BOTTOM LINE
Sorry, No Thanks
RATING
2/5
CENSOR
U/A, 2h 32m
What Is the Film About?
Siddhu (Kiran Abbavaram) is heartbroken in love and wants to move on in life. At the right time, he finds Anjali (Rukshar Dhillon), and falls in love with her after great persistence. Just when things were looking all fine, Anjali broke up with him.
Why does Anjali take such a drastic decision? The movie’s basic plot is what happens to the love between Sidhu and Anjali.
Performances
Kiran Abbavaram is back with a new outing after KA. Here he returns into an out and out love story space which is targeted primarily at the youth. The styling is done accordingly and some mannerisms are placed similarly.
However, despite good efforts from Kiran Abbavaram, the impact is missing as the character itself stands on a weak ground. More than his act, it is the characterization and the scenes designed around it that does not work with audience. Also, the over-the-top, mass buildup action sequences also adds to the issues and takes away the intended effect.
Rukshar Dhillon gets a character close to her youthful persona, but the way its written leaves one annoyed. There is nothing from it to take away home, either as a performer or on the glamor appeal.
The less said about Kathy Davison the better. She has a key role, but she lacks the appeal and charisma to pull it off. She comes across as a total miscast.
Analysis
Viswa Karun writes and directs Dilruba. It’s a regular love story, but with an atypical lead character at the center of the things.
In Telugu cinema, many films are made based on simple and relatable philosophies that define the hero. Here we have such a philosophy that defines the lead. All his actions are based on that key characterization or the identity or the traits. Dilruba is essentially a character drama, but presented as a typical commercial love story.
The movie, however, simply doesn’t get to the characterization immediately. First there is a love story and a break up. Then, we have another one and it’s here that details related to the character are revealed.
By the time we reach that core revelation point, a lot of time is passed. The narrative feels messy and inconsistent as we don’t know where things are headed initially. The love track (with Anjali) further makes it very irritating, and another one, a potential threat (related to Vicky), turns it very predictable, and generic.
Still, what holds the interest amidst all the messiness is the quality execution and terrific background score. Also, despite the issue, the pre-interval and interval sequences draw interest just for the sake of knowing where things are headed. The interval bang adds to the curiosity within the taken premise.
Once again as the narrative resumes, it sets its foot on wobbly grounds post intermission. The initial scenes are too contrived and feel far-fetched just to prolong the story. Also, movie lovers can easily guess how things might eventually lead to with the choices made here.
But, as is in the first half, after a point things began to engage partially. The inconsistency seen previously is seen all over again with a few parts working intermittently amidst irritating moments.
The narrative up to pre-climax is passable, at best, and temporarily makes one forget the problems related to the movie, but whenever “Sorry” or “Thank You” issue arises, one feels the pinch. This core theme makes the tale move in a loop with no end in sight to the discomfort.
A predictable dramatic act is done, which is seen in the climax here. It’s a cliche, routine step that brings resolution and ends things on expected lines. It’s a wrap up, but has zero impact and leaves one thinking happy that the whole ordeal is over. But, it’s not over and we have an explanation for the key issue here by the lead.
As mentioned previously,, some narratives rely heavily on the lead character. It’s a make or break deal. What we have here is a confusing and irritating lead characterization, one that doesn’t engage and hence makes the whole thing difficult to sit through.
Overall, Dilruba has minor parts that are okay, there is quality in making and presentation, but when the foundation is weak, it is difficult to hold things together for such a long duration. Dilruba tests patience, and makes for a tiring and clueless watch.
Performances by Others Actors
The supporting cast has very little to do, at least in the first half. We have some known faces like Anand, Tulasi, John Vijay, Getup Sreenu, etc., but none have well-defined parts to make them stand out. Sathya tries hard, but doesn’t have the impact as he gets cut short at every turn.
Music and Other Departments?
Sam CS is the movie’s lifeline. He gives a high octane pulsating background score that elevates the proceedings, even though it’s on the louder side. The songs also complement the narrative and help in generating a pleasant vibe.
The cinematography too is superb, generally. The visuals add to the appeal, no doubt. The editing is fine. The writing with a lot of rhyming punches is more distracting than engaging.
Highlights?
BGM and Songs
Parts Of First Half Towards Interval
Drawbacks?
Confusing Drama Related To Hero Character
Irritating Romantic Track Between Leads
No Big Emotional Moments
Predictable As It Progresses
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Dilruba Movie Review by M9
