'Krishna And His Leela' is one of the earliest OTT releases from the Telugu film industry. Currently streaming on Netflix, this rom-com has got rave reviews. Find out our take!
Story
Krishna (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) falls in love with his college senior, Sathya (Shraddha Srinath). His amateurish ways put her off and she announces an abrupt break-up. Months later, he bumps into Radha (Shalini Vadnikatti), his junior at the college. It's time for a second love story in his life. But life is not so simple. When he moves to Bengaluru for a job, Krishna crosses paths with Sathya and a new chapter in their relationship beckons all over again. Does he go for it? Does Krishna still love Sathya? What happens to Radha, who is busy building castles in the air? Who does he end up with? That's the crux of the story
Performances
Siddhu's urbane looks and other attributes fit the bill. As a co-writer of the film, he gives himself the best possible characterization. Comparisons are wrong but Shraddha Srinath doesn't make the kind of impact that she did in 'Jersey'. She emotes repetitively. Shalini Vadnikatti, the debutante, is okayish. She is convincing when she cries.Seerat Kapoor as Rukshar, Krishna's friend, gets too sugary at times. Viva Harsha is routine. Samyuktha Honrad, Jhansi, Sampath Raj and others are good.
Technical aspects
Sricharan Pakala, by and large, is deft. When it comes to background score, he overdoes the Carnatic flavour. Shaneil Deo and Saiprakash deliver an adept work as cinematographers.'Kshanam' director Ravikanth Perepu tries a genre that is diametrically unlike his first movie.
Plus Points
Freshness in the way some scenes are handled.
Climax is believable at an emotional level.
The montage songs.
Choice of locations.
Run-time of 136 minutes.
Minus Points
Lengthy conversations.
Lack of emotionally convincing dialogues between the lead characters.
Absence of heart-tugging moments.
Seerat Kapoor's character's superficial philosophy.
Too much of importance to the male lead's privileges. The entire story is narrated from his point of view.
Analysis
If you leave out the way the story is closed, the rest of the film needed dramatic weight. Sathya and Radha don't seem to be demanding much from Krishna, making it look as though they pine for his charm more than his commitment. Even after a heart-breaking break-up, Shraddha Srinath's character behaves in a superficial manner in Krishna's presence. The less said about their empty conversations, the better.
There are too many festive occasions (parties, holidays, kisses, hugs, sex, etc) for the audience to read Krishna's real feelings. Just 20 minutes before the end titles, we see the background score trying hard to make us laugh with silly sounds. Sorry, but it's difficult to connect with such a screenplay.
