Thella Kaagitham Movie Review:
Harsh Roshan made a successful debut as a lead actor with Court: State vs A Nobody, produced by actor Nani. Now, he is back with his third film, Thella Kaagitham, which marks the directorial debut of Ramesh Bandreddy. Bogapathi Nakshatra also makes her debut as the female lead, and the film is a teenage romantic drama inspired by a true incident that happened in 2000.
Director: Ramesh Bandreddy
Cast: Harsh Roshan, Bogapathi Nakshatra, Ajay, Goparaju Ramana, Saranya, Raj Kumar Kasireddy, Deepak Mali, Pramodini and others
Ramu (Harsh Roshan) and Aasha (Bogapathi Nakshatra) study in the same school and come from the same village. They meet and eventually fall in love. Later, both join an Intermediate College, where Ramu starts doubting whether Aasha truly loves him. Influenced by a person played by Raj Kumar Kasireddy, Ramu asks Aasha to meet him at a vacant house, where they become physically intimate. Aasha becomes pregnant, but the young couple hide the matter from their parents. Ramu then starts looking for ways to terminate the pregnancy. What happens next? How does the young couple deal with the situation? Do their parents eventually find out?
Thella Kaagitham conveys a simple message: when teenagers find themselves in a difficult situation, they should talk to their parents instead of seeking advice from others. The film also stresses on how parents can protect their children in such cases.
The thought behind the film deserves appreciation, especially since the director has taken inspiration from a real incident. But when a message is brought to the big screen, it also needs to be engaging, emotional and entertaining.
Teenage love stories are not new to Telugu cinema. Director Teja’s Chitram and Srikanth Addala’s Kotha Bangaru Lokam dealt with young love in very different ways and connected strongly with audiences. However, here, Ramesh Bandreddy's narration is repetitive and the writing is weak.
The audience should feel for the young couple when they make a mistake and then get into more trouble while trying to come out of it. Unfortunately, the director fails to create that emotional connection. The narration remains flat throughout, and the emotional aspect never gets the required impact. The unnecessary jokes around periods, and maturity also fail to blend naturally with the serious subject. Instead of strengthening the message, they take away from the seriousness of the situation.
The initial portions work reasonably well, but the film starts dragging once the couple gets into trouble. There are several repetitive scenes, and the director takes too long to reach the point. The basic idea is understandable, but it could have been conveyed in a much more emotional and engaging manner.
The narration also feels outdated and slow. Nandu Savarigana, who provided the story, screenplay and dialogues, fails to give the serious subject the kind of writing it requires. He is known for comedy films such as Samajavaragamana and Nari Nari Naduma Murari, but the humour here doesn't work, especially when the film deals with a serious issue concerning teenagers.
The film repeatedly stresses that teenagers should approach their parents when they get into trouble instead of blindly following advice from others. That message is relevant, but the execution makes the film feel much longer than it actually is.
Harsh Roshan gives an okay performance as Ramu, but Bogapathi Nakshatra is quite effective. She makes a good debut and delivers a convincing performance.
Ajay, who plays Nakshatra’s father, does well, while Saranya gives a decent performance. Deepak Mali, as Harsh Roshan’s friend, provides a few laughs. The rest of the cast offers adequate support. Vijay Bulganin’s music fails to make much of an impact. The cinematography by KV Guhan is good, particularly in capturing the lush green village backdrop.
Thella Kaagitham means white paper, and the film uses that as a metaphor for teenage life. Just as a stain can spoil a white sheet of paper, the film argues that teenagers need to be careful about the choices they make and should concentrate on their studies rather than getting distracted.
This is the message delivered by the lecturer played by Goparaju Ramana. The thought may be simple and relevant, but the film takes far too long to convey it. Thella Kaagitham has a good intention, but the outdated narration, repetitive scenes and lack of emotional depth make it a stretched-out experience.
