Fidaa Movie Review
Sekhar Kammula mastered the art of making love stories that can be easily related by today’s youth. After Godavari, Sekhar is finally into his comfort zone, a romantic drama based on strong characters. He is in his elements and the film is a perfect romantic entertainer full on emotions.
Story :
Bhanumathi (Sai Pallavi) is a village belle who has some ideologies. She doesn’t want to go away from her village after the marriage. She says she will only marry a person who is okay with it. Her sister gets married to an NRI. His brother is Varun (Varun Tej), a medico who doesn’t like to stay in India. The couple fall in love but they cannot be together for obvious reasons. Egos comes to the fore and the gap widens.
Performances:
Varun Tej is pretty impressive as an NRI. His styling and body language suits the character. His simple approach to the character makes it special. This film totally belongs to Sai Pallavi. She owned it with a flawless performance. Her Telangana accent is authentic and she is a terrific dancer. Fans who loved her in Premam will once again be impressed with Sai Pallavi’s act. Hero’s brother and heroine’s sister did well. Sai Chand as Sai Pallavi’s father is natural. Rajesh provides some comic relief.
Technicalities:
Sekhar Kammula is at home dealing a feel good love story. After trying various genres he is back to romance and has come up with an endearing love story. There is a bit of problem with the screenplay in the second half, but it is a great job from Sekhar on the whole.
Music by Shaktikanth Karthik is an asset. A couple of songs are fantastic chartbusters and the background score is superb. Cinematography is wonderful. Vijay captures the greenery in Telangana village and the grandeur of American locations with equal ease. Editing is fine. There could have been a bit of trimming towards the end. Production values are good.
Thumbs Up:
- Sai Pallavi
- First half
- Music
Thumbs Down:
- Lags in second half
Analysis:
Fidaa is a brand Sekhar Kammula film that is focused on characters and moments than on the story and screenplay. Sekhar did a wonderful job in etching the characters. Bhanumathi character is unique and easily the best fleshed out character in the film. Even Varun’s character is endearing and charming. Initial setup is too good that the film breezes off in the first hour even without many songs.
Second half runs on the emotional clash between the couple and slows down a bit. Sekhar didn’t dilute the emotions with forced comedy or so called commercial elements. He made sure that the problems between the couple are clearly explained without any confusion. It might have appeared that the couple is fighting over petty issues, but Sekhar did well to establish the conflict. He also cleverly created subtle humor with those situations.
Pre climax scenes are not properly handled though. It feels a bit dragged and bumpy as the film approaches the climax. Better screenplay and good scenes during the pre climax could have taken it to another level. Barring a few minor hiccups, Fidaa is a beautifully told love story with right emotions and enough entertainment. It will strike a chord with the target audience and should do well in A centers.
Fidaa is one of the most genuine films in recent past and it will surely impress the niche audience. It may not appeal to the mass audience due to its slow paced screenplay. It should do well in overseas market and in cities. Varun’s wait for a hit is finally over. Go watch it.
Verdict: Sai Pallavi will make you Fidaa.
