakantham returns soon after and brings with her all her quirkiness. An elaborate second half that deals with the old will-he-won’t-he story leads to the end of the film.

Cast: Niharika Konidela, Rahul Vijay, Perlene Bhesania
Director: Pranith Bramandapally

This film is too long for its plot. At two hours and nineteen minutes, the story gets tiring as well as haphazard as it progresses. Every emotion we are expected to feel is stretched out so long that it loses its impact. With a strong first half, it is sad that Pranith couldn’t keep it up in the second half (excepting  a couple of high moments). The effort to keep the film relatable is evident, but sometimes, the film too obviously tries to be funny, which only ends up killing the fun.

Characters are given way too much of a backstory and detail with no pay off. None of them behave how we think they would. I would have especially liked to know a little more about Pooja, considering the complicated situations she is put in.

This film is all about Suryakantham and Niharika Konidela is in her element. She looks comfortable on screen, visibly having fun and acting with ease. While the quirky side of Kantham seems like a slice of Niharika's own life, she does a convincing job where she has to be emotional. Having said that, she however does fall a little short when it comes to expressing anything other than joy or sorrow. Her dialogue delivery too lacks gravity. Even so, Niharika is the one who holds the film together, overshadowing the other characters, actors, and the script itself -- which frankly couldn't have been that hard. As for the other performances, Rahul Vijay and Perlene both have a long way to go.

A simple plot which would have worked if it had stayed honest to the characters and screenplay, instead runs around in circles in the struggle to introduce “sequences”, songs, and sometimes even forge high emotional moments. Suryakantham otherwise is a love letter to Niharika Konidela. Fans of hers will adore her a little more every time she appears on screen. Besides that, there isn’t much to hold on to.

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