Dilruba Review

Imagine a world where saying "sorry" or "thank you" is as painful as stepping on a Lego. Enter Siddharth Reddy, a man so allergic to these polite expressions that he builds his entire life philosophy around avoiding them. After a heartbreak and a familial loss, he embarks on a journey that intertwines love, ego and a series of events, that results in a very average movie.

For some compelling personal reasons, Siddharth Reddy aka Siddhu (Kiran Abbavaram) hates the words "sorry" and "thank you". After his girlfriend Meghana aka Maggie (Kathy Davison) leaves him and his father passes away, Siddhu relocates to Mangalore for a fresh start. There he meets Anjali (Rukshar Dhillon), and they both like each other. However, their budding romance hits a speed bump when Siddhu's refusal to say "sorry" during a college spat leads to a breakup.

Meanwhile, Maggie, now pregnant and residing in the USA, repents leaving Siddhu, and returns to India with the noble goal of reuniting Anjali and him. Just when you think the plot couldn't get more convoluted, a drug lord named Joker (John Vijay) enters the scene, turning the romantic drama into an unintentional romance-action-thriller.

Dilruba is like a buffet where the chef couldn't decide between serving romance, action and a TED Talk on the importance of humility. The struggles with tonal consistency, attempting to blend romance, action and moral lessons without a cohesive thread, are glaring. The film starts with a unique premise, then oscillates between Siddhu's past and present relationships (neither is explored sufficiently to create a compelling narrative), and then quickly devolves into a series of predictable tropes and unnecessary action sequences. The narrative lacks coherence, making it feel like you're watching multiple movies stitched together with the finesse of a novice tailor, and resulting in a film that feels both preachy and predictable.

The film's foundation - a protagonist who refuses to say "sorry" or "thank you" - is intriguing in the beginning and promises to lead to a unique love story, but is not convincingly developed. Siddhu's steadfast refusal to apologize or express gratitude is portrayed without a sufficient backstory to justify such rigidity. This character trait, intended to add depth, instead becomes a source of frustration, as many conflicts could have been resolved with simple expressions of humility.

Most character arcs lack depth, making it challenging for the audience to connect emotionally. The female leads, Anjali and Maggie, are underdeveloped, serving more as plot devices than fully realized characters.

The movie also attempts to incorporate contemporary language inspired by social media trends, but these often feel forced and out of place. Opportunities for humour, especially in the college setting, are largely missed, resulting in a narrative that lacks the lightness typically found in romantic dramas.

Abbavaram looks and acts like a second year engineering student, but making Satya his loser classmate seems so out of place, and is a major glitch in casting. Any 20-something actor would have been more age-appropriate and befitting. Also, Abbavaram delivers his lines loudly and with over-the-top bravado. You'll wonder what happened to the actor who emoted so perfectly, and subtly, in his last critical and commercial success KA.

Dhillon through her bubbly personality manages to bring a semblance of grace to an otherwise underwritten role. Her expressions often hint at an awareness of the absurdity unfolding around her. John Vijay portrays a villain quite cartoonishly. His scenes are like the one-minute body-comedy gigs that you see in village theatre troupes. He wants to be menacing but that is overshadowed by unintentional hilarity. Most other performances are competent but are hampered by the script's limitations.

The production quality is rich, and Viswas Daniel's cinematography is good, too. But the direction and screenplay are sub-par, and feel like masterclasses in how not to blend genres - the film's tone shifts like a teenager's mood swings. Viswa Karun has squandered his debut direction.

Sam CS provides a background score that occasionally drowns out the dialogues, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, considering the script. He fails to create any magic in the songs, either. Except for Hey Jingli (a peppy and meaningful number), all other songs are meh, and the dance steps look like PT drills.

If you're in the mood for a movie that makes you appreciate the art of saying sorry and thank you, Dilruba is your ticket - else, say "sorry, thank you" and look for better movies.