Aditya Ronanki

Stale movie limited by the cultural constraints of the Indian film industry. Obviously we all know that Jaanu is not going to pursue anything with Ram because, as a good Indian woman, she cannot now leave her husband or have a lover on the side. This is a fine moral message, but it does not make for an interesting movie. The ending where Ram is shown keeping mementos of Jaanu is simultaneously inconclusive yet also entirely predictable in its hopeless, Devdas-like resignation. The plotline of the movie makes it seem more like some educational documentary than a realistic, compelling romance story. It lacks real suspense and fails to arouse any emotion other than frustration with Ram for his pathetic wallowing in self-pity and seeming determination to live the rest of his life in priest-like celibacy, lamenting his lost love. The concept is not entirely bad; however, the film's refusal to in any way deviate from orthodoxy or broach uncomfortable subjects like infidelity makes it fall quite flat. The potential for a good movie is there, but the execution is very unsatisfactory. Unfortunately the Telugu film industry does not seem to be at the point yet where it can make an unconventional story like this work. I cannot give this more than a 1. If we want the standard and prestige of Telugu films to improve, half-baked stories like this will not suffice.