Subham Movie Review: Did the Vision Work?
‘We made a film with a concept which was never touched in the history of Telugu cinema’ is the statement made by the film director, Subham, at the pre-release event. It is a film made by a young team with relatively unknown but talented actors. But the film managed to grab the attention of the audience because it was produced by Samantha. She also did a cameo role in the film. Did the film get made with a never-before-seen concept in Telugu cinema? Did Samantha able to score a hit with her first film as producer? Did the director, Praveen Kandregula, score a success with his first theatrical release? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.
What is it about?
Srinu(Harshith R), a cable TV owner based out of Bheemili, marries Srivalli(Shriya Kontham). During the first night of their marriage, exactly at 09:00 PM, Srinu observes Srivalli behaving in a very weird and strange way. Later, he gets to know that most of the women in the town are behaving the same way as Srivalli at 09:00 PM every night. What happens to all the women in the town at 09:00 PM every night? How did Srinu and his two friends suffer because of their wives’ strange behaviour? How did they overcome the challenge of dealing with ‘possessed’ wives’? Forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
The film has six(i.e. three male and female) lead actors. All of them are relatively new, but everyone delivered confident performances. The show stealer among the six is Srinivas Gavireddy. He delivered a very commendable performance in the role of an ‘Alpha’ male and a dominant husband. Harshith R. & Charan Peri performed well.
Among the female actors, Shriya Kontham as an independent working girl and a wife did well. Shravani Lakshmi and Shalini Kondepudi also did well. Samantha appeared in a cameo. Her performance is good, but writing for her character should have been better. Vamshidhar Goud’s role and performance did not work.
Technicalities:
It is a film that is made on a very limited budget. The budget constraints were seen throughout the film. At times, it gave a feeling of watching a short film on a big screen. Vivek Sagar’s background score worked in favour of the film. His score complemented a few sequences very well. Songs by Clinton Cerejo were just ok. Dharmendra Kakarala’s editing should have been better. The film’s length is only about two hours, and yet it felt dragged. He should have edited a few repetitive sequences, especially in the first half. Mridul Sujit Sen’s cinematography was decent within the budget limitations.
Positives:
1. A Few Genuine Laughs
2. All Six Lead Actors’ Performances
3. Background Score
4. Srinivas Gavireddy’s Comedy Timing
Negatives:
1. Second Half
2. Repetitive Scenes
3. Short Film Like Production Values
4. Boring ‘Cinema Bandi’ Subplot
Analysis:
There were quite a few horror comedy films that were made in Telugu in the past, and if we observe closely, more often than not, slapstick horror comedy films that were aimed at the masses worked big time at the box office. Very rarely do we get to see a realistic horror comedy film with very relatable characters and a plot. Subham is one such film where we get to see the director’s intention to make a sensible and realistic film throughout. But, in an attempt to make a different film, the director, Praveen Kandregula and the writer, Vasanth Maringanti, lost the plot in the second half with repetitive scenes one after the other.
The core point of the film is very relatable to almost every person in an Indian household. Women getting hooked on never-ending TV serials is a very common sight in the majority of homes in India. The director and his writer cleverly used this plot and mixed it with horror comedy. There were at least four to five sequences in the film that generated genuine laughs. The performances of all six lead actors worked in favour of the film. Especially, Srinivas Gavireddy’s comedy timing and effortless acting worked out very well. Another thing that worked in favour of the film is the background score by Vivek Sagar. His score elevated and complemented the horror comedy sequences very well. Although the film started on a slow note, the proceedings in the first half are passable with a few laugh-out-loud sequences and a good interval block.
The major drawback of the film is the second half. The director’s conscious effort to make a ‘different film’ backfired big time in the second half. It is relatively easy to engage the audience by providing run-of-the-mill slapstick horror comedy, but the writing should be very gripping when a director attempts to convey a thought-provoking, serious message in a lighthearted manner. The film lost its plot in the second half because of the lack of depth in the writing. The repetitive sequences one after the other, the subplot involving the ‘Cinema Bandi’ team, the pre-climax and the climax dragged on forever and tested the patience. A couple of comedy sequences worked well in the second half as well, but apart from those sequences, everything else in the second half was boring. Also, two sequences where one of the female lead actresses lifts & drags a cot with her hands give a deja vu feel. It’s high time for the horror comedy film directors to come out of the ‘Chandramukhi’ zone and think of something else to scare the audience.
Overall, Subham has a decent first half and four to five laugh-out-loud sequences, but in an attempt to give a completely new experience to the audience, the film loses track in the second half. You may give it a try, watching it in the theatre if you don’t mind watching a concept-driven film that offers a few laughs and has good performances from all the lead actors.
Bottomline : Subham – Offers A Few Laughs
